Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

iiiiiiiiiiMMiiiiiiimiiiiiimiimiiimiiiimiiiiimiMi^^ RANK CANADIAN OPERATION E ACHES ACROSS DOMINION FROM STUDIO TO SEATS jjN CANADA, the range of activities of the tank Organization and Canadian associates iow covers the film field from theatre operaIon to supplementary production facilities, j There are six corporate units: General Theatres Corporation, Limited, which is the eatre holding company ; Odeon Theatres of anada, Limited, the theatre operating cornany; Eagle-Lion Films of Canada, Limited, oncerned with distribution; Hanson 16mm ilms, Limited, handling non-theatrical films :knd non-theatrical distribution; Queensway Studios, Limited, on the production side, and paumont-Kalee, Limited, which is a supply ijind service organization dealing in "theatre equipment. | Active direction is in the hands of a Canadian management group headed by J. Earl {Lawson, K.C., former Minister of National Revenue in the Federal Government. Mr. Rank himself takes a definite personal interest in the Canadian operation and John Davis, managing director of the J. Arthur |Rank Organization, makes an average of ^wo trips annually to the Dominion. Companies in each field not only have separate orporate setups but tend to have individual and separate operating managements. In July, 1944, John Davis, after an inspection of theatre properties across the Dominion, completed in Toronto the first deal under which the interest in Odeon Theatres, formed three years previously, was acquired. In May, 1945, when Mr. Rank himself visited Canada, plans for the expansion of the circuit were begun and interests acquired as well in Eagle-Lion, Queensway Studios and Hanson 16mm Films. In February, 1946, Gaumont-Kalee, the equipment company, was formed. \Odeon Theatres j At the present time, Odeon in Canada is j operating approximately 100 houses and is | proceeding with a four-year construction ! program covering an additional 64 theatres. Of these, 15 theatres are either under construction or about to begin. These include first runs in five important keys: Toronto' Montreal, Ottawa, London and Victoria, B. C., as well as key suburbans in Toronto and Montreal. Estimated cost of this first section of the building program is $6,000,000 with the new downtown Odeon in Toronto, a 2,500-seat house and five-story office building, representing a $1,750,000 outlay. It will be the circuit's No. 1 showcase. During the second year, 15 more theatres will be built, chiefly in the larger provincial cities in central Canada along with added first runs in Calgary and Edmonton in the west. The 20-theatre program scheduled for the third year will fill in the gaps and stress the construction of added suburbans. With HONORABLE JAMES EARL LAWSON, like Mr. Rank, has both theatres and flour in his b/ood. He is president and managing director of General Theatres Corporation, of Odeon Theatres of Canada, Ltd.. and president of Barker's Bread. Ltd., and Burry Biscuit Corporation and vice-president of Empire-Universal Films, Ltd. He was in Government service from 7928 to 7935. 14 theatres to be built during the fourth year, Odeon's planners estimate that this will make the circuit complete, from the standpoint of nationwide seating needs and thoroughly modern by 1950 standards. Modernization and renovation of Odeon's present houses is already proceeding. Of the 100 houses now operated, 10 are key first runs. Typical of the modernization program is the Odeon (former Walker theatre), Winnipeg. Following the face-lifting and streamlining, the house embarked on the policy which, it is understood, will apply generally to Odeon's Canadian first runs — a combination of major American and British product. To date, top grosses have been more than double the trade's pre-opening estimates. New houses now under construction differ very materially both in engineering and design, from present theatre structures. They utilize American, British and European ideas. Perhaps the most significant innovation is a complete break with theatre-auditorium tradition. Little or nothing is borrowed from earlier design which took into account stage or concert hall requirements. The buildings have been engineered for the mechanical reproduction of sound, not for the human voice. Emphasis is placed on customer con JAMES STUART DUNCAN has his executive hand in the roofs, cement and gauges business in addition to being a director of General Theatres Corporation and of Odeon Theatres of Canada and a representative of Odeon Theatres of Great Britain. A governor of the University of Toronto, he is president of the Massey-Harris Company and a director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. venience in seating arrangements. The Toronto showcase is the best example to date. Parking facilities for customers' cars are built into the building. A tea room and restaurant is an integral part of the foyer. There is very broad street frontage and extensive use of glass, with the result that the entire lobby and foyer are visible from the street. In exterior design, the most striking single feature is a 10-story stone tower on modernistic lines, which carries the house sign in neon. On the Odeon board of directors, the Rank Organization and the Canadian management have associated with them representatives of the Dominion's leading business and industrial interests, such as D. C. Coleman, who heads the Canadian Pacific railway-steamship-airline-hotel system, and J. S. Duncan, who, as president of Massey-Harris, is a top-rank Canadian industrialist. The board includes J. Earl Lawson, president; John Davis, D. C. Coleman, J. S. Duncan, Paul L. Nathanson^ Leonard R. Brockington, K. C., George PL Beeston, treasurer ; George W. Peters, secretary. An executive committee from the board handles week-to-week operating policy and is made up of Mr. Lawson, who is managing (Continued on following page) 1111111 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 30, 1946 67