What's New? (Sep-Oct 1969)

eee areca ee ee FAMOUS PLAYERS ACQUIRES COMPLETE OW! On Thursday, July 10th, after lengthy negotiations, final signatures were affixed to an historic document whereby Famous Players acquired ownership of more than thirty hard top theatres from N.A. Taylor and his associates Harry S. Mandell, David Griesdorf and Myer L. Axler. The two Loew’s theatres in Toronto were included in the deal. Under the agreement, a new company, Century Theatres Management Limited, with N.A. Taylor as president and Harry S. Mandell as executive vice-president will continue to operate these theatres as a separate entity for a number of years. Following is an intimate profile on each of the principals involved in this history making transaction. N.A. TAYLOR rennet cA Truly a legend in his own time, a Strange enigma to some, an open book to others, admired and respected by all and tagged by the late Hye Bossin as “The oldest boy wonder in the business,’ Nat Taylor, head of N.A. Taylor Associates which operates Twentieth Century Theatres, International Film Distributors, a motion picture studio on the outskirts of Toronto and other enterprises in the entertainment field, shook hands with success at an early age. Parlaying a dream, stubborn determination and a lot of moxie into a multi-million dollar theatre empire — the third largest circuit in Canada — Nat became president at the age of 29. Ne Nat Taylor's chronology makes fascinating reading. His family was anything but improverished, but young Nat early asserted his need for selfdetermination and independence. At 10 he was delivering magazines for 75¢ a week, subsequently sold newspapers and clerked in a grocery store — all after school hours. At 12 he got a job selling photos of movie stars to theatres in the Toronto area and in a short time was earning over $5.00 a week. When the firm had a fire the following year and went out of business, he borrowed the money to buy plates and have his own photos produced and thus began to run his own business at the age of 13. Subsequently he began to create heralds from press book ads and his little business flourished. In the meantime he got to know all the exhibitors and managers in Toronto. In 1922 his father lent him $3,000.00 to buy the Monarch Theatre in Toronto, a 240-seater on College Street which gave Nat his first taste of being an owner-manager and his first chance to buy film. The theatre was a flop and his father traded the lease for a piece of property. In the mid-20’s he became secretary of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners Association for a salary of $10.00 a week. Since there was no money with which to pay him, he went out and sold advertising slides for the Association and thus earned his keep. In 1928, in association with the late J. Earl Lawson and Bud Lennon, he helped to form Exhibitors’ Cooperative Ltd. probably the second cooperative film buying organization on the Continent. He became secretary and subsequently buyer. At the same time he was attending law school from which he graduated in 1930. However, after sO doing continued in the motion picture business which attracted him more than the practice of law. While attending law school he married Yvonne Auerbach who became a source of great strength and _ inspiration. They had one son Michael who is presently chief booker for Twentieth Century Theatres. After Yvonne's untimely death Nat remarried and is living happily with Claire, widow of the late well known actor John Drainie, and his new family of six children, three girls and three boys aged from nine to twenty-four. In 1935 Nat started his own booking organization in partnership with his gu cs mtn ; un X