Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 11, 1947)

— Page 6 The Passing Parade Toots From the Calliope That was sure some circus band that blew the bucks out of the barkers’ pockets. Marching in playing the traditional circus salute, Billboard March, it took its place on the stand and continued to meet all requests for every type of tune as rewards to the bidding boys—with the same march. Then, when everyone was sure that the one tune was its entire rep, it switched to “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” Attired in uniforms paid for by Sam Bloom, its drummer whose snare was no delusion, it almost featured the Billy Summervilles, Jr. & Sr., who could crumble crumpets with their trumpets. All it lacked was a trombonick. .. Bill Covert demanded to see union cards and was confounded by Billy Sr. and Jack Arthur pulling out paid-up cards in the Toronto Musical Protective Society. . . . John Fitzgibbons asked the Tely’s Bunny Morganson to draw the lucky number that would determine who was to entertain 25 crippled kids in the Royal Box. He handed it to Fitz, who didn’t have his specs handy and gave it to Morris Stein to read out. Morris called the number again and again with no answer, at last becoming impatient. Then he suddenly did a double take that would make: Costello look like a deadpan and let out a holler. The number was his own! He promptly sold the privilege to Ted Covert for $200 to the fund. .. Haskell Masters, back from Europe, was at the meeting, as was Ken Leach of Calgary, also a barker. * * * : Moppet Mots Lloyd Gurr’s little girl came home from a matinee recently, and asked her daddy if she could go back again next week “because they didn’t have time to finish the picture.” It seems that she had seen the serial . . . Circle M habitues were startled recently when a six-year-old girl, watching her well-known daddy having trouble getting his mount to respond to “giddy-up” and other urgings, exclaimed: “Kick the S.0.B!”. . . Heard the reaction of a city slicker who, from the Variety train to LA, observed the endless desert wastes and said: “Look at all that parking space!” . . . There’s a Stella Dallas cafe on Queen Street, PRC might like to know... A fellow, looking at the plane crash headlines in Mickey Firestone’s delly, observed: “I guess if the Lord had meant us to fly he would have given us wings”. . . The partners in local night spots are drawn from other businesses and plague the actors with their opinions. One emcee uses the hat with the turned up brim when working, a common adornment of that craft. A partner ordered that he take it off because the place was too'classy for anyone to wear his hat inside. . . A pass issued ten years ago for the Elgin, Ottawa, by Joe Paul, the manager then, was used for “The Jolson Story.” % * * Lines and Outlines The flowers bloom in the Spring, tra-la, and so do the vital statistics. Nat Bresver, Community pilot, is a pappy, and Max Pelly, Manor manager, recently married Betty Bresver. Another theatre dynasty being founded?... Jack Bernstein of RKO surprised the Square’s squares by making known his engagement to the talented Philadelphia singer and concert artist, Mary Simmons, whom he met when she came here as guest artist of the choir of which Jack is associate conductor. . . Irving Herman, PRC publicist, and Dorothy Grossman, Monogram receptionist, are engaged. . . Time to revive the observation that “In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of the same thing women have been thinking about all winter”... Frank Kavanaugh, head of 20th Century Theatres’ art department, has resigned and will hereafter conduct an agency with brother Ger at 14 Merrick Street, Hamilton... Barnett Laxer and Jack Shane are still president and vice-president respectively of Biltmore Theatres. We were misinformed otherwise by one who, of all people, knows better. . . Joe Meyers is now on the Eagle-Lion sales staff... Dan Wallace, who recently quit the NFB, nearly got the Liberal nomination for the by-election in Halifax. . . Dick Main is reported to have purchased Ben Gerson’s share of what was their mutual interest in Listowel. Canadian FILM WEEKLY Gurr, Ackery Get Pats A Gurr Without a Growl Theatre men from Toronto, Ottawa, St. Thomas, Brantforg Guelph and other Ontario cities stayed up owl hours to give ‘ great guy named Gurr a sendoff into another industry. When Long Lloyd decided to withdraw from the Century to operate a summer hotel the Hamilton Theatre Managers’ Association prepared to mark his self-transfer with a party. The news spread fast and demands for invitations came from many points, The party, which began in the Mural Room of the Connaught Hotel, Hamilton, at 10.30 p.m., was a lively affair that was brightened by Bill Stewart’s piano-pounding and the guest of honor’s humorous and sentimental speech, following the presentation of a travelling bag by George Stroud in behalf of the association. Finest tribute to Lloyd was offered by his former associate, Nat Taylor. It was on par with another type of honor offered Lloyd, this one by Ernie Warren and Johnny Kurk of Ottawa. Warren borrowed what Kurk later decided was a beer can with wings and flew himself and John in. A harrowing flight, as John tells it, with none of the difficulties daunting the imperturbable Ernie. After much trouble getting off the ground and then staying off the ground, the plane reached the Toronto airport. There more gas was put in and the plane, after a hard fight, got into the air over Lake Ontario and headed for Hamilton. In the water one of those long, large, leisurely and almost unsinkable freighters plowed along. ‘You know,” Warren said to his passenger, “T feel sorry for the fellows who work on that boat. If it should sink all they have left are rowboats.” At last reports six Ottawa policemen were tugging vainly at Kurk’s fingers trying to get them uncrossed. This willingness of Ernie to risk life and limb—Kurk’s—to join with others in honoring Gurr is typical of the regard held for him, as Prexy Jim McDonough said over and over again in different ways—but not too often, mind you, because he was talking about Gurr. Everyone regretted the absence of Jean Ford, the association’s bright secretary, who was to have made the presentation but decided to let the party remain all-male. However, she sent a nice letter. Another bright spot was the response of those assembled to Bert Brown’s explanation of the Variety Club and its baseball game for crippled kids. For the association Jim McDonough promised the utmost assistance from Hamilton theatres and he and Bob Maynard are pitching in to have those who dwell at the foot of the mountain match or exceed St. Catharine’s $1,000 purchase and Oshawa’s promise. * * * Ivan Ackery Honored No manager aims as relentless a fire of exploitation ack-ack at potential picture patrons as does Ivan Ackery of the Orpheum, Vancouver. This ever going-after them earned him the trade’s outstanding honor for creators of public interest in programs, the Quigley Award. His confreres at Famous Players apparently got as big ® thrill out of it as did Ack. They gave the non-coaster from the Coast a luncheon in the King Edward’s deluxe dining room, the Vanity Fair, and local nabobs nudged each other reaching for the asparagus and downing the olives in Ack’s honor. Toronto’s downtown managers were on hand, among them Len Bishop of the Tivoli, who hired Ackery for the company 26 years ago in Winnipeg. Also listening to the lauding were Harold Israel, an assistant to Barney Balaban, and F. W. Lambert, Uni-Cinemas, Leeds, of what used to be Roastbeefville. Ack’s boss, Larry Bearg, chairmanned the occasion and eulogized Ivan, as did FP’s prexy and vice-prexy respectively, John Fitzgibbons and Rube Bolstad. The bright boy from BC also drew praise from Paramount’s ‘Gordon Lightstone, who spoke (Continued on Page 10)