Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 28, 1956)

ROMEO GOUDREAU Paramount Montreal salesman, he has been promoted to manager of that branch, succeeding Bob Murphy, who took over the Saint John branch on the retirement of Pat Hogan. STRONG MGM LIST (Continued from Page 1) August Moon which, due to its importance, will be given special handling, the list is made up of seven new productions and six reissues taken from the most successful MGM films of the past. Teahouse, which will open late in November in several USA keys, will be the Christmas attraction at the Radio City Music Hall in New York and will likely open in several exchange cities in Canada at the same time. Shot in Japan, it stars Marlon Brando, Glenn Ford and Machiko Kyo. November releases include The Rack, with Paul Newman, Wendell Corey, Walter Pidgeon and Anne Francis; Julie, the Arwin production starring Doris Day, Louis Jourdan and Barry Sullivan; and two re-releases — A Tale of Two Cities, starring Ronald Colman and Elizabeth Allen, and Marie Antoinette, with Norma Shearer, Tyrone Power and John Barrymore. For December distribution are The Great American Pastime, with Tom Ewell, Anne Francis and Ann Miller; The Iron Petticoat, produced in VistaVision and Technicolor by Remus _ Productions and starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn; and the reissue, Mutiny on the Bounty, with Charles Laughton, Clark Gable and Franchot Tone. Set for January are Edge of the City, produced in New York by Jonathan Productions and starring John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier and Kathleen Maguire; Slander, with Van Johnson, Ann Blyth and Steve Cochran; and two reprints — Green Dolphin Street, with Lana Turner, Van Heflin and Donna Reed, and Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY News Notes CUMMINGS, EMP-U IN GIFT TO McGILL The Maxwell Cummings Family Foundation of Montreal and Empire-Universal Films Limited joined with Maclean’s Magazine to make possible the donation to McGill University of the photo collection of William Notman, who 100 years ago took up photography in Montreal. Maclean’s donated $15,000 and the other two $5,000 each. A story in the current Maclean’s, to which the cover is devoted, is illustrated by many of Notman’s photos. The collection is being housed in the Redpath Museum of McGill and after cataloguing will become part of the McCord collection of Canadiana. The Notman prints are also being microfilmed. The 600,000-or-so negatives and prints that make up the collection came to Associated Scren News in 1937 with the purchase of the Notman photographic interests, which included a store, from his sons. ASN moved the collection into its basement and operated the store until it was acquired from the CPR and other stockholders by Paul Nathanson, a stockholder, who is vice-president of Empire-Universal Films. Soon after Maxwell Cummings became president of Associated Screen News. Among the interests the new management got rid of was the store, which is now being operated by two former ASN employees and two of the staff. UNIFIED SHIPPING FOR NEW ENGLAND Single unit distribution, frequently discussed in Canada, will become a fact in the New England area of the USA, where National Film Service, Inc. will undertake the inspection and shipping for 11 of the top companies. James P. Clark, president of the film-handling service, said recently the company would operate from a single depot in a new structure in New Haven. The two-storey $500,000 building will be opened in the early spring and will also contain sales offices for each distributor, he said. Chester M. Ross, executive vice-president of the company, said that “‘with all the distributors under one roof for the first time, savings to the distributors would range from 5 to 20 per cent. The distributors include Allied Artists, Buena Vista, Columbia, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, Republic, RKO, Twentieth Century-Fox, United Artists, Universal-International and Warner Brothers. NFB CAMERAMAN WITH UN POLICE Denis Gillson, head of the National Film Board’s camera division, left Montreal Saturday, November 17 to cover activities of the United Nations’ police action in the Middle East, it was announced by A. W. Trueman, Commissioner of the National Film Board. Gillson flew to Naples, marshalling centre for the UN force. He will be accredited as an official United Nations Photographer and his coverage will be available to the world through facilities of the United Nations. In addition, the National Film Board plans) the production of a film which will document the part played by Canada and its representatives in recent world developments, not only in the police action now being undertaken, but in the diplomatic activities which preceded the present move. Gillson, 35 years of age, has been with the National Film, Board since September, 1942 and has photographed many of the Board’s productions during the past 15 years. RANK GOING AHEAD IN USA The Rank Organization plans to acquire theatres in the United States in order to ensure adequate outlets for the group’s film producnes John Davis, managing director, announced from London last week. “We shall only acquire theatres if the terms are reasonable and economic,” Davis said. He added that the Sutton Theatre, New York, had already been leased with renewal options extending over a longterm period. “I have said that British films are not being given a fair opportunity to be seen by the American public,” Davis stated. “I stand entirely by that view and the testing time is now coming. It is our intention to create an organization and build a business which will earn dollars on a sound basis.” Davis also revealed plans of the Rank interests to set up their own distribution facilities in the United States with sufficient branches to ensure national distribution of this British film output in that country. He said that he had formed Rank Film Distributors of America Inc., with Kenneth Hargreaves as president and that the new organization would put its first group of films into American release immediately, including Battle of the River Plate, The Spanish Gardener, Reach for the Sky and A Town Like Alice. November 28, 1956 FIGHT TOLL TV (Continued from Page 1) ing of its board. The MPTAO is the second Canadian exhibitors’ association to go on record as opposing toll TV, the first having been the Theatre Owners’ Association of Quebec. The MPTAO objections: 1. Existing TV and radio enables control and guidance in assisting Canada’s cultural development, with features adequately presented through theatres representing investment and employment over a wide geographical area. Toll TV will consist mainly of programs produced in the USA and provide little opportunity for Canadian talent and ideas, thus being counter to the recommendations of the Massey Commission. 2. Subscription TV will not only force all but the largest theatres to close but will concentrate feature exhibition in a few hands. 3. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ‘‘is achieving a good balance of programs”’ and toll TV, concentrating on the masses, will eliminate service to minority audiences. 4. Failure of toll TV principals to win approval from the government in the USA has caused them to try Canada to demonstrate dollar potential. The USA producer would occupy the best hours, leaving the secondary hours to cultural programs. ‘‘The policy of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to cultivate and elevate public tastes must inevitably be nullified by the competition of mass audience motion picture exhibition over competitive outlets in optimum viewing hours.” 5. Subscription TV will ‘‘destroy the relationship between talent and audience’ by eliminating studio guests. The long-term effects of so much sports and other entertainment forms “‘could seriously weaken the community spirit which is apparent in Canadian cities, towns and villages.” 6. There is no demand for toll TV and “‘the only benefit that could result is the profit that would accrue to vested interests at the expense of the Canadian public.” 7. Toll TV would eventually accept advertising and thus affect the CBC and other non-fee operations adversely. Famous Players Canadian Corporation, which has the Telemeter franchise and supported toll TV before the Royal Commission, is a member of the MPTAO. Galahad's Second For RKO Galahad’s second film for RKO, now under way, is The Violators. "The Young Rebels’ Merry Anders has been signed by Columbia to play one of the feminine leads in The Young Rebels, which Wallace MacDonald produces with David Rich directing. Miss Anders will appear opposite Roger Smith, one of the three male leads in the story. j f ji f