Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 9, 1957)

CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY January 9, 1957 January 9, 1957 Vol. 22, No. 2 HYE BOSSIN, Editor Assistant Editor Ben Halter Office Manager = Esther Silver CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Canada Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa Published by Film Publications of Canada, Limited 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Ontario, Canada — Phone WAlnut 4-3707 Price $3.00 per year. ALLIED ARTISTS (Continued from Page 1) four months of 1957, states Walter Mirisch, production chief, will see eight features of various types in production. January films are Dino, Sal Mineo starrer to be produced by Bernice Block and directed by Thomas Carr; New Day at Sundown, produced by Scott R. Dun lap; and From Hell It Came, Mil-’ ner Bros. production. In February, the cameras turn on The Victor Riesel Story, which Richard Heermance will produce with Milton Krims as associate producer, and Spook Chasers, a Bowery Boys comedy starring Huntz Hall, featuring Stanley Clements, with Ben Schwalb as producer. In March producer Hayes Goetz will roll Chisera, and in the same month the Milner Bros. will start Branded Lady. Heermance rolls Queen of the Universe in April. Available for release and to be scheduled soon are Hunchback of Paris, produced in Paris in CinemaScope and Technicolor by the Hakim brothers, which stars Gina Lollobrigida and Anthony Quinn; and Jeannie, filmed in color and CinemaScope in London, in which Tony Martin and Vera-Ellen, star singer and leading dancer, will be seen. Prizes Awarded By FPCC's Ballyhoo Nineteen managers of Famous Players’ theatres shared in the periodic prizes awarded by National Ballyhoo, the company’s monthly showmanship bulletin compiled and edited by Dan Krendel. Winner of the $50 first prize for the best all around effort was Bill Burke of the Capitol in Brantford, Ontario. Second prizes of $35 each went to Len Bishop, Shea’s, Toronto and Ivan Ackery of the Orpheum, Vancouver. Winners of $25 each were Zara Ellwood, Capitol, St. Thomas, Ontario; Freeman Skinner, Paramount, Halifax; Hilary Howes, Capitol, Halifax; Doug Mickleboro, Tivoli, Hamilton; Walt Bennett, Capitol, Vernon, BC: Harry Wilson, Capitol, Chatham. Ontario; Jack Mahon, Orpheum, Prince Albert; and Eddie Lamoureux, Palace, Windsor, Ont. ‘55 Rentals Figures (Continued from Page 1) continued into 1956. During 1955 16 mm. films for theatrical use totalled 4,655 and these drew revenue of $2,102,460, compared with 1,513 and $1,617,870 the previous year. This figure, to which is added the revenue from 16 mm. films for TV and other use, brings the 1955 small-gauge rentals total to $5,473,725, a great increase of 86 per cent when compared with the 1954 figure, $2,942,042. Sale of advertising material amounted to $480,554 and income from other sources added up to $292,877. When these two figures are added to the film rentals given above we get an overall total of $36,272,019. Opening of 16 new distribution companies and 17 _ exchange branches during the year reflected the growing demand for films for the rapidly-expanding TV market and the greatly-increased revenue from this source helped to hold the overall rental figure within one per cent of 1954’s all-time high, although the theatrical rental figure dropped by over nine per cent, paralleling the 10 per cent drop in theatre receipts. The 153 companies selling films employed 1,450 persons and paid $4,370,833 in salaries in 1955, compared with 1,424 employees drawing wages of $4,166,942 in 1954. The following table of annual rentals, in which each figure represents the combined 16 and 35 mm. yield from every source, shows the progressive increase: Year Firms Branches Rentals 1930 — 59 $ 9,536,200 1933 — 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 _— 72 11,445,167 1941 = 69 12,368,446 1942 _ 78 13,892,093 1943 23 87 15,163,355 1944 23 88 16,516,073 1945 26 85 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 1955 64 153 35,498,588 The figures from the years previous to 1940 include receipts Col's 'Uncle George’ Wendy Hiller teams with Charles Coburn and Nigel Patrick in the Warwick production for Columbia, Uncle George, which Patrick is directing in black and white CinemaScope. It is now rolling with Irving Allen and A. R. Broccoli producing. 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: Year Rentals RONG oe $ 967,179 jk Lie Be Naas ee Ratan ele eee Fb) 1SAG oie ete a ete Ie FOG eee ee ACEO ISAS oh el ol de AAA OTD IGG ee ee er 684,995 N95 ee es LT Ole IGGE coe ee ee Roe AG) 19522 ee ee ee 2 OL AO 1903 ay ee a 44 $54 ee a ea ae 2.089 042 1955 . 5,473,725 During 1955 2,462 new films were released for theatrical use on a commercial basis. Of these 1,493 were in 35 mm. and 969 in 16 mm., with 1,156 of the former being in English, 276 in French and 61 in other languages. In the 969 16 mm. films 677 were in English, 279 in French and 13 in other languages. According to the DBS 1,124 of the 2,462 films were ‘‘features.’’ It is hard to understand what the DBS considers a ‘‘feature’’ but it is obvious that it is different from what the film industry regards as a full-length film — one that is eight reels or longer. The 1,124 features were made up of 639 35 mm. and 485 16 mm. films — 656 of them being in English, 398 in French and 70 in other languages. The USA supplied 649 of these features, France 340, the UK 55, Italy 54, Canada one and other countries 25. Seven hundred and seventynine were in black and white and the rest in color. ‘The Devil's Disciple’ Hecht, Hill and Lancaster has scheduled George Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple as the first 1957 production. Burt Lancaster, Sir Laurence Olivier and Montgomery Clift will star and Alexander Mackendrick will direct. PER CAP SPENDING (Continued from Page 1) 1953. The number of paid admissions, 202,194,466, represented a decline of 15 per cent—a decline which continued in 1956. The 1955 total of paid admissions is under the 1953 figure by roughly 57,000,000. The receipts from all types of establishments, $94,159,568, which is exclusive of $11,006,485 in amusement taxes, were down 11 per cent over 1954, when the figure was $105,515,563. The 1953 figure, a record, was $109,072,528. But the Canadian motion picture industry is fighting hard now to increase patronage, supported by films of finer quality presented first-run in neighborhood houses as well as those downtown through new booking patterns. N the United States the mo tion picture industry, through COMPO, continues its series of friendly talks with newspaper publishers and a recent article “is headed A 'Good Music | Page Helps All Retailers. They explain therein that the National Food , Company will vertising campaign aimed at persuading people to go out of their homes and dine in restaurants. This is in co-operation with the National Restaurant Association. The point is made that if people stay in at nights and never seek recreation outside their homes all retail trade must suffer. This in turn must reflect adversely on the effect of newspaper advertising. With the increase of automobile traffic there is a further reduction of pedestrian traffic, and if people are in the habit of staying home altogether at night the community after dark takes on the gloom of a ghost town. It is, therefore, important for newspapers to help persuade people. to go out for their recreation. The suggestion then follows that if newspapers published more news and comments about attractions at local theatres they would, in effect, be helping themselves. A _ good lively amusement page helps all local retail business and, therefore, the local newspaper. There are many newspapers in this country which over the years have operated on a twin policy of higher rates for motion picture theatres and of not giving any news or reader space to movie attractions. In a city or town where there is only one daily newspaper the publisher oftentimes feels that the local theatres have no alternative than to place with him their advertising. This is a situation which all theatre owners and managers should seek to correct and it is important to point out to the publishers of such newspapers that while they continue to give a great deal of free space to TV listings, which we cannot deny has reader interest, they, at the same time, weigh the scales heavily against themselves. Now is the time for every good newspaper to come to the aid of every local merchant and theatre.