HONOR

i
,
Vera
M A R I T I M E S
Opecial attention is being given by Franklin
& Herschorn to a government project
to establish and operate an army camp site
in New Brunswick. Tlie nearest theatre to
the camp site is a drive-in at Martinon, nine
miles up the St. John river. Tentative plans
by the government call for clearing of a
large area in the counties of Kings, Queens
and Sunbury and removal of the population
to elsewhere in New Brunswick. The closest
part of the camp site to the Martinon Drivein
is about eight miles. Indications are the
capacity of the airer will be increased about
300 cars from the present 650 with completion
of the camp. F&H visualizes a big increase
in business when the camp, which is
to be one of the biggest in Canada, swings
into action. Construction operations are expected
to get under way this spring. Within
camp range also are the Fredericton theatres.
Film exhibitors and distributors are concerned
about a plan of the New Brunswick
Telephone Co., a monopoly, to increase the
telephone rates in New Brunswick. A hearing
has been held in St. John, aimed at having
the cost of the telephone service to users
hoisted by $7.20 a year. The price of pay
station calls would be doubled from 5 to 10
cents. At the hearing, presided over by the
New Brunswick Public Utilities board, there
was opposition to the proposed increases from
the municipality of St. John. It was claimed
that the telephone rates in New Brunswick
are the highest in Canada.
An intermission of three minutes at each
show prevails at the Odeon Kent, St. John,
for the distribution of ice cream bars, candy
and popcorn. A young woman goes through
the audience with a supply of the confections.
The Kent is the former Empire and is
leased by A. I. Garson from the Knights of
Columbus. Under the Garson auspices it has
shifted from double to single bill policy.
On the verge of heading for a winter stay
at Miami Beach, Abe Garson, St. John, was
received into the maritime branch of the
Motion Picture Pioneers by Red March, president
of the Pioneers and president of the
maritime branch of 20th-Fox. The maritime
head of Odeon, who operates the Strand and
Kent in St. John and the Oxford and Garrick
in Halifax, made his start in theatre operating
about a quarter of a century ago. He
deviated to realty and mercantile operations
in following years, then returned to film
exhibiting about a dozen years ago, returning
with a new theatre at Moncton, since then
destroyed by fire. He will be accompanied
to Florida by his wife. They will return to
St. John next April.
History has duplicated itself for Abe Cass,
manager for Columbia at Toronto. About
three decades ago, he sold films to exhibitors
on the road through the Atlantic provinces,
with base at St. John. A recent addition
to the St. John film mart is Abe jr.,
who is on the sales staff of 20th-Fox and is
stepping into the footsteps of his dad in calling
on the maritime exhibitors. He is taking
orders from a distributor who was a contemporary
of his dad—Reg March.
The Franklins have been doing some
sleuthing in connection with theatre operations.
First, it was Joe Franklin who prevented
the robbery of the safe at his head
office in the Mayfair, St. John, in the early
morning. An ex-convict was arrested inside
the theatre after inflicting considerable damage
to the building in making his entrance.
A jury freed him and about two days later
he was caught inside the B&L chain head
offices and sent back to Dorchester prison
for a three-year stretch. Then Mitchell
Franklin, son of Joe Franklin and vice-president
of the F&H chain, caught several 15
and 16-year-old youths removing a number of
speakers from the Mai-tinon Drive-In. A
potent spotlight on his car proved effective
in detecting the thefts. The spotlight had
been carried as extra equipment on the car
as protection against sneak thieves.
Art Houses Open New Films
TORONTO—The sister art houses opened
with new pictures on the same day for a
change. The offering at the International
was the British feature, "So Little Time,"
and at the Towne, "Clochemerle," from
France. The studio turned to another all-
German program, "Ich Bin Sebastian Ott."
HANDY SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM
BOXOFFICE:
825 Van Brunt Blvd.. Kansas City 24. Mo.
Please enter my subscription to BOXOFFICE, 52 issues per year (13 ol which contain
The MODERN THEATRE Section).
D $3.00 FOR 1 YEAR Q $5.00 FOR 2 YEARS Q $7.00 FOR 3 YEARS
n Remittance Enclosed Send Invoice
THEATRE
STREET ADDRESS
TOWN
NAME
STATE
POSITION
Bylaw on Midnight Shows
Is Amended in Canada
TORONTO— At the request of
the Ontario
Motion Picture Theatres Ass'n, the board of
police commissioners has amended the bylaw
which regulates midnight shows at local theatres.
The provision is made for blanket permits
for owl performances on designated statutory
holidays throughout the year, one of them
being Christmas eve. In the revision, the
Christmas date has been deleted, on the suggestion
of the exhibitors association, and
authority has been granted for midnight
shows Boxing day, the day after Christmas,
when the performances would not conflict
with church services.
Boxing day, now observed as a general
holiday, has become a big day for theatres.
Film Charged by Youth
As Cause for Shooting
TORONTO—Much of the goodwill pubUcity
in Toronto newspapers for the recent Cana^
dian Picture Pioneers banquet on the 50th I
anniversary of the film industry has been
damaged by an 18-year-old youth, Donald
Fisher, who was booked by police on three
counts of attempted murder.
Fisher boasted to constables and reporters
that he had fired at innocent people from the
top of a high billboard, using a rifle, after
watching the picture. "The Sniper," 12 times
during a downtown theatre run.
Police said Fisher had wounded a woman
and two men, all of whom required hospital
treatment. The dailies gave prominence to
the film sniper angle.
'Hoffmann' Again on Tour
TORONTO—With the entertainment sea,son
in full swing, "Tales of Hoffmann" is again
on tour of Ontario theatres as a roadshow
film at prices scaling up to $1.50. The picture
played one week at the Famous Players' Kent
in Windsor and followed with a run at the
Biltmore in Kitchener, all seats reserved.
Free Films at Union Hall
GLACE BAY, N.S.—Free picture shows are
presented at the hall of Caledonia local of
the United Mine Workers union. The programs
consist of four shorts supplied by the
National Film Board.
WINNIPEG I
about
nil greater Winnipeg hou.ses remain closed
till
as the government have long since accepted)
show busine.ss as a public service. This wasj
dranuitically crystallized during our greatj
flood several years ago, when after closing alii
houses, the government reversed it,s stand and)
begged all theatres to open as soon as pos-|
sible.
;;
ALU
to tie I
tdtOlKli
Kim.
S
|ial. This fc
'all theatre
jtrtiais 8"
ni
iM Stor]
1
haiere there
tttothis, T
hias the stor
1^
lid it ;a
ikfiiossesiD
IMstsshoul
tit,
Ik
ilFii,Sat. 1
;:CifstTheal
|:;(iniralpatr
|l ilailon (Ai
lifslor,
u,!ilanhai
ihich
1? there test
.upei
nall-toi
CO
iWllelCol
si for more (
Si' tertainlf
filer and tem
J
1:05 p. m. on Remembrance day, allowing
patrons and employes to devote more attention
to the services conducted on that
-.^fonricis
day. When Remembrance day was declared;
a legal holiday by the provincial government]
last year, theatres were not included among]
business firms that had to obtain a permltj
'Ciest, Tot
to operate the holiday. The public as well' ^irbaj-t;;
»!Col,-I,,
'«tjerieri
.^«a in
ti
.
let
. ^lotf..
The State attempted to attract
'"'>
-i a ti
music ancl i'^ivjij
opera lovers with its foreign attraction. "Mus-ijli; (jj',
''
sorgsky," which contains most of that com'H''%|
poser's famous opera. "Boris Godunov."
a8
BOXOFFICE :
: November
29, lOSSJI"