Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 19, 1947)

Page 10 UK Production To Provide 65 Pix British production during the next year will be on a record scale, with about 65 films from all sources to be made at an. overall cost of $65,000,000, it was indicated in reports from London. Chief British competitor of J. Arthur Rank’s companies for top playing time throughout the world will be Sir Alexander Korda, who will spend $20 million for 13 productions from British Lion Studios. ’ It is expected that Rank interests will make 43 films and British Independent producers eight or ten. It is not unlikely that the total may go beyond the present estimate, for Warner Brothers announced this, year that it will make six top-budget features in conjunction with British Associated, in which it is interested. Ae) Korda’s projects include “The Devil’s Delight,” with Cary Grant, and “Cyrano de Bergerac,” with Orson Wells as star and director. Robert Donat will appear in “The Winslow Boy,” and Rex Harrison has been lined up for a film. Ready for release by Korda, who distributes through 20th Century-Fox in Canada, are “An Ideal . Husband,” Oscar Wilde play starring Diana Wynyard and Paulette Goddard; ‘‘Anna Karenina,” starring Vivien Leigh and Sir Ralph Richardson; ‘Mine Own Executioner,’ with Burgess Meredith heading the cast; and “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” starring David Niven. : Stars For 'Window' Barbara Hale and Arthur Kennedy will have the leads in RKO’s “The Window,” which will be filmed entirely in New York. Bolinsky Was FPCC Veteran Manager Joseph Albert Bolinsky of the Imperial, Sarnia, Ontario, an FPCC unit, died in a Kitchener hospital from injuries received from a car crash. ~He was returning from the funeral of his father in Kitchener and was being driven to Galt, Ontario, where he was to take a train home. Also injured in the crash were his brother, John, and his sister, Mrs. John Paxton of Boston. : Bolinsky joined Famous Players in 1923 as projectionist-manager of its Paris, Ontario, theatre and following that managed the Brant, Brantford, for three and a half years. From there he went to Sarnia and had been there for over eight years. He would have been a member of the Famous Players 25 Year Club this year, __. Canadian FILM WEEKLY _ Renew Foto-Nite F ranchise ‘, OSCAR HANSON Quality Good BO Says Rev. Vachet That there was a strong demand for good films with a Christian message was noted by Reverend A. Vachet, head of Renaissance Film Distribution Incorporated, at the recent Windsor Hotel meeting of the -Montreal Chambre de Commerce. He agreed that Hollywood possessed good artists, producers and technicians, but claimed it was not answering the’ demand for quality films and he stated that pictures of quality were those enjoying the highest boxoffice figures. In connection with immoral films he added that while a film can start off being perfectly moral it can wind up being immoral without the slightest inten . tion of having it made so by the producer. Father Vachet, who has been actively identified with the industry in France, is now engaged in organizing a film industry here. His Canadian project is prospering and its original capitalization of $500,000 has been enlarged. to $3,000,000. He is at present combining the productivity factors so that soon he expects his enterprise will be turning out 15 to 18 films a year, a figure that will be gradually increased. He has the backing of His Holiness the Pope and all of. the leading religious figures in Quebec, he said. Ochs Sells In USA Herbert T. Ochs and associates have sold their USA drive-in theatres. He operates the only Toronto drive-in, which wasn’t included-in the deal. PETER BARNES Franchise for Foto-Nite, popular theatre diversion and attraction, has been renewed for a period of years. Principals are Peter Barnes, head of -Foto-Nite Amateur Shows, and Oscar Hanson. It is handled in the east by Sterling Films and in the west by Foto-Nite Distributors, both Hanson companies, which have offered it to exhibitors for the past eight years. Winners Announced In Digest Contest At the recent luncheon of the Canadian Moving Picture Digest to pick the winners in its seventh annual Showmanship Contest, the nine judges gave top honors to Bill Novack of the Capitol Theatre in Winnipeg for his outstanding work on Paramount's “Welcome Stranger.” Second to Novack was another Winnipegger, Eddie Newman of the Metropolitan Theatre, for his job on International Film Distributors’ “Meet the Navy;” and third was Ernie Warren of the Elgin, Ottawa, for Columbia’s “The Jolson Story.” Honorable mentions were gained by Fred Trebilcock of Shea’s, Toronto; Max Phillips and Charles Frost of the Regent Sudbury; and Stan Gosnell of the Uptown, Toronto. In the single idea and mode of presentation section, C. T. Spencer of the Capitol Theatre, . Hamilton, was declared the win ner for the buildup he gave Empire-Universal’s “The Egg and I.” Honorable mention went to Mel Jolley of the Marks Theatre, Oshawa. Judges were the exploitation heads of various distributing and exhibiting film companies, House Nearly Ready The new theatre in Joggins, Nova Scotia, is nearing completion. It will replace the 200-seat Your, ‘destroyed by fire early this summer. In "Winter Meeting’ James Davis will star in Warners’ “Winter Meeting,” ' November 19, 1947 British Tax Fight May End Shortly An early compromise on the British film tax may be found by American interests and Brit . ish representatives, it was re ported in London last week. The tax, if and when applied, would confiscate 75 per cent of rentals obtained at the present rate and will cause USA producers to withdraw their films from the British market. Threat of the tax caused near-panic among distributors and producers, with changes in production plans, ideas for retrenchments and staff reductions cropping up. The British government has indicated its willingness to discuss an ‘alternative to its tax stand and last week F. W. Allport, European representative for Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Export Association of America, said he had been instructed to approach the Treasury for reopening of negotiations. A variety of reports about what type of compromise will finally be worked out circulated in both government and film circles. The Americans have not divulged the plan that they will submit and the Treasury has been equally close-mouthed regarding what it would consider proper. Most of those speculating on the tax alternative were convinced that British Treasury officials have drawn up a suggested program in which a major point is that the American film industry provide sufficient distribution of British films in the United States to enable British pictures to earn a minimum of $20,000,000 yearly. Another proviso, it was said, would be that £7,000,000 of the American industry’s sterling earnings in Britain would be left there for investment. Four million pounds would be allowed to be remitted to the United States. Northern Canada To Get NEB Pix Through a _ special arrangement between the resources department of the Northwest Territories and the National Film Board, an educational film Will be shown to school children and adult education groups in the Mackenzie district monthly, it was stated by H. L. Keenlyside, commissioner for Canada’s northernmost section. Seven major settlements in the sub-Arctic and Arctic areas will show these films on a circuit basis, with the Northwest Territories Council paying half the cost of audio-visual equipment. In the chain are Aklavik, Simpson, Providence, Yellowknife, Hay River, Resolution and Fort Smith,