Canadian Film Weekly (Sep 10, 1947)

pee) i ee age 4 Canadian FILM WEEKLY 3 September 10, 1947 Heartbeats Enchanted Evening The spirit of the theatre of yesterday returned for a single night last week to one of.its famed temples, the Imperial. There, night after night in the happier days of other years, living actors launched immeasurable laughter and eased countless hearts among the worshippers. Returned was the raillery, the glitter, the glamor, the charm. It sparkled again on the street, in lobby and foyer, on the stage, behind the scenes, in the long-deserted green room — and lit up mind and heart. Even the stagedoor johns and janes were back, this time with pad and pencil. Once again, after many years of contrived and necessary gloom, the house lights were up when the theatre was full. Pcople looked at each other and at their surroundings and liked the experience. Hlumination brought intimacy instead of the usual dark-induced isolation. That spirit, inspired by crippled children, borne by a host of practitioners of the ancient and varied arts of the theatre, sponsored by the Variety Club, ushered in by Jack Arthur and supported by thousands of generous folk, helped create a night to remember. A night to remember when other sentimemories will have faded beyond the too-frail power of human recollection. For many it was as though the great curtain of Time, pulled back by angels, had parted briefly to let them have one more look at golden days long gone — days that may never come again in the theatre. But for the guestsof honor, the crippled children, it was a thrilling adventure of discovery and exploration in a rich, bright world, the existence of which they had not suspected until this very moment. “Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight,” a poet once pleaded, ‘““Make me a child again just for tonight!” Men and women forgot themselves and were enveloped again in the enchanted cloak of youth as they looked into the gieaming faces of the children and listened to the loveliest of music, their laughter. They saw the magical scene through the eager, enraptured eyes of the young ones. : It was a wonderful thing in a world that seems to have lost its sense of wonder. 3 To each grownup came that rare feeling of goodness which renews the love of life, a feeling absent from our care-ridden world too long. Even now, days later, the Heart of Show Business still beats fast with the excitement of that evening. * * x Observanda .Busiest guy at the Ex is Glenn Ireton, ex-WB p.a., whose Joe LaFlamme wild life Midway show plays to throngs that would make exhibitors envious. Glenn also had the booster nut stand .. . Eddie Goldsmith returns to The Square as successor to Merv Goldstone in Allied’s booking department ...The screen of the Gaiety, Montreal, was damaged badly by juves sniping at it with staples ‘propelled by elastic bands but the cops cleaned up the situation . . . Joe Bermac is now representing Astor in the Toronto territory ... The D’Angelo “models” from “the school of charm” changed their minds about helping out at the Variety show. They complained, wrote Jack Karr in the Toronto Star, about “the lack of dignity accorded them when asked to sell favors for crippled children .. .” Not very charming on their part, everyone thinks — particularly since it, happened two days before the opening . . . Jim Cameron, one of,the hardcest of Variety workers, was absent from the big show, he being on his honeymoon . . . You should have seen the Ontario Government 16 mm. theatre at the Ex to realize how efficient and compact a small-gauge operation can be... Plenty of movies at the Ex this year, with the Fairex open-air 35 mm. theatre playing to plenty with G-K projection—and Jack Shilling in the booth, ‘ f AT iy I On The | f , SQU ARE Variviews i wills We DOSS In and Around THAT GREAT WIND that nearly blew the town away last week was a sigh of relief from Gordon Lightstone, chairman of the Variety ticket committee, and the sunshine that drove away the dark came from the smile of Jack Cooke, chairman of the fund-raising committee and head of the comittee of 30 charged with putting over the show. WHAT A GREAT GUY that Billy De Wolfe is! No sooner did he get back to Hollywood after a tour that wore him out, than he was asked to come to Toronto. He was so popular here in the past that citizens thought of him as a home town boy. He liked the idea and the cause and he came here. You all know what a wonderful job he did. He knocked himself out working for the frantic folks out in front. As Fitz remarked: “Four or five of those a week and Henry (Ginsberg, Para lot boss) will have to get himself a new boy.” Win Barron had him everywhere before and after the show —on Mickey Lester’s program, at a luncheon in the Club Norman and so on. He even commented about it on the stage. Chatting with Morris Stein, it turned out that Billy had played the Imperial, then the Pantages, when the former was manager. Toronto couldn’t get enough of De Wolfe that night—but it will have its chance. He'll be blitzing the city soon, with “Variety Girl,” “Dear Ruth” and “Perils of Pauline” around the same time. The comic had a tough time getting out of town. His train reservations were made from Hollywood by someone with a long memory, for Grand Truck Railway was specified and CNR and CPR wouldn’t accept the reservation. THE CANADIAN TALENT on the bill was right in there, for George Taggart’s unit is top presentation stuff for any house anywhere. Doug Romaine, a Chaplinesque comic, reaped a harvest of laughs and Mildred Morey, the humorous hoyden, romped about in a very appealing way. Mildred was once booked into the Paramount, New York, the chance of a lifetime. She didn’t play it but that wasn’t because Paramount changed its mind. There’s more to the story but not here and now. THE CROWD GATHERED early on Yonge Street, which was roped off. On top a Gold Medal Shows wagon, loaned by Patty Conklin, Sam Wacker, ex-vauder and now a mining publisher, entertained the crowd attired in barker togs. His tricks and sprightly chatter got many a laugh. Jack Chisholm’s boys were mighty busy getting the scene on film while Lorne Green interviewed Fitzgibbons, Stein, De Wolfe and others over a CKEY mike. ANOTHER SHOW-STOPPER was young Herb Sells, a musical mimic who came over from the Casino and was topped only by De Wolfe. Many patrons who saw him at the Variety show went to the Casino the next night to catch him again. He is handled by De Wolfe’s former manager and top-spotting is only a matter of time, in the opinion of Variety showfolk. THE PACKED HOUSE got a real kick out of seeing Jack Arthur on the stage as he conducted the overture. “It feels good to be up here at the old stand,” he chuckled, and the crowd broke into applause and laughter. Jack thanked all the performers, then with typical Arthur consideration, singled out Al Jackson, the Imperial’s electrician, for the wonderful job he did in getting the long-unused lighting to serve so well. DON HENSHAW’S PITCH, delivered in a barker’s costume and inviting purchases of favors from the Shea's usherettes attired in costumes from Radio City Hall, was a great piece of work. Don, as game a Barker as there is, is a top scribbler and deliverer of lines. He called the attention of the audience to the youngsters in the boxes. Tae Ra? oe AS ey Wag ae ees Se Re Te is WS RRB ee