Boxoffice-Febuary.07.1948

Canadian Productions
Readies First Picture
MONTREAL—Canadian Motion Pictui-e
Productions, organized last autumn, outlined
its immediate production plans at a press
conference here. Its declared policy is to
avoid imitation of Hollywood or British films
and to evolve a Canadian approach to feature
productions.
Its first film, a comedy based on a French-
Canadian folk tale, has been temporarily
shelved in order to produce a semidocumentary
feature entitled "Sins of the Fathers"
for the Health League of Canada and
the British Social Hygiene council. This will
tell the stoi-y of the efforts of a few health
pioneers to interest a Canadian community
in establishing a health program against
active opposition. The picture is to be filmed
next month at the St. Hyacinthe studios of
Quebec F>i-oductions and the schedule calls
for it to be completed in the astonishingly
short time of 12 days. Phil Rosen has been
brought from Hollywood to direct the production.
Rosen, whose experience goes back
to the old silent days, recently completed
directorial chores on the RKO murder mystery,
"Step by Step."
Mary Barclay and Austin Willis will play
the leads in "Sins of the Fathers" and the
supporting cast is composed of such wellknown
Montreal players as John Pratt, Suzanne
Avon, Gerald Rowan, Phyllis Carter,
Beryl Dann, Alfred Gallagher, Frank Heron,
George Dupin, Dorothy Hervey, A. G. C. Dann
and Norman Taviss.
The script was written by Gordon Bui'wash,
Canadian author-actor. Sets have been designed
by Hans Berends.
Death Takes E. H. Cady;
Showed Films in 1905
ST. JOHN— E. H. Cady, 78, retired pioneer
of film exhibition in Canada, died recently
at Minto, N. B. He started showing films
about 44 years ago in Minto, a soft coal
mining center. He established the Strand
Theatre, seating about 350, at the rear of a
store in which he sold smokers' supplies,
groceries and confections, and operated pool
tables and bowling alleys. He was one of the
first film showmen in the Dominion. He retired
about 11 years ago. Surviving are three
sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.
400 Evacuate in Bienfait
When Fire Breaks Out
BIENFAIT, SASK.—Nearly 400 persons
were quietly evacuated from the Legion Theatre
here when fire broke out. The projection
booth and some of the rooms at the
back of the building were destroyed, the
firemen managing to confine the flames to
the back of the building. Damage was estimated
to be approximately $8,000.
Odeon Managers Elect
VANCOUVER—The Odeon Theatre Managers
Ass'n of British Columbia has elected
Al Goodwin of the Olympia as president for
1948. Other officers are Gerry Sutherland of
the Park, vice-president, and Jimmy Adams
of the Circle, secretary-treasurer.
Fear Provinces May Fill In
If Federal Tax Is Killed
CALGARY—Pear is felt by Canadian exhibitors
that provincial governments will
take up the slack when the federal government
reduces or repeals its 20 per cent tax
on theatre admissions.
A precedent for this is the liquor tax. When
the Dominion government cut the liquor tax,
provinces all added an equal sum to their
own liquor tax and the price to the consumer
remained the same.
Tlu'ough exhibitor organizations, theatremen
have promised Dominion officials that
any benefits obtained through tax reduction
will be passed on to the public and
prices will not be increased for at least a
year. However, there is no assurance that
provinces might not levy their own ticket
taxes.
The tax situation was discussed here last
week by R. W. Bolstad, vice-president of
Famous Players Canadian, during a stopover
on his trip to Vancouver to attend the
banquet of the Famous Players 25 Year
club.
He thought there was no truth to the
rumor that the Ottawa government was
planning a 50 per cent tax on American motion
pictm-es. "From annual gross theatre
receipts approximating $75,000,000, the Dominion
government now deducts over $18,-
000,000; quite a heavy tax, you'll agree," he
said, leaving the impression that the federal
government should be satisfied with that
revenue from the industry.
Bolstad was accompanied by Larry Bearg,
western director of theatres for FPC.
and James Nairn, publicity director.
Theatremen Organize
Fight on Local Tax
TORONTO—Exhibitors throughout Ontario
are being rallied by the Motion Picture
Theatres Ass'n of Ontario for a fight on a
proposed provincial or municipal ticket tax
once the federal government steps out of
this field.
Members of the Ontario Ass'n of Mayors
and Reeves were to meet this week with
Prime Minister George A. Drew and his
cabinet and it was expected that Mayor
"P.
Robert H. Saunders of Toronto would propose
that the provincial government either
impose an amusement tax and allocate it to
municipalities or else pass legislation empowering
municipalities to impose their own
ticket tax, to be used for hospital and welfare
purposes, when the federal government
vacates this field.
Such a tax was' proposed last year and
members of the MPTA rallied to the support
of editors, trade-unions, members of parliament
and others to opposition of the measure.
It was not successful. In a letter to
members last week. Secretary Arch H. Jolley
urged exhibitors to again line up opposition
to the plan in an effort to quash It
before it gets started.
"We request that you do all
in your power
to block any tax being imposed on your already
heavily taxed patrons," said JoUey.
"We trust you will appreciate the serious effect
such a tax will have on boxoffice receipts."
Two Houses Close Doors
As Ontario Feels Pinch
TORONTO—The econonuc trend in Ontario
may be told by the closing of two
theatres. One is the Mountain at the industrial
city of Hamilton and the other is situated
at Kirkland Lake, a gold mining center
in northern Ontario, where two other theatres
continue to operate.
Bloom & Fine to Launch
Second Theatre in May
TORONTO—B.&F. Theatres, headed by
Sam Bloom and Sam Fine, expects to open
its second postwar theatre here in May when
the Donlands, seating 1,000, will be put into
commission in the east end of the city. Two
months ago the company, an affiliate of
Famous Players, opened the Vaughan.
'Electra' Opens February 9
As Roadshow at $1.80
TORONTO — "Mourning Becomes Electra"
will receive its Canadian debut with a roadshow
engagement of two weeks starting
February 9 at the Royal Alexandra. All seats
are reserved at prices scaling to $1.80, the
highest admission in many years for a roadshow
film in the Dominion.
NEW PIONEER OFFICEKS—Newly elected officers of Canadian Picture Pioneers
for 1948 elected in Toronto are, back row: 1. to r.: W. O'Neill, J. Gabarrino, C. Mavety,
B. Cronk, M. Doyle, D. Angley. Front row: S. Sternberg. C. Appel. O. Hanson, E.
Lawson, L. Bishop, B. Reeves.
BOXOFTICE :: February 7, 1948