Boxoffice-August.21.1954

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Toronto Boothmen Win
Pioneer Golf Title
TORONTO—The third
annual motion picture
golf tournament held at the St. Andrew's
Golf club under the sponsorship of the Canadian
Picture Pioneers proved an unqualified
success with an attendance of 250 industry
representatives, real competition, numerous
prizes and plenty of good cheer.
The foursome of the Toronto projectionists
Local 173 copped the N.
A. Taylor trophy for
low team gross, which was presented at the
banquet by Nat Taylor, president of the I*ioneers.
The winners were Prank Cox, Fred
Cross, A. Berford and Andy Pura. Last year
they finished second.
The J. Ai-thm- Rank quartette finished in
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the runnerup spot, team members being Tom
Knight, S. Hanson, D. Carmen and Irving
Stern.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE
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Fred Cross repeated his 1953 triumph by
capturing the Famous Players trophy foiindividual
low gross in the A-flight, and the
presentation of the silver was made to him by
Morris Stein. Second and third were B. Herman
and Pete Myers, the latter Canadian
general manager of 20th-Fox.
Projectionists Local 173 trophy for low gross
B-flight went to Gurston Allen, also a rejeater.
He was followed by Dawson Exley and
lb. Beder. The C-flight winner was Bill
jPreedman who was presented the 20th Cenjtury
Theatres trophy by Nat Taylor. Next
best scores were turned in by Mike Taylor
knd Vic Beatty.
The Canadian Film Weekly trophy for inpividual
low net on 18 holes was awarded to
George Georgas of Owen Sound, who defeated
jonel Lester and Tom Naylor. In the bookirs
competition for the Tom Daley trophy,
;he low gross winner was S. Hanson, second
ind third being S. Sarek and Zeke Sheine.
>nEW EVENT ADDED
A new event this year was the contest for
olfers of associated industries for which The-
Xre Confections presented a trophy. The
anner was C. Lynch, followed by Dave
Hack and Monty Hall. The ceremony was
lerformed by Jack Fitzgibbons.
There were prizes for most everything, inluding
approximately 100 door prizes for the
lubhouse gathering, which were presented
Iy Dave Griesdorf.
Chief among other competitive awards were
:"ie following:
Individual low gross, first nine; first, Andy
ura; second, Dan Carmen.
Low gross, second nine; Dave Romberg,
[artin Bloom.
Individual low net, first nine; Harry Weislan,
E. McGee.
Low net, second nine ; M. Georgas, E. G.
lorsyth.
low net, 18 holes, for golfers of
I'filiated industries: G. Voris; H. Garson; P.
pea.
Others who got something in the way of
izes included the highest scorer, oldest golf-
, youngest golfer, winner of sealed holes and
itting experts.
t. John Manager Shifts
AT CALGARY SCREENINGS—Exhibitors in the western prairie area attended a
demonstration on advances in CinemaScope techniques given by 20th-Fox at the Capitol
Theatre in Calgary. Shown here, left to right: Unidentified; Jack Gow, 20th-Fox
salesman; Arthur Silverstone, assistant general sales manager; Bob Cringan; Peter
Myers, 20th-Fox division manager, and Frank Kershaw, Western Drive-In Theatres.
Montreal Benefit Nets
$10,000 for Legless Boy
MONTREAL—Approximately $10,000 was
raised at the benefit show, arranged by the
Montreal Heart Club, an organization formed
by Montreal's entertainment people, for
Andre Schryjvershof, 5, who lost his legs
in a traffic accident here three months ago.
Raymond Allen of the Amherst Theatre,
where the show was held, said the money will
be ample to provide artificial limbs for the
boy. Four sets of artificial limbs will be
needed to replace smaller ones as Andre
grows.
The show was sponsored by the Heart Club,
which showfolk say is a forerunner of a local
branch of Variety. Performers at the concert
included the Blue Sky Revue troupe, Maurice
Rocco, Harry Fraser, and 35 barbershop
harmony vocalists, the Maury Kaye quartet,
actor Emile Genest; Ina Verwoerd, the Dutch
recording artist: Hans Ninaber, Dutch composer,
Alan Mclver, Montreal conductor, and
many from the world of sports.
The motion picture fraternity here spent
considerable time and effort on the benefit.
Bill Burke Hosts Newsboys
BRANTFORD, ONT.—Showman Bill Biu-ke
of the Capitol Theati-e played host to newsboy
carriers for the Brantford Expositor and
their parents at a showing of "The Living
Desert." Greeting the boys and their mothers
and fathers at the theatre entrance. Burke
pointed out displays of scenes from the nature
film which gave the families an advance
idea of the vast array of wildlife they were
to view in the picture. Over 350 guests in
all attended the showing, and expressed their
appreciation of Burke's thoughtfulness in
selecting such fine family entertainment as
a treat for the boys. Two photos were taken
by an Expositor photographer, and the paper
also included two large three-column spreads
on the affair.
Mrs. Mike Is Dead
CALGARY, ALTA.—Mrs. Mike is dead.
Katherine Mary Flannigan, who married
Sergt. Mike Flannigan of the Royal Northwest
Mounted Police and was the motherly philo-
ST. JOHN—Herman L. Kerwin, manager sophical Vancouver lady on whom the
the local Regent Theatre, is relieving Al best selling book and film, "Mrs. Mike,"
urphy as manager of the Midway Drive-In was based, died here after a short illness at
Sydney.
the age of 64.
Summer Grosses Up
In British Theatres
MONTREAL — Theatre admissioras In
Great Britain this summer have shown an
improvement over those of last summer,
largely of film, because better the growing
effect of new techniques and inclement
weather, reported the authoritative London
Financial Times. Some estimates put the increased
business as much as 10 to 12'- per
cent.
The Financial Times reported the industry
feeling is that the effect of television on the
cinemas has now passed its peak, and that
this medium is now settling down as an alternative,
and, not the principal form of entertainment.
The industry is well aware, however,
that it still has to meet the Impact of
commercial television, which, although it
could provide a new market for film producers
could also have a considerably adverse effect
on exhibitors.
Color television, on the other hand, is considered
to be too far away in Britain as yet
to represent any real threat, and it is hoped
that by the time it arrives the new film
techniques will have put the cinemas in a
reasonably strong position to meet it.
The gi-owth of new techniques and their
impact on cinemas admissions are revealed
in Board of Ti-ade figui-es for the fii'st
three months of this year. These show that
in this period total admissions to 4,504 United
Kingdom cinemas amounted to nearly 325,-
700,000, 6.5 per cent more than in the previous
three months. Furthermore, they were only
0.9 per cent below those of the first thi-ee
months of 1953, a considerably smaller decline
over the same period a year earlier than had
been recorded in previous quarters.
In the first quarter there were 176 cinemas
showing three-dimension films, or 3.9 per
cent of all cinemas. Admissions to these cinemas
totaled over 2.800.000. These figures refer
only to 3-D films, however, and do not include
returns from cinemas which have adopted
other techniques of film presentation, such as
wide-screen and CinemaScope.
There are now about 300 cinemas in Great
Britain equipped for CinemaScope and it is
hoped that by the end of this year the total
will have risen to about 500.
Predrlc March will play one of the leading
roles in Paramount's "Desperate Hours."
'5X0FFICE :: August 21, 1954