Boxoffice-Febuary.18.1956

Winnipeg Endorses
Oscar Derby Plan
WINNIPEG—Approximately 90 per cent of
the theatres in the greater Winnipeg area
this week enthusiastically endorsed the
Academy Awards contest plan as formulated
by the Motion Picture Industry Council public
relations committee, headed by Charles S.
Chaplin.
The Winnipeg theatre owners met recently
and appointed Harold A. Bishop and Harry
Hurwitz as co-chairman of the Awards contest
here, with Ben Sommers as ex officio
member of the committee.
A financial pool was formed, with Robert
Hurwitz as treasurer, and contributions, in
advance, will be based on the special assessments
formula of the Manitoba Motion Picture
Exhibitors Ass'n.
General Motors has contributed at cost
two automobiles, a 1956 Oldsmobile 88 and a
two-door hardtop Holiday coupe, as main
prizes in the contest.
Publisher F. Auger of the Winnipeg Tribune
will spearhead the contest with advance
stories, printing the ballots in the paper, and
will also supply ballots for all the theatres
in the Winnipeg group. Only five theatres in
the greater Winnipeg area abstained from
participating. Trailers for each theatre were
ordered through the Toronto office. The
trailer shows the main prize Oldsmobile.
explains the contest briefly, mentions the
Winnipeg Tribune tie-in, tells patrons to
read detailed rules in the newspaper and
explains that ballots must be deposited in
the theatre lobby.
A special bulletin, explaining how to operate
the Oscar Derby, with a sample of a
ballot, was mailed out rush to all exhibitors
in the province by secretary Ken Beach. This
year, each rural exhibitor will have to operate
his own individual contest, approach his
own local newspaper, promote his own
prizes and do his own judging. It is hoped
by the Manitoba Motion Picture Exhibitors
Ass'n that should this year's Oscar Derby go
off successfully, next year's contest will be
able to be operated on a provincewide scale
with bigger and better prizes and participation
of every theatre in Manitoba.
Morris Stein Is New Head
Of Canadian Pioneers
TORONTO—Morris Stein is
the new president
of Canadian Picture Pioneers. He succeeds
Nat Taylor, who held the office for four
years. In taking over the office Stein said
he hoped the growth of the organization
would continue.
Other officers named: vice-president. R. W.
Eolstad; secretary-treasurer. Tom Daley;
membership chairman, Charles Dentlebeck;
sick and welfare, Harold Pfaff; publicity,
Clare Appel; legal adviser, David Ongley, and
as directors. Frank Fisher. Frank Vaughan,
Archie Laurie. Rube Bolstad. Re-elected directors
were Clare Appel. Harold Pfaff, Dan
Krendel. Charles Dentlebeck. George Oullahan,
Morris Stein. Tom Daley.
$2 by Eastern Theatres
TORONTO — Eastern Theatres, Toronto,
a subsidiary of Famous Players Canadian
Corp., which operates the big Imperial here,
has declared a dividend of $2 which will be
paid February 28 to shareholders of record
February 20.
Tax Revision Promised
By Manitoba Solons
WINNIPEG—Manitoba legislative members
have promised exhibitors that they will take
up proposed revision of the amusement tax
act during the debate on the budget in the
current legislative session. The promises came
as the culmination of the campaign by the
Manitoba Motion Pictures Exhibitors Ass'n
for tax relief.
Latest move by the association was a tenpage,
fact-filled brief prepared by Secretary
Ken Beach urging abolition of amusement
taxes on admissions of 50 cents or less. The
brief was presented to provincial Treasurer
Ron Turner this week by MMPEA President
Ben Sommers. The following day a small
delegation of exhibitors from country points.
Rev Fredericksson, Glenboro; Gordon Mac-
Phail, Carberry; Ernest Hayne, Pilot Mound,
and Sommers presented a copy of the brief
to Premier Campbell, who granted a half
hour interview.
The campaign for tax revisions got into
high gear in the province last month when
MMPEA emissary Barney Brookler visited 80
per cent of the exhibitors in the province, explaining
in detail how the exhibitor should
approach his local board of trade, convince
that body to send a resolution to legislative
members or to call on the solons personally
asking pledges of cooperation and support in
the tax revision.
The majority of boards of trade followed
through with calls on legislative members,
most of whom either pledged support verbally
or wrote back to the exhibitors and boards of
trade promising support. A large number of
legislators went further, writing the provincial
treasurer urging him to take action in view of
the requests from his constituents.
Major credit for the brief prepared goes
to Beach, with assists from the other two
members of the amusement tax committee,
public relations chairman Harold A. Bishop
and President Sommers. The brief starts out
by establishing authority of the association,
traces the History of previous presentations
on June 27, 1953: Nov. 1, 1954 and March
14, 1955. This is followed by a statement
concerning the specific reasons for each
previous representation. Next item concerns
the premise "television competition more
severe in Manitoba," explaining that extreme
cold weather during the winter serves to make
TV a more powerful competitor here than in
other sections of the country. The direct
effect of television on exhibitors within a
150-mile radius of Winnipeg, Brandon and
the American border are supported with
statistics.
Comparison of theatre attendance figures
for the Winnipeg and Brandon areas are
quoted in detail, showing the drastic decreases
and pinpointing the emergency of the situation.
Factors other than television are
pointed out, such as large increases in business
taxes and the increase in competition
for the entertainment dollar, especially that of
professional sports.
In Beach's conclusion, the summation
reads:
"The motion picture theatres in the
province of Manitoba are in desperate
circumstances. The subsequent theatre and
the theatre operating in the smaller centers
of population are in such desperate circumstances
that they can no longer operate
successfully unless there is a revision of the
amusement tax scale to exempt this type of
theatre from amusement tax."
Beach further points out that theatres
throughout the province contribute heavily to
municipal economy as well as the well-being
of the retail merchants of every town which
has a theatre.
Columbia Premier
British
Promises Tax Relief
VANCOUVER—Efforts of the British Columbia
Motion Picture Exhibitors Ass'n in
behalf of amusement tax reductions apparently
will meet with some success during
the current legislative session.
Premier Bennett has indicated that the
tax will be cut from the present 15 per cent
to 12% per cent. This would be the second
reduction in the tax in the last three years.
About three years ago the tax was reduced
to 15 per cent from its original 17% per cent.
STUDIO VISITORS—Actor Paul Douglas, third from right, one of the -itars of
Paramount's "The Leather Saint," greets R. V. Kiefer, left, executive of Kiefers Shows,
operating six theatres in Alberta. With Kiefer are, from left, his wife; K. R. Kiefer.
head of the circuit, and their friends, Mr. and Mrs. E. L. DeWitt.
BOXOFFICE :: February 18. 1956 K 95