Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 21, 1962)

CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY November 21, 1962 Incorporating the Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Founded 1915) Vol. 27, No. 45 November 21, 1962 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, Ontcrio, Canada « Phone 924-1757 Price $5.00 per year POPULATION (Continued from Page 1) the corresponding date in 1961. In the eight-year span since 1954, the peak year for the number of theatres operating in Canada, the population has increased by over 22 per cent yet the total of movie situations has dropped by 25 per cent. The population estimate last Oct. 1 also was 445,000 more than the figure for the June 1, 1961, census. The largest quarterly increase in the year between Oct. 1, 1961, and Oct. 1, 1962, was 92,000 in the June 1-July 1 period of this year. The other quarterly increases were 88,000 between July 1 and Oct. 1, 1961; 77,000 between Oct. 1, 1961, and Jan. 1, 1962; 74,000 between Jan. 1 and April 1, 1962, and 83,000 between July 1 and Oct. 1, 1962. The starting point of quarterly population estimates is the final population count by provinces from the 1961 census. Births and immigration are added to provincial totals, while deaths and estimated emigration are _ subtracted. Among the provinces, Ontario had the largest numerical increase in population over Oct. 1, 1961, at 106,000. Quebec was second with an increase of 105,000 and Alberta third with 38,000. While Alberta was third in numerical increase in the year, it was first in rate of growth at 2.8 per cent. British Columbia’s population rose 31,000, Manitoba 13,000, Newfoundland 12,000, Nova Scotia 11,000, New Brunswick 7,000, Saskatchewan 3,000 and Prince Edward Island's population remained unchanged. American Film Festival To Take Place May 1-4 Fifth annual American Film Festival for 16 mm. films and 35 min. filmstrips will take place May 1-4 at the Hotel Biltmore, NY. Blue Ribbon Awards will be made in 33 categories and presentations are set for a gala banquet on May 3, with all award winners getting a repeat screening the following day. Turning Corner (Continued from Page 1) some situations we are even doing better business on Sunday.” At the time Sunday movies began operators were hoping for a weekly boxoffice improvement of at least 10 per cent. Public support is so great for Sunday movies in Ontario, where 57 communities have voted in their favor during the past couple of years, that 29 more places will hold plebiscites this December. The first non-Ontario victory for Sunday movies was registered two weeks ago in Winnipeg and the next non-Ontario plebiscites will be held in BC, where Coquitlam, Richmond and Vancouver citizens will make their preferences known. Maritimes and prairie provinces are awakening to Sunday movies and their exhibitors’ associations are beginning to follow the leads of the Ontario and BC ones and stimulating public interest and local applications for plebiscites. There is no doubt that communities everywhere will go as Ontario went. Ontario communities due to hold plebiscites this year are Brantford Township, Brampton, East York, Etobicoke, Galt, Guelph, Gloucester Township, Hamilton, Kingston, Kingston Township, Lindsay, London, Nepean Township, Newmarket, New Toronto, North Bay, North York, Orillia, Orillia Township, Ottawa, Owen Sound, Pembroke Township, Port Colborne, Peterboro, Port Arthur Township, Salt Fleet Township, Sarnia, Tillsonburg, Scarborough, Southampton, St. Thomas, Thessalon, Trenton, Vaughan Township, Welland, Westminster Township, Weston, Woodstock and York Township. The townships are usually where the drive-ins are located. Other places are the suburbs of large cities which have their own municipal government. Graburn Now Secretary Art Graburn is now secretary of the Vancouver Branch of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, filling the post made vacant by the death of Steve Rolston, it was announced by Harry Howard, president. NY GUESTS FOR CPP AWARD DINNER Among the guests at The Pioneer of the Year dinner at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, on Nov. 26 for Bill Lester of Montreal will be Max E. Youngstein and Jerome Pickman, respectively president and vice-president of the newly-formed Entertainment Corporation of America, and Martin Quigley, editor of the Motion Picture Herald. Earlier that day Youngstein will be the speaker at the annual luncheon of the Motion Picture Theatres Association of Ontario in the same hotel. Quigley will present MPH’s Grand Showmanship Award to Vic Nowe, manager of the Odeon Carlton, who won it this summer. G. B. Markell, Cornwall exhibitor, will chair the MPTAO luncheon and Frank H. Fisher, vice-president and general manager of theatre operations of The Odeon Theatres (Canada) Ltd., will preside at the Award dinner as president of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, which is sponsoring it. BC'S COMMONWEALTH 'REFINANCING' Reorganization and refinancing of Panorama Estates a public company listed on the Vancouver Stock Exchange, and Common: wealth Films, a private company which leases and operates both facilities, is being planned. Panorama Estates, formed with British capital, has an authorization of 3,000,000 shares, 2,000,000 of which are outstanding. The stock was recently offered at 50c and no bids Commonwealth Films, organized by Oldrich Vaclavek, its president and also vice-president of Panorama, has finished one film, The Bitter and the Sweet, at a cost of $350,00. It begins to appear that Commonwealth, launched with much publicity about big plans, has run into the same kind of snags that other feature-production companies have in Canada in the past. ICB ROTUS HARVEY TENT 28 GUEST The Variety Club of Ontario, which is Tent 28 of th i Clubs Anternational, will celebrate having raised $1,000,000 since ity inception in 1946 for the establishment and support of Variety Vil lage, its vocational guidance and residential school : which was opened in 1949, Siarapege, See Rotus Harvey of San Francisco, International Chi ’ ief B be guest of honor at the next luncheon meeting, which sci be ae in the Park Plaza Hotel on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Past Chief Barkers of Tent 28 will be head table guests. Dough Guy Sam Shopsy, going over financial records the yearly totals had, when put together, gone over Hep auieaae lar mark, Lionel Lester, Chief Barker of Tent 28 decided that this warranted a celebration. Guests from all over Canada, in Toronto for th i industry annual meetings, will be at the hireheore, eign ei Our Business’ 4 THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD AND CANADIAN FEATURE-FILM PRODUCTION Part II RECENT editorial in Boxoffice, written by Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, started with this quotation: “The AmeriST Tareas 4 can motion picture overseas is a window to the interest, variety and color of American life.” These are the words of John Kenneth Galbraith, the American Ambassador “™ to India. Mr. Johnston then goes on to quote American Ambassadors who _ unstintingly praise the work which American feature films have done in portraying the image of United States to different countries of the world. We, in this country cannot, of course, cOmpare our resources or export trade to that of the United States. Over the years we have depended on our National Film Board to present the image of Canada to other countries. To determine the value of its efforts, it might be very interesting and helpful to have a similarly realistic appraisal from our Ambassadors and trade representatives abroad. Until recent years there has been very little reason for a Canadian feature-film industry, little room for it, and small chance of its getting started. Conditions have now changed considerably and it is practical to hope for the realization of what in the past has been merely a dream. We now have studio space, technical personnel, and creative and acting talents on a scale never before dreamed of. Many people are anxious to be involved in feature-film production. However, there are other important requirements. In order to be efficacious and enduring, a motion picture feature industry in Canada must start slowly and be built on a solid foundation. It will take some time before we can hope to see a great Canadian motion picture depicting the vitality and heartbeat of our country. Our “talents” will have to mature. Our Government can be of great assistance in getting this industry started and does not have to do so at the expense of the taxpayer. Nevertheless, there are many perils to be avoided, not the least of which is the possibility that subsidization may bring the (Continued on Page 7) mom yy poco