Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 15, 1956)

: 4 : inci Ps Se bs Soret &» February 15, 1956 SCOUT JAMBOREE’ (Continued from Page 1) the 45-minute color film, Jamboree, a very entertaining and extremely interesting record of the recent Eighth World Boy Scout Jamboree, attended for ten days at the Niagara encampment by 12,000 boys of 60 nationalities. Not only is the film beautiful to the eye because of the flowing streams of youth _ variously adorned but, without a_ single fanfare or a musical score, it elevates the spirit. One senses what boys of this character mean to the future of the world at a time when both juvenile and adult delinquency, along with the precarious state of international politics, have created unease in daily living and an underlying pessimism about what tomorrow may bring. The excellent narration, written and spoken by Thom Benson, does not tell the viewer what to think, yet he feels the magnificent accomplishment represented by the good-spirited and brotherly unanimity of this gathering. The humor, the piety of the various groups at their own services, the obvious sentiment—none of these have anything of the contrived about them. One lives with the Scouts—-at their campfires, games, native dances, gatherings and prayers—as the film unreels, so well does it draw the viewer into it. The natural regard they have for each other’ shines through and seems to make the viewer a party to it. If a film other than this one becomes the Canadian Film Awards’ “Film of the Year,” then it can be truly said that motion picture making in Canada has reached a plateau thought to be much further away. Jamboree is nominally a non-theatrical film —which goes to show what nonsense that term can be on ocCasion. Although the official screening will take place under the patronage of the Governor-General in Ottawa soon, Eaton’s cannot keep up with the demand for prints. Provincial premieres are to be held in a number of cities. The group of press men who saw the film at Chetwynd Films Limited—and were very impressed—learned that the camera crews, working around the clock, made approximately three miles of exposed film and the sound men recorded for 55 hours. The editing job, which kept the film moving while giving the viewer a good look at the people and scenes, was masterful, since it captured the clean, lively, selfreliant spirit that must have ruled such an assembly. —HyEeE BossINn MGM's Designing Woman’ James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Cyd Charisse will star in MGM’s Designing Woman. CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY Short “Shnows Cc. L. BURTON, head of Simpson-Sears Limited, in a recent speech said he believed that stores staying open late for night shopping would be a necessity in the future. Meanwhile, a Kitchener, Ontario, survey showed residents voting three to one in favor of night shopping. The survey had been ordered by City Council after a court ruling that the city’s early-closing bylaws for stores was invalid. DINNER honoring Richard F. Walsh, IATSE international president and vice-president of the merged AFL and CIO, was given by 800 IA members and motion picture and TV executives in Hollywood. Walsh hailed the going into effect of the five-day week for over 25,000 studio workers. SUPREME Court Justice James Willard Estey, 66, former Saskatchewan Attorney General and Minister of Education, died last week in an Ottawa hospital following an illness of two months. He was the father of Willard Z. Estey, Toronto lawyer well known in the film industry. ENQUIRY about the strength of Famous Players to the market expert of Saturday Night drew a long analysis of the company in reply, along with the following conclusion: “Considering the fact that the company has gone through a period of rather difficult transition in the industry with fair maintenance of earnings and a sound financial position, the shares might be considered as offering an attractive yield and as having fair chances for increasing in value.” TERMINATION of his association with the Rank Organization of Britain was announced by Sir Michael Balcon, head of Ealing Studios, and his resignation from the directorship of five Rank companies. Previously JARO had distributed all Ealing productions. OBJECTION to the _ secrecy surrounding Manitoba film censorship, made by Frank Morriss, Winnipeg Free Press drama and motion picture critic, during a panel forum before the South Winnipeg Young Liberal Club, won the approval of the audience in the discussion that followed. The Honorable C. L. Shuttleworth, Minister of Public Utilities, said the secrecy was designed to protect the privacy of the appeal board members. Sam Breen, Winnipeg lawyer, also participating, said censorship was unnecessary, pointing out that since the Manitoba act was passed in 1924 the motion picture industry had developed § selfcensorship on an important scale. Topic was Is Manitoba Censorship Serving a Useful Purpose? BC Tax Cut Official Premier Bennett, sitting in the British Columbia legislature as finance minister, announced—as predicted in this paper recently— the reduction of the amusement tax from 15 to ten per cent. The one-third reduction will cost the province over $4,300,000. News Clips Service Montreal Reg’d, a door-to-door distributor Messenger of circulars, newspapers and samples, is organizing a film delivery service Ruling has been handed down by the Master in Chancery that Chicago’s film censorship is unconstitutional and that the city be restrained from interfering with the showing of Game of Love... J. Lapointe has reopened the 200-seat Riviera in Mont Louis, Quebec... Max Shnier, formerly of IFD, and Harry Saifer have acquired the DeLuxe in Emerson, Manitoba, from I. Wightman... Malabar Theatrical Costumes Limited lost 30,000 costumes in a recent Toronto fire. Charitable foundation set up in memory of one of the founders of Famous Players, J. P. Bickell, has donated $100,000 of the $934,000 required by the Stratford Festival to replace its tent with a permanent theatre... One Canadian and two USA TV networks — the CBC, CBS and NBC—have asked the International Olympic Committee to end TV monopolies of the games and have stated that they may not cover the games in Melbourne if their request is not complied with. Australian organizers are asking $500,000 for American TV rights and the networks want free access. Affiliation has taken place of the Association of Radio and Television Employees of Canada, which has a membership of 17,000 office and professional employees, including CBC announcers, and the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, which speaks for a like number of technicians. Move is expected to “accelerate unionization of the industry among independent radio and television stations” ... Candy bar thrown by a ten-year-old youngster tore the $1,200 screen at the Cinema in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It may have to be replaced. Page 7 OUR PRODUCERS (Continued from Page 1) Films, Inc., Montreal. “This display of confidence in the Association assures us of the continuing privilege of meeting together where, through understanding of the other’s problems and the interchange of ideas, the Motion Picture Industry will contribute to an even greater extent to the future development of our country,” said Graeme Fraser, newlyelected president, at the recent annual meeting in Toronto. Approval was given by the conference to retain Gruneau Research to survey the film needs of advertisers and agencies. The AMPPLC feels that the two months of research will yield many suggestions and constructive criticism. A committee, Public and Industry Relations, was set up by the members to deal with the Gruneau report when it is ready and recommend a course of action to the Association. This committee will also select a distinctive insignia for use by member companies on their stationery. Spence Caldwell will head the group, in which will also be Gerald Keeley, Howard Fletcher, all of Toronto, and Lew Parry of Vancouver. Leon Shelly of Toronto was appointed chairman of a special committee to study the growing number of requests by charitable organizations for gratis work from the producers and labs and to recommend Association policy on the matter. With Shelly will be Ralph Foster and Murray Briskin. Further appointments included (with the first-named in each case being chairman): to the CBC and NFB Liaison Committee —Dean Peterson, Arthur Chetwynd, J. J. Chisholm, Pierre Harwood and Alex MacKay; to the Canadian Film Awards Committee—Foster, Quentin Brown, Dan Gibson, Rev. Anson Moorehouse and Shelly; to the Taxation and Duty Committee—F. R. Crawley, Briskin, Caldwell and Chisholm; and to the Membership Committee—Gerald Kedey, Jack Bristowe, Wallace Hamilton and David Wansbrough. UK JARO Moves To Newly-Built Office Over 1,000 employees of the Rank Organization of Britain have moved to the company’s recently completed six storey headquarters in the Victoria section of London. The address is 11 Belgrave Road, London SW1, England and the phone number Victoria 6633. Tremendous expansion of the JARO production, distribution and exhibition interests made it necessary that they be co-ordinated under one roof instead of being scattered in eight buildings.