Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 8, 1948)

December 8, 1948 Hwd. Non-Th. Pix No Threat Here (Continued from Page 1) will contract for the production of pictures by manufacturers and advertising agencies. Hundreds of advertising films made in the United States are shown on Canadian screens, theatrical and otherwise, annually. It was pointed out by Hans Tiesler, head of production at Audio Studio, Toronto, to Ottawa last September that the making of many of these films here would help Canada’s dollar problem. Complete reliance on the Canadian Co-operative Project, which emphasizes. the theatrical possibilities of helping the USA exchange situation, was wrong, he said. Tiesler is opposed to any restrictive action against the import of USA-made industrial films for Canadian use. He believes that such films might even stimulate interest on the part of Canadian manufacturers in industrial films. There are enough possibilities from purely Cana dian companies to support the native production industry. Canadian films can be used in the USA. Tiesler’s studio recently made a film on poultry breeding, for which American and Canadian experts acted in an advisory capacity. The film will be shown before poultry associations in the USA as well as Canada. Audio has also finished four shorts for the CNR, -which will show Americans Canada’s scenic beauties and in this way attract teurists. These will benefit the transportation companies and others. America agencies are considering alloting part of their film budgets to Canadian studios. J. Walter Thompson, the ad agency, and Lever Brothers, the soap firm, will likely have industrials for domestic use made in Canada, Tiesler said that he believes in the free interchange of films between countries, whether industrial or theatrical. Films, like literature, should be excluded from none. Anything else was ‘“‘a Selfish and limited outlook,” he said, ‘‘and I am ‘opposed to it.” As for Canadian producers Supporting restrictive measures, that would be “hiding behind the fovernment to hide our shortComings. We don’t have to. We can give clients dollar-for-dollar industrial film value with the United States,” he said. RKO To Distribute RKO will distribute Glen McCarthy’s initial production, ‘The Green Promise,” starring MarBretite Chapman, Walter Brenmae Robert Paige and Natalie Page 5 Canadian FILM WEEKLY —@-@§-_-—-_ _-_———_ rere & Montreal Party For Reagan ae Ronald Reagan, Warner Brothers’ star, got receptions in Toronto and Montreal while passing through on his way to the Command Performance in London. In the top photo, left to right, are Reagan and Lee Hamilton, CHUM broadcaster. In the background are Charles Pearce, Toronto staff salesman, and Tony Ranicar, the company’s ad-pub chief in Canada. The bottom photo is of a Montreal scene. Front row, left to right, are Albert Lenieux, Mort Prevost, Grattan Kiely, Leo Choquette and Bill Trow. The lady is unidentified. The rear two rows are named in order from left to right: J. Kroll, the next two are unidentified, George Ganetakos, Ronald Reagan, Alex Adilman, unidentified, N. Giles, John Ganetakos, Eileen Brennan and Bill Lester. Academy Awards To Be made March 23th ’ The annual Academy Awards ’ presentation will this year take place on March 24 on the sound stage of a studio to be selected later, the Board of Governors having accepted a recommendation by a special committee that it be held there. George Jessel will act as emcee and Don Hart man will produce the show for the awards. Shooting Started On Screen Guild Film “I Shot Jesse James,” a Lippert production for Screen Guild release which will be distributed in. Canada by Cardinal Films, has gone before the cameras at Republic Studios. Starring Preston Foster, Bar bara Britton and John Ireland, the film will be made on a $500,000 budget, according to a statement by Robert L. Lippert, executive producer and president of Screen Guild. Carl K. Hittleman is producing and Samuel Fuller directing the Homer Croy story. Arthur R. Cooper, 54 Dies In Springhill Arthur R. Cooper, formerly connected with F. G. Spencer Theatres Ltd., died suddenly of a heart attack recently at the home of his mother in Springhill, NS, where he was visiting. His home was in Saint John, NB. Born in Springhill, Cooper was a veteran of both World Wars and joined the Spencer circuit a few years after the first. He managed several theatres for the chain, including among others those at Halifax and Kentville. He was a member of the IOOF and the Canadian Legion. Surviving are his wife, the former Grace McNeil; two sons, Arthur Jr. and Roland; and a brother, Sumner. "Alias Nicky Beal" Paramount’s recently completed film starring Ray Milland, Audrey Totter and Thomas Mitchell, which during production was known as “Dark Circle’ and “Strange Temptation,” will be released under the title “Alias Nicky Beal.” Canadas Fickle Import Laws (Continued from Page 1) chief of the motion picture-photographic branch in the Office of International Trade, USA Department of Commerce. This report was based on a report submitted by Jack K. McFall of the USA Embassy in Montreal. While most motion picture equipment continues to enter Canada free of import restric- tions as to quantity, some few items are either prohibited or on a quota basis as a measure in the dollar-saving program. In the first category are 16 mm. projectors and in the latter film cabinets, automatic rewinders, arc lamps, curtain machines and tracks and motor generators are subject to varying forms of quota allotment and import restrictions. One field that may eventually feel the pinch of the decreased flow of equipment is that of the drive-in theatre. Ontario is making rapid strides in this type of open-air situation and seems to give evidence of a wonderful future market for projectors, etc. Quebec, because of existing provincial laws, is not allowed to have open-air theatres but the ~Quebec Allied Theatrical Indus tries, an exhibitors’ association, has stated that it will press for a repeal of these laws or, as an alternative, will seek to have the law amended at the next session of the Quebec Legislature to allow children under 16 to attend theatres. Also contained in Golden’s report is the Dominion Bureau of Statistics’ preliminary figures on the motion picture industry for 1947, comparing the number of situations, total admissions and seating capacity. These were 1,693 theatres, 220,700,000 admissions and 800,000 seats in 1947 as against 1,477 situations, 227,500,000 theatregoers and about 758,000 capacity in 1946. It shows that, while there has been an increase of over 200 theatres in Canada, paid admissions has dropped almost 7,000,000 and speculates that this trend has continued in 1948. Masters At Meeting Haskell Master, manager of Warner Brothers’ Canadian district, was in New York recently for home office meetings of the company’s district managers. Seeks Quebec Sites Locations for filming scenes for “I Confess” are being surveyed by Alfred Hitchcock around Quebec City. Hitchcock will direct the picture for Transatlantic Pictures, which releases through Warner Brothers. ee ed