Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 20, 1970)

February 20, 1970 IT'S By Ed Hocura It stands to reason that what develops in a court case to be heard in Toronto this week will have an effect on theatre owners in all parts of Canada. Cinema 2000, which claims to be North America’s first commercial videotape theatre, is facing obscenity charges involving the showing of Russ Meyer’s Vixen. The fact that the film is shown on videotape does not have it come under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Board of Censors. This has perplexed some people in the film industry who feel that the fact that the film is shown on videotape should not exclude the owners of Cinema 2000 from abiding by the same rules they have to adhere to. And they were further perplexed when the videotape theatre was granted a license of amusement. Which, to them, meant that Cinema 2000 could continue to show films on videotape that licensed theatres could never hope to play without the sanction of the Ontario Board of Censors. But whether they will continue to be perplexed depends on the outcome of the court case. Summonses charging showing an obscene film and possession of an obscene film for the purpose of publication were served to the operator by Metropolitan Toronto morality police. Prior to the serving of the summonses, police seized all four prints of the film the theatre had, but three copies were later returned and showings resumed. It was reported that 18,000 people had paid three dollars each to see Vixen in the three weeks it had been showing at Cinema 2000. As any exhibitor will readily admit, that’s good business for the best of films to do. And if the outcome of the court case turns out in favor of Cinema 2000, through some legal technicality, who’s to say that similar videotape theatres will not be springing up all over Canada? Which means that what is now an isolated case of showing an uncensored movie on videotape mushrooming to national proportions. And there isn’t a theatre owner in the country who won’t have cause to worry if this happens. Those theatre owners who tend to regard a videotape operation not as competition are only kidding themselves. Those that do regard it as a serious threat must strongly consider the thousands of dollars they are losing from potential customers who are flocking to see Vixen. It is the latter who will be waiting with more than passing interest the outcome of the case which will be heard on February 27. Ww * * NAMES THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT: should win an Oscar for her performance in Anne Of The Thousand Days, she will be the fourth Canadian-born actress to achieve the honor. The others were the late Marie Dressler, Norma Shearer and Mary Pickford . . . Russ Meyer, the King of the Nudie films, has impressed 20th Century-Fox with his first legitimate theatrical production to the point where he has a new three-picture contract. Which would indicate that Darryl and Richard Zanuck feel that Meyer has come up with a potential box-office winner in Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, and they don’t want any other studio to grab him . . . Two war documentaries that Arthur J. Kelly filmed in the 1950s will be shown during a twomonth film festival in London, England, starting in April. Kelly, who lives in Brantford, was contacted by the Canadian Film Archives in Ottawa for permission to allow This Most Gallant Affair and The Abbe On Monte Casino to depict Canada’s participation in the First World War and the Second World War at the film festival. Needless to say Kelly agreed since his works will be on the same program with war documentaries from almost every country in the world. The film festival will be held in the Imperial War Museum. In recent years, Kelly has confined his activities to staging and writing plays depicting Brantford’s history. He has a new one slated to be presented sometime in April . . . There wasn’t a happier person to be found in Toronto this past week than Bill Pfaff. He held an open house for his new headquarters for Mavety Film Delivery Ltd. and his friends and associates in the film industry were on hand to wish him well. A truck is a truck is a truck, as far as I have always been concerned, but after listening to Bill Pfaff talk about trucks delivering cans of films ‘to his theatre customers, they now have a new meaning . . . Producer Frank McCarthy is coming to Toronto to beat the publicity drums for CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY MY BAG If Genevieve Bujold Page 3 Patton, which will have its Canadian Premiere at the University on March 11. Both the war film and George C. Scott have come in for heaps of praise from American critics . . . Another Hollywood personality to make the publicity rounds in Toronto was Shirley Stoler, whose performance as Fat Martha in The Honeymoon Killers will never make her a threat in the best actress race. But no one can deny that _the hefty actress isn’t more true-to-life for the unsavory role she plays in the modest crime thriller than if it had been played by a seasoned professional . . . Phil Stone may be director of public relations for the United Jewish Welfare Fund, but he still likes to keep up with the show business world. He writes a breezy weekly column for a Toronto chain of newspapers that people in show business should make a habit of reading. Ww * * TWIRLING THE DIAL: For the past few weeks I have been nothing short of amazed at the audience response to a movie quiz radio show I do on CHML in Hamilton. The format of the show is quite simple; listeners phone in questions, and if I fail to come up with the answers they win a pair of passes to a local theatre which always gets a mention of what is playing. During the most recent show, 4109 busy signals were recorded by the station switchboard on the 10 lines that are left open for listeners to get through. This method of recording busy signals gives CHML an idea of how many people listening to the program are interested in phoning in questions to win theatre passes. I don’t like to think that I am keeping 4109 people from going out to the movies, but what I am amazed at is the fact that so many people are not watching television. Especially on a particular Thursday night when they have the choice of a hockey game, Dean Martin, Tom Jones or Paul Newman in Hud to watch on television. The program always begins with a brief discussion between myself and a moderator on current movies playing in Hamilton. We then proceed to take the calls, which sometimes take up only a few seconds or longer if it’s someone who is more interested in discussing censorship or a particular movie. There must be other radio stations in Canada that would be interested in this phone-in type of radio program. And I’m sure that if any theatre manager would take the trouble to discuss the possibility of a radio station in his town or city doing a show of this type, the station manager would consider it. Radio stations are interested in program ideas that are different from the norm. And they would only have to verify with CHML as to the number of listeners a movie quiz radio show attracts. Every town or city in Canada must have someone who is a bonafide movie nut who would be willing to go on the air and have listeners pose questions to him. He could be the movie critic from the local newspaper, or even someone on the staff of the station. At a time when distributors and exhibitors have become disenchanted with film critics, the possibility of having a radio program devoted exclusively to movies has to be something worth going after. The fact that on some nights I have to give out 15-20 pairs of passes should not be cause for alarm for theatre owners. Because who is to say that the people who get the chance to see a movie for free will not be pre-sold by coming attractions to pay next week? I’m just throwing this suggestion out because I don’t know of another radio station in Canada that devotes an hour of prime time to movies. But CHML must think it’s worth it because what was once a monthly show is now on every Thursday night. The paintings will be for sale but Famous has made arrangements with the guild to have 10 per cent of all revenue donated to Famous Players plans to promote Cdn. art Sixty artists belonging to the Art Guild of York-Scarborough soon will have a_ series of theatre galleries in which to show their work it was announced by Famous Players Canadian Corp. A group of 10 paintings will be hung in the lobby of the Eglinton Theatre in Toronto with another six to be exhibited simultaneously in the University. Later, the Towne and Country, Golden Mile and Thorncliffe theatres will be added. The guild has approximately 300 canvasses ready for showing. Variety Village, a vocational school for handicapped boys located in Scarborough. Mrs. J. E. Barnard and Mrs. W. H. A. Alexander represented the Art Guild in discussions with Richard Kressin, Famous’ construction and design supervisor who himself is a painter and conceived the art gallery program as part of Famous Players’ 50th anniversary celebrations this year, the basic aim being to stimulate interest in the work of Canadian artists.