Boxoffice-May.12.156

. . Bernard
: May
. . When
. . Manager
. . Ernie
on AW A
lyjanagcr Don Walts of the Rideau got a full
week out of "Rock Around the Clock"
with which he featured the "Rock 'n' Roll
Revue" on the stage nightly with Maury
Logan. "Canada's Elvis Pi-esley," aa the staiattraction
. . . The Capitol was the scene of the
seventh concert of the s-eason last Monday
night i7> in which Vronsky and Babin, duopianists,
appeared. Screen shows were canceled
for the evening.
The National Film Board staged a special
screening for press and radio people of the
Nova Scotia picture "Identity." a 16mm
. travelog in Cinemascope Jim
Chalmers of the Odeon ha-s turned the thea-
Liees," the advertising contained the following
interesting line: "Tliis film will not be
shown on TV."
Two more drive-ins have had a delayed
opening In the Ottawa district. One was the
Starlite at Cornwall, which requii-ed extensive
repaii-s following a windstorm late last
year, A new 75-foot CinemaScope screen has
been erected. Tlie Brockville Drive-In also
reopened with "The Benny Goodman Story."
a fu'st run picture for Brockville and vicinity
... A traffic accident in the Manor Park
section of Ottawa caused the death of Douglas
Gray, employe of the National Film Board.
He was struck by a car- as he was retmning
home . Monette. manager of the
Aladdin Drive-In at Ottawa, is causing quite
a stir with a special giveaway, a free pair of
nylon stockings to one woman in a car. He
also is distributing passes w'hich are good
for an admission on payment of a service
charge of 25 cents.
CBC Asks TV License Fee
To Replace Excise Tax
OTTAWA- The opening .se.ssion of the
royal commission on broadcasting under the
chairmanship of R. M. Fowler, authorized to
dj-aw up recommendations on television and
radio operations for consideration of the
Dominion government, developed Into a nearhassle
when the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
presented a 30,000-word brief to .start the
fireworks.
The CBC, which is the government's controlling
agency, sought a $15 annual license
fee on all TV receivers to replace the 15 per
cent exci.se tax on new .sets which, it was
contended, was not sufficient to finance its
operations and fm-ther expansion, which
would require many millions of doUai's.
tre's lobby and mezzanine floor into an art It was contended by the CBC that it privately
owned TV stations were permitted to
gaJlery for the exhibition of paintings by
Florence Pitt Richardson, which will continue enter communities ah-eady .served by the CBC,
to the end of May. Local ai-t critics gave important
newspaper publicity to the show. empowered to invade territories where pri-
then the government corporation should be
vate stations operate, in which case it would
Canadian Paramount supplied the screen
cost Canadians more money.
feature for the annual benefit performance
Sunday night i6i at the Famous Players The Canadian Ass'n of Radio and Television
Broadcasters, representing the private
Capitol here in aid of Toronto's Variety Village
which drew- a big crowd. The sponsor
interests, demanded the right to establish a
was the Ottawa Theatre Managers Ass'n,
second TV network in Canada. A. D. Dunton,
headed by Don Watts . the Cinema CBC chairman, declared talent was not available
in
in Hull played the French featiu-e, "Les Mains
Canada for such a proposal.
The private TV studios
asked for a regulatory
body separate from the CBC which also
was a competitor, but a brief from organized
labor pressed for no change from present
control. Arguments waxed hot at many points
in
the week's discussions.
ST.
JOHN
l^itchell Bernstein, partner of B&L Theatre
Co.. and Mitchell Franklin, vicepresident
of Franklin & Herschorn Theatre
Co., acted as chairmen at an Lsrael bond
planning conference for the May 27 bond
drive here . . . The Grand View Drive-In at
Amherst; the North River Drive-In, Charlottetown,
P.E.I. . and the Mountain Drive-In
Campbellton, N. B., owned and operated by
the P. G. Spencer Co., St. John, reopened
Monday (7).
J. M. Franklin, president of the Franklin
& Her.schorn Theatre Co., and Mrs. Franklin
have returned to their St. John home after
spending the winter at their home in Miami
Beach . A. Whelpley, manager ol
Alliance Films here, is mourning the death ot
his 78-year-old father.
Visiting Filmrow were Bert Giraurd, owner
and operator of the Family Drive-In, Newcastle,
N. B., and Bruce H. Yeo, owner and
operator of -yeo's Theatre, Montague, P.E.I.
. . . Unusual cold weather in the Maritimes is
hurting drive-in business, yet the "hard top"
theatres show no improvement in boxoffice
take. Theatre operators can only point to
TV and bingo games as the reason.
Larger Screen at OrilHa
ORILLIA, ONT.—The Orillia Drive-In has
been improved by the addition of a new and
larger screen. The theatre will be managed
this season by Ken Johnston, manager of the
Opera House.
"Richard III" is still going strong at the
Little Elgin, managed by Ernie Warren. It
opened April 23 at this Ottawa off-beat theatre
. . . The Princess at Prescott, operated
by Casey Swedlove of Ottawa, had a successful
six-day run of "Guys and Dolls" at $1
admission. Prescott has 5.000 residents.
'Richard' in Tenth Week
TORONTO—"Richard III" played a tenth
week at the International Cinema at roadshow
prices, but the engagement was approaching
its end. The Hollywood and Casino
teamed for the initial run of JARO's "The
Woman for Joe." with a stage presentation an
additional offering at the
Casino.
Ticket Books for Mother's Day
TORONTO—Managers of the Famous
Players chain pushed the sale of books of
admission tickets around the circuit as gifts
for Mother's Day.
Burt Kennedy will script "The Reef
20th Century-Pox.
BOXOFFICE
:
12. 1956
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