PONDERS TAFT-HARTLEY WAL

. . Capt.
'
yANCOUVER
Jim Patterson, 20th-Fox manager, has announced
the appointment of Arthur Brockman
as local booker succeeding Ken Mc-
Hale. resigned. Brockman is a newcomer
to the film business . Arthur Lathrop
opened his new theatre at Anchorage,
Alaska, last week. It represents an investment
of $1,000,000 and is equipped with a
huge waiting room to accommodate patrons
who arrive too late for a show. Latecomers
will not be allowed to disturb the audience.
The theatre will have a single feature policy.
Harry Creasey, former Famous Players
theatre manager in Vancouver, now supervisor
of four theatres in Riverside, Calif.,
was a recent visitor in Vancouver. Creasey
was a guest at the Famous Players luncheon
for Ivan Ackery. manager of the Orpheum
and winner of a recent showmanship award.
Creasey spoke briefly of conditions in amusement
business south of the border.
Entertainment business in general is on
the down beat here. Night clubs report business
in the low bracket. First run theatres
and suburbans also say business has dropped
off this summer.
Pop Elliott, veteran British Columbia exhibitor,
now 74. is retiring and has sold his
Rex Theatre in Quesnel, which he has operated
for the past 25 years, to his son-in-law,
Paul Gauthier. and a partner of Gauthier's.
The new owners will make many changes in
this oldtime theatre, including new seats and
equipment. Quesnel is in the Cariboo district.
The Famous Players employes picnic will
be held at Bowness park up the coast from
Vancouver June 29. One of the attractions
will be a beauty contest for Famous Players
usherettes and cashiers.
Howard Boolhe, British Columbia district
manager for Odeon, gave a luncheon in
honor of George Peters, vice-president of
Odeon Theatres, and Alan Robinette, secretary
of the circuit. All mainland managers
were in attendance. The executives denied,
as did J. Arthur Rank when he w-as here, any
po.sslbillty that Famous Players and Odeon
will Join forces, saying there's plenty of
room for both in Canada. Peters and Robinette
left for Edmonton and the east June
20.
There was a net Influx of 145,000 persons
into British Columbia from other parts of
Canada between 1941 and 1946, the government
reports. The return said that since
the estimated net movement out of the three
prairie provinces in that time was 227,000,
it would appear that most of the gain was
from these provinces. Are the prairie farmers
seeing the light and moving to the
FOR SALE: THEATRE CHAIRS
W« now hav* a vary larq* ntock ot axcoUent
r*condilion*d (as n«w) Thoatr* Choiia
Quanlitiva up to 1200 oi a kind
IMMEDIATE DELIVERY
NOW — Ntw .ill -^t eel construction sprino
etlqe. highttt quality Ihejlre ch.iif t .lY.iiljble.
7500 yards of importid carpet direct from
Enoland and Scotland
Inquiries Rospoctiully Solicited
LA SALLE RECREATIONS LTD.
(Th«atr« Seating and Carpel Division)
S. A. LECHTZIER. Pi»«.
345 GranvilU St. Vancouver. B. C.
evergreen playground in British Columbia?
To date it hasn't helped show business so
you could notice.
The Women's committee of the Vancouver
Symphony orchestra will sponsor a showing
of "The Whispering City," the first all-Canadian
picture made in Quebec. The show'ing
will be held early in August at the Orpheum.
Donald Crisp of Hollywood, character actor,
will come to Vancouver and enter a
local hospital for minor surgery after he
completes his current picture. Cri.sp is a frequent
visitor to British Columbia and will
make his home here when he retires, he has
told Vancouver friends.
Frank Gow, district manager for Famous
Players, is away on a two-week trip of inspection
in which he will visit all FPC houses
in the British Columbia interior . . . Two
theatres which were supposed to start this
summer have been abandoned because of
construction and financial difficulties. One
was at 16th and Main Sts., Vancouver, the
other at Port Coquitlam.
Harold Warren of Port Alberni, operator
of the Capitol, Roxy and Port theatres on
Vancouver Island, will build a S150.000 theatre
in partnership with Famous Players.
The house will seat 900. FP has acquired
a half interest in the theatre properties . . .
Jimmy Davie, RKO manager, walked away
with the first prize in the Hole-ln-One tournament
held recently at a local course. Davie's
14-inch shot did it.
The Chechik interests, operating the Bay
and York theatres, are making elaborate
plans for a theatre, bowling alleys, apartments
and stores in the South Granville
residential district. The project is reported
to involve more than $200,000.
Earl Dalglelsh, Warner Bros, manager,
will leave shortly for a trip through the
British Columbia territory to introduce the
new WB newsreel to be released in November
. . . General Films, Ltd., 16mm distributors,
entertained two visitors from the U.S..
President Sam Rose of the Victor Animatograph
Corp. and Victor Growcock, general
manager of Churchcraft Pictures, at the
General Films head office in Regina, Sask.
A National Film Board short sub.ject in
color showing the great salmon run on the
Fraser river will be released through Columbia
.shortly. The film was originally shot
on 16mm but will be released on 35mm. It
will be the first NFB picture In color. The
title Is "Red Runs the Fraser."
Thcatremen are waiting to see what effect
the all day Wednesday closing of stores
In Vancouver will have on boxoffices. The
new bylaw was passed on a recorded vote
this week by a 5 to 3 majority. Pi-eviously
stores were open until 1 p. m. on Wednes-
(hiy.s. Downtowners are looking for a drop
in business.
Because of the many air crashes it's reported
that all Famous Players executives
have been Instructed to travel by traiti In
the future. Victor Armand. construction
head for FP In western Canada, was among
the mi.ssing on a Toronto-to-Vancouver plane
which disappeared six weeks ago in the sea
near Vancouver and to date has not been
located. No successor to Armand has been
named.
There are several spots in British Columbia
which may have new owners now that
1
rent controls have been discontinued. The
control board has announced that all places
of amusement now are free to enter into
new leases. The trade here says this will
give some theatres new tenants. Some Independent
spots may be taken over by the
circuits, who have been waiting for war restrictions
to be removed before taking action.
Canada Cannot Prohibit
Soviet Espionage Film
OTTAWA—The government had no right
to prohibit the making of a picture on a
story of the Soviet espionage program here,
it was declared in the house of commons by
Louis St. Laurent, minister of external affairs
after he had been questioned regarding
appropriateness of the film in view of
the tense world situation. The subject was
brought up by opposition members on the
floor of the house after officials of 20th-Fox
aiTived here for preliminary work on the
picture.
St. Laurent said he knew of no requests for
permission to use government buildings for
the making of the picture, the rights for
which had been bought by 20th-Fox from
Igor Gouzenko, former clerk in the Soviet
embassy who made the espionage revelations.
Catholic Women's Leader
Condemns Films, Press
WINNIPEG—Pictures, radio and the press
were jointly charged with contributing large- y
ly to the present "disintegration of Chris- c
tian living" by Mrs. F. Drake, Regina, Bask.,
national vice-president of the Catholic •,
Women's league, in an address to Catholic i
women here last week. Mrs. Drake charged .
that the gradual decay in modern Uving was :
seen in increased divorces, juvenile delinquency
and mental disease, accompanied by
a decrease in birth rates and more building ij
of small homes.
CALGARy
^IlTith roads in good condition, film sales- <
men are catching up on country calls
and closing deals before leaving for conventions
next month. They seem satisfied with :i
results, although reporting a decided slump f-
at many country points. This they say Is i
mainly due to the many rodeos and stam- •«
pedes being revived after the war. at which •»
all townsfolk work hard, even calling upon r
the theatrcmen to lend a hand. There is a t
certain competition in country districts over i:
such events, each town trying to outdo its y
neighbor. Some add countrj- horseracing, !
others bring in outside attractions and all .
subscribe to third-rate traveling midway and c
traveling carnival shows.
Walter Du Perrier, salesman with Empire-
Universal, passed out cigars recently for the
birth of a son, Anthony Geoi-ge . . . Making
his annual visit to Calgary's Filmrow, Paul
Wacko, who operates the Chaba Theatre at
Jasper, stated that winter had been a tough
season in that isolated northern Rocky mountain
resort. There is no rural or farming
community, no lumber work nearby, to augment
the town patronage. Or.ly the townsfolk
patronize the show off-season and, says
he, "it takes a darned good show, at that, to
bring 'em out." Tlie season opens in July
though, with good prospects and many conventions
booked.
I
118 BOXOFFICE :: June 28, 1947