Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 13, 1957)

February 13, 1957 * N f :} ‘ i 4, id Observanda oS White ay , ~sa8 i 4. Bs WE BOOBED. Steve York isn’t the movie critic of the Globe and Mail, as our news note said, but its entertainment columnist. It’s an odd situation there: ‘drama, music and pop record reviewers but none for films. Plenty of space to cinema and theatre information, though. But if films are to retain public regard as an art form they must have the dignity of criticism. The Globe and Mail situation, in my view, isn’t good either for itself or the motion picture .. . A lady rose amid the juvenile jollity of a Saturday matinee audience watching Don’t Knock the Rock at the Downtown and hollered and hollered at the kids to shut up and act like gentlemen. Finally Martin Simpson, the manager, asked her to act like a lady and shut up, being as * that kind.of whooping was the order of the afternoon. How’s that for a switch? . New penal category is the financial lifer, a la Joe Louis. Joe is a tax prisoner who is not only a trusty but allowed to live at home ... A great gentleman, Bruce McCrimmon, won’t be around to give stature to a roomful of people with his inbred courtesy and simple dignity. He was a kindly, quiet person whose very presence made one who knew him but slightly feel better in spirit. BUFFALO TV beat the CBC into Toronto with the story of Radisson, this one being the 1940 Muni-Cregar-Tierney starrer, Hudson’s Bay, which came in to boost the sale of beer in the USA and mattresses there and in Canada. Zanuck decided to make this film after reading the original story by ex-Torontonian Art Arthur, then one of his contract writers. Art wanted to do the screenplay badly but he was assigned to a vehicle for Eddie Cantor, having demonstrated his light touch with the second Winchell-Bernie picture, Love and Hisses. Art was so miffed at not being assigned to the screenplay for his own original that he refused screen credit. The film for Cantor, originally named Mr. Average Man, was Thanks For Everything. But Cantor, in another example of the fact that an actor doesn’t know what’s good for him storywise, read and rejected it. So Jack Haley was given the role of the guinea pig whose reaction to any article would be the opinion of America — and he shot from feature roles to stardom. By the way, the Hudson’s Bay title will crop up as a TV series one of these days, I hear... in the Nation’s Capital?” That’s a Herb Whittaker heading in the Globe and Mail. The late Roly Young, Whittaker’s predecessor, used to kick that gong around frequently—and was emphatically against it. In Stratford we have a theatrical spa where people come to take their cultural baths annually, many of whom neglect the week-to-week opportunities in their own cities. Would a National Theatre make it two? IT’S NO WORSE than even money that the Tiv will rack up the world’s record run for Oklahoma! It can pass the 51week NY record run in April . . . Fellow who crossed the continent told John Bond, Circle manager, that Chicago, with two, had more legit houses than any English-language NA city outside of NY—until he reached Toronto. Here he was astounded to find four in operation at once! Out of This World, a 1951 Cole Porter musical starring Jane Romano, is Premiere Productions’ successor to Uncle Willie, which Sammy Sales starred in for almost six weeks. Not that Sales or producer Stan Jacobson told me—but I hear that the comic’s next show, which will move into Broadway if successful here, may be a dramatization of The Education of Hyman Kaplan. The angels are the Levy Auto Parts lads, Mark and Pep. They are a good example for other well-heeled businessmen, who can afford to take a flyer of this kind for the fun of it .. . It’s said that Alan Field, one-time NFB secretary now in charge of the government’s NY tourist bureau, will get the job of his boss, tourism chief Leo Dolan, when the latter retires soon... Manchester Guardian’s critic on Ealing’s The Man in the Sky, a test pilot drama with Jack Hawkins: “This emphatically is a film to see.” CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY 1H d On “A National Theatre Typodermics SQUARE GAY-BLADE memories were stirred for men who were youths in the 20’s by the sight of big, genial Dan Pierce walking through the downtown streets. Dan was the manager of the Star Theatre, on Temperance Street, which offered Burlesque twice-daily for many years. A man with an old showman’s easy manner, persons seeing him for the first time nodded as they passed by. Those who knew him at all always found themselves slowing down automatically as he approached, the result of a natural inclination to exchange a smile and a few friendly words. Dan’s death saddened many . Maclean’s will print two chapters of Bosley Crowther’s forthcoming book about the history of MGM. These tell much about Louis B. Mayer and Norma Shearer, originally Canadians .. . The Telegram-Mayfair goodbye-and-hello party for Stan Helleur was a friendly, sentimental occasion. Columnist Wes Hicks presented ex-columnist Stan with a giant Webster’s, which the latter insisted on regarding as a hint that his handling of words could stand improvement. Stan is now at Mayfair as editor . . . Five Canadians, I’m told, have partnerships in Broadway ticket agencies. They bought in because they were tired of fighting for tickets to top shows. CATHLEEN NESBITT, one of the stars of The Chalk Garden, was a head table guest at our Variety Club luncheon. She’s a bright one. She listened to the references to members as “Barkers.” Called on for a few words, she commented that she was a member of the Women’s Committee of the famed British theatrical welfare group known as “The Water Rats.” “Our ladies are called ‘Lady Rats,’”’ she said, smiling. “‘I notice that you use a dog reference.” She stopped for a second, then with a look of puzzlement, asked: “What do you call your ladies?” Past Chief Barkers Honored; Legit Stars Welcomed The Past Chief Barkers of the Variety Club of Toronto were the guests of honor at the most recent meeting and they were joined at the head table by the stars and producer of The Chalk Garden, then at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. The meeting had the largest attendance in the history of Tent No. 28. The bottom photo, left to right, shows Albert Rosen, producer of The Chalk Garden, who introduced the stars, Cathleen Nesbitt and Judith Anderson. The gentlemen after Mr. Rosen are Father Cherrier, Variety's Catholic chaplain; Nat A. Taylor, Chief Barker; and Rabbi Stuart Rosenberg of Beth Tzedec, Variety's Jewish chaplain. The top photo shows the Chief Barker on the left, and after him the Past Chief Barkers, each holding the special cufflinks presented to him — with the exception of John J. Fitzgibbons, Sr., away ill, whose set was received for him by John J. Fitzgibbons, Jr. Next to Taylor, in order, are Billy Summerville, Jr., David Griesdorf, Harry S$. Mandell, John J. Chisholm, R. W. Bolstad, Morris Stein and Fitzgibbons. Page 7