Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 4, 1956)

Page 4 That Herman B. Sure Gets Around F you don’t know Herman Bernstein, you just haven’t been around in this business—or you haven’t been in it very long. Herman is that dark, stubby, smiling man who is beside the display of Boxoffice copies at every Canadian motion picture gathering—or he is on hand without the display. He’s a real old-timer who began in the theatres but today handles Canadian sales for a number of USA magazines, among them The Bottlers Gazette and Film World. Herman first found his way into the industry in 1912 as a candy boy for Harry Heller of the Palace, Montreal, who now operates the Majestic, Montreal. Then he went up the street to the Wonderland as an usher and after that to the Scala, later called the Rialto, which was operated by Mark Brock of Buffalo. While with Brock he met James T. Malone of All Features Limited. Having been an all-round man with Brock, he was the same with Malone, acting as booker, salesman, etc. In 1916 two brothers operated the Bijou, Verdun and they hired Herman as manager. They went broke and left him to pay off the accounts. A little while of this and he enlisted in the Canadian Army, gave the Bijou back to the landlord, and went overseas. On being mustered out he started the Variety Vaudeville Exchange and in 1926 married Rose Vallin and they are still happy. Their one child, Eddie, is now 23. “I have done a_ tremendous amount of travelling in Canada and the United States,” Herman says. “I have watched the industry grow to what it is today. If I had to go through that experience again, I would be glad to do it. ’m a poor showman but perhaps I wasn’t meant to be a rich one.” He mentioned the names of some of the old friends he has known from coast to coast — Charlie Stephenson, Harry Kaufman, John Levitt, Harold Vance, Chick Wells, Arthur St. Germain. “Tt was a pleasure to know these old-timers those days and it’s a pleasure to know them these days,’ Herman says. They feel the same way about him. FOR SALE OR RENT Capitol Theatre, Paris, Ont. Newly renovated and refurnished. Apply PREMIER OPERATING CORPORATION 72 Carlton St., Toronto CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY News Notes FILM DAILY'S "FAMOUS FIVES' POLL Ernest Borgnine and Jennifer Jones took top honors for the best performances in 1955 by a male and female ‘star in the “Filmdom’s Famous Fives” poll of USA critics and reviewers conducted annually by The Film Daily, NY trade publication. Borgnine’s stint as Marty Pilletti in UA’s Marty and Miss Jones’ work as Han Suyin in Fox’ Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing won the approval of the voters. Jack Lemmon, as Ensign Pulver in WB’s Mr. Roberts, and Peggy Lee, as Rose Hopkins in WB’s Pete Kelly’s Blues, gained most votes as supporting performers. Tim Hovey and Natalie Wood were the best juveniles and “Find of the Year” was the late James Dean. Marty also won its director, Delbert Mann, and its scripter, Paddy Chayefsky, most votes in their fields: Best photographed picture was the Japanese production from the Daiei studio, Gate of Hell. 740 RKO FEATURES FOR TV USA and Canadian television rights for 740 features and 1,000 shorts, RKO’s entire backlog, was sold to C & C Super Corporation last week for $12,200,000 cash and an additional $3,000,000 in two years. One of the principals is Mathew Fox. About 85 per cent of the films will be made in the next 90 days and the rest when they have been in theatre distribution for three years. The deal also includes all 16 mm. rights and foreign theatre. rights. The films took 30 years to make at an estimated cost of $750,000,000 and the production figure today would likely be about $1,300,000,000. The deal, said Fox, will bring ‘an entire new era of home viewing.” C & C Super Corporation, headed by Walter Mack, former president of Pepsi-Cola, is a vast corporation. It manufactures canned soft drinks and rubber goods, and operates more than 100 restaurants. One of its subsidiary companies is Western Television. NEW ANIMATION COMPANY OPENED Allan Ackman, for three years animation director with the film division of Rapid Grip & Batten Limited, has left that company to open his own firm, Animation Productions, at 103 Rose Avenue in Toronto. Ackman expects to have his perfected model of the Oxberry Animation Zoom Stand in operation within a month. He collaborated with John Oxberry, engineer for Animation Equipment Limited of New York, on the design for the original zoom stand while with Rapid Grip & Batten. Two of these stands are being used by UPA in Hollywood and the National Film Board has adapted part of the machine to its own use. Ackman, a veteran of the RCAF in World War II, spent several years with the National Film Board in Ottawa, working with Norman McLaren on experimental animated techniques. He came to Toronto four years ago, joining Canadian Screen Publicity, then moved to RG&B. ADVISES PATRONS ON SHOW FIRES In a move to complement the work of theatre owners and managers in eliminating panic among patrons when a fire breaks out or some other emergency arises, D. E. Williams, chief inspector of the Theatres Branch of the Saskatchewan Fire Commissioner’s Department, has issued a release through the Bureau of Publications which gives some sound, common-sense rules for the behavior of theatregoers. The release is available free to the public and a number of exhibitors have expressed the hope that Saskatchewan’s lead will be followed by other provinces. Williams stated that “a crowd of 700 people can be emptied from a theatre in about three minutes without rushing” provided all doors are used and people move away quickly once outside. He pointed out that most victims lose their lives through panic and said there should be at least two doors, at front and back, and both should be properly lighted and never locked. He advised that rules against smoking should be strictly observed and that parents should visit theatres and halls first and instruct their children on exactly what to do in an emergency before allowing them to go alone. Above all, he cautioned, if anything does happen, walk to the nearest exit—don’t run. January 4, 1956 FRANK SCOTT (Continued from Page 1) dustry veteran, at the same time naming Reginald J. Doddridge his successor as Calgary branch manager. Scott, in distribution for 25 years, was Monogram manager in Calgary when the Rank interests acquired the franchise and remained with JARO. His range of experience, which as various phases of distribution, such as promotion, makes him extremely valuable to head office. He’s married, has two children, is active in the Kiwanis and is a one-time lightheavy boxing champion of Western Canada. Doddridge, past president of the Calgary Pioneers, started with Lewis J. Selznick’s company, Select Pictures, in 1917 and joined JARO in 1947. He’s one of the West’s leading film industry figures and, like Scott, enjoys much personal popularity in the trade. J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (Canada) Limited, with at least 18 top pictures due for production and a backlog of fine product, is aiming at maintaining its steady climb in playing time. In addition the organization also handles Republic in Canada and the product of that company is handpicked for the best boxoffice reaction. Vaughan said he was pleased at the rise to greater responsibilities by such able men, since it reflected progress. That progress would be maintained with continuing benefits to the theatre operator. Columbia To Produce ‘Lassie’ Feature Film Columbia Pictures will make a full-length feature picture, Lassie, in association with Robert Maxwell, producer of the TV series featuring the celebrated dog star. Maxwell will produce the film in CinemaScope and color, with Jan Clayton, who has been seen throughout the video series, heading the cast of the picture. The Columbia film will not borrow from the television series story line, but will be an entirely new script and will give Miss Clayton, musical comedy and recording star, an opportunity to sing. ——— SS OUR BUSINESS (Continued from Page 3) A start could be made on the reduction of fees by having a charge based on a per-foot basis, or preferably a flat minimum charge for a feature. This may be worth considering as a start towards reduction of the general cost of censorship, which is a factor in the cost of distribution. includes * both 16 mm. and 35 mm. as well ~