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. . New<br />
. . Three<br />
Top Vancouver Coin<br />
To 'Killer McCoy'<br />
VANCOUVER—Business locally was spotty<br />
last week. Among the crop of pictui-es indisputably<br />
in the "good" class were "Killer<br />
McCoy" at the Orpheum and a second week<br />
of the reissue, "The Great Waltz," at the<br />
Strand. Not so good were "Sleep, My Love,"<br />
playing a second week day and date at the<br />
Plaza and Park, and "Desire Me," which<br />
gave the Capitol only a fair week. The latter<br />
was panned by the critics.<br />
Fair<br />
Capitol—Desire Me (MGM)<br />
Orpheum— Killer McCoy (MGM) Good<br />
Park and Plaza—Sleep, My Love (UA), 2nd<br />
wk<br />
Paradise—New Wine (UA) reissue Average<br />
Strand—The Great Waltz (MGM), reisue<br />
When a Girl's Beautiiul (Col), 2nd wk Good<br />
Vogue—The Upturned Glass (EL), 2nd .vk Fair<br />
'Irish Rose' and 'Good News'<br />
Beat the Cold in Toronto<br />
TORONTO—Theatres here managed quite<br />
well considering the severe cold. "My Wild<br />
Irish Rose" at the Imperial and "Good News"<br />
at Loew's were top grossers. There were two<br />
holdovers, "Daisy Kenyon" at Shea's, and<br />
"While the Sun Shines" at the Tivoli and<br />
Eglinton. Chief opposition was the Ice Follies<br />
at Maple Leaf Gardens.<br />
(Average Is 100)<br />
Capitol and Victoria—Storm in a Teacup (UA),<br />
reissue; Roses Are Red (20th-Fox) 95<br />
Eglinton and T.voli—While the Sun Shine IFD)<br />
2nd vY<br />
95<br />
Fairlawn—The Upturned Glass (EL)<br />
Imperial—My Wild Irish Rose (WB)<br />
Loew's—Good News (MGM)<br />
Shea's—Daisy Kenyon (20th-Fox), 2nd w<br />
Uptown—The Exile (U-I)<br />
'Dolphin' Big in Calgary;<br />
Business Remains Good<br />
CALGARY—Continuance of good business<br />
in a winter of chinooks—warm west winds<br />
is the pleasant feature of theatre business<br />
for the first month of the year. Top picture<br />
this week was "Green Dolphin Street" at the<br />
Capitol. Fans gave other houses a good siiare<br />
Ontario Brownout Likely<br />
To Be Lifted in May<br />
TORONTO—With longer daylight houi'S in<br />
May it is expected that the hydro commission<br />
will<br />
permit more theatre front illumination<br />
beginning early in May, according to<br />
Arch H. Jolley. executive secretary of the<br />
Ontario MPTA. He reported that there has<br />
been a scarcity of rain and snow In areas<br />
where power development plants depend on<br />
water storage in dams. New power developments<br />
now under construction will not be<br />
ready before 1950 and an abimdant supply<br />
of power will not be available before 1952,<br />
Jolley<br />
said.<br />
Film as City Booster<br />
TORONTO—What is called a "City of<br />
Kitchener Movie" has been made available<br />
without rental charge for community advertising<br />
purposes. The film, in sound and<br />
color, can be booked from the Kitchener<br />
Chamber of Commerce. The plan is something<br />
new in the Canadian film field.<br />
Toronto Not Enthusiastic<br />
About Grind Policy<br />
Toronto—For (he first time in the<br />
memory of Toronto film men an allnight<br />
film show has been conducted in<br />
this city. The Rio, a downtown house<br />
linked with the 20 Century Theatres,<br />
operated throughout one night with an<br />
all-comedy program as a special stunt<br />
and the result was reported to have been<br />
fair. The daytime schedule started at<br />
9 a. m. as usual, without a break. Toronto<br />
people are apparently not ready for<br />
the all-night plan.<br />
VANCOUVER<br />
f^ne Vancouverite who ought to be a booster<br />
for single bills was in court last week.<br />
Charged with robbery, he alibied that he had<br />
been at a theatre at the time of the crime.<br />
He was able to name the picture and the<br />
stars of the main feature but couldn't remember<br />
about the second main feature. A jury<br />
found him guilty and the judge sent him to<br />
jail.<br />
Two girls who worked in theatres in other<br />
parts of the world have joined the local theatre<br />
setup. Phylis Smith, who was with the<br />
Gaumont circuit in New Zealand, is cashier<br />
at the Dominion, and Rhoda Bradley, who<br />
was with Odeon Theatres in London, England,<br />
is cashier at the Orpheum . . . Frank<br />
Doye of the State Theatre is the father of a<br />
baby boy, Spencer Marke. The baby has an<br />
older brother.<br />
Wedding bells will ring soon for Doreen<br />
Fitzpatrick of Columbia Pictures, who will be<br />
the bride of Tommie Pallant, and Dorothy<br />
Mallinson, secretary at the Dewees Theatres,<br />
who will wed Jack Leary . . . Paul Lambert,<br />
formerly with the Beacon Theatre in Winnipeg,<br />
has been appointed assistant manager of<br />
the Odeon Hastings, succeeding Piank Brown,<br />
who was promoted to manager of the Odeon<br />
of patronage, too.<br />
in Abbotsford, B. C.<br />
Capitol—Green Dolphin Street (MGM)..<br />
Grand-The Corpse Came C.O.D. (Col) Spide<br />
Hymie Singer, who has been having great<br />
Woman Strikes Back (Col), split wk Good<br />
Grand—Something in the Wind (U-I), split wk success with foreign pictm-es at the State<br />
. Fair<br />
Palace—Wings oi the Morning (20th-Fox),<br />
Theatre here and the Rio in Victoria, has gone<br />
reissue<br />
Good<br />
to New York to look over the new foreign<br />
offerings. He may open foreign-film showcases<br />
in other towns.<br />
Jack Richards, 79-year-old projectionist<br />
the Kitsilino Theatre, fell on the street,<br />
breaking his nose . Capitol employes<br />
with an aggregate service of 80 years<br />
were cited at the Famous Players 25-Year<br />
club banquet. They are Charlie Doctor, manager,<br />
and Bert Pollock and Sammy Haige,<br />
projectionists . . . The National Film board<br />
recently was permitted to enter the once-forbidden<br />
area of the Chalk River atomic research<br />
center to make a short.<br />
After many months of waiting. Jack Randall,<br />
manager of the Strand, finally got delivery<br />
on his Mercury sedan. Meanwhile, he<br />
had purchased a Chevrolet at an over-ceiling<br />
price but he sold the latter and came out<br />
okay in the deal . . . New plastic lettering<br />
called technilyte is being used by the Capitol.<br />
The News Herald has started a daily column<br />
on motion pictures, with Majorie Schwartz in<br />
charge. The two morning papers are still<br />
tough on space . light fixtures have<br />
been installed in the Strand auditorium as<br />
part of the gradual refurbishing of this<br />
Famous Players house.<br />
at<br />
Sports Shows Boom<br />
As Theatres Suher<br />
VANCOUVER—At a time when theatre attendance<br />
is off an estimated 25 per cent,<br />
Vancouver is enjoying perhaps its greatest<br />
boom in sports.<br />
More people are spending money to see<br />
hockey, wrestling and basketball programs,<br />
and before that rugby and soccer, than ever<br />
before. Some sports are drawing 50 per cent<br />
greater attendance than a year ago. The<br />
situation is .said to be about the same in Westminster<br />
and Victoria.<br />
Meanwhile, theatre operators find their<br />
crowds con.stantly getting slimmer. This appears<br />
to be especially true out of town. Exhibitors<br />
blame it on the high cost of living<br />
and the 20 per cent federal tax, but both<br />
these factors enter into sports attendance,<br />
too.<br />
Canadian Economy Act<br />
Squeezes by Commons<br />
OTTAWA—The Canadian government's<br />
dollar-economy program, put into force November<br />
18 through regulations contained in<br />
an order in coimcil, was ratified by Commons<br />
by the small majority of 84 to 70. But<br />
that's not the whole story. There are some<br />
254 members in the Commons, not counting<br />
vacant seats, and 100 of them did not take<br />
part in the vote for one reason or another.<br />
The support for the import restrictions and<br />
luxury taxation therefore consisted of onethird<br />
of the parliamentary roster. All opposition<br />
groups lined up solidly again,st the<br />
measure. The small vote has been taken as<br />
a reflection of dissatisfaction on the part<br />
of business interests and the people generally<br />
with regard to the new import policy.<br />
Four Adult Films Listed<br />
By Ontario Censor Board<br />
TORONTO—Fom- pictui-es were classified<br />
as adult entertainment by the Ontario<br />
Board of Censors during December. They<br />
are "I Walk Alone," "The Flame," "Nightmare<br />
Alley" and "Uptiu'ned Glass." Arch<br />
H. Jolley, executive secretary of the MPTA<br />
of Ontario, reports that the theatre inspection<br />
branch has complained to him that<br />
certain theatres are using too small type<br />
when inserting the word "adult" in their<br />
newspaper advertisements and that the word<br />
becomes almost unreadable when the mat is<br />
used more than once. Exhibitors were asked<br />
to use larger type and give the word "adult"<br />
more prominent space.<br />
Theatres in Crime Scene<br />
And It's Not on Screens<br />
TORONTO—Three neighborhood theatres<br />
figured in somewhat stirring crime news here<br />
last week.<br />
Jacques Martin, 28, who held up Ida Faye,<br />
cashier of the Bedford, then went to the<br />
Glendale where he hid in the men's room<br />
only to be traced by the police, was sentenced<br />
to serve ten years in Kingston penitentiary.<br />
In another case, Conway Dobbs, 21, was arrested<br />
in the College after being spotted by<br />
an usher, Lewis Urry. He allegedly robbed<br />
a druggist of $202 only 14 minutes before he<br />
was arrested.<br />
BOXOFHCE :: February 7, 1948 41
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