Canadian Film Weekly (Jul 28, 1948)

' JOHN DAVIS Managing director of the international J. Arthur Rank Organization and a director of Odeon Theatres of Canada Limited, who will be operating head of CMA, management group effecting a closer working relationship between the Odeon and Gaumont circuits in Great Britain. > ‘eat \ Canadian FILM WEEKLY Daily Television Show At Paramount, NY (Continued from Page 1) liate, that company’s system will probably be used here when practicable. It is known that Famous Players’ technicians have been studying the circuit’s theatres from a television standpoint. Several “television firsts’ have been scored by the Paramount Theatre while inaugurating this new policy. A pickup by Paramount’s own mobile camera crew ef the Olympic boxing elimination in Brooklyn recently—microwaved to the Paramount-Theatre, film-recorded and presented on the theatre’s 20’x 24’ screen — marked the first time that a televised event was offered as a regular program feature in a motion picture theatre. On June 24th, occurred the first news event theatre showing brought from a distant city by coaxial cable. The presidential nomination acceptance in Phila Astaire Vs. Kelly at Loew’s, Toronto GENE KELLY wc * FAVORITE... GENE py: a 78 tou P: ‘El Ped Tay ee Cag With one MGM “dancing” picture occupying the screen and another booked for the near future, Jack Clarke, manager of Loew’s, Toronto, kept interest at tops by means of a popularity poll. Ballots issued by the theatre asked voters to select their favorite dancing star, with the choice limited to Gene Kelly for his work in “The Pirate” or Fred Astaire for his job in “Easter Parade.” The ballot box adjacent to the above standee was used to collect the patrons’ slips. delphia by Governor Thomas E. Dewey before the Republican national convention in Philadelphia was taken from the coaxial cable linking the two cities, filmrecorded and presented at once to patrons of the Paramount. The following night, June 25th, Paramount chalked up the first full-screen television presentation of a world champion title bout before a theatre audience which had paid a regular admission charge. The event was the Louis-Walcott heavyweight battle at Yankee Stadium and the showing came as a complete surprise to the majority of the theatre’s audience as no public or marquee announcement was made until a half hour before the bout. Regular admission prices were not advanced. The Paramoumt on July 12th offered its evening patrons a 20-minute portion of Senator Alben Barkley’s keynote address to the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia. It was followed a few minutes later by the exciting lightweight title bout between Beau Jack and Ike Williams, direct from Shibe Park, Philadelphia. Paramount patrons applauded enthusiastically. Actually, according to officials, seeing the fight in the theatre has distinct advantages over witnessing the event in an outdoor park. Projection of the fighters on a 20’ x 24’ theatre screen affords a larger-than-life view so that not a single feint or subtle grimace is missed. In fact, to a person Seated about 150 feet from the theatre screen, the maximum distance in the Paramount Theatre, the fighters appear to be as large as they do to the man in a seat 30 to 40 feet from the ring. In the Paramoumt intermediate film system of presenting televised events, images are recorded on 35 mm. film off the face of a cathode-ray receiving tube bya special camera. The film is developed at high speed, dried practically instantaneously and fed directly to the theatre’s standard 35 mm. projectors to be flashed on the full theatre screen. From the moment an image is received until it hits the screen, there is a time lag of approximately 60 seconds. While this speed makes it possible to present televised events to theatre audiences virtually as they occur, the recording feature is of even greater significance for it permits the theatre management to edit events as good taste and necessity may require, to store the record for use at a July 28, 1948 Fox In Tele Field With Both Feet Television stations throughout the USA will soon have at their disposal a film library covering all important world-wide events as the direct result of a longterm agreement for joint establishment of a television news service recently signed by Spyros P. Skouras, president of 20th Century-Fox, and Hugh Baillie, president of United Press Association. Under the agreement Fox Movietone News will document United Press dispatches with motion pictures which will be sent to television stations weekly, after the distribution of a basic film library is sent to all television stations subscribing to the new service. The Fox Movietone News library, considered the largest in the world, contains millions of feet of motion picture news material covering events and leading personalities from Bismarck to contemporary figures. The service will provide daily coverage, according to Leroy Keller, United Press general sales manager who will immediately begin a sales survey of television stations. Keller disclosed sponsorship plans by television stations for the new service have not yet been consummated. Skouiras and Baillie; in making the announcement of the agreement said, ‘‘We are happy to join hands in the development of an important new method of presenting up-to-the-minute news pictorially. Our agreement joins two world-wide organizations to serve the new art of television.” Pictorial material from _ the library will be added to the weekly motion pictures sent to television stations so that they will constantly have current, fresh films, according to Peter Levathes, 20th Century-Fox director of television who said “this is only the beginning of our vast television program to service the entire television industry.” USP Acquires Novel United States Pictures has acquired “Blowing Wild,” an oil exploration story of the tropics, as its next film for Warners release. time a few minutes or hours later when its presentation will not interfere with the regularly scheduled program. This Paramount system enables theatre owners to turn television to profitable account, to weigh the entertainment value of televised events, and to present them in orderly fashion as additional entertainment features.