Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 16, 1954)

Page 4 NEW PARA POLICY (Continued from Page 1) while an all-VistaVision schedule of 15 features, five now in work, will keep the studio going for the rest of the year. “There is a vast audience for pictures the public wants to see,” the Paramount president said. “There is a very meagre audience for those pictures that do not have the values demanded by this selective market.” The company “now finds itself with a healthy motion picture business and diversified interests in a number of new and growing areas.” Among these are TV stations, a TV color tube and Telemeter, which, in its Palm Springs experiment, “clearly established the technical proficiency of the system and the willingness of the public to pay for quality television entertainment in their homes.” Among the VistaVision features to come are: Strategic Air Command, James Stewart-June Allyson starrer in Technicolor, is now in final stages of production. On location in Colorado is Run for Cover, Pine-Thomas production in Technicolor, starring James Cagney, Viveca Lindfors and John Derek. Three in Technicolor started in June. They are: June 1 — To Catch a Thief, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, with Alfred Hitchcock producing and directing; June 7 — Love Is a Weapon, starring John Payne and Mary Murphy; and June 14 -—We’re No Angels; starring Humphrey Bogart, Joan Bennett, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov and Basil Rathbone. This pace will continue with these Technicolor productions: Blue Horizons, story of the historic Lewis and Clark expedition; Bob Hope’s next comedy; Danny Kaye’s The Court Jester; and Lucy Gallant, to be produced by Pine-Thomas. Keeping production _ rolling will be Martin and Lewis in You’re Never Too Young; Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, with a cast which already includes Charlton. Heston, Yul Brynner and Sir Cedric Hardwicke; The Vagabond King, starring Kathryn Grayson and the brilliant new European operatic tenor, Oreste Kirkop, and to be directed by Michael Curtiz. The Fall production slate of important properties includes Hal Wallis’ filmization of Rose Tattoo, Tennessee Williams’ Broadway dramatic hit, starring Burt Lancaster and the internationally famous Italian actress, Anna Magnani; William Wyler’s The Desperate Hours, the justpurchased suspense novel by Joseph Hayes; and another Cary Grant starring picture to be produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the subject of which will shortly be announced. CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY Break-Ins, BO Stickups (Continued from Page 1) and thus impossible to maneuver cause the robber to. be discouraged into withdrawing, while those left in a position to be seen from the street, and which have no wheels, are not tempting. One large circuit has been following a policy of replacing its fireproof safes with burglar-proof ones and will soon be getting a below-standard insurance rate. Hill said that it would pay the theatre operator to change his safe, for the lower rate would work in his favor in the long run. “The lower the premium, the better for both of us,” he pointed out. A higher premium means more money coming in but it also means more losses paid out. Managers and other employees, by being vigilant, can prevent safecracking attempts by seeing that no one remains in the theatre after the last performance or gets in through doors left open carelessly. Members of morning cleaning staffs should keep all doors locked and admit only persons known to them, so that a _ stickup man can’t slip in and hide in the manager’s office. Theatres are, of course, just about the easiest targets for break-ins, most of which take place on weekends, when they can be looted at leisure. Manv theatres have been broken into more than once and the record is held by a drive-in, which got the attentions of would-be safecrackers four times in a season. Theatre holdups of the “outside” category — between the atre and bank —— were at the same level in 1953 as in the past of course! for POPCORN it’s Super Pufft’ Write for our new catalogue SUPER PUFFT POPCORN LTD. 97 Duke St., Toronto SERVICE CONFECTIONS LTD. 243 Lilac St., Winnipeg, Men. few years, and this is also true of “inside” holdups —— boxoffice or manager’s office. Successful safecracking of burglar-proof safes or those semi-safe is no higher — but attempts are. Although Canada had_ several hundred theatre claims in 1953 arising from property damage, burglary and holdups, the insurance rates are lower than in the USA but can only be kept that way by guarding against the carelessness that gives the robber or burglar his chance. Holdups occur more frequently in towns and cities but break-ins and burglaries are as frequent in rural areas as in urban. A real effort to keep managers and others aware of crime possibilities is being made. Some district managers’ send regular warnings and their companies distribute bulletins detailing preventative methods. Right now the Motion Picture Theatres Association of Ontario is preparing a paper on the subject for distribution amongst its members. Here are some_ suggestions about safety methods: Keep your office door or door to the office where the safe is located locked at all times. Do not open the door to any person or persons unless you know who they are, even though the safe may be closed and locked and the funds are inside. Install a chain on the office door so that you can see who is wanting admittance without opening the door more than a few inches. Boxoffices should be cleared regularly several times in the afternoon or evening as required so that no more money than is necessary for change be left. Do not let your cashiers display large quantities of money and do not count money in view of the public. Money not in boxoffice should be in the safe and the safe should always be locked except when putting in or taking out funds. Cashiers or other persons carrying money from boxoffice to the inner office should be accompanied. Do not go to the bank at the same hour each morning and, if possible, take a different route. A police escort should be called when the cash is ready to be taken to the bank for deposit. Where a watchman is employed warn him never to leave the theatre or open a door except to a city policeman or members of your local messenger protective system while he is on duty alone. Go over your house after the theatre is closed and make sure that no one is hiding therein, and see that all doors and exits are properly locked. June 16, 1954 OUR BUSINESS (Continued from Page 3) that poor dubbing is worse than sub-titles, which are _ generally taboo. This will mean a new source of product for many exhibitors. This type of picture is not always easy to sell to the public but occasionally one smashes through for a hit and nowadays we need all the hits we can get. It is heartening indeed to see the grandiose plans of some of these producers because as long as there is good product for our theatres there will be good profits for our business. RKO's 'French Line’ In Five Houses Here Howard Hughes’ much-publicized color feature, The French Line, opened last week in five Toronto Odeon theatres at the same time, it was announced by Jack Labow, Canadian general manager. Twenty-three Ontario dates were set up and these engagements will all get under way within a month. Try to arrange with your local police department to make more frequent visits to your theatre, especially when the receipts may be a little heavier than usual. It might be possible to arrange with your local bank to take the receipts at the close of the boxoffice and keep them until the next day, or from Saturday night until Monday morning. Receipts should be deposited daily. Have the wheels removed from the safe so that it will sit flat on the floor which will make it harder to move around.” In some houses arrangements have been made whereby the police patrol car picks up receipts to be held at police station until deposited. 1 In some houses, burglar alarms have been installed by the electrician. It is possible that you might have someone around the theatre who could install an alarm very cheaply. In so doing, notify the police that such an installation has been made. Some houses have mirrors in their foyers so that the safe can be seen from the street. If possible such an arrangement should be made. Do not keep personal papers or cash in the safe, since if it is robbed recovery is not always possible under the insurance policy. Keeping a record of the numbers of a few of each denomination of bills is helpful to the police. This, of course, should not be left in the safe.