Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 25, 1946)

Page 10 CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY December 25, 1946 PENSIVE SOLDIER Morris Stein apparently pondering the state of the world while in the USA army during the first Great War. E WEARS a loud check H suit, a bright red tie from which a dazzling diamond (or a reasonable facsimile) flashes and perched jauntily on his head is a gleaming silk high hat. He wears a sweeping moustache and there’s a speculative twinkle in his eye. To the average man he’s the personification of the showman—he’s accepted by theatremen, too, as a symbol of their business, for his portrait is used to identify the Variety Clubs. Though he’s the Canada’s only Variety “Heart” of Club, Because you’re apt to look past Morris Stein, modest in size and manner, we thought you would be interested in knowing something about him. One of Canada’s leading theatre figures, Stein’s activities, business and altruistic, have caused his name to crop up often in trade news. No one is better prepared through association and literary equipment to biograph the reticent Morris than Jim (James R., that is) Nairn, head of advertising and pub© licity for the circuit which employs them both, Famous Players. Jim heeded our pleas and scribbled a frankly partisan account. Partisan, that is, only as far as Jim is concerned. Those who know Morris Stein well will endorse the account but not enthusiastically. Jim, they will claim, didn’t give Morris his due. (Morris, That Is) By JAMES R. NAIRN Morris Stein of Famous Players is the antithesis of the gabby, flashy showman so often pictured. Morris is an easy man to locate among a jostling and noisy throng at a cocktail party—he’s likely to be that quiet character sitting in a corner nursing the same highball all evening. As eastern division general manager of Famous Players, Morris Stein has a full-time chore, yet he still finds time to handle a number of assignments in the interests of the Canadian motion picture industry. During the war years he gave generously of his time and executive ability to the Victory Loans and many other public service campaigns. He spends much time on the work of the Variety Club of which he is one of the organizers and he’s past president of the Motion Picture Theatres Association of Ontario. ORRIS STEIN was born in Chicago but came at an early age to Canada, where his people operated the first motion picture theatre in Sarnia, the Empire. They acquired the property about 1908. As a youth Morris taught himself to be a projectionist but because of his age he was unable to obtain a license. He contented himself with teaching the business to older men, At least six projectionists who hold li te — a censes today owe their start to the training given them by the youthful Morris Stein. While marking time until he could get his projectionist’s license, Morris picked up drumming and he was soon playing traps in the Sarnia theatre’s little orchestra, which he describes as a “fiddle and a foot’ outfit. Morris became one of Petrillo’s boys and for years held a card in the Musicians’ Union. He played traps in various dance bands and theatres but always kept his eye on getting his license as a projectionist. Finally the great day came and he had the distinction of being one of the youngest operators in Ontario. World War I temporarily interrupted his theatre career and he joined a firm which had a contract to provide movie equipment for Canadian military establishments. He personally supervised the installation and operation of the silent movie equipments at Levis, Camp Borden, Niagara-onthe-Lake and Valcartier. When the United States entered the war Morris took the recruiting slogan, “Why walk to Berlin when you can ride,” seriously and joined the Motor Transport outfit in Port Huron. It wasn’t long, however, before the army records revealed that he had been a drummer so he was drafted to a military band, MORRIS STEIN (@ ye OF his life-long friends was the late George Rotsky and after the war Morris threw in his fortunes with that dynamic little showman. The pair trouped the country with a portable movie outfit presenting ‘road show” pictures, Later George was persuaded to join the mighty Allens and was given the job of opening the New Grand Theatre in Montreal with the elegant title of Managing Director. This was in 1919. George engaged Morris as house manager — his first venture in theatre management. George stayed on with the Allens but Morris couldn’t resist the insistent urgings of a border cities’ showman, Simon Meretsky, and the following year saw him under the Meretsky banner ag Manager of the Walkerville Theatre, now the Tivoli Theatre, Windsor. Morris wanted to widen his horizons and when ex-vaudeville star Charlie Mack beckoned he joined forces with him in the “big town’ — Detroit — to inaugurate the Michigan Vaudeville Managers’ Association. The team established themselves in the Michigan Theatre building and started booking’ vaudeville. They handled attractions for the Butterfield circuit and some Famous Players’ houses were numbered among their accounts. A red-letter day in their lives was when the partners booked an act in the Michigan Theatre — the flagship of Detroit amusement palaces. In 1924 a trio of partners in the Tivoli Theatre, Hamilton, persuaded Morris to try to pull their lame duck out of the deep weeds. The Tivoli treasurer had permanent red ink stains on his fingers. The house hadn't had a black (Continued on Page 12)