Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 28, 1955)

Page 10 Laud Cousins On 90th Birthday The 90th birthday of Ernest Cousins, Montreal business man who is chairman of the board of United Amusement Corporation, was noted by much publicity in the local papers. The Montreal Star printed a_ twocolumn picture of the immigrant from England who arrived in ERNEST COUSINS Quebec on May 10, 1884 at the age of 19 and went to work for a farmer at $5 per month and board. Under the picture was a long story. He got a milk route in 1889 on his own and built it into the present $2,000,000 business. In 1909 he and the late George Ganetakos were among 20 stockholders who formed the Canadian Amusement Company to operate the Moulin Rouge cinema. In 1912, with the building of the Strand Theatre, the Independent Amusement Company, which absorbed the Canadian Amusement Co., was formed and in 1916, under the leadership of Cousins and Ganetakos, United Amusements Limited was organized to build and operate the Regent Theatre. United Amusement Corporation Limited was formed in 1924 and took over the Independent Amusement Company and United Amusements Limited. Ernest Cousins became a director of the company in 1912 and president in 1913 — a position he held until he became board chairman and was succeeded by the late George Ganetakos. He goes to his office at 75 Colborne Street at 9 every morning and leaves it at 2 p.m. to have a look at other business interests. Then he goes home to 720 Victoria Avenue. Recalling the poor times in which he arrived, he observed that “I have seen Canada grow to become a mighty nation of which I am as proud as any other Canadian.” CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY TV Boosts Rentals (Continued from Page 1) ted a gain of $1,336,642 over the $34,436,609 of 1953 and, when the receipts from advertising ($444,011, a drop of $89,966) and other sources ($450,350, a drop of $25,357) are added, gives us a grand total of $36,667,612. This is the reverse to the figures for boxoffice receipts and admissions for the same year, published earlier in the Canadian Film Weekly. Theatre grosses were down by 3.3 per cent, amounting to a loss of $3,556,965, and admissions decreased by 8.5 per cent, representing 18,081,943 fewer sold tickets. Partially responsible for the gain in rentals while at the same time theatre receipts were dropping is the addition of 15 companies and 12 exchanges branches to the field, most of these new ones opening to service TV and non-profit societies. According to the DBS, there were 7,302 films in 35 mm. used theatrically in 1954 and these were rented for $32,831,209. In 16 mm. gauge there were 1,513 films used theatrically and these took in $1,617,870 in rentals. The combined total for the two gauges was 8,815 films and $34,449,079. The difference between this figure and the one used earlier — $35,773,251 —— being made up by income from films for industrial use and for private or nontheatrical use, which together had $1,324,172 in rentals. The $1,617,870 figure for theatrical 16 mm. rentals is a drop of $404,242 from the $2,022,112 of 1953 and is probably accounted for by the closing of some 16 mm. houses and the conversion of others to 35 mm. However, the non-theatrical category of 16 mm. film rentals — given by the DBS as $1,324,172 in 1954—-shows a gain of $935,040 over 1953, reflecting the increased use of films Cast Completed For Col.'s 'Zarak Khan’ The fourth starring role in Zarak Khan, Warwick’s production for Columbia starring Victor Mature, Michael Wilding and Anita Ekberg, has been handed to Eunice Gayson, a film newcomer, who is currently England’s number one television attraction. Terence Young is directing and Phil C. Samuels is producing Zarak Khan, Warwick Productions’ most ambitious project to date, being filmed in CinemaScope and Technicolor on location in Spanish Morocco. UA's ‘The Clean Break’ Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray will star in UA’s The Clean Break. by industrial concerns and TV. The following table of annual rentals, in which each figure represents the combined 16 and 35 mm. yield from every source, shows the progessive increase: Year Firms Branches Rentals 1930 — 59 $ 9,536,200 1933 a 59 6,797,600 1934 —_ 60 7,370,200 1935 —_ 61 7,404,500 1936 —_ 66 8,358,900 1937 _ 63 9,471,100 1938 —_ 62 10,218,700 1939 _— 67 10,315,500 1940 — 42 11,445,167 1941 a 69 12,368,446 1942 — 78 13,892,093 1943 23 87 15,163,355 1944 23 88 16,516,073 1945 26 86 17,490,264 1946 29 91 18,652,892 1947 29 114 19,464,706 1948 29 118 21,591,712 1949 37 119 24,893,657 1950 36 = 118 26,800,789 1951 33 123 29,225,867 1952 36 129 32,911,042 1953 33 124 34,436,609 1954 48 136 35,773,251 The figures from the years previous to 1940 include receipts from advertising and other sources. The totals from 1946 on are presumed to be from every type of exhibition, including drive-ins. As a guide to the amount of rentals for 35 mm. only the following figures for 16 mm. theatrical and non-theatrical rentals will help: Yeor Rentoa!s ey 2 ae 2 a dale Re Sp SoA $ 967,179 WAG ee ck aboes 1,198,016 O46 eee RENE Be: 1,173,170 2: by CERES agent ek aoe Daan 1,180,170 MOA ay Hie ree Bees 1,444,872 | (5 | Pecos: Ce Ne Marie enna ne ES 1,684,953 BO ier eis 3 octet acne 1,713,813 |i eS Dare Ae BOE naa aptey 1,894,461 Lae ee ea ee 2,281,540 1s age araee aN am teat nai eae 2,411,244 ROBE user aea meta cup hieees 2,942,042 Goldwyn, Jr. Buys Novel Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., has acquired screen rights to Frederick Wakeman’s novel, Shore Leave, which he will produce for VA release. Republic Signs Stars For 'Dakota Incident’ Dale Robertson, John Lund and Ward Bond have been signed to star with Linda Darnell in Republic’s Dakota Incident, now under way on location at Red Rock Canyon, California, with Lewis Foster directing the production for associate producer Michael Baird. The big outdoor drama will be filmed in Trucolor by Consolidated from an original screenplay by Frederick Louis Fox. December 28, 1955 The DBS report did not separate rentals from drive-ins, which increased by 56 to 230 in 1954 and gained $454,027 in receipts and 1,245,458 in admissions. It is well to remember that the overall decline in admissions and receipts took place in the face of a gain of 32 places of exhibition in the 1954 total of 3,471. Of these 1,988 were regular theatres —— 32 more —and these included 210 using 16 mm. equipment.: So that in 1954 theatres were increasing and admissions and receipts declining ——a seemingly illogical situation. New films of all types released during 1954 numbered 3,833 of which 1,833 were for theatrical use on a commercial basis. In 1953 the total of all types released was 3,521 and those for theatrical use numbered 2,983, which is 1,150 more. The decline in product is reflected in these figures. Of 1,833 35 mm. films 1,874 were in English, 336 in French and 123 in other languages. In 16 mm. the total was 2,000, of which 1,422 were in English, 423 in French and 155 in other languages. The DBS listing of “features” is puzzling and that term must have a meaning different from that of the theatrical industry, which regards a picture usually eight reels or longer as_ full length. There were 840 35 mm. features, of which 504 were in English, 218 in French and 118 in other languages. Of the 594 16 mm. features, 304 were in English, 204 in French and 86 in other languages. The USA provided 628 features, France 322, Great Britain 241, Canada 15, Italy 102 and other countries 126. The film distribution companies paid out over $600,000 more in salaries and wages in 1954 than they did in 1953, most of it accounted for by the new companies. Wm. Holden To Star In Wallis’ ‘Rainmaker’ Hal Wallis has signed William Holden for the big title role in his forthcoming VistaVision filmization for Paramount of the Broadway play, The Rainmaker. Holden, one of the screen's most sought-after stars, has sought this role himself ever since Wallis purchased the N. Richard Nash romantic comedy a year ago and regards it as his most important in some time. The Rainmaker is scheduled to roll late in January. Columbia's 'Harder They Fall’ Jan Sterling will star opposite Humphrey Bogart in Columbia’s The Harder They Fall. oa I