Boxoffice-October.27.1951

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Name J. J. Fitzgibbons
Council Chairman
TORONTO—J. J. Fitzgibbons, president of
Famous Players Canadian Corp., has been
elected national chairman of the Canadian
Council of Christians and Jews, succeeding
Arthur Meighen of Toronto. The council
plans to conduct Canadian Brotherhood week
February 17-24.
Several prominent filmmen are serving as
national directors, including H. L. Nathanson,
managing director of MGM in Canada, and
Tom Daley, manager of the Toronto Imperial.
Chairman of the motion picture committee
for Brotherhood week is Gordon Lightstone,
general manager of Canadian Paramount.
Members are Jule Allen, N. A. Taylor,
Haskell Masters, Hye Bossin, C. S. Chaplin,
Prank H. Fisher and Fitzgibbons, Nathanson
and Daley.
Cameo Subject Filmed
On He Aux Coudres
MONTREAL — The spot Where Jacques
Cariter's feet first trod Canadian soil is the
scene for Associated Screen Studios' latest
Canadian Cameo short subject film, "The
Earth."
Fruitful
lie aux Coudres is a small Island 60 miles
below Quebec City, and is inhabited by descendants
of the original immigrant French
of more than 300 years ago. Through the
years, the soil has been the mainstay and
provider for the island's inhabitants. The
present-day habitant farmers still carry on
In the rugged and self-reliant traditions of
. their forebears, with all the family expected
to pitch in and help when Mother Nature rewards
their labor with bounteous amounts
of produce and foodstuffs.
"The Fruitful Earth" was filmed in Anscocolor.
It was directed by Gordon Sparling,
with camera work by Jack Hynes. Lucio
Agostini has taken a group of airs sung in
Quebec for centuries and has blended them
into an original background musical score
that will appeal to lovers of music.
The film was released by Associated Screen
News with the recent Thanksgiving holiday.
Several Drive-ins Close
For Season in Ontario
TORONTO—A number of drive-ins have
closed for the season in Ontario. First to
close were the Sunset at Brantford and the
Starlite at Chippawa, near Niagara Palls.
These were followed by the Aladdin at Ottawa,
which opened last summer.
The move was hastened by a spell of
snappy weather but it turned warm for several
days. Drive-in units of Famous Players
and 20th Century Theatres are continuing to
operate.
Kiddy Shows Show Gain
TORONTO—Juvenile programs are gaining
favor at local theatres. On Saturday (20) no
less than 32 houses offered pictures for children
either at separate performances or for
the early part of the regular matinee.
The list
included 17 units of Bloom & Fine
Theatres, four Famous Players houses, three
Odeon and eight independent theatres.
VARIETY CHECK TO DUKE—John J.
Fitzgibbons, president of Famous Players
Canadian and first chief barker of the Toronto tent, presents a check for S1,000 to the
Duke of Edinburgh, honorary member of the London Variety Club, while two other
Variety representatives look on. The money will be used for the London tent's project,
which is re-establishment of bombed-out playing fields for children. The photo was
taken outside the duke's lounge car during the visit of the royal couple at Toronto.
Left to right: Fitzgibbons, Marc J. Wolf, chief barker of Variety International; the duke
and J. J. Chisholm, chief barker of the Toronto club.
Speculation on Theatre
Stirred by Halifax Ad
HALIFAX, N. S.—Considerable interest has
developed in the district over an advertisement
in Halifax papers seeking "a piece of
rectangular real estate about 75 by 150 feet"
in Dartmouth, with insistence on location
"near the center of the town but not necessarily
on Portland street, if an auxiliary property
is available to provide a main street
entrance."
This advertising is presumed to be in connection
with a plan to establish a third theatre
in Dartmouth. There are already two
Dartmouth theatres, the Mayfair and Dundas,
both owned and operated by Franklin & Herschorn.
Tlie population of the town is about
12,000.
The name of B&L Theatres, based in Saint
John, has been rumored in the background
and in connection with Famous Players. Another
rumor is that FP alone is involved.
Reappoint NFB Members
OTTAWA—Three members of the government-appointed
board of governors of the
National Film Board have been named for
another term of three years. They are C. S.
Band, Toronto; Arthur McNamara. deputy
minister of labor. Ottawa, and Stuart Keate,
publisher of the Daily Times at Victoria, B. C.
Other members of the board have unexpired
terms in office. The film industry is not represented
among the governors.
Film Councils Elect
MONTREAL — R. H. Macklem was reelected
president of Federation of Film Councils
of Eastern Ontario at the recent session
in Cornwall. William Graff. Peterborough,
and C. A. Holmes. Prescott, were named vicepresidents;
Kathleen Healey, Kingston, secretary-treasurer;
W. G. Patterson of Kingston.
Charles Dowton of Oshawa, Damon Ball of
Renfrew, Mrs. Wanda Sine of Belleville and
J. E. Staples of Lindsay, directors. The federation
endorsed the Massey recommendations
on films.
FPC Boothmen Vote
In Favor of Strike
VANCOUVER—Projectionists in Famous
theatres in British Columbia voted. 63 to 6, in
favor of strike action in their dispute over
wages. The booth workers rejected a conciliation
board recommendation for a 28-cent
pay boost, which was accepted by the circuit,
but at a full union meeting last week the
members held out for an increase of 50 cents
an hour. Union representatives again met
Famous Players management in an effort to
arrive at a last-minute agreement which was
unsuccessful.
The members of Local 348 will be unable to
strike until they receive approval from lATSE
executives in New 'Y'ork. O. M. Jacobson, Pacific
coast lATSE representative, was here
from Tacoma to assist the local union in
making a settlement.
Meanwhile 53 projectionists employed by
Odeon Theatres in British Columbia are taking
a supervised strike vote. This group also
turned down the 28-cent per hour boost as did
16 men employed in five independent local
theatres, the Bya, Ridge, Studio, Colonial and
Rex. These 16 also are demanding a 50-cent
hourly boost.
Big-Screen Tele Planned
For Ottawa Sport Arena
OTTAWA—Manager T. P. Gorman of the
Auditorium, large local sport arena, said that
large-screen television will be introduced
there through an agreement with the Arena
Managers Ass'n of New York, which is linked
with the International Boxing club.
Canada has no television broadcasting, but
Gorman said that telecasts of big fights would
be brought in by a private network "just like
the theatres are doing in cities of the United
States." Gorman promised that other major
sport events would be shown on a TV screen
at the Auditorium, independent of local theatres.
BOXOFFICE :
: October 27, 1951 E 91