Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 15, 1948)

December 15, 1948 ‘Bad Actors Ban Asked By Allied (Continued from Page 1) The group also adopted a resojution condemning the reissuance of pictures featuring a star of umfavorable comment. Such a practice, the resolution said, “prings the whole industry into disrepute.” The resolution advocating the disciplining of misbehaving stars stated that they exerted a profound influence on public morals, manners and attitudes, ‘that by the purity or laxity of their lives, these stars provide examples of good or evil for millions of followers,” that “the uninhibited conduct of a small minority is an affront to the common decency, threatening public morals and welfare and umdermining the good-will of the entire industry.” The resolution called on producers to amend the code of production standards by adding a provision that no player who had gained public notoriety for offenses or misconduct be permitted to appear in any motion picture unless he or she had been formally acquitted, if the offense ‘were a crime, or, if not a crime, exonerated for misconduct by an appropriate agency or committee. The resolution further advocated that the Produiction Code Administration he empowered to withhold the production code seal from any motion picture the cast of which included any such offending player. The resolution was brought up for approval by Joseph Fineran of Indiana. : “It reaches the very core of a rotten situation and will probably be approved by the Screen Actors’ Guild.” He warned that rumblings now being heard were similar to those which preceded formation of the Legion of Decency. Leo J. Jones of Sandusky, Ohio, and Charles Snyder of Detroit, expressed the opinion that a picture, starring an erring player show'd be banned, even if it had been produced before criticism of the star. The group, however, did not agree to this, holding that a producer who made a picture in good faith, spending millions on its Production, should not be penalZed for something for which he was blameless. Victor Mature Cast In "Restless Angel’ Victor Mature, currently starting with Hedy Lamarr in Cecil B. DeMille’s “Samson and Delilah,” will remain at Paramount's Hollywood studio to play oppoSite Betty Hutton in “Restless Angel,” formerly called ‘The Broadway Story.” . Se Canadian FILM WEEKLY 7 Unlicensed Theatres 47 Must Stop Vaude (Continued from Page 1) dealt with fire drills, which the branch is endeavoring to make province-wide through the cooperation of local chiefs and managers, and care of equipment. The letter from W. D. McPhee, chief inspector, follows: All Theatre Managers: 1. Theatres in a number of municipalities hold monthly fire drills under supervision of the local fire department. These drills are very desirable and we wish to make the practice Provincewide. Discuss this item with your local Fire Department and kindly advise what arrangement has been made. 2. Open type electrically operated rewinds have been the cause of two recent film fires, due to faulty wiring or sparking motors. Check your wiring; see that it is in BX or better and have the rewind motor well shielded. 3. Under Regulation 4, theatres shall report immediately by telephone or telegraph any fire, panic or accident. This has not been done in all cases; the information occasionally reaching the Department -through motion picture periodicals. 4, Discourage the use of your theatre by organizations on Sundays and especially do not request permission of this office to display films on that day. 5. It is noted in various trade papers that many theatres are featuring stage shows at matinee or evening performances. Check your theatre license for classification as vaudeville or stage acts are not permitted under licenses stamped ‘Motion Pictures Only.” Expect More Canuck Backgrounds In Pix Willingness of American producers to study Canadian backgrounds with a view to using them has been the accomplishment to date of the Canadian Co-operation Project, Ross McLean, government film commissioner, said last week. The project is to help counterbalance Canada’s remittances for USA films by having American money spent here on production. ‘Tt is evidence, as well, of a greater concern for public enlightenment in the film industry and a desire to share in the community life as well as to draw revenue from it,’ he said. The public was partly to blame for the amount of violence depicted in motion pictures, McLean stated, for the producers have found that such scenes helped a picture be attractive at the boxoffice. . McLean was speaking before the Hamilton Film Council at McMaster University. War Correspondents’ Reunion Lionel Shapiro, war correspondent and author of the bestSeller, “Sealed Verdict,” is shown above at a reunion in Toronto with other writers who served in the same theatre of operations. He was in the Queen City for the opening of Paramount’s “Sealed Verdict,” based on his book. In the photograph, from the left, are Wallace Reyburn, Gill Purcell, Myer Wimp, Shapiro, John Clare, Ralph Allen and C. B. Pyper. Vol. 18, No. 48 Dec. 15, 1948 .HYE BOSSIN, Managing Editor Address all communications—The Managing Editor, Canadian Film Weekly, 25 Dundas Square, Toronto, Canada. Entered as Second Class Matter. Published by Film Publications of Canada, Ltd., 25 Dundas Square, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Phone ADelaide 4317. Price 5 cents each or $2.00 per year, Page 3 Board Picked By Variety Tent (Continued from Page 1) Theatre; Conn Smythe, Maple Leaf Gardens; and William Summerville, Jr. B&F Theatres. Smythe is from the field of sports, Rawley the legitimate theatre and Allen and Summerville motion picture exhibition. Those returned to office were: John J. Fitzgibbons, CBE, Famous Players Canadian Corporation, who is Chief Barker of . Tent 28. Morris Stein, Assistant Chief Barker and head of the Heart Committee, also of Famous Players. ; Ben Freedman, Dough Guy, Allied Theatres, Limited. Ben Geldsaler, Property Master, Famous Players. David Griesdorf, chairman of the House Committee, International Film Distributors Limited. Hye Bossin, Canadian Film Weekly. Jack Chisholm, Associated Screen News. , ‘The canvasmen will meet shortly and elect officers for the new term. Femme Star Set For ‘Jolson Sings Again’ Barbara Hale has been signed to a term contract by Columbia and cast for the feminine lead opposite Larry Parks in “Jolson Sings Again.”’ The sequel to “The Jolson Story” is being produced by Sidney; Buchman with Henry Levin directing. Cast for the film thus far are Ludwig Donath and William Demarest who will repeat the roles they created in the original biography. THEATRE REQUIRE: MENTS CONTRACT SALES OFFICE te Fons) ett ane ter aer os aie