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Michel
. . With
. . Kerry
. . Special
MONTREAL
The French-language version of "Ben-
Hui-" is breaking all previous records
in Quebec, where it is being shown in
situations that have already played the
original English-language version. The
MGM Montreal branch, managed by Bill
Guss, has four prints of the French-language
version booked solidly well into the
summer. Guss is looking forward to the
release of several outstanding films soon.
They include "The Pour Horsemen of the
Apocalypse." "Sweet Bird of Youth,"
"Light in the Piazza," "Murder She Said,"
"Horizontal Lieutenant."
The Regent Theatre, now devoted to
Greek films, presented " A Girl in Black,"
the work of writer-director Michael Cacoyannis,
currently regarded as the most talented
exponent of Hellenic cinema.
"Black," shot entirely on location on the
Greek island of Hydra with Ellie Lambetti
as star, is a Kingsley International release
. . . Astral's "Le Pave de Paris," produced
by Henri Decoin and starring Daniel Gaubert
and Jacques Riberolles, was held for a
second week at the Electra, Villeray and
Mercier theatres, and "The Pit and the
Pendulum" and "The House of Fright" were
held at seven United Amusement Corp.
theatres.
J. Wilfrid Proulx, managing director of
publicity and secretary of Cine-Art Film
Distributors
i
Costom), and his wife
and daughter spent several days in Quebec
City for the opening of Cine-Art's blockbuster
"Les Pausses Hontes" at the Cartier
and the Lairet theatres, for at least five
Harry Cohen, executive at Atlas
weeks . . .
Films, and wife left Sunday for three
weeks at Acapulco and Mexico City, after
which they will fly to Los Angeles to visit
friends and Cohen's younger brother. They
have not seen each other for 20 years . . .
Eddie White, Warner Bros., organized a
motor trip with a group of friends for a
weekend of skiing at Stowe, 'Vt. . . . Art
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Films announced a booking of "Paris Belongs
to Us," starring Betty Schneider, at
the Elysee Cinema in March or early in
April.
Salesmen out in the province were Lucien
Gamache of Atlas Films and Roger
Chartrand of MGM . . . Nat Cohen, former
owner of the Brownsburg, Que., Crown
Theatre, who now resides in Florida, was
a Filmrow visitor . . . Others on the Row
were Mr. and Mrs. L. Cloutier of the
Vimy Theatre, Fermeneuve; D. A. Payeur
of the Pigalle, Thetford Mines, and M. Leblond
and L. Chartier of Marquette Theatres,
Quebec City.
Kingston Clears Way
For Sunday Ballot
TORONTO—The municipal
administrative
committee at Kingston has approved a
petition for a referendum on Sunday shows
and sports at the civic elections in December.
Kingston, with a 49,000 population,
has three theatres and a drive-in.
The town council at Deseronto has
adopted a bylaw to regulate the holding of
shows and sports on Sundays, the statute
listing ten different games which can be
played after 1:30 o'clock Sunday afternoons.
Sunday performances got off to a good
start at Brockville. The one local theatre,
the Famous Players Capitol, had 800 admissions
dui-ing the day in the 825 -seat
house, according to Manager Jack Mc-
Lennan. The picture was "Breakfast at
Tiffany's."
"There were people in the theatre that
we haven't seen out at a movie in years,"
said McLennan.
A welcome also was given to Sunday
shows at the Roxy in Bmlington, an Odeon
unit of 500 seats in a town of 8,000 persons,
with "The Singer Not the Song." John
Grant, manager, commented that a majority
of patrons for the first Sunday
came from the nearby city of Hamilton
where theatres operate only on week days
for a population of 240,000.
Short on Lievre River
At Montreal Capitol
MONTREAL—The National Film Board's
"Morning on the Lievre" a 13-minute color
short that last year won gi-eat acclaim at
several film festivals, including those in
Montreal, Berlin and Edinbm-gh, was well
recognized in Montreal. At the Capitol
Theatre, the NFB short was held over for
a second week along with "Blue Hawaii."
The film, produced and directed by David
Bairstow, was inspired by Archibald Lampman's
poem. It represents a journey by
canoe through some of the quieter
stretches of the Lievre river between the
Laurentian hills near Montreal and the
river's junction with the Ottawa river at
Masson, Quebec.
One Canadian critic said of the film,
after seeing it at the Edinburgh Festival:
"Greater justice has never been done to the
unique beauty of Canada in the fall: it is a
swirl of mist rising from the river, of sun
glinting on the golden trees, of hillside so
brilliantly hued as to make foreigners who
see the film gasp."
"H.M.S. Defiant," Columbia release, is
based on Frank Tilsley's novel with a
screenplay by Nigel Kneale.
TORONTO
gteps have been taken to revive the Independent
Motion Picture Exhibitors
Ass'n of Ontario, with a call sent out for a
meeting of miaffiliated theatre owners
Tuesday afternoon, February 20, at the
Clappison Drive-In at Waterdown. This
ozoner, a year-around operation, is owned
by Joe Dydzak, a leader in the revival .
Two independent booking groups.
. .
Allied
Theatres and Associated Service, joined
forces January 29 under the supervision of
Curly S. Posen in the Hermant building, to
which Daniel May, Allied booker, has
moved. The independent association and
Allied Theatres were once headed by the
late Ben Freedman.
President J. J. Fitzgibbons of Famous
Players presented two books on El Cid, the
Spanish hero, to the Toronto public library
in behalf of Samuel Bronston whose "El
Cid" is at the Tivoli here . guests
at the luncheon Tuesday i30i of 'Variety
Tent 28 were Yves Montand, French stage
celebrity, and Toby Robbins and Mayor
Moore, local theatre folk, who were introduced
by Larry Mann, screen comedian.
Astral Films hit the local jackpot with its
releases opening at numerous first-run theatres
and "Cinderella," its ballet feature,
holding at the Towne, "Wild for Kicks"
was featured at six chain theatres while
"Flight of the Lost Balloon" and "The
Mighty Ci-usaders" formed the double bill
for the Midtown and four other circuit
houses . "Holiday in Spain" in
its sixth week, the FPC Eglinton here is
being labeled "The Only Cinemiracle Theatre
in Canada."
A heavy advance sale is reported for the
premiere of "Judgment at Nuremberg"
February 14 at the University here, at
$2.75 . . . R. J. Widdicombe, formerly with
the Hudson Bay Co., was appointed chief
of the real estate department for Famous
Players, in succeeding Harold E. Roberts,
who recently joined the Ontario municipal
board.
MGM of Canada reported numerous
offers to purchase the replica of the ship
Bounty which was built at Lunenburg,
N.S., for the new version of "Mutiny on
the Bounty" . Gilmor, manager of
the Odeon at Peterborough, has introduced
a series of special Saturday afternoon
shows for kids with appropriate pictures,
contests, games, stunts and gifts.
The Center at Windsor reopened its
series of art films on Monday nights only,
with the playing of "The Love Game,"
okayed by Ontario censors for adult
audiences. The series is sponsored by the
Windsor Cinema Guild.
'West Side' Bow Feb. 22
MONTREAL—"West Side Story," United
Artists release, will receive its Canadian
premiere February 22 at the Alouette Theatre
under the sponsorship of Montreal's
University B'nai B'rith lodge. Seymour
Rosen, president of the chapter! said "all
proceeds from the performance will be used
for B'nai B'rith philanthropies." The showing
will be on a reserved-seat basis with
prices ranging from $1.50 for matinees to
$2.50 for evenings, Sundays and holidays.
K-2 BOXOFFICE Febmary 5, 1962