Boxoffice-December.25.1948

. . . Jack
. . The
MONTREAL Cold Wave Freezes
jyfferry Christmas to all BOXOFFICE news
contacts, from Ray Carmichael, correspondent,
and his assistant Helena Boulerice
. . . Calling on Filmrow distributors
were Leopold Doyon, manager of the Marquette
Theatre, St. Joseph-de-Beauce; Art
Keane of the Clarke City Theatre, Clarke
City; Romeo Couillard of the Cinema Tache,
Montmagny; Ai-mand Gingras of the Canada.
Levis: Mr. and Mrs. A. Chouinard of
the Princess, Quebec, and Lucien Major of
the Bellerive, Valleyfield.
Calgary Grosses
ness which was bad even for
Duals Tried in Toronto
Week Before Christmas
borne out by the fact
(Rep)
State—We Will Come Back (Artkino)
Compliments
of the
vious year.
Season
There were fewer juvenile
I
I LA SALLE
I
RECREATIONS LTD. I
'i (Theatre Seating and Carpet Division) -.if
1 S. A. LECHTZIER, Pres.
|
§, 945 Granville St. 'Vancouver. B. C. |,
Armand Champagne of the Asbestos Theatre,
Asbestos, Que., is building a new theatre
in Sherbrooke to open January 15. A
contest will be held to name the theatre .
. .
M. Isman, Canada assistant general sales
manager for Empire-Universal, was here from
Toronto to confer with Owen Lightstone.
Montreal district manager.
Among those holding pre-Christmas
parties are Mort Prevost. manager of Quebec
Cinema Booking, who recently entertained
for managers, bookers and salesmen.
Gerry Chernoff. manager of International
Films, who entertained December 23; George
Ganetakos, president of United Amusement
Corp., who held his usual managers' party
December 22, and Eagle Lion who gave a
Columbia Kctures
party December 20 , . .
managers' play-date drive which started November
19 is scheduled to end February 15.
"Un Homme et Son Peche" (A Man and
His Sin I, second film produced by Quebec
Productions, will be shown simultaneously
in five Quebec province theatres starting
January 29. It will be premiered at the
St. Denis, Montreal. January 28, for the benefit
of La Ligue de la Jeunesse Feminine . . .
John Levitt, salesman for Columbia, has returned
from a selling trip to Lake St. John
mimicipalities.
Eloi Cormier, salesman for Peerless Films,
is back from a business tour of the Laurentians
Edgar Hamel has returned from
. . . La Tuque where he opened a Foto Nite at
the Lyric Theatre, owned by Dr. Thibeault
Roher, president of Peerless Films,
was here conferring with Arthur Larente,
Montreal manager.
$780 for Jewish Fund
MONTREAL—Three showings of the Palestine
film, "My Father's House" at the Adath
Israel synagogue here netted $780 which has
been donated to the Jewish national fund.
The presentation was under the auspices of
the Sons of Zion club, with Leon Mintzberg
and Irwin Light acting as joint chairmen.
CALGARY — Subzero temperatures, ranging
from 16 to 30 below, coupled with high
winds, kept folks huddled up with ear muffs,
fur coats and warm footgear. 'Women shoppers
braved the weather but theatre attendance
dropped with the thermometers to busi-
the pre-Christmas
season.
Capitol—Escape (20th-Fox) Fan
Grand—Lulu Belle (Col), One Night With You
(EL)
Pool
Palace—Old Los Angeles (Rep), While the Sun
Shines (EFD) Pool
TORONTO—As an inducement for business
during the week before Christmas some of
the leading theatres added a second feature
to programs, a dual bill being presented by
Shea's for the first time in probably years,
for instance.
That patronage was spotty was
that "Johnny Belinda"
was held for a third week at the Imperial,
and the engagement of "Miss Tatlock's Millions"
also continued for a third week at two
theatres. The weather was more seasonal
but not too rough.
(Average Is 100)
Biltmore—The Angel in Exile (Rep), The Pretender
(Rep) - _ 85
Danforth and Fairlawn—Master of Bankdom (EL).... 85
EgUnton and Tivoli—Miss Tatlock's Millions (Para),
3rd wk 80
Imperial—Johnny Belinda (WB), 3rd wk 85
Loews—San Francisco (MGM); A Night at the
Opera (MOM), reissues, 2nd wk 80
Norlown and Victoria-1 Became a Criminal (WB):
Night Wind (20th-Fox) 85
Odeon Toronto—Moonrise (Rep) 85
Sheas—Bungalow 13 (20th-Fox); Bill and Coo
(Rep) 90
Uptown—The Countess of Monte Cristo (U-I); Sons
of Adventure (Rep) 85
Holidays Force Grosses Do'wn
In Vancouver First Runs
'VANCOU'VER-First run business was
light here as the holiday season kept patrons
away from theatres. "Johnny Belinda" was
best locally at the Orpheimi while "Henry
V" in its second week at the 'Vogue also made
good. Others ranged from fair to average.
Capitol—Julia Misbehaves (MGM), 2nd wk Fair
Cinema—Lulu Belle (Col); Coroner Creek
(Col)
Average
Orpheum-Johnny Belinda (WB) Good
Plaza-The Spiritualist (EL); Train to Alcatraz
Fair
Moderate
Strand—Life With Father (WB), 2nd wk Average
Vogue—Henry V (UA) _ Very good
Juvenile Delinquency
Shows Drop in Canada
OTTA'WA-Moral reformers appear to
have been shooting at the wrong target in
their claims that the great increase in juvenile
delinquency is due to the influence of
the moving picture. The fact is that juvenile
crime has continued a downward trend in
Canada, according to a government report,
the number of court cases in 1947 being 8,265
compared with the total of 8,707 in the pre-
delinquents before
the courts in 1947 than at any time
since 1924, it was officially reported. Last
year's convictions also dropped from 7,956 to
7,545 in the past two years, the number of
major offenses having declined from 4,949
in 1946 to 4,683 in 1947. These figures are
important to theatre men because of the
recurring complaints that films are leading
the youngsters astray in increasing number.
OTTAWA
Construction ivill go ahead on the third
theatre of the Palace Amusement Co. in
Cornwall. The affiliate of Famous Players
Canadian Corp. already operates the Palace
and Capitol there. The former underdent
extensive improvements this year. Tenders
are being considered for the latest
project, the site of which is on Pitt street.
H. G. Duerr of Toronto is the architect.
A visitor was R. G. Lindstrom of Buffalo,
representing the Sportservice Corp., which
operates refreshment concessions in many
amusement places in the States. During the
past year the company had the candy bars
in the Skyway drive-ins at 'Windsor, London
and Hamilton, which were acquired by
Famous Players late in the season . . . There
were no Christmas eve midnight shows here
but practically all of the local theatres had
midnighters in conjunction with Boxing day
1
27 1.
With the Odeon Ottawa approaching its
final form after many months of construction,
C. J. Appel, eastern division manager
for Odeon Theatres, was here from the Toronto
head office for a personal inspection.
Also making the theatre rounds was Paul
Douglas, public relations manager of Eagle
Lion of Canada . FPC Capitol was
the scene of a special presentation of Handel's
"Messiah" by the Ottawa Choral Union
as a Christmas concert, the 2,400 seats of the
theatre being filled.
Max M. King, Hollywood producer and a
native of St. John, N, B., was here to make
preliminary arrangements for the making of
"Scarlet and Gold," a story of the Moimted
Police, with shooting to start in the spring.
Tlie script is being prepared by Art Arthur,
a former resident of Toronto and now in
Hollywood . . . Charles 'W. Lawson of Langley.
B. C, visited National Film Board members
and also conferred with the National
Film Society to discuss community film
activities. A retired railwayman, Lawson has
busied himself with a film council program
as a hobby.
Graeme Fraser, sales manager of Crawley
Films, has announced that his company has
produced its first television picture which
is being marketed in the United States.
. . . Although
The Famous Players Capitol here turned
over its large foyer for school exhibits which
were arranged by the local committee for
Canadian Education week
Ottawa is in semidarkness because of power
restrictions in Ontario, the sister city of Hull
on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river continues
to be ablaze with light. Therefore the
newly installed sign and special marquee
lighting on Donat Paquin's Laurier in Hull
has attracted wide attention.
Vancouver Arena Cost Up
VANCOUVER—Total cost of the unfinished
Victoria Memorial Arena, under construction
here, neared the $1,000,000 mark
as city taxpayers authorized civic fathers to
appropi-iate an additional $265,000 to complete
the barrel-roofed edifice. The Arena,
when completed, will seat 4,500 persons. The
$1,000,000 cost will include ice equipment and
seats.
96
BOXOFFICE December 25, 19'48