Boxoffice-May.21.1979

CALGARY
Pdmonton's Belmont Drive-In opened for
the season May 3 with a "Restricted
Adult" movie. "Woodstock," on the
Away to conquer greener fields in
screen.
the private
sector of Calgary's business world is
Willy Swarthfigure, formerly in booking at
Bellevue Films. Willy, who has been in the
business for over 20 years, is well known
in this territory and will be missed by those
who know him.
The Alberta Censor Board put in a busy
month during April when it viewed and
classified 40 features. There were eight
films rate as "Family." ten as "Adult." seven
as "Adult Not Suitable for Children" and
the remaining 15 were "Restricted Adult."
Of those films there were 13 Chinese language
features and other movies coming
from Australia, India. Britain and Germany.
Three of the pictures must carry warnings:
"A Perfect Couple" and "Picnic at Hanging
Rock" both have "May not be suitable for
younger children"; "The Five Venoms" has
"violence thoughout"; "Saturday Night Fever"
was submitted by Paramount in a reconstructed
version and is rated as "Adult." dear, don't give a damn," some of the
I as it came along, just as it had done with
Livince Investments Ltd. was the biggest
Des Moines audience feared the
strait-laced
vaudeville. Still later, dinner theatiies and
contributor with a total of eight pictures Paramount Theatre might come tumbling performers tried to keep the old theatre
live
submitted to the board.
down.
but her run was over.
alive,
The theatre will be torn down this month
They were right . . . but years early. Des
Location for 'Klondike'
Moines' Paramount Theatre's pinnacle was but many many memories will be left standing.
the premiere of "Gone With the Wind." It
was on an unforgettable day—Jan. 26, The Paramount went dark as a movie
1940. The cost of admissions was a fortune: theatre in February 1973. Her last show was
Already Part of Past
weekdays, 75 cents; evenings and weekends, "The Innocent Bystander."
BARKER VILLE. British Columbia — II $1.12. It was two degrees below zero on
that opening day and a line formed an hour
writer Jack London had arrived here this
before the 10 a.m. showing. Some brought
lunch and sat through the show twice. Lippert Remodeling
year, he would find little unusual about this
central British Columbia community, a replica
of the bustling Klondike communities of Even the local newspaper The Register
gold rush days.
gave the premiere a page one "top head."
He would do a double take, though, when Other rival theatres suffered while the
Has $1 Million Tag
he spotted tons of photographic cquipmeni Paramount basked in the limelight, its customary
spot.
SAN FRANCISCO — Robert L. Lipperl
From Wesl Edition
and troups of people performing odd tasks.
The town, a tourist haven after government
The Paramount began as the Capitol The-
president of Robert L. Lippert Theatres,
Jr.,
funds transformed it into the spitting
has announced a million-dollar, circuitwide
atre, an afterthought to ,the eleven-story
image of its former glory, was recently the
remodeling project.
The project will include every theatre
site of "Klondike Fever," a $4 million fea-
complex in the circuit built before 1975
ture that its Canadian producers hope will
net them $100 million.
The movie is a tale of London's journey
from San Francisco to the Klondike during
the get-rich-on-gold dream days of 1898.
Barkerville is a good location because of
its dirt streets, board sidewalks and store
facades. At its peak, townsmen boasted thai
Barkerville was the largest city in Norlh
America west of Chicago.
For the purposes of the movie, it has been
renamed Dawson City, perhaps belter
known as a boom town.
Playing the author is Jeff East, 21, who
starred as the adolescent Superman in the
film of the same name. Also starring is
Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger.
Angle Dickinson has also been imported
for the movie, which the producers hope lo
market internationally. Also in the film arc
Lome Greene and George Pinsent. who
has appeared in many CBC-TV productions.
Also gone from her desk into retirement East, who is the same age as London billed with major movies. Local entertain- '
'
from our busy industry is Jessie Lynch of when the author made the journey, said he ers would fill out the stage show—the
Famous Players who had put in more years didn't agree with London's attitude at the Rockets were such a group. Mary says they
than Willy had. Jessie has been looking forward
to "doing nothing" for some time and
can't identify with London's adven-
including tunes with the likes of Edgar Ber-
time of the journey.
danced to whatever the bands would play,
"1
turing—just dropping everything and going,"
East said. "We put boundaries on oui-
Helen Morgan, Ginger Rogers (before she
gen and Charlie McCarthy, torch singer
is really enjoying herself.
In spite of unsettled weather the Canadian selves: it just seems as if we have more became a movie star), Blackstone the Magician,
Cab Calloway and other name bands
Picture Pioneers semi-annual meeting and responsibilities."
banquet on May 6 was very successful. Attendance—due
in part to the weather—was dog sled, but he says the knack came easily To launch the Paramount a bigshot em-
For the film. East had to learn to race a of the early swing era.
light but the affair was well organized and "because 1 can ski, and it's practically the cee, from Chicago, Charles Agnew, was
the banquet was one of the most delicious same, only with dogs."
called in. Gradually, however, the stage
in some time.
He says that "Klondike" is his first Canadian
film, although not his first work here;
Almost a
shows gave way to double features.
Riot
parts of "Superman" were filmed in Calgary.
"I like working with Canadians and the
people here are veiy considerate," he said.
"I've never gone on location for a period
piece where the local people fit right in."
Paramount's Heyday
Recalled in Twilight
From Midwest Edition
DES MOINES, Iowa — When Clark
Gable swore to Vivien Leigh, "Frankly, my
building built for offices in 1923.
In the absence of TV, Little League and
other organized activities, theatres were
very much a part of the family (life in the
1920s. Parents attended in the evening, kids
on Saturday.
Capitol Organ Club'
The Capitol had an organist, and for a
dime the ilittle kids could go to "Herbie's
Capitol Organ Club," named after Herbie
the organist who clowned around, and the
kids would get a funny hat and see very
bad silent one-reel comedies.
A. H. (Blank's organization bought the
Capitol in 1929 and launched its heyday as
the Paramount Theatre. Talkies were just
beginning after movies had shared the billing
for many years with live entertainment.
The movies were killing vaudeville and it
went down with a smile.
Mary Bernstein Rubin remembers it well,
since she was a member of the Paramount
Rockets after graduating from a local high i
school in 1932. Bigtime entertainers and
I
bands would come through town and be
Des Moines ahnost had a riot in 1949
when "I Married a Nazi" played and two
fellows were hired to dress like Nazis and
stroll the streets to advertise it.
After the war and on into the '50s the
Paramount hung on pretty well. It was the
first theatre to advertise air conditioning in
the '30s and also offer free parking beginning
in 1957.
In 1956 "Rock Around the Clock" was
shown. It took three policemen and all the
ushers to keep peace inside. Outside a jukebox
blared rock music and dancers blocked
the street in front.
Paramount tried to live with television
and will
be coordinated by Jerry Harrah of
Pacific Theatre Supply, architect Bob Hatfield
and Bill Ackerman, San Franciscobased
general contractor.
Work has just been completed on the
$360,000 remodeling of the Americana 6
Cinemas in Panorama City.
K-2
BOXOFFICE :: May 28, 1979