Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 23, 1955)

a ee Pa ET ey ae ee Ry Es ‘ Observanda LETS COME ON with a gag. Lorne Greene told it to frau Rita, yours truly and Maria Riva, star of Tea and Sympathy at the Royal, in the Variety Club. He told it so well that MR complimented him on his acting. Now comes the story. It seems that an explorer was strolling through the fiercest patch of jungle in Africa, completely unarmed but playing a violin — and beautifully. A huge lion, filled with hunger and hate, rushed at the fiddler, fangs flashing and claws ready. As it was about to strike, the music reached its ears and it stopped sharply. It sat there harmless, enchanted by the lovely sound. Then a great vicious gorilla dropped from a tree before the explorer, determined to tear him to pieces — and instead joined the lion as a dreamy listener. Soon the jungle was full of listening beasts, sitting quietly as though drugged. From a cliff above, a tiger took his first look at the violinist, still playing serenely away. In a moment it leaped. The tiger’s claws and teeth tore the violinist to shreds. Its hunger appeased, it sat there contentedly, licking its chops in recollection of so fine a snack, By now the other animals had come to a full realization of what had happened. The lion rose and approached the tiger. “Now what,” he asked in exasperation, “did you go and do a thing like that for?” The tiger stared at the lion, a look of mild puzzlement on his face. Still sitting, it leaned forward. Then it cupped one paw to an ear, looked in the face of the lion, and asked: “Eh???” A TELEGRAM TO Rube Bolstad states that William McCraw of Dallas, International Executive Director of Variety, passed away but we haven’t heard any more than that before press time. There is not a single Variety member who will not feel the Colonel’s departure, for he enlivened so many of our gatherings with his wonderful gift for humorous expression and he made many, many personal friends while visiting the tents. The one-time attorneygeneral for the State of Texas recently became a judge of the county criminal court. Bill bore himself with a rich dignity and this, coupled with his wonderful sense of humor and his sincere sentiment about Variety and Variety people, made his friendship something to cherish. His humor, to which I was first exposed years ago at a Miami convention, was a great blend of sly wit and broad joking. The fraternal spirit of Variety, built with countless visits to the different tents, is his monument. RECENT ON CAMERA play over CBC TV, Blind Date, was written by Jacqueline Rosenfeld, wife of Gurston of Columbia and daughter of Doug Rosen of IFD. A couple of more talents and that family could make its own features .. . Alex MacKay, International Productions’ g.m., is chairman of the Radio-TV-Motion Picture Committee for the Retarded Children’s Fund... Frank Rasky whipping a best-TV-programs-and-talent poll of reviewers, editors and “show business connoisseurs” for Liberty . . . Danny Crystal, a recent laugh-snagger at the One Two, has an unusual personality and distinctive mannerisms. He’d be a sure winner in a situation-comedy series. Has a bit of the younger Benny about him... Nat Cohen now doing weekday 10 a.m. drama criticism over CJBC. Should call the program For Ladies Only. Who else is home at that time?... Pat Fitzgerald of MCA here almost went mad one afternoon trying to run Lorne Greene down for a Kraft role. Finally located the Greene family holidaying in Pittsburgh... “A psychiatrist is the next man you start talking to after you start talking to yourself,” says Fred Allen. Tell me, do you think there’s anything in what he says, Bossin, old boy?...Ed Fitkin, my favorite sports telecaster, came up with one. A football player, he reported the other day, had suffered “‘a slightly severe concussion.” It’s okay, Ed, I pull plenty of ’em myself ...Cosmopolitan note: The New Vienna Restaurant at Huron and Harbord advertises “Famous Chinese Foods.” Ach der lieben Shrimp Chow Mein!... Now hear this: Blood is thicker than water but honor is greater than both. CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY -of hours an alternate blind was in use. . Typographs IS IT INFORMATION about the fast-growing Australian film industry you want? Then you're lucky. Just get hold of the latest Motion Picture Directory, edited by Peter Morrison, which is issued by The Film Weekly, 136 Liverpool Street, Sydney. It is comprehensive, informative and exhaustive—a great piece of work. After all, we do know what goes into this sort of thing, for we issue one in Canada. This one is a fine example of annual directories and must have taxed the imagination and energy of those responsible . .. The Jewish News of Detroit, in a column by editor Philip Slomovitz, found the fact that Earle Grey’s Merchant of Venice company toured Ontario schools “especially disturbing.” Slomovitz reprinted Frank Tumpane’s Telegram column, in which it was opined that “Shakespeare, that great architect of the English language, has done his share to keep anti-Semitism alive for the past 300 years. And the Merchant of Venice is a great play—a great anti-Semitic play.” Right now the Old Vic’s touring Merchant in Australia, in which Robert Helpmann plays Shylock, is the subject of argument. Slomovitz, recalling Frederick Valk’s Shylock at Stratford, said the refugee actor’s handling of the few lines “that happen to raise a cry for justice” was so weak that it “not only did not make an impression but thereby magnified the harm to Jewry” .. . Happy Birthday to the Prince George Hotel, home. of the Variety Club, It was opened in 1855 as the Rossin House. AT LAST our Year Book is out. It was held back by people who just couldn’t get their ad copy in and that caused us to delay our Christmas Number, a special. So we’re in trouble for time. Please be nice and get your stuff in, for the deadline is early in December . . . Jn some show bars the help seems to be staring into your glass, as though you were the kind of guy that smuggled your own whiskey into the joint. No sooner does an empty glass touch the table than it disappears with the lightning speed of a frog snatching a snack, with an enquiry about a refill. A waitress smiles at you. You smile back. She then puts another order of whiskey on the table. You haven’t the nerve to tell her that you were just smiling, not ordering. She knew you wouldn't have. But I had a new one pulled on me the other day, when a friend and I ordered vodka martinis. The waitress poised her pencil over the order book and asked: “Singles or doubles?” There’s no booziness like show booziness, I guess . . . Have another jungle story: A cocky lion came across a tiger, reared up, pounded its paws on its chest, and roared: “Who’s the king of the jungle?” The tiger admitted meekly that the lion was. Then the lion came across a gorilla and got the same answer. Soon he looked up and saw a monkey in a tree, a marijuana cigarette dangling from its lips. He asked the monkey who the king of the jungle was. “I’ll show you in a minute,” said the monkey. Down he came and, without bothering to remove the cigarette, banged the blazes out of the lion. “Man,” the monkey said, wiping his hands, “some cats’ll never learn!” A GOOD ANECDOTE about Sam Goldwyn was recalled by Variety mugg Bob McStay. Years ago Goldwyn was considering Peggy Wood for a picture and asked what she was doing. “She just finished 18 weeks in Candida,” he was told. “Quit kidding,” they say Sam said. “A week in Toronto and a week in Montreal and what else is there?” . . . Some local folks threw a housewarming in their penthouse, which has several walls completely covered by mirrors. The hosts decided it was time to say goodnight when they found one guest looking in a mirror and trying to start an argument with himself . . . Remember that old-time exhibitor’s trick of pasting a one-sheet on a blind, which was hung up and unrolled on the theatre front? I learned more about it. Cotton blinds were used because the exhibitor could wet them from behind and peel off the old one-sheet. While it dried for a couple . A father called in his son for a heart-to-heart talk. “My son,” he said, “you have reached the age when men marry. Take my advice and don’t marry for money; just for love. Go where money is—and fall in love.” It was Sholem Aleichem who observed that “You can marry more money in five minutes than you can earn in a lifetime” .. . J liked this from a Brooks Atkinson NY Times review: “Honesty sits on his face like the heritage of a good family.” November 23, 1955 Sa gee aoa