Canadian Film Weekly (Apr 18, 1962)

April 18, 1962 CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY Page 3 Incorporating the Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Founded 1915) Vol. 27, No. 16 HYE BOSSIN, Editor Assistant Editor Ben Halter Office Manager Esther Silver CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Ontario Authorized as Second Class Mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash. Published by Film Publications of Canada, Limited, 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Ontario, Canada e Phone 924-1757 Price $5.00 per year VACLA VEK'S BRIEF (Continued from Page 1) ing body. Commonwealth is busy building studios representing an investment of several million dollar. First he suggests that the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and CTV, the private network, set up revolving funds of $750,000 and $500,000 respectively for the coproduction of pilot films. Coproducers would be required to put up 25 per cent of the financing as well as provide the pilot film script, series outline and production personnel. The CBC or CTV would have Canadian distribution rights and the film company would make the international arrangements, both sharing tie profits. Second, all filmed TV commercials produced in Canada should be considered Canadian content under the BBG ruling. Third, the CBC, the private network and independent stations should refrain from competing with independent film producers by _ contracting with them to supply specific programs. Television in Canada, Vaclavek contends, will make small progress until it allies itself with the Canadian film industry. Britain’s present poor TV standards are due to this lack of such an alliance, while the high ones of the USA began when the impasse between the TV and film industries was broken. He deplored the tendency of television broadcasters to dispose of Canadian content shows in lowaudience periods. “In certain respects we sympathize with them,” his brief stated, “but Canadiancontent programs have the status of poor cousins or imbecile aunts hidden from popular sight by confining them to the early afternoon hours.” This will continue while the Canadian TV industry continues to “go it alone’ and not call on the superior resources of the film industry. Cast Of 'Diamond Head’ Charlton Heston, France Nuyen, Yvette Mimieux, James Darren and George Chakiris have been set to star in Columbia’s Diamond Head. April 18, 1962 . . * . . ‘Gratifying Improvement’ (Continued from Page 1) operation of Telemeter.’’ He felt tnat while theatre receipts were affected adversely in 1961 because of the opening of new TV stations, there was little need to anticipate substantial additional competition of that kind this year, since “‘the number of television station licences that can be granted has now been almost entirely allocated.” The recovery of the USA theatre business from the effects of television competition would be duplicated in this country in the next few years, Fitzgibbons predicted. Twenty-one theatres in which the company is interested are closed and awaiting disposition by sale or termination of lease. During 1961 the lease was dropped on six theatres and seven properties were sold by FP. Affiliated companies did not pick up the lease on five houses, sold two and demolished one. During that time FP bought one drive-in and two indoor theatres and acquired a half interest in two others. Affiliated companies bought one drive-in and three indoor theatres. United Amusement Corp., of Montreal, an FP affiliate, opened the twin-auditorium Dorval Theatre last week. Other aspects of the report: Sunday movies. ‘‘Sunday operation has provided a net addition to our theatre grosses.” Television. Famous Players has interests in Quebec, Kitchener and Vancouver stations, The first two are doing well and as for Vancouver, ‘‘we are confident of the company’s eventual success.” Amusement taxes. These “‘still represent more than seven per cent of the total gross taken in at our theatres.” Community antenna _ systems. FP has interests in London, Cornwall, Port-Arthur and Fort William, and a system that will begin serving Stratford, Kitchener, Galt, Preston and Hespeler when completed in 1963. Metropolitan Cable Vision, an FP division which installs small receiving systems in subdivisions in which developers do not wish their buildings defaced by TV antennas, is active. FP does not look forward to ‘‘any profits from these investments in the near future, although in the longer term they should add substantially to our earnings.” Telemeter, Recent experiences in signing subscribers and gelting responses to additions to the regular programs, such as special productions, is ‘‘encouraging.” Color television. The company is retaining a firm of well-known engineers to advise it how to best exploit its exclusive licence for the manufacture and sale of color TV sets using the Chromatron tube, which can retail for a third less and provide a high degree of brightness. Bowling. Because of “high depreciation writeoffs’’ its six bowling establishments have not been profitable. General Sound. General Sound and Theatre Equipment Ltd. has improved its position substantially during the year and operated profitably in its past two quarters. Winnipeg Motel. Public reception to the Airliner Motor Motel and Town and Country Restaurant, which an affiliate, Western Theatres Ltd., operates, “‘has been excellent” since its opening last year. Famous Players has more than 5,800 employees and the 25 Year Club now has a membership of 431, of which 328 are still actively employed. The report expressed appreciation of theatre managers and members of the projectionists’ union whose work helped bring in Sunday movies. 20th Century-Fox ‘61 Loss: $22,532,084 Operating loss of 20th CenturyFox for last year was $22,532,084 after special writeoffs and reserves of $13,922,000 on TV and theatrical inventories. Sale of studio property brought a special credit of $25,477,917, so that net income for 1961 was $2,945,833 — or $1.88 a common share. Production costs on Cleopatra, the final budget of which is estimated at $20,000,000 in the trade, were a factor in the rise of expenses to $139,960,143 from $121,224,570. Revenues went down to $117,428,059 compared to $118,356,457. FIVE OFFICERS UPPED AT COLUMBIA Five new executive appointments and promotions were announced recently by Columbia Pictures Corp. in New York following a meeting of the Board of Directors. Leo Jaffe, formerly first vice-president and treasurer of Columbia, has been elevated to the post of executive vice-president; M. J. Frankovich, vice-president in charge of British and Continental production activities, has been elected to the post of first vice-president; Sol. A. Schwartz has been named vice-president in charge of West Coast operations; Seymour Malamed, formerly assistant treasurer of Columbia, has been elected treasurer of the company; and Jerome Hyams, newly-elected executive vice-president of Screen Gems, Columbia’s television subsidiary, has been appointed to the Columbia Pictures Board of Directors to fill the unexpired term of the late A. Montague. OUR TOURIST PROBLEM "THE standing committee of our Senate on tourist traffic is concerned about the drop in the flow of tourists to our country and the methods we use to attract them. This was commented on in a recent editorial in Toronto’s Globe and Mail. It was pointed out that since new and -— speedier methods of transportation have made Europe and other parts of the world so readily and economically accessible to American tourists, it has had the effect of reducing such traffic to Canada which had so long enjoyed the benefits of it. It was stated that since it is now so easy to get to Europe, conversely it should be just as easy for Europeans desirous of travel to come this way and with the rising tide of prosperity there, an increasing number of potential tourists should be available. The problem, of course, is to get them to come to our country. Various suggestions were made for the Dominion Government to increase promotion, through the establishment of tourist bureaus in important European cities, stepped-up advertising campaigns and simplification of customs and immigration procedures. One important potentiality was overlooked. In recent years we have had a plethora of motion pictures which included in their content vivid picturizations of the charms of Rome, Venice, Florence, Paris, the Rivieras, England, Scotland and Ireland, to mention a few. This must have stimulated the desire on the part of thousands of people on this side of the ocean to visit and enjoy the wonders of such places. It is true that we have countered with the excellent documentaries of the National Film Board. However, without casting the slightest aspersion on the splendid job which has been done by this medium, we suggest that a broader and more alluring canvas can be painted by Canadian feature films. If trade follows the film, surely tourist traffic does as well, perhaps even more readily. Canada is but vaguely known to the peoples of Europe and the rest of the world because we have not extended (Continued on Page 8) r a ee