TO LORD

.
Famous' Capitol 6 Is
as an usher in the original Capitol, went to
Victoria, returned to the Strand and then
moved to the Orpheum. were there, along
with many other dignitaries.
Opened in Vancouver
The latest in a long line of distinguished
\ \NCOUVER—When the Capitol Theatre
first opened March 12, 1921, crowds who in eight years with FP has progressed
managers of the Capitol is Brian Rogers,
had to be held hack at the door while from the Stanley to the Lougheed Mall
workmen finished tiling the lobby. This three-plex and now to the new flagship.
time, it was touch-and-go to gel everything Starting with the opening in 1921, house
ship-shape for the invitational screening managers have included: Ralph Ruffner,
March 17. 1977. with the house (six Lloyd Dearth. Jack Muir, Maynard Joyner.
screens) opening for business Friday. March Charlie Doctor, Jack Randall (on a temporary
basis) and Dick Letts, now at the
IS.
The new Capitol 6 is a far cry from the Downtown.
original showhouse which, in its day, cost
Famous Players $50,000 and opened with
much hoopla. Star Wallace Reid leaped
through a paper screen to declare Vancouver's
newest picture palace officially
VANCOUVER
open for business in 1921.
^farner Bros, branch manager Roly Rickard
and family planned tor a "Sun
With the advent of sound in 1930, the
house was renovated and, again in 1965. Fun" holiday away from the Arctic breezes
was closed for a lengthy period for extensive
changes which reduced the seating
which still prevail in British Columbia.
Canfilm Western division manager Barry
from 2,076 to 1.400. Equipment was updated
to accommodate the various novel
Gordon visited the local branch to meet
the staff and, in company with local sales
film types and sizes then making the rounds.
manager Dave Gilfillan, visited
It was
equipment
1974 when the Capitol closed again
and 16mm film accounts . . . Gilfillan also
and about six months later work began to
attended an equipment seminar
transform the showcase
and sales
into a sixple.x. Total
meeting in Seattle . . .
capacity now
Dene Joyal,
is just under 3.000. The
16mm
booker, has returned
Capitol 6 has been
from a
achieved
quick holiday
in three years,
in Hawaii.
in spite of two strikes and many obstacles,
at a cost of approximately $7,000,000.
Passing through this city soon, en route
Overseeing the whole project was Famous'
Western division vice-president, Doug gether, will be "The Six Million Dollar
to Banff where they will make a movie to-
Gow, who started in the business as a doorman
at the Broadway. That theatre was Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett-Majors,
Man" and his wife. The picture, starring
operated by his father, who joined FP and originally was scheduled for Colorado but
later became British Columbia district apparently there's a shortage of snow for
manager.
the proposed ski epic. The project reportly
Since he refers to the multiscreen complex
as "a shopping center for entertainting
credit as executive producer.
is financed by Universal, with Majors getment."
Gow is convinced that it is the
answer
World-famous stunt driver Remy Julienne,
to revitalization of Granville's theatre
row. which who makes the Fiat TV
will be further enhanced
commercials,
is
with the opening
looking around this
of a twin
area
in Birk's Vancouver
Centre. To have
and some
up-country locations for possible sites
approximately 750
for
seats, the duo replaces
the chase scenes in
the old Strand.
the Yves Montand starrer,
"Flashback," an action thriller that is
While picture commitments kept the stars
planned for a June start. One chase involves
of the six inaugural features from attending,
heavy-duty logging trucks. Jack Wasserman
th; opening night was graced with local
would like to see
dignitaries and show
him land one of them on
business veterans, particularly
those associated with the old Capi-
the deck of a cross-gulf—of-Georgia ferry.
tol.
Mrs. Hi Seely, owner-manager of the
Mayor Jack Volrich gave a few words of Yukon White Horse, took advantage of the
welcome and cut the cake. Mrs. Mae Doctor,
widow of Charles Doctor, who man-
daughters to give them a taste of the big-
spring school break to fly here with her two
aged the theatre for many years; Maynard city bright lights while she visited Hosford
Joyner. who went from Orpheum manager Theatres with regard to new equipment and
to Capitol manager to Famous Players district
manager, and Ivan Ackery. who started
summer bookings.
Classic Film Shown Free
CINERAiMAlSIN
PITTSBURGH — "Gentleman's Agreement"
will be screened free of charge Sunday,
May 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the lecture hall
SHOW BUSINESS IN
HAWAII TOO.
of Carnegie Institute in the regular "History
When you come to Waikiki,
of Film" series. Directed by Elia Kazan,
don't miss the famous
the story concerns a writer, Gregory Peck,
[hawauJ
Don Ho Show. . . at
who uotelsj
masquerades as a Jew to investigate
l Cinerama's Reef Towers Hotel.
IN WAIKIKI: REEF REEF TOWERS EDGEWATFR anti-Semitism. This was a 1947 feature
•
production running 118 minutes.
K-4
CALGARY
powuc Cinema Blue and Warner Bros,
cohosted
a late-night screening of "Th<
Late Show" March 25 at 11:30 p.m. Invi
tations were sent to numerous guests to set
the regular film program, "Cousin Cou
sine," before the special feature.
All of us who have lost a friend—or tw<
friends— join in sending sincerest condo
lences to the Albert Bloomcrist and Ber
Cooper families.
Ken Mi'Bean of Swift Current, Sask., an
nounced that effective March 18 he was n
longer associated with Swift Current The
atres. The McBeans will stay in Swift Cui
rent until the end of the current school yea
and then move back to our town.
Word has it that one of this city's owi
Gary Gibney, had a part in the United Ar
ists-distributed winner, "Network."
A former Calgarian, well-known in o
industry, Frank Kershaw, was killed in t
superjet plane disaster in the Canary Islan
March 27. Many people in our territo:
will remember Frank as a pioneer in tl
drive-in field in this province in the ea:
1950s. He was associated with building tlj
Chinook Drive-in here and later built fo
other open-air theatres in Edmonton, tl
city and Lethbridge. Following the death
his first wife Aileen several years ag
Frank moved to California and was ilj
volved in avocado farming at the time ,
his death. He was traveling with his w:
Dorothea, whom he had married just o!
week before the fatal crash. The weddi;
took place in Borrego Springs, Calif., tal
the Kershaws were on their honeymoon. /
cording to reports. Mrs. Kershaw survivl
the crash.
NFB Olympic Film Ready
For Global Distribution
MONTREAL—"The Games of the XI
Olympiad," the official film of the 1 £6
Olympics in Montreal, produced by 1ft
National Film Board of Canada, is nff
complete and awaiting worldwide distriition.
The two-hour color documentary was i-
rected by 38-year-old Quebec filmma
Jean-Claude Labrecque, in collaborat
with associate directors Jean Beaudin, M
eel Carriere and Georges Dufaux, vi|
Jacques Bobet as executive producer.
The filmmaking approach was "cin