May/June, 1981
Published bimonthly
in the interest of
Famous Players employees and associates
from coast to coast.
Drive-In Update
inside 25 Year Club Awards pg. Lucky Friday the 13th pg. 13
Managers pg. 19
Showmen in Action __ pg. 22
1SSUC os Pionees pe. 37
PAGE 1
Cars lined up awaiting showtime at Cinéparc DOLLARD Drive-in in Montréal. The inset shows the readograph at the entrance to Dollard’s New four-screen facility.
See story page 3.
Send us your letters. Criticisms or praises; we would like to hear them all! Do you have suggestions regar- ding the content of FAMOUS NEWS — something you dislike, like or would like to see in it? Write and let us know. Please note that no anonymous letters will be con- sidered for publication.
Retirees Write Us About
Famous News
Dear Editor,
As a retired member of our great Famous Family, (Thunder Bay, 46 years, Sept. 1977) many thanks for including me in your mailing list of the new FAMOUS NEWS. The first two issues are just great. Keep them coming and congratulations on the excellent format.
It was very good to see, via the different departments, faces of many old friends and to read of the many activities and accomplish- ments enjoyed by them.
As I read ‘‘Showmen in Action’’, my blood just tingles with anxiety at the many exploits our managers have accomplished. Yes, I even feel as if I were still in it, and ready to go any day on a new campaign.
I was also very happy to see Jim LaVia, (Paramount, Thunder Bay) and Robert Lipson, (Capitol, Thunder Bay) make the headlines of the paper — it sure brings back memories!
Having moved from Thunder Bay to White Rock, B.C., I now have to get used to the rain, but it is better than all that snow and below zero weather I left behind in Thunder Bay.
Again, congratulations and many thanks!
Sincerely, Gordon Carson, Retired Manager, White Rock, B.C.
2 May/June, 1981
letters
Dear Editor,
I gratefully acknowledge receipt of your issues of FAMOUS NEWS.
I thoroughly enjoyed the contents and congratulate you on the splen- did effort. I look forward to the receipt of future issues.
My best wishes to all of you in your endeavours.
Sincerely,
Nora C. Hogan, Retired Nfld. Manager, St. John’s
Dear Editor,
Please accept my thanks for the FAMOUS NEWS sent to me.
I appreciate being remembered as one of the Famous Family when retired. My one year plus of retire- ment has passed quickly and [J still can’t help feeling at times that I must get ready for work.
Maritime Employee Feels Left Out
Dear Editor,
I found that your first and second editions of FAMOUS NEWS were well-organized and very interesting.
The only complaint that I have about this magazine is that I feel it deals with more Toronto news and I also feel that it is not being distributed equally to other Famous Players Theatres across Canada.
Sincerely,
Sharon Blank,
Cashier, Penhorn Cinemas Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Dear Sharon,
In my editorial in the first issue, I expressed my wish that FAMOUS NEWS should ‘‘transcend Head Office’’. To do this, I need the help of all employees. Unless news, ar- ticles and photos are sent to me from the theatres, FAMOUS NEWS will unfortunately have to focus on Toronto simply because of geography. It is not that we do not want to include news from elsewhere; it is because we receive little news from elsewhere.
If all of you make an effort to contribute to our magazine, it will develop the ‘‘national’’ character we all would like to see.
Preparing this newspaper was a lovely thought and I’m sure it will be enjoyed by many.
Thank you all so much. You will hear from me when something ex- citing happens in Belleville.
Kind regards, Stella Culhane, Retire Manager, Belleville, Ontario.
Dear Editor,
Just a note to say how much I like receiving the new company FAMOUS NEWS. Even though I’m retired, I still feel I belong. I hope FAMOUS NEWS has a longer life than the previous mags.
Sincerely, Fred Morley, Retired Insurance Manager.
Regarding distribution of FAMOUS NEWS, our method has been to send four copies to each single auditorium theatre and two copies for each other screen. A three-plex for example, should receive eight copies. These copies are to be circulated amongst employees.
If you have not been able to read a copy of FAMOUS NEWS at work, or borrow it to take home, please write us and we will look into it.
Sincerely, Mickey Trigiani, Editor.
Finally... Faces
Dear Editor,
I really enjoyed your first and se- cond issues of FAMOUS NEWS. I never realized the vastness of our Operations and I must say I am proud to be part of the family.
Also, working here in Windsor, I only get to meet everyone over the telephone and through FAMOUS NEWS I am finally able to put a face with the voice.
Best of luck with the many, many more issues that are yet to come.
Regards,
Marg Zelezney, Secretary,
Windsor District Office.
Famous Embarks on Major Drive-In Program
Original Dollard Drive-in with two screens. Story next page.
May/June, 1981 3
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The ‘‘Ciné-fi’’ sound system wire as attached to the antenna of a patron’s car. Cinéparc DOLLARD Drive-in, Montréal.
A centrally located concession building serves patrons from 4 units of Cinéparc DOLLARD Drive-in, Montréal.
4 May/June, 1981
Upgrading the Drive-In Image
Drive-in theatres have become a focus this season as Famous embarks on a major program of upgrading the drive-in image.
The most dramatic change in the long-range plan is this year’s earlier opening dates for a number of drive-ins in Western and Central Canada.
“For the first time,’’ says Famous V.P. of Operations Gerry Dillon, ‘‘we have keyed the drive-in openings to the temperature rather than to the Easter weekend period — and we’re very pleased with the results.”’
Some drive-ins in Western Canada, such as the Lougheed in Vancouver, opened as early as January as opposed to the tradi- tional Easter date which, this year, fell on April 17.
Other differences in this year’s operation include new improved washroom facilities, new uniforms for field personnel, grading of roads to facilitate accessibility, installa- tion of radio sound and, for the first time in our history, we have produc- ed our own intermission trailer. ‘‘The. old clock trailer was U.S.-made and had a dated look,”’ explains Gerry Dillon. ‘‘We avoided dating the new one and decided to produce a trailer that would enter- tain patrons as well as provide ser- vice announcements.”’ The trailer was prepared by Artistic Produc- tions, the Toronto-based firm which produced our two staff training films.
Also, to aid managers in pro- moting drive-ins in advertising cam- paigns, separate newspaper ads highlighting drive-ins are being prepared by Don Watts’ depart- ment.
The concession area, which is elaborate in drive-ins compared to hard-top theatres, is being re-
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juvenated in three major areas: equipment, quality of food and staff training.
Doug Armstrong, TCL head, estimates that we will be placing new equipment or updating old equip- ment in over 90 per cent of our drive-ins — and impressive equip- ment it is!
A new char-broiler grill for ham- burgers, (a change from the old flat- grill style of cooking) will result in a barbecued burger and eliminate the mess and greasy taste of fat frying. The new deep fryer for french fries, apple turnovers and egg rolls will feature fat filters which safely han- dle oil and by filtering shortening result in it lasting longer which off- sets the cost of a pump. A new slim- line toaster for buns, handling up to 800 buns an hour, will ensure that hamburger juices are sealed in.
In addition to the above equip- ment, some drive-ins will be getting convection ovens for hot dogs which cook quickly and handle larger numbers than the _ conventional whirlo grills.
The Dollard Drive-in in Mon- treal, one of our largest, also features a ‘‘Nieco’’ broiler, a ‘‘fan- tastic’’ machine, to quote Doug. The broiler, which barbecues burgers and toasts buns at the same time by means of a conveyor belt, turns out about 450 burgers with buns an hour. It is geared to high- speed locations.
““We are buying the cadillac of equipment.”’
New soft-drink equipment and new freezers will also be added to most locations to improve the quali- ty of the product served.
““We are buying the cadillac of equipment,’’ boasts Doug Arm- strong. ‘‘In the long term, we will be saving money by going with quality equipment — we don’t want to be constantly replacing parts for hard- to-service drive-ins.”’
To display TCL’s new drive-in menu, new menu panels have been designed and will go up across the country. Made up of two menu boards sandwiched between transparencies of food items, the new menu panel is sure to attract a lot of hungry patrons.
And speaking of food, all the items on this year’s menu represent
a conscious effort by TCL to ‘upgrade the food image of drive- ins.”
The hamburger on the menu will be larger, (4 oz.), and custom-made for us by Canada Packers. The buns have also grown in size and are of the sesame-seed variety. We are even including a special relish. Doug Armstrong calls it ‘‘the best ham- burger on the market.’’ Other food items are also top-notch. The french fries and apple turnovers are from McCain’s, the hot dogs are from Sneider’s, the egg rolls are from Chung King and we are featuring Mother Parker’s coffee and hot chocolate. pe
To save patrons the trouble of returning to the concession stand, many items are being offered in larger sizes. ‘‘Our 10-ounce cup of coffee has become so _ popular, we’ve discontinued the 7-ounce size,’? says Doug. Soft drinks in 32-ounce containers have also been very successful.
The Dollard Drive-in will become a testing ground this summer for a number of planned food items such as chili, slush, milk shakes and soft ice cream.
The expanding drive-in menu ex- plains why staff at these locations must be given extra care in training. To this end, Doug Armstrong is working on a more extensive train- ing manual for managers. ‘‘Now, with the staff training going on at our Burger Works locations, our drive-ins, which really gave birth to the fast-food restaurants, will reap the benefits.”’
**Already, sales have escalated dramatically from last year!”’
All the time, effort and dollars being channelled into our drive-in operations are certainly paying off. The Dollard, which opened on April 3, serves as an example. ‘‘The first weekend at the Dollard was dyna- mite,’’ says a happy Doug Arm- strong, ‘‘already, sales have escalated dramatically from last year and it’s due to the winning combination of a _sharp-looking, comfortable operation with better quality food, more efficient equip- ment and an enthusiastic, well- trained staff who actually believe in the product they’re selling!’’
Construction: Merciless Elements
**The big difference between hard tops and drive-ins,’’ says Famous Engineering /Construction /Main- tenance head Russ Moffatt, ‘‘is that with the latter, we’re at the ‘mercy of the elements’.’’
*“When you’re building a drive- in, you’re out in a field and have to consider getting hydro, water, septic tanks, maybe even drilling for a well depending on how far you are from ‘civilization’. It it rains while you’ re building, you’re in a constant sea of mud. You never really get away from the elements.’’
Even after drive-ins are com- pleted, they are subject to the adverse effects of the climate. Screen towers for example, are real- ly just big sails sitting out in the open waiting for a windstorm to do some damage. Last summer, a tor- nado lifted the Twin Drive-in’s (Windsor) 50 x 115-foot screen right out of the ground, concrete founda- tion and all. An average windstorm is less dramatic and can sometimes damage fencing and the wing walls of the screen tower.
Some of the biggest problems in- volved in the construction of drive- ins occur before construction starts. Finding the proper site, plus permits and zoning, are the major dif- ficulties. In Alberta, you are often talking $1 million an acre for land. Land costs and strict zoning regula- tions often push drive-ins into the hinterland. Nevertheless, Famous is endeavouring to purchase land for drive-ins in Winnipeg, Calgary, Ed- monton, Vancouver and Regina.
Many drive-in locations have had to be sold in the past few years due to rising land values and urban sprawl. An example of this was Toronto’s only surviving drive-in, The Northwest, which was sold for $1.55 million. A new six-plex, (Skyway Mall) will be going up on this site for June, 1981. The site of the recently-completed Fiesta Mall in Stoney Creek, Ontario (which houses our Fiesta Mall Cinemas) us- ed to be the home of the old Skyway Drive-in. In Halifax, the Sackville Drive-in will eventually be sold for the same reasons — urban sprawl and rising land costs. An attempt will be made to locate another drive-
May/June, 1981 5
The Dollard’s new main box office leading to all four screens.
A prime example of a modernized drive-in concession area. The Dollard in Montreal offers four aisles of cafeteria-style service to patrons.
6 May/June, 1981
in in the Halifax area.
The multiplexing trend in hard top theatres is also affecting drive-in construction. The Dollard in Mon- treal and the Twin in Windsor have recently gone from two to four screens and the Sunset in Calgary has been dualled.
As far as the actual building of drive-ins is concerned, the major differences between these and hard- top theatres is the length of time needed for construction and the viewing facilities. From the time permits, drawings, and tenders are received, a dual-screen drive-in would require four to six months of construction time. This construction involves landscaping and the building of relatively uncomplicated structures such as the screen tower and the _ concession/washroom/- projection building. A dual-screen hard-top requires six to eight mon- ths of construction time.
Landscaping for a drive-in in- volves pushing earth around and then forming ramps made of packed-down crushed stone. Patrons position the front end of their car._on. these -ramps. . To facilitate upward viewing, the closer the ramps are to the screen, the higher they are formed. The screen, which starts about 15 feet above the ground, is a steel framework fitted into a concrete foundation. The screen face is of painted corrugated metal.
The most common sound system found in drive-ins is speakers which hook onto the car windows but gradually, drive-ins are being equip- ped with the latest innovation — radio sound. Two processes for this are ‘‘Cine-fi’’ (see Dollard story) and ‘‘Cinema Radio’’. Cinema Radio involves the installation of a cable below ground allowing cars to pick up the audio portion of a film on a special band on their AM radio.
Cinema Radio sound is _ far Superior accoustically to the speaker-post system which, due to the frequency of vandalism and the constant threat of theft, involves speakers of more inferior quality than those of a car radio. In addi- tion, the weather can damage speakers on posts further reducing their effectiveness.
Cinema Radio is costlier to install than speaker posts but is cheaper in the long run due to the reduction in maintenance costs. e
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Montreal’s Dollard Drive-In Acquires Iwo New Screens
In the beginning, there were two screens but with the coming of Spr- ing, the Cinéparc Dollard Drive-in (originally opened in 1972) now of- fers patrons a choice of four screens.
An extra wide entrance leads to three spacious box offices, capable of handling four lanes of traffic. There is a fourth box office at the other end of the drive-in to handle the overflow of cars from the main entrance.
A centrally-located concession building serves patrons from the four units. Constructed of concrete, the main floor of the building houses the kitchen, storage room, refreshment centre, washrooms and electric room. A_ second story, located on one end, contains the projection booth for Cinemas | and 2, the manager’s office and staff dressing rooms.
A completely separate structure has been erected for the projection booth serving Cinemas 3 and 4. The booth also features a storage area.
The refreshment area offers cafeteria-style service with four aisles that can be serviced by two or four cashiers, depending on the volume of business.
The new projection booth was equipped by Ciné-com (General Sound) and includes a ‘‘Ciné-fi’’ drive-in theatre sound system.
This system eliminates the con- ventional drive-in speaker set-up and along with it, the constant threat of replacement and repairs caused by vandalism or wear and tear. In its place, ‘*Ciné-fi’’ utilizes the sound system of the automobile or a portable radio, by broadcasting over the AM band. The customer simply drives up to a post, as he or she normally would, and where the original speaker was once located, a thin wire will be in its place. It can then be attached to the antenna and the radio tuner dialed to the proper
frequency, as directed by the cashier or ramp-boy. As some cars have their antennas located within the windshield, a special clip is provided on each wire for this particular hook-up.
To complete the booth, addi- tional equipment was installed — Allanson rectifiers, Neumade re- wind tables and storage cabinets, Goldberg reels, Century projector and soundheads, Simplex pedestals and Strong Super Lume-X lamp- houses.
As more and more people are be- coming aware of finer components to upgrade the sound systems in their cars, the advent of ‘‘Cine-fi’’ makes it possible for them to listen to a movie with equipment of their own choice.
The 50-acres, open air facility can accommodate as many as 2,220 cars. Cinema | has a capacity of 714; Cinema 2 can handle 609 cars; Cinema 3 can handle 398 and Cinema 4 can handle 499 cars.
Additions to the Cinéparc Dollard Drive-in were contracted and supervised by Don Drisdell, John Xinos, Andre Ladouceur and Maurice Lapierre, who co-ordinated the rest of the workers and supervis- ed the installation of the new screens. The ground work (double ramping) system for Cinemas 3 and 4 was done by Tony Mergel of Nep- con Inc.
Esam Mokhtar, formerly man- ager of the Cinéma Chateau, is the manager of this popular drive-in. e
The result of a March fire at the Golden West Drive-in in Moose Jaw, Sask. Arson is suspected due to a rash of fires in the Moose Jaw area. The screen was replaced on April 17.
Accident or Arson?
A recent study by our in- surance department shows that drive-ins suffer greater in- cidences of crime and vandalism than do our hard top theatres.
‘*The reason is most likely the isolated locations of drive-in theatres and the fact that they are closed down for a good part of the year,’’ says Insurance Manager Bud _ Vickers. ‘‘They’re not usually under regular police surveillance and present a tempting target for many teenage pranksters.’’
Per capita incidences of crime, (break-ins and robberies) in our drive-ins are more than double those in our hard top theatres. Vandalism, although not as frequent as crime overall, is still slightly higher at drive- ins. The higher crime and van-
dalism rate in drive-ins is inten- sified when considering the Operating schedules of drive- ins. They have a much shorter season and per capita, suffer from more crime.
‘‘By and large,’’ says Bud, ‘‘break-ins are the work of amateurs. As far as fires go, they’re usually started by kids playing with matches or want- ing to start bonfires. If your theatre is vandalized, do not hesitate to notify the police. Even minor damage should be reported. There is always a possibility that the vandal could be apprehended. It is our responsibility to do everything possible to discourage these
people. It’s a shame about drive-ins — they’re a _ real target.”’ °
May/June, 1981 7
Wh
The Green Acres Drive-in in Lethbridge, Alberta.
The Drive-In’s Early Days: It soon became a way
of life
The following short historical sketch of the drive-in is part of an article which appeared in the Lethbridge Herald in 1979.
by Peter Scott
In 1950, $1,235 put you into a new British-built Ford Anglia said to get 40 miles per gallon, $4.98 bought you a new pair of shoes and 60 cents got you, the car and the shoes into the newest entertainment feature in Lethbridge — the drive- in.
Billed in its first advertisement as **the event all Southern Alberta has been waiting for,’’ the Green Acres Drive-in boasted ‘‘adjustable spea- kers for each car and truck,’’ no parking fee, a snack bar with “reasonable prices’’ and ‘‘giant hot- dogs.”’
Lethbridge movie fans could feel secure knowing their drive-in was the third opened in Alberta, just behind similar ventures in Calgary and Edmonton.
That was on April 28, 1950. The first movie ‘‘under the stars’’ was The Kid from Texas starring Audie Murphy and Gail Storm.
By the time Maureen O’ Hara and Vincent Price arrived in Baghdad a few days later, Green Acres had
8 May/June, 1981
1952 line-ips at the ‘‘newest form of enter- tainment — the drive-in’’. Here we see the Skyway in Moncton, N.B.
turned away cars every night as the new fad took hold. Boasting first- run movies ‘‘carefully selected for family entertainment,”’ the drive-in soon became a way of life in North America.
The Green Acres’ first manager, back in the days when Daily Mail was a brand of tobacco and Sicks was producing ginger ale, was Fred Levitt.
(photo by Walter Kerber)
““We were full (560 cars) every night that first week,’’ remembers Fred. ‘‘We filled a spot in the enter- tainment world.”’
Once the novelty of watching movies outside began to wane, drive-ins took on a seamier reputa- tion as passion pits where young lovers groped in the backs of ’56 Buick Specials, oblivious to Ma and Pa Kettle up there on the big screen.
Admitting to attending a drive-in with the school’s hottest number was tantamount to confessing to all sorts of sordid activities. Don and Phil Everley made a lot of money singing about the dangers of falling asleep at the wheel.
Starry-eyed lovers still come to the drive-in but, more often than not, they watch the movie. The pressure of finding a secluded spot for spooning has been replaced with the new morality. Likely, the guy will send the girl to the concession stand, so vastly have roles been altered. Since the back seat has been replaced by Detroit’s rolling bedrooms, they might as well see the flick.
“‘There used to be more of a car- nival atmosphere,’’ says Fred. “‘There were promotions, give- aways, things to attract the kids.’’
‘The theatre business has moved from a family operation to one which attracts the teenage-to-30 crowd,’ says Fred. ‘‘Drive-ins are no longer a deal where families can take all the kids and have a ball. There aren’t many family pictures made anymore, but perhaps that wouldn’t be so if families had sup- ported the industry.’’ ®
25-40-50 Year Club Inductees!
, : > N ‘ : = = >
FAMOUS PLAYERS
25 YEAR CLUB Se i,
UNITED THEATRES
25 Year Club
Famous Players Central and 25 Year Club inductees at Conference ’80 in Montreal. From left to right — bottom row: Gilbert Lavoie, Ross Chapman, Les Hawley, George Coulter. Top row: André Deslauriers, nae gis pene Bee Lilian Cochar, Chris Greekas, Nicholas Luciani (40 Yr. Club), Don Drisdell.
ference ’80 in Montreal at which time new members were presented with certificates, pins and Canadian bonds. The new inductees were:
Ross Chapman Advertising Manager, Head Office
Lilian Cochar Cashier/candy attendant, Van Horne Theatre, Montreal
George H. L. Coulter Manager, Arcade Cinemas, Hamilton, Ontario
André Deslauriers Projectionist, La Cité Cinémas, Montréal
Don Drisdell Executive Vice-president, Cinémas Harold Grayson Gedeon Frenette Unis Inc.
Violet Marshall, cashier at the Vogue Theatre in Sydney, N.S., is shown being inducted into the 25 Year Club by George Dockwrey, Famous’ partner in the Paramount and Vogue Theatres in Sydney. Jean Huot Loretta Stremble
May/June, 1981 9
Gedéon Frenette Projectionist, Quebec City
Berthe Gaumond Cashier, Maska Theatre, St. Hyacinthe, Québec
Capitol Theatre,
Harold Grayson Projectionist, Hamilton
Chris Greekas Projectionist, Empire Theatre, Sud- bury
Avon Theatre,
Leslie Hawley Manager, Bayview Village Cinemas, Toronto
Jean Huot
Doorman, Capitol Theatre, Quebec City
Gilbert Lavoie
Projectionist, Quebec City
Violet Marshall Cashier, Vogue Theatre, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Empire Theatre,
Mariette Morin Manager, Cinema Westmount Square, Westmount, Quebec
Katharine Stein Cleaner, Eglinton Theatre, Toronto
Loretta Stremble Cashier, Centure Theatre, Hamilton
Roberta Whitby Administrative Assistant to Presi- dent George Destounis, Toronto
— 40 Yr. Club Member Alphonse Foisy
10 May/June, 1981
40 Year Club
Also recognised in Montreal were employees with 40 and 50 years ser- vice to Famous. On these pages, we list recipients and show some photos of the new club members.
A group photo of some of the 40 year inductees in Montreal. From left to right; Harold Greenberg, Nina Lubovich, Laurette Perusse and Georges Pépin.
James Brown Projectionist, Theatre, Windsor
Alphonse Foisy Manager, Capitol Theatre, Quebec City
Twin Drive-in
Eileen Moodie — 40 Yr. Club Member
Harold Greenberg Manager, Fairview Cinemas, Pt. Claire, Quebec
Louis Lavoie (50 yrs.) Projectionist, Snowdon Theatre, Montreal
Nina Lubovich Assistant Manager, Theatre, Timmins
Victory
Nicholas Luciani Maintenance Man, Theatre, Montreal
Mary E. Moodie Cleaner, Avon Theatre, Hamilton, Ontario
Monkland
Georges Arthur Pepin Manager, Place Ville Marie Cinemas, Montreal
Laurette Perusse
Cashier, Place Ville Marie Cinemas, Montreal
Patrick Saunders Manager, Capitol Theatre, Woodstock, New Brunswick
George Henry Stephen (50 yrs.) Projectionist, Algoma _ Theatre, Sault Ste. Marie
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Louis Lavoie is congratulated for 50 years of service by Personnel Director Harry Green.
George Stephen — 50 years at Famous!
Manitoba/Saskatchewan
Awards
25 and 40 Year Club members from Manitoba and Saskatchewan were presented with awards at a lun- cheon held March 4, 1981 at the Winnipeg Inn. Welcoming the new inductees were Doug Gow, Vice- president, Western Region and
Brian Cameron, District Manager, Manitoba/Saskatchewan. The reci- pients appear below.
Doug Gow, Mildred Zahara and Brian
Cameron.
Mildred Zahara (25 Year Club) Secretary to B.M. Cameron, Win- nipeg District Office
Pearl Treleaven (40 Year Club) Manager, Strand Theatre, Brandon, Manitoba
Doug Gow, Pearl Treleaven and Brian Cameron.
Alberta and B.C. Awards
25 and 40 Year Club inductees from the Western Region. From left to right: Mr. and Mrs. Wilf
Moorhouse, Doug Gow (V.P. Western Canada), Mr. and Mrs. Jack Burdick, and Mr. and
Mrs. Al Mulcahy.
Le Fe
May/June, 1981 11
Special guests at awards dinner. From left to right; Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Joiner; retired district manager, Ivan Ackery; retired manager, Gerry Schepp; Head Office Audit Supervisor, Joe Whyte; Head Office Sec. Treasurer, Mr. and Mrs. R. Townsend; retired manager, General Sound, and Bob West; Benefits Manager, Toronto.
The British Columbia and Alber- ta 25 and 40 Year Club presenta- tions took place Tuesday, April 28 at a dinner held at the Trader Vic’s Restaurant in the Bayshore Inn, Vancouver. Over 60 persons were present to honour the new in- ductees.
Present to receive awards were: Jack Burdick, retired Vancouver Manager (40 Years); Al Mulcahy, District Manager of General Sound, Vancouver (25 Years) and Wilf Moorhouse, projectionist at the Fiesta Theatre in Nanaimo (25
Years). Unable to attend were: Lar- raine Freeman of the Towne Theatre cleaning staff in Vernon (25 Years) and Hedwig Zessin of the Palace cleaning staff in Calgary, (25 Years).
The awards dinner was held in conjunction with a B.C. Managers’ Meeting attended by H.O. guests Joe Whyte; Assistant Treasurer, Gerry Schepp; Audit Supervisor and Bob West; Benefits Manager. Also in attendance were some retired B.C. Personnel and wives of the new inductees.
Famous Spends
$250M
to Update Projection and Sound Equipment
In the months of May and June, Famous spent over $250,000 in the installation of 70mm and Dolby stereo to a number of theatres across Canada.
This move is to offset home video equipment and the advent of Pay TV. ‘‘People want to get out; they want to go to the movies,’ says
12 May/June, 1981
Construction head Russ Moffatt. “*As long as we keep offering them something they can’t possibly get elsewhere, we’re in business. Our big screens and sophisticated sound equipment entice the public out of their livingrooms.’’
The major reason for installing the equipment these past two mon- ths was in anticipation of the films Outland and Raiders of the Lost Ark which are particularly effective in 70mm and Dolby. The following represents a list of theatres which were treated to the new equipment.
Lougheed, Vancouver Vancouver Centre, Vancouver Westmount, Edmonton Chinook, Calgary Metropolitan, Winnipeg Northstar, Winnipeg Cedarbrae, Toronto
Imperial, Montreal
Volunteers Needed for National Breast Screening Study
Volunteers are needed for a nation-wide breast screening study, the largest cancer prevention research program to date.
Funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Ontario and federal ministries of health, the study which began last January, with the first Canadian breast screening clinic opening at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, aims to determine the effectiveness of mammography, (low-dosage x-ray Of the breast) in the early detection and prevention of cancer.
The aim of the study is to screen 15,000 women in Metro Toronto and 90,000 women across Canada in the next two to three years. So far, 5,000 women in the Toronto area have participated in the study.
All that is needed is an hour of your time, once a year for five years. You could save your own life, as well as the lives of future genera- tions.
You’ll be given a thorough breast examination by a highly trained nurse practitioner and taught the proper method of breast self- examination.
If you are: ¢ a woman between the age of 40 to 59 e have not had breast cancer e and ¢ have not had a mammogram in the past 12 months, you are eligible to participate in this important cancer prevention project.
It is something you can do over a lunch hour or in the evening if you prefer. You’ll receive excellent care and follow-up. You won’t regret it!
For more information about the Study, or to set up an appointment, call the Breast Screening Clinic, Mount Sinai Hospital, at 416-596-3972 in Toronto or write to:
Breast Screening Study
12 Queen’s Park Cres. West McMurrich Bldg., 3rd floor Toronto, Ontario
MSS 1A8
New Construction:
Stoney Creek, Ontario
Friday the 13th, (February) did not prove to be unlucky for Famous Players with the official opening of the Fiesta Mall Cinemas Four in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
The festivities to announce the opening included a remote broad- cast with CHML radio, a dixie land band, hostesses giving away movie posters, albums, books, hats and briefcases and a klieg light flooding the sky. Actor Chris Makepeace, the star of My Bodyguard and Meat- balls, was on hand to sign auto- graphs and assist in the film-cutting ceremony along with Manager Frank Naphan and Ann _ Jones, Regional Chairman of the
- Hamilton-Wentworth district.
On Thursday, Feb. 12, Famous Players and Rosart Developments, (the landlord) hosted a gala V.I.P. pre-opening of the Fiesta Mall Cinemas. Over 250 guests were greeted by the organ stylings of ‘‘Winnifrea’’ and the ladies were also welcomed by Manager Naphan bearing gifts of carnations.
Malarky’s Restaurant, a mall neighbour, co-hosted the event set- ting up tables at the entrance with imported wine, draft beer and cold cuts. Peter’. Cadman, the restaurant’s general manager, greeted guests in a W.C. Fields costume. Guests included the mayor, city council members, local media personalities and executives from Famous Players and Rosart
Developments. os _ = Prior to the special preview show- Neoned box office sits out in mall. ing of Spinx, a _ film-cutting
ceremony was officiated by Mayor
May/June, 1981 13
Yelp VY)
y y
Staff from the nearby Burlington Mall Cinemas help out on opening night.
[nnn nn nn nn ee eee En EnNDnSD IRE
Dixieland Jazz Band entertaining theatregoers and shoppers.
14 May/June, 1981
Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Thursday pre- opening party. Left to right; Frank Herman, Rosart, Bill Sears, Stoney Creek Mayor, Manager Frank Naphan and Famous V.P. Gerry Dillon.
Bill Sears, Famous V.P. Gerry Dillon, Rosart V.P. Frank Herman and Manager Naphan.
Located in a small community shopping mall in a _ residential/- commercial area of Stoney Creek, the Fiesta Mall represents the town’s only hard-top theatre. The theatre contains four auditoriums with seating capacities of 221 (2), 238 and 245. Sitting back to back and side by side, they feature one common pro- jection room.
Designed by architect Mandel Sprachman, the Fiesta Mall boasts an interesting box office concept. Situated outside the theatre at the T-intersection of the mall, the posi- tion of the box office alleviates con- gestion at the theatre entrance allowing for a better flow of traffic.
Marble is featured on the display walls at the theatre’s entrance and reflected off a mirror on the op- posite wall. The concession counter has an oak and formica front with quarry tile on the floor. The theatres are decorated with carpet wall graphics of palm trees and daisies. About one quarter of each auditorium contains riser-mount chairs.
The Fiesta Mall is equipped with facilities for the handicapped and sits on the site of the old Skyway Drive-in. *
IEP EE TIER TORT ile |
Chris Makepeace, star of Meatballs signs autographs for mall patrons.
er
Ribbon-cutting ceremony. Left to right, Joe Locicero, Assistant Trainee, Frank Naphan, Manager, Ann Jones, Regional Chairman, Actor Chris Makepeace, and Denyse Hudecki, Assistant.
LL
Co-operation of Managers Needed
Due to recent fires in some very large and prominent North American buildings, regulatory agencies are step- ping up their inspections of public buildings.
Famous Players is con- cerned, as always, about patrons’ safety and is asking all managers to check their premises daily...
e Make certain that the lock- ing device installed on some exit doors for overnight sec- urity is removed prior to box-- office opening.
e Check all exit doors to make sure they open freely.
e Carry out regular testing of emergency lighting systems. Replace defective and burnt-- out bulbs.
e Make certain all exit ways are free of garbage or any item that may obstruct patrons from leaving theatres.
e Make certain all exit signs are turned on.
e Make certain that all non- public areas are cleaned regularly and all refuse re- moved from the premises.
e Particular attention should be paid to the confection counter area ... clean your equipment daily, check your under-counter warmers and arrange to purchase locally asbestos sheeting to slip under various pieces of equipment which are located under the counter.
May/June, 1981 15
Family Portraits from the Maritimes
Debbi Capstick of our Halifax District Office writes : that the personnel in our Maritime theatres look like a | Do you have a staff picture you dela like to share with family because they indeed work as a unit and a team. Famous employees across Canada? Let’s get to know
On this page, we have two glowing illustrations of our each other, send your photos to FAMOUS NEWS. eastern family.
Charlottetown Twin Cinemas, Charlottetown, P.E.I. Standing from Dowling, doorman. Seated from left to right — Donna Williams,
left to right — Frank Wood, doorman; John Murray, projectionist; candy girl; Julie MacCauley, cashier; Janet Gillis, candy girl. Mrs. Vicki Perry, Manager; John Prunty, Assistant Manager; Ron
i
Foord Theatre, Stellarton, N.S. Standing, from left to right are: Cathy Duggan, part-time confectionist; Andrew Matheson, part-time doorman; Margaret McDavid, Assistant Manager; Pat Cantley, cashier and George MacGrath, Manager. George is projectionist as
well as the Manager. Seated from left to right are, Evelyn Dunn, con-
fectionist; Cindy Richardson, part-time cashier and confectionist and Mae Vacheresse, confectionist.
16 May/June, 1981
Conversation with Veteran Famous Manager
His Philosophy for Theatre Operation; A proven success!
FAMOUS NEWS Editor Michelina Trigiani, recently spent a day at Mississauga, Ontario’s Square One Cinemas where she had the oppor- tunity to see a busy operation in ac- tion and discuss the manager’s role with Jack Boddam.
Coming into my head office job as Editor, where my only contact with our managers is on paper, and where my knowledge of a theatre operation is restricted to an evening out with my husband, I felt I should observe, first-hand, what a manager’s job involves. Jack Bod- dam set out to show me.
Jack has been managing Square One since it opened seven years ago. Starting out as an usher in the 40’s in his home town of Brampton, Ont., Jack has worked in some 25 Ontario houses.
‘‘T operate the theatre like it was my own.’’
As I write this story, I recall two areas of theatre management which dominated my coversation with Jack. The first is what I term Jack’s ‘‘philosophy’’ of how a manager should approach his job.
‘*I operate every theatre like it was my own,”’ he says. ‘‘I want the company that I work for to receive more than they’re paying, I’m being paid to manage, so I manage. I don’t have any hours. If I’m busy or if I’m needed, I’m here.’’
A big factor in shaping Jack’s ‘‘philosophy’’ has been Famous Players itself. ‘‘I feel the company pays me good money for good
Manager Jack Boddam
Photos by Mickey Trigiani
nn nn eee Ett EEE EEyEEEEESSSSESSSS ESSE
management. Famous has always been very fair, or I wouldn’t have stayed.’
Jack believes that the most impor- tant aspect of a manager’s job is his consideration for the customer. ‘‘I operate my theatre in the way that works best for everyone and that usually means that the customer comes first and that our own conve- nience comes second.”’
Jack’s operation certainly reflects his customer’s needs. An example of this is how he schedules his shows. ‘““You’ve got to consider the customer in this. Give him time to eat dinner and find a babysitter. Stagger shows so he has time to buy refreshments. This also alleviates
pressure on the candy counter. Don’t let the last show out too late. You’re inconveniencing the customer.’’
Jack’s theatre is located in a busy suburban mall. Lining up customers for Square One’s four theatres takes
‘organization and split-second tim-
ing. ‘‘I consider the customer first in this instance also, but he doesn’t always realize it. I’ve been called an idiot for the way I line people up but most customers realize later that it is the best way. The folks that com- plain are the older ones who only go to movies now and then and don’t understand the routine nowadays. To soften the idea of a line-up, we never use the word. All my staff ask
May/June, 1981 17
customers to stand where the ‘ticketholders’ are waiting.’’
‘*Long line-ups often scare people but regulars who have come to trust us know that if they come to our theatre and see a long line, we’re not going to let them wait in it unless they will get in. You must consider your regulars. Ours know we won’t oversell.’’
Swallowing your ego
Another aspect of Jack’s philosophy relating to customers in- volves ‘‘swallowing your ego.’’ He says: ‘‘You have to turn the other cheek in this job; it goes with the ter- ritory. If you’re willing to do that, it stops a lot of complaints from leav- ing the theatre. Young managers to- day find this swallow-your-ego at- titude hard to accept.”’
A large part of the manager’s job deals with the hiring, training and supervising of staff. Jack is par- ticularly concerned with finding the ‘‘right’’ people to train for future managerial jobs with Famous.
Jack feels that recognizing poten- tial trainees depends on the sixth sense all managers possess about the business. He feels that the art of running a theatre can never be taught in a classroom. Choosing trainees amongst a manager’s own staff is the best system. ‘‘A staffer will have a good idea about the operation and will be familiar with the odd hours. I want to hire some- one who has carried a flashlight.’’ Jack feels that an aptitude for deal- ing and talking to people in a relax- ed manner and a flair for figures are what a manager should look for in trainees.
Jack’s ‘‘philosophy’’ comes into play again regarding a manager’s at- titude to the training process. He feels that it is the manager’s respon- sibility to instill in the mind of the trainee that everyone — the man- ager, the company, other employees — are making an investment in his training. ‘‘If a manager can make a trainee understand this, he will work the long hours on little pay that are part of the training process.’’
“‘After a trainee has understood the long-hours-little-pay phil- osophy, it is up to the teacher (the manager) to give up his time; to change his hours when necessary and to cultivate the kind of good management relations which urge a trainee to learn, work hard and
18 May/June, 1981
Working at Square One involves a team effort. From left to right; A
Burrell, Anita Stuyver.
aspire to a fulfilling career.”’
Regarding the hiring of part-time staff, Jack says the best system is ‘hiring through referrals. If your good employees have friends who want a job, they’re usually a good Det.”
When Jack calls potential emp- loyees to an interview, meeting the staff is standard procedure. When the candidate leaves, he asks his staff’s approval. ‘‘I want to know if my staff feel they can work with the person. When they get along, it creates harmony and lessens the chances of personality conflicts.”’
‘If you can’t turn your back on employees, they’re no good to you.’’
Jack feels his staff ‘‘respect’’ him for including them. ‘‘I often ask my staff for advice. They regularly con- tribute to the operation with sugges- tions about line-up control, etc.’’ He also feels that it is important to turn your back on staff to let them know you trust them when you’re not there. ‘‘If you can’t turn your back on employees, they’re no good to you.”’
Jack’s ex-employees certainly prove his is a winning attitude. A former usher, now a lawyer, came
back from university every holiday to work at Square One even though he could have made more money as a law clerk. A current medical student wrote a letter to Jack praising his ‘‘consideration and patience’’ and even used ‘‘Bo’’ (as his staff affec- tionately call him) as a reference for entry into medical school.
I could go on and on about what I learned during a Saturday night at Square One Cinemas. I could talk about Jack’s free kiddie matinees on weekends for shoppers’ children. I could expand on his ‘‘locked bag”’ system of money control. I could tell about his ‘‘pickers’’ — the 15 year-olds he hires to pick rubbish in between shows whom he describes as ‘‘the hardest working employees you’ll ever find.’’ I could describe the Senior Citizens Week he starts planning each June as soon as the last one is over.
Or, I could simply tell you that Jack’s attitude toward his staff can be summed up by his warm smile.
When I arrived at Square One, Jack told me that it would be next to impossible to talk about 34 years in a few hours. ‘‘We’ve only just skim- med the surface,’’ he said as I left.
Perhaps, but this new employee learned a lot nevertheless and she certainly enjoyed it! 4
managers’ corner
Managers! We want to hear from you. Please address items for this column to the ‘‘Managers’ Corner,’’ FAMOUS NEWS.
Managers on the Move:
Recent transfers and promotions.
Jenny Hauck has been promoted from acting manager to manager of the Spruceland Cinema, Prince George, B.C.
Patricia Plewes has been ap- pointed acting manager of the Col- umbia, New Westminister, B.C.
Mary Ellen Brown, formerly assistant at Devonshire Cinemas in Windsor, Ontario, moves to Chatham’s Centre Theatre as Manager. Audrey McKenzie, the Centre’s former manager is now leading the gang at Chatham’s Capitol Theatres. She replaces Mary Hoglund who is on maternity leave. Mary, by the way, gave birth to a boy, Jarett on March 19. Both are doing well.
Bob Davidson, former manager of the Capitol in Sudbury, was transferred to the just-opened Supermall Cinemas (Sudbury). Shane Murphy, formerly assistant at the Capitol in North Bay moves to the Supermall as Bob’s assistant.
Nancy Masse, former assistant at the City Centre, Sudbury, moves to the Capitol as new manager. Denise Hilyer, for some years assistant at the Empire Theatre, Sudbury, has been transferred to the City Centre to take over assistant duties. Ruth Bergs, who has been a cashier at the Empire for nearly 20 years, was recently promoted to assistant there under Manager John Rowat. Mark Clarke, former doorman at the City Centre Cinemas in Sudbury, On- tario, has been transferred as Assis- tant Manager to the Paramount Theatre, Thunder Bay.
Paul Natale, formerly of the Pen Centre, St. Catharines, moves to the Lincoln Mall Cinemas, St. Catharines. Brock King, formerly of the Century, Hamilton, moves to the Pen Centre. Brenda Chandler moves from the Cinema, Hamilton
to the Century. Gary Moore, assis- tant at the Arcade, London, has been appointed manager of the Cinema. Robert Rea from the Lin- coln Mall, moves to the new Skyway Six in Toronto.
We have the following managerial
changes for Quebec:
Manager From Georges Pepin
Michel Racha LaCite Jack Zwibel Claremont Ele Papamanolis Dollard Harold Greenberg _— Fairview Guy Bouchard Les Rivieres Michel Latour Monkland Dimitri Narlis Avenue Joseph Supino Versailles
Joseph Pitacciato Rene Robitaille Georges Valee Mariette Morin Sylvain Leblanc Lloyd Meldrum Kosta Kouzounas Parisien Alain Perrault Laval
Dorval
Empire
Pat Saunders from the Capitol Theatre, Woodstock, N.B. moves to the Plaza Cinemas, Fredericton. Robert Fudge from the Plaza, moves to the new Topsail Cinemas in St. Johns, Nfld. Noreen Saunders, formerly assistant of the Capitol Theatre in Woodstock, takes over as manager.
Danny Sargent has been ap-
pointed acting manager of the Plaza Theatre, St. John, N.B. David
Gormley has been appointed acting
manager of the Cove Theatre, Halifax, N.S.
The following have been ap- pointed managers of our drive-ins... Frank Zalot, Lougheed D.I., Van- couver Wilf Keelan, Chilliwack Drive-in, Chilliwack, B.C.
Allan Potts, Valley Drive-in, Port Alberni, B.C.
Janice Taylor, Sunset Drive-in, Calgary
Audrey Kapach, Golden West D.I., Edmonton
Place Ville Marie
Greenfield Park Carrefour Estrie
Westmount Square
Galeries, Granby
To
Westmount Square Versailles
Place Ville Marie Imperial
Avenue Carrefour Estrie Chateau Claremont Dorval
Fairview Greenfield Park Laval
LaCite
Les Rivieres Monkland Palace
Parisien
Rolphe Reinhardt, Parkland D.lI., Edmonton
Beth Vance, Golden West D.I., Moose Jaw, Sask.
Chris Holden, Starlite D.I., Regina Ron New, Queen City D.I., Regina Natalie Tomkewick, Sutherland Park, Saskatoon
John Pungente, Green Acres D.I., Brandon, Manitoba
Dymetro Oleynick, Starlite D.I., Winnipeg
Ralph Cole, Twin Windsor, Wind- sor, Ontario
Donald Spencer, Sunset D.I., Brantford, Ont.
June Fountain, Orillia D.I., Orillia, Ont.
Arnold Cole, Belleville D.I., Belleville, Ont.
Walter Bedore, Inter City D.I., Thunder Bay, Ont.
Essam Mokhtar, Dollard D.I., Montreal
James Morris, Sackville D.I., N.S.
Gordon Ollerton, Grandview D.I., Amherst, N.S.
Gordon Lovelace, Midway D.lI., Sydney, N.S.
May/June, 1981 19
Evan Smith, Grand Bay D.lI., St. John, N.B.
Alan Balfour, Hi-way D.I., St. John, N.B.
Anne Belliveau, Moncton, N.B. Vance Anderson, Mountain D.I., Campbellton, N.B.
Gordon MacPherson, North River D.I., Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Skyway D.I.,
Marilyn Turgeon, former cashier and assistant of the Paramount and Capitol Theatres in Port Alberni, B.C., (owned jointly by Famous and Port Alberni Theatres Limited) became Manager of the two theatres in February, 1981.
Born in New Westminster, B.C., and raised in the Chilliwack area, Marilyn worked in the Accounts Department of a major department
Staff at the Dollard Drive-in in Montreal take part in fire safety demonstration staged by Manager Esam Mokhtar and Dollard Fire Department.
Fire Safety Day
Esam Mokhtar, energetic manager of the Cinepard Dollard Drive-in, Montreal, recently gathered his staff for a special ‘‘Fire Safety Day’’ demonstration.
He invited the Dollard des Ormeaux Fire Department and Joseph Grodin, of Guard X Com- pany, to instruct the assembly in Fire Drill.
Fire-fighting trucks were brought along to demonstrate, first-hand, the modern equipment at the fire station. The firemen demonstrated the use of fire extinguishers and how to care for them.
It was an excellent education in’
how to react in case of an emergen- cy, one that can be pursued in all our drive-ins and hardtop cinemas.
20 May/June, 1981
store in Victoria before moving to Port Alberni in 1978. As Manager, Marilyn says she finds the work, ‘‘most interesting and rewarding.”’
Windsor, Ont. managers Howard Levis and John Dwyer were recently elected officers of the Windsor Theatre Managers Association. Howard, who manages the Capitol, is the Association’s new President. John, of the Devonshire, will act as Secretary.
The March meeting of the Theatre Managers’ Association of Halifax was held in the boardroom of the Atlantic District Office. Two events were organized at that time — an April Bowling Tournament for all theatre staff and a May ban- quet for theatre managers,
assistants and guests. We will have details of both in a subsequent issue.
T. Murray Lynch, new president of the Ottawa Theatre Managers Association.
At this year’s Ottawa Theatre Managers Association meeting, Capitol Square Manager Murray Lynch was elected President of the Association.
Murray has been with Famous for 47 years. Prior to Ottawa, he was stationed at the Capitol, Windsor for five years. Before that, he spent 28 years throughout theatres in the Maritimes.
Golden Agers Party
An entertaining Sunday after- noon was spent at the Paramount Theatre in Kelowna, B.C. on Feb. 15 when Manager Bill Howe along with co-sponsors CKIQ Radio and Peoples Food Market presented the film Hearts of the West to some 650 senior citizens at a Happy Golden Agers Party.
Prior to the showing, per- sonalities from CKIQ provided the entertainment while many patrons were presented with food hampers. Coffee and cookies were provided to all in attendance before and after the film.
The Golden Agers party is an an- nual event for Bill, his wife Dorothy and staff of the Paramount who donate their time and effort in honour of the long-time residents of the area. ‘‘It is our way of saying ‘thank you for your many years of patronage and we are proud we can still be of service to you’,’’ says Bill.
Bill also adds that any member of the Famous Family who happens to be holidaying in the sunny Okanagan Valley should drop in to the Paramount or to the Orchard Park to say hello. (photos at right)
The following C.S.R. closing dates mark the first quarter of the °81-82 fiscal year and serve aS a reminder to all theatre managers to complete reports by the end of the specified periods:
Date of Report:
July 9, (2 weeks) July 23, (2 weeks) Aug. 6, (2 weeks) Aug. 20, (2 weeks) Sept. 3, (2 weeks) Sept. 24, (3 weeks)
Oldest lady, Beatrice Carroll, age 99.
Dorothy (far left) with Paramount, Kelowna staff at Golden Agers Party.
La Cage celebrates 2nd year
in Montreal
Edouard Molinaro’s production, La Cage aux Folles, distributed by United Artists, is into its third year in Montréal at Cinémas Unis’ LE PARISIEN cinéma 5. *
It opened on March 30th, 1979 and has brought roars of laughter to over 350,000 movie-goers.
This is an unprecedented run fora movie in Canada, or even North America ... the same film remaining in the same theatre for over 2 years ... IT’S FANTASTIC!
Three managers were responsible for handling record attendance dur- ing the two year run of La Cage aux Folles at Le Parisien.
Chris Psomiadis was there for the opening (he is now occupying the booker’s chair in the Montréal of- fice); John Xinos replaced Chris (he has since been promoted to regional director) and the current manager, Kostas Kouzounas.
Many people are returning time and time again to enjoy this outstan- ding French comedy and many are buying tickets for both versions.
It has been acclaimed in other parts of the Province. In Québec city, it played for 68 weeks; in Sher- brooke, it ran for 16 weeks at our Cinéma in Carrefour de |’estri, and 6 weeks at the Cinéma in Galeries de Granby. All represent record engagements.
* On July 3, La Cage will also celebrate a two-year run at Toronto’s Uptown Theatre.
May/June, 1981 21
showmen
if} at
by Don Watts
Since the publication of our first ‘‘“Showmen in Action”’ column in our last issue, we have received an ever-increasing flow of promotional campaigns and here are a number that have earned SHOWMANSHIP Citations for
some fine selling efforts...
The Devil Made Her Do It!
Ruth Manning of the Market Mall Cinemas, Calgary, ‘‘breaks the ice’? in our Showmen Column with the ‘‘dual’’ devil promo she devised to generate interest in her engage- ment of The Devil and Max Devlin.
She had two young devils, clad in red satin with long black capes, cir- culate through the busy Market Mall Shopping Centre at peak hours distributing horned headbands to the youngsters. From the photos she sent us, this was a big hit and stirred up plenty of excitement for the pic- ture. This went over so well, in fact, that the local movie reviewer made mention of the number of red head- bands and Devil’s horns worn by youngsters in the audience. Not only did Ruth’s selling efforts succeed in getting the people out to see the movie, but when they came, she
Andrea Vallevand on the left, a management trainee and Kiren Singh, candy bar attendant at the Market Mall, Calgary in costume as two young devils for Disney ‘‘Devlin’’ pro- motion.
22 May/June, 1981
made the most of it by scheduling matinee performances in additional auditoriums and running extra Saturday night late shows at 10:30 for three consecutive weekends to maximize her grosses. The result — 2,200 Saturday night patrons in 263 seats over the three weeks! It may have taken the Devil to make her do it, but we congratulate Ruth for her enterprise in ‘‘striking while the iron was hot’’!
Staff Becomes Devil’s Brigade in Winnipeg
The entire staff of the Garden City Cinemas, Winnipeg, pitched in, (some of them literally with Devil’s pitchforks) to help manager Ashley Vincent sell The Devil and Max Devlin. A huge ‘“‘satanic’’ mural was painted on the theatre en- trance doors in advance of opening and a floor-length curtain was hung in the entranceway to the auditorium. Patrons passed through this black-draped entrance to reach the ‘‘Devil’s Den’’. Each staff member made up his own costume consisting of red tee shirt, black slacks and the red ‘‘horned’’ head- bands supplied by Disney.
A head devil’s costume was created out of red long johns and a flowing black cape. Long black fingernails, mustache and goatee, (purchased from local joke shop) completed the attire. Then, armed with a long black pitchfork and bundles of red suckers, (donated by Loblaws) to pass out to the children, Satan set out to round up customers in the mall and to work the line-ups in front of the theatre ... and, needless to say, there were line-ups! An on-air promotion with radio sta- tion CJOB was also set up offering the horned headbands as giveaway prizes.
Ashley credits the team effort of assistant Wayne Johnson and staff for helping to generate the at- mosphere of fun and excitement which contributed a great deal to the success of the engagement and we too give a sincere showman’s salute to his ‘‘Devil’s Brigade’’!
Bernie Gutnick, door attendant at the Garden City, Winnipeg, in head devil costume of red long johns, cape and horned ‘‘Devlin’’ head- band.
A Devilishly Fine Effort from Brenda Chandler
Brenda Chandler of the Cinema, Hamilton, also credits her staff for lending their full support to her pro- motional efforts on The Devil and Max Devlin. One of her ushers, John Woods, was sent out in Devil costume, aided and abetted by fellow staff members Donna Rolfe, Jeff St. Pierre and Ross Chandler to solicit the public to sign their souls away for a chance to win theatre passes. They covered various shop- ping malls and downtown areas and, judging by the number of signatures secured, they generated a lot of good-humoured promotion for the film.
A colouring contest set up with Mother’s Pizza Parlour offered en- try forms to juvenile diners while one-sheets were displayed in the lob- by of the restaurant.
TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE DEVILISH BREW"
“DEVIL 'Sy
Easel sign made of ad proof cut-out Brenda used to promote devil’s drink for The Devil and
Max Devlin.
At the theatre level, the entire staff was outfitted in black tights and devil-horn headbands while matron Susan Thompson was at- tired in contrasting white, with sparkling wings and ‘‘halo’’ to act as guardian angel during the matinees. The box office and con- fection bar were decorated in fiery decor with multi-colored crepe paper ‘‘flames’’ bordering each area.
Brenda devised a cute merchan- dising stunt to promote the sale of large buckets of popcorn and large
drinks. She made up a number of at- tractive signs promoting ‘‘Lucifer’s Lunch’’ (83 oz. buttered corn and 18 oz. drink) for those with a ‘*heavenly’’ appetite and a ‘‘Devil’s Brew’’, which she concocted for those who wanted to ‘‘try something a little devilish’’. These easel signs featured ad proof cut-outs of Bill Cosby and Elliott Gould to grab ex- tra attention.
As Brenda sums it up, her entire staff’s spirits were lifted by a ‘‘damned’’ good promotion!
Brenda Chandler (2nd from right) and Cinema, Hamilton crew in a ‘‘damned”’ good Devlin
promotion.
Lou Termeer Goes Ape at Met, Winnipeg
For his engagement of Going Ape at the Metropolitan Theatre, Win- nipeg, Lou Termeer got maximum mileage out of the tee shirts and lapel buttons supplied by the distributor by having his floor staff wear the buttons prior to and during the run and outfitting his cashiers and candy girls in ‘‘I’m Going Ape’’ tee shirts. He spread the slogan far and wide by having a life-size ape (Mr. G. Orilla) distribute the but- tons throughout the downtown area and suburban shopping malls while toting a sandwich board promoting Going Ape at the Met.
to promote ‘‘Going Ape’’ at the Met.
Mary’s Ape Makes Matinee Merriment
Manageress Mary Ellen Brown of the Centre, Chatham, Ontario, out- fitted usher Matt McNeil in kooky gorilla costume to round up customers for her Saturday and Sunday matinee showings of Going Ape. The talented anthropoid cavorted on the downtown streets, directing traffic and attracting an enthusiastic following of juveniles to the matinee performances. The kids loved it and a lot of Chathamites were made aware of the Centre’s attraction.
May/June, 1981 23
Usher Matt McNeil as a ‘‘Going Ape”’ gorilla relaxes atop canopy of the Centre Theatre in
Chatham.
Bucking Bronco Nets Bucks for Urban Cowboy
Through a bit of luck in timing, Manager Dale Ripplinger of the Broadway, Regina was able to tie in the opening of Urban Cowboy with the opening of the Canadian Western Agribition, one of the largest agricultural shows in North America. This event attracts ran- chers, cattlemen and cowboys from a wide surrounding area and Dale took full advantage of this fact by setting up a display on Urban Cowboy at the Bucking Bull com- petition, which was part of the rodeo portion of the fair, and awar- ding passes to successful riders. The capacity crowds heard plenty of PA announcements and saw the dis- plays promoting Urban Cowboy.
Dale also made an effective tie-up with a local western wear firm, The Trading Post, who put up a $150 gift certificate toward the purchase of a complete western outfit as the grand prize in a radio promotion on CKCK Radio. Listeners were asked to identify western tunes from the Urban Cowboy track to win free passes and a chance at the grand prize gift certificate. This three-way
24 May/June, 1981
tie-in netted some good on-air plugs for the movie and participating stores. Urban Cowboy western wear displays were also featured in both local outlets of The Trading Post.
A second tie-in was made with Regina’s newest and _ extremely popular nightclub, Sheila Ann’s Country Palace. In addition to displaying a poster on the film, the club featured an audience participa- tion western song contest with passes as prizes to the winning par- ticipants. Kelly’s Stereo Mart also displayed the Urban Cowboy poster to promote sales of the soundtrack album.
The bucks that were netted resulted in the best box office week from November through February, with the exception of Christmas week.
Urban Cowboy Week Set in Sudbury
Having successfully tied in with the Coulson Hotel’s mechanical bull, “EE Toro’. to: sell “his Christmas attraction Any Which Way You Can, Bob Davidson of the Capitol, Sudbury, and the Coulson’s manager decided to col-
laborate on an all-out promotion for a playback of Urban Cowboy, the movie that had started the mechanical bull craze. Since there was no advertising support from the distributor, the hotel management agreed to back the campaign to the hilt by promoting ‘‘Urban Cowboy Week’’ in Sudbury to coincide with the playdate.
To get the ball (or was it ‘“bull’’?) rolling, the hotel made up 2,000 sheriff badge lapel pins reading, ‘“‘<Coulson/Urban Cowboy’’ for ad- vance distribution to hotel and theatre patrons and the staff members of both. The hotel also ran 600-line newspaper ads in both the daily and weekly newspapers and a $600 radio campaign, all with pro- minent movie mention, to launch the Urban Cowboy Week. The hotel also supplied the Capitol with com- plimentary coupons for free rides on ‘El Toro”’ for distribution to movie patrons. Gift certificates were pur- chased from the theatre to be awarded as prizes for successful riders of the mechanical bull.
A local western wear store, “‘Cowboys’’, got into the act by providing stetsons to the theatre staff and discount coupons to Capitol patrons. Needless to say, the radio station kicked in with a goodly number of promo spots with movie pass giveaways, to add addi- tional weight to the promotion.
Since submitting this campaign, Bob has been appointed manager of the new Supermall triple Cinema in Sudbury and I know we can expect more SUPER campaigns from Bob in his new position!
Caveman Capers Create Customer Chuckles in Chatham
Audrey McKenzie and her assis- tant, Phyllis Bechard of the Capitol, Chatham, Ontario decided to have a little fun with the opening of their Easter attraction, Caveman and the whole staff joined in to entertain the holiday crowds.
Candy girls, (Susan Herman, Gail Everingham, Marianne Randle), and cashier, (Joann Everingham) were transformed into sexy-looking cavegals sporting leopard skin sarongs and plastic bones in their hair, while the doorman was rigged out in an off-the-shoulder bearskin, sandals, and toting a heavy club in
Candy girls (left to right) Susan Herman, Gail Everingham and Marianne Randle pose in sexy leopard skin sarongs they donned for Caveman promotion at the Capitol, Chatham.
real ‘‘Alley Oop’’ style! Two dif- ferent doormen, Bill Blachford and Chuck Lindsay, ‘‘performed’’ for the patrons on alternate days over the holiday weekend and both elicited their share of good humoured gibes from patrons, such as: ‘‘Get yourself a new pair of legs’’, ‘‘Love your suit’’, ‘‘Club my wife for me, please’’, etc. One door- man even decided to wear his bow tie with his bearskin to be a gentleman caveman! The holiday crowds who came to see Caveman were definitely in the mood for com- edy and thoroughly enjoyed the ex- tra entertainment provided by the Capitol’s staff. Needless to say, the staff enjoyed their showbiz debut as performers.
Ottawa Round Table Produces Excalibur Promo
Manager Gary Martin of the Nelson Theatre, Ottawa, came up with a nice promotion on Excalibur as the result of a round table discus- sion with his staff. Their enthusiasm and ideas contributed greatly to the creation of the excellent advance displays used to herald the opening.
Two weeks prior to playdate, Nelson staffers Ian Cooper, Betty Jean Gibson, Tom Sheahan, Joanne Groulx and Kim Sloan set out to transform the Nelson lobby into a
medieval setting in keeping with the theme of Excalibur. Using a realistic, stone-imprinted display paper, the concession stand was converted into ‘‘King Arthur’s Cas- tle’? complete with battlements towering above the popcorn machine. Large, colourful coats of arms were created to bedeck the lob- by walls and even the washrooms carried signs in olde English letter- ing reading ‘‘Knights’’ and ‘‘Damsels’’.
A King Arthur game was pro- moted from a local book and game store, Fandom II, as the prize for an in-theatre sword and sorcery contest in which patrons participated. Fan- dom II also displayed Excalibur posters with theatre and playdate credits throughout the run. Radio station CHEZ 106 ran a special pro- gram in advance of opening on sword and sorcery films.
A ‘Knights on the Town’’ contest was run by radio station CFGO with double passes as prizes and a grand prize of a dinner for two at The Marble Works restaurant plus tickets to the movie. Gary reports that his staff got a great kick out of their creative efforts and felt con- siderable personal satisfaction when Excalibur opened to great box office business.
Bob Rea Promotes Deadly Sin and Middle Age Crazy
Bob Rea of the Lincoln Mall Cinemas, St. Catharines, set up a couple of radio contests with CHSC to effectively promote recent attrac- tions. For The First Deadly Sin, a Frank Sinatra — Faye Dunaway Trivia Contest was arranged with the station whereby listeners would phone in answers to a series of ques- tions pertaining to the two stars to win copies of the paperback novel and tickets to see the film. The con- test resulted in a total of ninety on- air mentions of the movie in the five days immediately prior to opening. Bob also arranged an attractive win- dow display in the Epic Bookstore in the Lincoln Mall using one-sheet poster and coloured stills, plus a one-sheet display in a Loblaws win- dow tieing in with the Loblaw (On- tario) Movie Voucher promo. Radio station CHSC also cooperated with Bob in promoting Middle Age Crazy.
The promotion kicked off with on-air announcements warning that a new disease called Middle Age Crazy was sweeping the country. A sympton of the disease, such as sit- ting in a jacuzzi with all your clothes on, accompanied each announce- ment, (these were taken from the one sheet on Middle Age Crazy) and listeners were asked to phone in their own symptoms. They came up with some dandies and the most humorous and original ones were awarded a dinner for two at Eddie’s Place, a restaurant in the Lincoln Mall and passes to the movie. In all, twenty sets of prizes were given away and a total of sixty free plugs for the movie resulted, which un- doubtedly contributed to the sell- out business on opening day.
Mississauga Merlin Makes Magic for Ecalibur
Ed Bruce, House Manager of Mississauga’s Square One Cinemas, has studied the mysteries of magic for years and has earned quite a reputation for his skills as an illu- sionist. To publicize the forthcom- ing opening of Excalibur at Square One, Ed hauled out his trunk of tricks to mystify the editor of the Mississauga News and wind up smack dab on the front page of the Entertainment section with a 5-column publicity photo.
May/June, 1981 25
Hocus-Pocus! Dressed as Merlin the Magician, Square One Cinemas’ House Manager, Ed Bruce, sweeps confection attendant, Kathy Sekuledes off her feet using his own magical swords. The stunt got newspaper publicity for the opening of Excalibur at Square One.
Photo by Fred Loek, Mississauga News
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After a couple of practice runs, Ed notified Manager Jack Boddam that he was ready for the press and Jack made the phone call to the Editor of the local paper. When the reporter/photographer arrived at the theatre, Ed, dressed as Merlin the Magician, drew out his two silver swords and processed to sus- pend confection attendant Kathy Sekuledes in mid-air on the point of one of the blades. While witnesses stood by in sheer amazement, the photographer captured the stunt on film and Ed had achieved a great publicity break for the movie. We’re still trying to get him to tell us how he did it!
‘*‘Secretaries’ Luncheon Special’’ for 9 to 5 Crowd
To promote Nine to Five at the Paramount, Moncton, Manageress Genny LeBlanc worked out an ar- rangement with Len’s Restaurant to feature a_ secretaries’ luncheon special daily throughout the opening week of the run. The Restaurant placed a daily newspaper ad to advertise the special and diners qualified for a free draw for movie passes by signing their names on the
26 May/June, 1981
back of guest checks. A grand win- ner at the end of the week won a $25 Nail Care Kit which Genny pro- moted from Andreas Nail Care Pro- ducts. A number of kits were also given away in an on-air promotion with CFOM Radio. The Restaurant featured a Nine to Five poster along with a sign on the Secretaries Special and ballot box for the lucky draws. Genny garnered a goodly number of free plugs from a second radio sta- tion by inviting a couple of its key deejays to see the movie.
Always on the alert for oppor- tunities to promote her theatre in the community, Genny took advan- tage of the Spring Fling Days, set up for Seniors by the Moncton Central Business Development Corp. (MCBDC) on April 24 and 25, to stage a Senior Citizens Party tieing in with the event. For this Seniors showing, Genny booked Magnifi- cent Obsession along with a special film short on Moncton’s World Amateur Hockey Champs of 1933 as a nostalgic touch for the old timers. A highlight of the show was an Easter Bonnet Contest and the donuts and coffee which Genny had donated. The MCBDC also provid- ed trays of sandwiches and the Mayor arranged for free bus
transportation to and from the three Senior Citizens homes in the city. The Seniors were most ap- preciative of the reduced admission price and all the goodies they receiv- ed at their Spring Fling matinee — a nice bit of P.R. for the Paramount and certainly an auspicious start for the regular series of seniors shows Genny is now contemplating!
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Golden Age Matinee Coincides With Student Show
Ruth Manning of the Market Mall, Calgary also seized upon an appropriate opportunity to run a special matinee for Seniors in her theatre. Since she had already scheduled a special matinee for stu- dent groups in one auditorium, she decided to book a Seniors’ show in the other auditorium on the same afternoon and thereby maximize the services of her staff.
She obtained the feature, The Sundowners for the occasion, had a number of posters made up for all senior citizens lodges and activity centres in Calgary and contacted radio station CFAC to publicize the matinee on their ‘‘Old Timers’’ show via a pass giveaway to a dozen listeners. As a special treat, two of her staff, Kiren and Sheila Singh, who are members of the Calgary Youth Orchestra, performed before the show.
While Ruth reports the turnout as only fair, the seniors who did attend thoroughly enjoyed themselves and Ruth has opened the door to a possi- ble future series of Golden Age Matinees in her community.
All-Nite Shows Still Selling Seats in Timmins
We never cease to be amazed by the fantastic box office and confec- tion receipts racked up by the Vic- tory Theatre, Timmins through the efforts of ‘‘Master Midnighter’’ David Dymond. His two most re- cent all-niters were sell-outs (as usual) and there is no doubt that he has created the formula for success! For Easter Sunday midnight, April 19, David booked a quality all ac- tion, four feature show consisting of: The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, Gator and The Final Countdown. He followed this on the Victoria Day weekend, May 17,
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with a martial arts — horror com- bination of: Kill or Be Killed, Fury of The Dragon, Love at First Bite and The Amityville Horror to the same SRO business. David books them with care, ballyhoos them with flash fronts, colorful flyers and a massive saturation of FREE televi- sion promos in return for fifty single service charge passes which he sup- plies to the local TV stations! This is the unique formula for success which David wrote about in our first edition of FAMOUS NEWS and one which he continues to exploit to the fullest! Another tip of our hat to our ‘‘Showman of the North’’!
Sudbury Showmen Stage Bigger & Better Academy Awards Contest
Having been forced to cancel plans for an Academy Awards con- test last year due to a newspaper strike at the ‘‘Sudbury Star’’, George Clarke of the City Centre Cinemas got the ball rolling early last fall with Air Canada and The Star to participate in an Oscar Sweepstakes this year.
Through the collective efforts of Bob Davidson of the Supermall Cinemas, John Rowat of the Em- pire Theatres and Richard Jones, local manager of the Odeon Twin, they were successful in staging their biggest Academy Awards Contest to
FAMOUS PLAYERS THEATRES
Sudbury Academy Awards Contest organizers pose with winner!
See
From left to right, Richard
Jones, Manager, Odeon Twin Cinemas, Faye Wex, Air Canada, George Clarke, Manager, City Centre Cinemas, Jennie Thompson, Grand Prize winner, and Bob Davidson, Manager,
new Supermall Cinemas.
Sudbury Star Photo
date. The Star backed the contest with six full pages of co-op ads over four weeks. The grand prize was an Air Canada flight for two to Hollywood with tours of Universal Studios and Disneyland. Consola- tion prizes of dinners for two and theatre passes were awarded to
many entrants.
While academy awards contests have become very successful annual events right across the country, we congratulate our Sudbury managers for their perseverance in Overcom- ing local setbacks to re-establish an even better-than-ever contest!
By the time this third edition of FAMOUS NEWS reaches you, the first wave of our summer block- busters will have opened in most of our theatres.
Such super attractions as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Dragonslayer from Paramount; Clash of the Titans and For Your Eyes Only from United Artists; Outland and Superman II from Warner Brothers; History of the World, Part I and Cannonball Run from Fox, should get our summer season away to a tremendous start — and there are more BIG ONES to come! (see PRODUCT PICTURE, next page).
All of us who have seen advance screenings or product reels are ex- tremely excited about the calibre of the pictures that will be playing on our screens this summer. Our Direc- tor of Programming, Jack Berns-
tein, predicts that Raiders of the Lost Ark will prove to be one of the summer’s biggest hits and that, ‘‘it will still be playing in Toronto this Christmas!”’
As an indication of his faith in this picture, he successfully secured for Famous Players, 10 of the 25 70mm/Dolby prints available for world-wide distribution. For the first time ever, 70 mm prints of one film (Raiders) will open simultaneously in four theatres in Toronto.
If Jack’s prediction on Raiders holds as true as his prediction at last year’s Conference ’80 that Ordinary People would be last year’s big hit and capture top honours at the Academy awards, then we can truly look forward to a Super Summer 81!
May/June, 1981 27
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1
In this column, we bring you infor- mation on current and upcoming products. Release dates given are for Toronto.
S.O.B. July 1, Paramount
An irreverent, zany send-up of the Hollywood film colony, S.O.B. paints a portrait of movie people that is somewhat less than flattering but always accurate and hilarious.
The film stars William Holden as Felix, a well-known producer whose movie bombs at the box office, and exposes a Hollywood where in- fighting, backbiting and hiring your imcompetent son-in-law are stan- dard operational bullshit (S.O.B.) ; a Hollywood peopled with petty agents, egomaniacal actors, pill- pushing doctors, venomous colum- nists and ineffectual studio vice- presidents.
From Blake Edwards, the pro- ducer of 10 and The Pink Panther, S.O.B. co-stars Julie Andrews and features Richard Mulligan, Stuart Margolin, Larry Hagman, Robert Vaughan, Marisa Berenson, Robert Webber, Shelly Winters, Robert Preston and Loretta Swit.
A young fox and a hound dog pup strike up an instant friendship in Disney’s 20th animated feature, The Fox and the Hound.
28 May/June, 1981
The Fox and the Hound July 10, (Disney), Paramount
A Walt Disney fully-animated film, The Fox and the Hound tells the story of a baby fox named Tod, (Mickey Rooney) and a hound pup Copper, (Kurt Russell) and their un- natural friendship.
The movie features the voices of Pearl Bailey as Big Mama Owl, Jeanette Nolan as Widow Tweed, Jack Albertson as hunter Amos Slade and Pat Buttram as the dog Chief.
Directed by Art Stevens, Ted Ber- man and Richard Rich.
Arthur, July 17, Warner Bros.
Arthur is a zany, contemporary love story starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minelli.
Moore as Arthur is heir to a $750 million fortune and spends his days as if every one were New Year’s Eve. His family, however, thinks it is high time he settle down and raise a family and orders him to marry a blonde debutante of his class or lose his inheritance. Arthur, instead, falls in love with would-be thief Minelli and before all live happily ever after, Arthur takes us through hilarous twists and turns to the boy- trying-to-get-the-right-girl plot.
Directed by Steve Gordon, Ar- thur co-stars John Gielgud and Geraldine Fitzgerald.
Gas, July 24, Paramount
It could happen in any city, at any time. All it takes is a greedy megalomaniac oil baron who decides to create an artificial gas shortage — and clean up!
The result? Pure pandemonium, a million laughs, and some of the wildest stunts ever conceived ... asa collection of ‘‘zanies’’ inhabit endless lines to fill their tanks, and, whenever possible, line their pockets.
Wheeling and dealing, hustling and bustling, they’ll try anything to reach that precious pot of black gold at the end of the rainbow.
Directed by Les Rose, the action- packed, Canadian-made comedy stars Susan Anspach as a slightly befuddled local news _ reporter,
Howie Mandel as a young hustler, Sterling Hayden as the oil baron, Helen Shaver as the sexy Rhonda and Donald Sutherland as ‘‘Nick the Noz’’, an airborne disc jockey.
Eye of the Needle, July 24, United Artists
Based upon the best seller of the same name, Eye of the Needle is a suspense thriller and powerful love story starring Donald Sutherland as ‘“‘The Needle’? — code name for a top German agent with Hitler’s forces. The movie tells the story of the Needle’s encounter with Lucy (Kate Nelligan) on Storm Island prior to the Invasion of Normandy.
Directed by Richard Marquand.
Tarzan the Ape Man, July 24, (MGM), United Artists
Starring Bo Derek as Jane, this is the newest version of MGM’s 1932 | classic motion picture. Also starring Richard Harris and John Phillip Law.
Directed and produced by John Derek.
Blow Out, July 24, Ambassador
One evening, while recording sound effects on a country road for a film, Jon (John Travolta) hears a shot ring out from behind him and sees a speeding car plunge into a nearby river. He turns quickly and sees a puff of smoke coming from the weapon. Below him the car is sinking in the turbulent river.
That night, Jon sees the entire story on a TV newsreel, the photo- grapher explaining that he just hap- pened to be there testing out a new lens. When he sees the photographs printed frame for frame in a news magazine, without the puff of smoke, he pieces them together and re-photographs them with a movie camera. He synchronizes them with his sound track, placing blank film where the smoke puff should have been. He knows now that it has been edited out of the film. This discovery unwittingly involves him in a murder plot.
The movie is directed by Brian De Palma of Dressed to Kill fame.
Zorro and the Gay Blade, July 24, Fox
In a wild adventure comedy with the same zany spirit of his Dracula spoof, Love at First Bite, George Hamilton again dons a black cape, but this time to play Zorro. The truth about the legendary masked swordsman of old California has never been told — until now. When Zorro injures his foot, his identical twin brother is forced to step in as a replacement to maintain the legend. Zorro’s brother manages the decep- tion, even though his tastes are a bit more flamboyant. He goes in for colorful clothes and especially en- joys fighting with a bullwhip.
Directed by Peter Medak, the film also stars Lauren Hutton, Brenda Vaccaro and Ron Leibman.
Looker, July 31, Warner Bros.
A thriller set against the world of television commercials and_tech- nology, Looker deals with the use of computers to duplicate live models for commercials.
Albert Finney stars as a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon suspected of murdering three beautiful models following cosmetic surgery for television commercials. Susan Dey plays another patient, also marked for murder.
Also starring are James Coburn as a power-hungry business tycoon and Leigh Taylor-Young as _ his associate.
Directed by Michael Crichton.
Condorman, August 7, (Disney) Paramount
Woody Wilkins authors the Con- dorman comic books and authen- ticates his work by testing Condor- man’s heroics in real life.
Woody shares an apartment with pal Harry Oslo - a functionary at the CIA’s Paris office. In an effort to help Harry out with a diplomatic mission, Woody, frail of body but endowed with a mighty imagina- tion, overdoes the espionage routine resulting in a chain of events which leads the cartoonist and his friend across Europe on Condorman’s greatest real caper.
Michael Crawford stars as Woody with James Hampton as Harry and Barbara Carrera as a beautiful Russian agent. Directed by Charles Jarrott.
Victory, July 31, Paramount
A World War II adventure in the tradition of The Great Escape, in Victory, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and 18 of the world’s most famous soccer players, make up a
ragtag Allied prisoners team that gets the opportunity to play the German national team, with no hope of winning — but with a slim possibility of escaping.
Victory is a story of human spirit prevailing against almost impossible odds in a game that is not merely a game. Also starring Max Von Sydow, the movie was directed by veteran John Huston.
Chu Chu and The Philly Flash August 7, Fox
Alan Arkin, as a has been ball player, and Carol Burnett, playing a dance teacher down to her last pupil, are the star-crossed lovers ina touching and hilarious romantic comedy of two _ smaller-than-life people and their struggle to fulfill their rather modest dreams: Arkin wants to become a minor league em- pire; Carol wants to pay next month’s rent. Jack Warden co-stars in the Melvin Simon Production directed by David Lowell Rich.
Prince of The City, August 15, Warner Bros.
Detective Danny Ciello is the head of a Special Investigation Unit in the Narcotics Division of the New York P.D. The movie is a compell- ing story of the N.Y.P.D. detective, portrayed by new star Treat Williams, who goes undercover for a crime commission only to find himself caught between the law and his attempt to protect the men with whom he has worked. Based on Robert Daly’s account of corrup- tion within the police department’s narcotics division, Prince traces the rise and fall of Danny, who turns State’s evidence and becomes an un- witting pawn in a political struggle between the power brokers of New York City and Washington.
Directed by Sidney Lumet, the movie co-stars Lindsay Crouse, Jerry Orbach, Ritchie Foronjy, Don Billett and Kenny Marino. r
May/June, 1981 29
FAMOUS NEWS wants to hear about all company-related sports ac- tivity. Send in your scores, stories and snaps so that all will be up-to- date on athletics at Famous.
Famous Runners
Ray Mercurio, (Famous Vice- president and Treasurer) used to subscribe to Einstein’s theory of ex- ercise: ‘‘Whenever I feel the urge to exercise, I lie down until it goes away,’’ — but now, along with Cliff Narbey, Famous’ dynamic Director of Finance, he has found health, happiness and aching achilles ten- dons through the sport of running.
These stalwart fellows, together with Cliff’s wife Margaret and some of their friends, competed in the Brooks Spring Run-Off held in Toronto’s High Park on April 25 — a five-mile race attracting over 1000 entrants. Cheering on this maniacal group was their coach, medical ad- visor and cheerleader — Joan Mc- Culloch, (Ray’s secretary).
The blustery winds and cold tem- peratures (near 0°C) deterred all but the sinewy Cliff Narbey from taking Joan’s advice and running in shorts. The rest of the group had some comments to make about the mental stability of their somewhat sadistic coach. ‘‘You’re crazy!’’, they chorused to Joan, ‘‘we don’t care what the book says, we’re wearing our sweats, perhaps even hats.’’
Despite all of the difficulties, this group hung tough and all finished the race in better times than last year. This year’s winner was Paul Craig, a world-class runner. The group celebrated at one of those after-the-race get-togethers that we hear are the best part of foot racing.
There must be plenty of closet runners out there who are just ‘‘dy- ing’’ to join this dedicated group of masochists. If you don’t want te race, perhaps cheering on these har- dy souls is more your style. If you would like to be a part of this fun and excitement, contact Cliff Narbey or Joan McCulloch at Head Office. See you at the next race.
30 May/June, 1981
Margaret Narbey finishing five-mile run.
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Famous Treasurer and V.P. Ray Mercurio braving blustery winds and cold temperatures for
the love of sport.
I ————
Staff at the Paramount Theatre, Moncton believe that fitness breaks help with their work. ‘‘A healthy staff is a happy staff,’’ writes manager Genny LeBlanc. In the picture left, from left to
right, we have ‘‘joggers’’ Leona MacArthur, 18-year veteran of Famous who is a maintenance worker; Maurice Landry, Assis- tant Manager; and Manager Gen- ny LeBlanc.
Cliff and Ray’s running mates. From left to right: Ed Stumborg, Walter Murray, Cliff Narbey, Margaret Narbey, Ray Mercurio and Noél Stumborg.
Joan McCulloch — team’s coach, medical advisor and cheerleader.
Baseball
Laying low in cold storage for the duration of the winter, the Famous Players Head Office Baseball League re-activated on May 20.
Organizing this year’s league are Dave Bambrough of Accounting and Ed Lew of the Print Shop.
Over 30 Famous ‘‘players’’ take part in games every Wednesday evening at West Park Secondary School in Toronto’s west end.
...and from Winnipeg, we hear that six baseball teams have been fielded for inter-theatre rivalry. They are — The Capitol Wizards, The Colony Screwballs, The Garden City Mean Machine, The Metropolitan Mashers, The Northstars and Stripes, and The Polo Park Pigeon Pluckers.
All games are played Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Sinclair Park Community Centre. Photos of the teams will be shown in subse- quent issues of FAMOUS NEWS.
Bonspiel
The 29th Annual Bonspiel of the Manitoba/ Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Picture Pioneers was held at the Granite Curling Club, Winnipeg on March 3.
Thirty-two curlers from various sectors of the film industry par- ticipated in the competition follow- ed by a luncheon. Approximately 30 prizes were distributed at this time; the three top trophies and winners are shown below.
Winners of the Henry A. Morton Trophy from left to right: Wayne Johnson, Assistant Manager, Garden City Cinemas, Winnipeg; Chris Senkiw, usherette, Garden City; Rose Szczepanik, cashier, Garden City; and Rick Gensiorek (Skip), projectionist, Garden City.
i
Winners of the J. Miles Trophy from left to right: Derek Bartlett, Manager, Northstar Cinema, Winnipeg; Eunice Marsh, Ellen Punton and Rob Punton (Skip) all of Astral Films, Winnipeg.
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Winners of the Famous Players Trophy from left to right: Ashley Vincent, Manager, Garden City; Danny Kramer, son of recent Famous retiree Mark Kramer; Jim Brega (Skip), Manager, Capitol, Winnipeg; and Aimé Deleau, an independent from Portage La Prairie.
May/June, 1981 31
Dan Thistle holds up Oscar-like award.
Famous Usher Wins Ist prize in Oscar contest
Nineteen-year-old Dan Thistle, a part-time usher at the Capitol Theatre in Brantford, Ontario, won a first prize of $300 in a newspaper- sponsored Academy Awards con- test.
Dan, who did not get a chance to see all the nominated movies, con- ferred with brothers David and John before making a final choice.
Dan’s was the only entry out of 900 received to correctly choose each category’s winner. The contest was sponsored by the Brantford Ex- positor.
32 May/June, 1981
Ending Bachelorhood
Brent Calvert, our Advertising Manager in Vancouver, announces he is ‘‘ending bachelorhood’’. Brent and fiancée Tami, will be tieing the knot in August of ’82. Due to the length of the engagement, Brent says he has avoided ‘‘cold feet’’ ... but we have news for you Brent, the ‘‘cold feet’? syndrome usually strikes just before the wedding, so shop for a pair of warm shoes for next summer!
Rick Nordal, 19, has joined the Advertising department at Van- couver head office. Rick attended art school in Nelson, B.C. and worked at the Quesnel Cariboo Observer newspaper as a commer- cial artist before joining Famous.
A former foster child, Rick is new to the big city but finds his work at Famous rewarding and will certainly prove an asset to Brent Calvert as his advertising assistant.
Bill Blachford - puzzling attack.
Theatre Usher Stabbed!
Bill Blachford, 21, a four-year employee of Famous, was attacked on March 16 while crossing the street from the Capitol to Centre Theatre in Chatham, Ont.
Two men, apparently trying to pick a fight, left Bill in critical con- dition with a stab wound to his
heart. Bill managed to make his way into the Centre Theatre where employees called for an ambulance.
After surviving emergency surgery by three doctors, Bill made a successful recovery. He spent 10 days in hospital and is now back at work at the Capitol Theatre.
Police are treating the incident, which remains a puzzle, as attemp- ted murder. Robbery has been ruled out and there is no proof that the at- tack had been provoked. Bill did not know his attackers.
Capitol Theatre Manager Audrey McKenzie writes that, ‘‘he is so lucky to be alive — we’re glad to have him back.”’
Bill, an usher, has also worked at the Centre in Chatham and at the Capitol 6 in Vancouver.
Larry Rovinelli, doorman at the City Centre Cinemas in Sudbury, Ont., and Fun Villa attendant Mike Clements, thwarted an April 9 rob- bery by two masked men.
Larry was escorting Mike to the mall’s bank night depository when the two were jumped by two youths wearing masks.
Although the money bag was snatched from them, Larry and Mike gave chase joined by mall security and later helped by regional police.
The robber holding the bag was caught halfway around the building.
Manager George Clarke writes: ‘‘although our policy is not to become heroes, these two people on my staff are to be commended for their actions. More than $600 was saved.”’
Armed Robbery of Petty Cash Funds
On Sunday, April 12, two men entered the North York Sheridan in Toronto and made away with the theatre’s $2,500 petty cash fund.
Relief Manager Warner Sulz, who had just deposited the day’s receipts in the Brinks safe, was surprised in his office by a young man holding what appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun.
Warner was ordered to empty the
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wall safe of its contents at which time another man appeared wearing a bellaclava. The two put the safe’s contents into a napsack along with the cashier’s, candy bar’s and manager’s float. The robbers also enquired about the Brinks safe but Warner informed them he did not have access to it. Warner was then ordered to lay down and his arms and legs were taped together with some vinyl tape found in the office. Before leaving, the pair also took Warner’s wrist watch and all his keys. Fortunately, no employee or patron was injured in the robbery.
Pablo Fernando.
New Controller for Pyramid Place
Pablo Fernando was recently in- stalled as Financial Controller for Pyramid Place in Niagara Falls. In this capacity, Pablo will be responsi- ble for the basic accounting and control systems, accounting and cash control personnel, and man- agement reporting of Pyramid Place.
Pablo joins Famous after an ex- tensive and varied career, mainly in the accounting and financial field, in the Philippines and (for the past 11 years) in Canada. He joins us after serving as Office Manager and Chief Accountant with a manufac- turing company in Niagara Falls.
Pablo is a graduate of the Univer- sity of East Manila, Philippines, ob- taining his Bachelor in Business Ad- ministration degree. He is married, with two young daughters. He is in- terested in several sports and leisure activities.
In April, Kim Burnand, Assistant Trainee, and Marianne Delaney, Assistant Manager of the Capitol Theatre, Windsor, left on a 7-day trip to Florida. For a month prior to the event, Kim talked of nothing else but the deep, dark tan she would have on arriving back home.
Well, the girls are back home now, but Kimmy didn’t quite make it to the desired color. Instead, she spent four days of her vacation flat on her back with third degree burns, a blistered face and neck, and a good-sized doctor’s bill.
Staff at the theatre write: ‘‘We all love you Kimmy, regardless of the color you turned out!”’
Head Office News
Lois Phillips with Harry Green.
Over 45 friends and co-workers gathered at a luncheon April 30 to say their goodbyes to Lois Phillips, Harry Green’s (Director of Person- nel) personnel assistant for the past four years.
Lois, who will be working in Per- sonnel at CP, said she would most of all miss the people she has come to know at Head Office and in the industry. ‘‘But I'll come _ back periodically to visit,’’ she said at a gift presentation the following day,
‘‘vou won’t get away that easily.’ Mr. Green, who made the presenta- tion, praised Lois’ dedication and enthusiasm in her job and expressed the appreciation of the Famous gang.
Liz Shropshall, who has been with Famous for over five years, most recently in the FPEAG and before that with the Finance Depart- ment, replaces Lois as Mr. Green’s assistant. Liz graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a B.A. in Psychology and worked as a counsellor in a personnel agency before joining Famous in 1976. Her primary duty will be recruiting staff for Head Office.
We would like to introduce you to new Head Office receptionist Mary Steele. Mary, who worked as a chiropractor’s assistant before join- ing Famous in February, is the per- son who greets all head office visitors — and greet them she does with a contagious smile she says, ‘takes no effort at all.’’
‘‘The atmosphere is so relaxed here at Famous compared to some of the stuffed-shirt environments I’ve been in and the people are so friendly, I can’t help but smile — it really comes naturally.”’
This August, Mary will wed her partner of five years, Al Cook. ‘“‘It’s one of those long romances,’’ she says. Being the second time around for both Mary and Al, the ceremony will be ‘‘very intimate — just me, him and the witnesses.”’
Peter Smith joins the Head Office Accounting team as a Financial Analyst... His... focus. wilt «be budgeting, planning and income statements for theatres.
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario in London, Peter completed his B.A. in 1979 and is currently enrolled in the Registered Industrial Accounting (R.I.A.) pro- gram.
Peter joins us from an accounting position with an _ internationally- known personnel agency. He is an active participant in a number of sports and enjoys reading and chess.
Ann Swartz recently joined the Head Office staff as a permanent part-time clerk after working as
May/June, 1981 33
People
Continued from page 33
Famous’ relief receptionist for over seven years.
Ann, who is now stationed three days a week in the booking depart- ment, has worked in the film in- dustry all her life. She started as a secretary in the poster department at MGM and has also worked in the 16 mm department of Bellevue Films.
In between jobs, Ann took a twelve-year absence to raise her two children — Jeff, 21, currently study- ing architecture at Carleton Univer- sity in Ottawa, and Bonnie, 19, who will enter university this fall. Ann celebrated 26 years of marriage to husband Mickey this June.
In booking, Ann will work pri- marily for Charles Klassen. She says of her new position: ‘‘The first day, with the phone ringing off the hook and everyone yelling grosses and figures, I felt like I was at a livestock market ... but it really involves you first-hand in the movie business!”’
Tom Callendar, retired Film Settlement Department Head from Toronto celebrated 50 years of mar- riage to wife Dorothy on April 25. ‘**T think it’s quite an achievement for these days,’’ said Tom, ‘‘but the greeting card companies don’t — I couldn’t find a SOth anniversary card anywhere to give my wife.”’
General Sound’s Canadian Champ!
Kathy Villeneuve of General Sound’s Montreal office felt her cat Pimirin Keisha Sam, (or Sam, for short) was so beautiful that she decided to enter him in some cat shows ... and the judges must have agreed because they made Sam a Canadian champion at only ten months old, (he recently turned two).
34 May/June, 1981
Sam for short.
Sam is a Himalayan Seal Point male and comes from very good parents. His father’s name is Ch. Toranaga Daimyo of Catay and mum is Selian’s Tiffany. (Not your everyday names like Pussy and Mor- ris).
Sam’s most recent show was in March where out of a possible 10 judges in two days, he won 10 firsts, nine best of color and six best Himalayan. His next show will be in Burlington, Vermont where Sam will be trying for an International championship.
We hear that the only thing Sam dislikes about cat shows is the obligatory bath before the show but he will concede he smells awfully nice afterwards!
Pat Cantley, cashier at the Foord Theatre in Stellarton, N.S. will wed financé Robert Holley in September of this year. The pair plans a Cape Breton honeymoon. Pat has been employed with Famous for over two years.
Debbi Capstick of our Halifax District office says she was pleasant- ly surprised to learn she had won the $50 first place award in our ‘‘Name the Restaurant’’ contest. She also writes it came in handy. ‘‘I spent ten dollars of it on a bingo night and won $100 more!’’
Alan Bell; General Manager, Maritimes region.
Alan Bell, whom we find hard at work, as always, in the photo above, recently celebrated 30 years of marriage to wife Kathleen. Con- gratulations, Alan, that certainly is a record!
Help! We Need Reporters
We know you appre- ciate FAMOUS NEWS out there in all our theatres and branch of- fices because you keep telling us so ... but let’s keep the news coming!
Inform us of all ac- tivities at the corporate, branch and theatre level — we don’t mind being told twice.
Let’s keep the com- munication lines open ... FAMOUS NEWS is only as good as you want it to be!
Write to FAMOUS NEWS at Head Office, Toronto or call the FAMOUS NEWS hotline... 964-5964.
Rose Kearns; Prince George, Ivan, Bill Howe; Kelowna, Less Stratton; West Vancouver.
Ivan Ackery shown in centre with other B.C. managers at recent 25-40 Year Club Awards gathering. From left to right: Wilf Keelan; Chilliwack,
Retired Manager
Recent Author
Ivan Ackery, retired Famous manager of the Orpheum Theatre* in Vancouver, (which he managed for some thirty-five years) recently wrote us at FAMOUS NEWS to share some memories of his early days with us.
Ivan’s memories arrived to our office in the form of a book just recently published by Hancock House in Vancouver. Fifty Years on Theatre Row documents in word and photograph, the happy years Ivan has spent in the theatre business.
Dubbed, ‘‘The World’s Greatest Showman’’ by an American film magazine and a cornerstone of the North American entertainment in- dustry, Ivan saw history being made in vaudeville, silent movies and the talkies. His outrageous and original publicity stunts brought him the highest accolades of the movie in- dustry twice winning him the prestigious Quigley Award.
Part of Ivan’s dedication at the beginning of the book reads: ‘‘To
*A Vancouver civic theatre since 1977.
Famous Players Canadian Corpora- tion and all the great and wonderful officers of that company whom I have known through the years, from Presidents N.L. Nathanson to George Destounis.’”’
Anyone interested in a copy of Ivan’s book should write to Han- cock House Publishers Ltd., 10 Orwell Street, North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 3K1. Below, we have an excerpt from Fifty Years on Theatre Row.
In that year, 1946, the year of my twenty-fifth anniversary with Famous Players, and again in 1952, it was my very great honor to be chosen as winner of the Motion Pic- ture Herald’s annual Silver Grand Award, known in the industry as the Quigley Award, for its originator, Martin Quigley.
It meant that, in the opinion of the top-drawer movie executives on the judging committee in New York, my publicity exploitation campaigns at the Orpheum during ’46 and ’52 were ‘‘the finest and most consis- tent’’ on the continent, throughout the British Empire and in the English-speaking countries of the world.
Before 1946, the Quigley had been almost exclusively awarded to an American showman, although the contest was open to all showmen in North America, the British Em- pire, South America, Belgium and Cuba.
I loved contests and was deter- mined to bring this award to Canada. Several times, with the in- valuable aid of our artshop man, Bill Baillie, I had submitted the necessary display books, outlining my efforts on various promotions. These massive books, complete with photos, sample posters and details of all the advertising tie-ups, were sent to New York to be examined by the fifty or so judges, all experts in advertising, exploitation and publicity. Time after time I saw my name on the list of contenders as an outstanding showman, and twelve times I was winner of Quarterly Awards, but it wasn’t until ’46 that I hit the jackpot, making me the first Canadian ever to win the Quigley. From nearly 5,000 entries, mine was chosen for the grand award.
In recording my comments at that time, the well-known film critic who used to sit away up in the balcony, using a flashlight to make his notes, Clyde Gilmour, wrote that I said: ‘*It’s been a wonderful year! I think one of the best stunts we pulled was when we showed that wonderful Danny Kaye picture, The Kid From Brooklyn. Remember? Danny was a milkman, so we got 100 milkmen all in their nice white uniforms to come down to the theatre. Imagine! — 100 milkmen! They got on the stage and we had a contest to find the handsomest milkman. I think the contest did more for the dairy business than it did for us!”’
That was the kind of zany insani- ty that won the Quigley for me. e
May/June, 1981 35
a
by John Sperdakos
Veteran Cashier Retires in Montreal
Ruth Segal, who started as a cashier with United Amusement Corp. Ltd., (now Cinemas Unis) at the Van Horne Theatre in Montréal, retired in June after 30 years of faithful service. During that time, she worked with 14 managers.
From day one, Ruth enjoyed her job and found it to be an important part of her life. A very friendly per- son, she has met many people in the course of 30 years, many with whom she has become life-long friends. ‘Even when I was on vacation, I was always anxious to return to work. It took me into a different world where I had the opportunity to meet many celebrities, govern- ment officials and _ personalities from radio and TV.”’
Ruth, who prides herself on never having been late for work, says she always arrived 30 minutes before showtime so her tickets were always sold on time. She speaks with great pride and affection about Famous and recalls fondly her little chats with President George Destounis whom she met while working at the Van Horne. ‘‘He is such a con- siderate and gentle person who treats his friends and staffers with courtesy.’’ When she was inducted into the Famous Players 25-Year Club in Montebello, Quebec in 1976, she was overjoyed and honoured when George Destounis danced with her.
Ruth will never forget an evening in 1969 when she was held up by a young man. The thief put his gun through the opening in her window and demanded all her cash. Having always been nervous about being help up, Ruth had made it a practice
36 May/June, 1981
Recent retiree Ruth Segal bids farewell to her cash register.
to put large amounts of money under her footstool. All she handed the thief was a $10 bill and six ones. He grabbed them and ran up the street.
The highlight of Ruth’s life occur- red when she visited Israel spending three weeks in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Bethlehem. In the lobby of the King David Hotel, she ran into Menacham Begin. She boldly step- ped up to introduce herself and her daughter Helena, and Begin acknowledged her with a kiss and a welcome to Israel. She calls it, ‘‘an unforgettable trip!’’
Ruth has two children. Her son Marvin is an executive in the food industry and is married with two children. Daughter Helena works in a custom broker’s office and travels extensively.
Ruth says she loved her work at the theatre and will miss it dearly. In the future, volunteer hospital work and enjoying her hobbies, (she’s an accomplished pianist) will dominate her schedule. 8
Secret Camera Snaps Head Office Managers
Oblivious to the Royal Bank’s camera, Supervisor of Employee Benefits Bob West, just to the right of the counter clock, waits patiently as a teller checks his mathematics. In the background, in 007 coat, we find Doug Pinder, Advertising Manager.
Pioneers Annual Meeting
Jack Bernstein
Famous V.P
Elected President
of the Pioneers
Jack Bernstein, Senior Vice-president and Director of Program - ming for Famous was elected President of the Canadian Picture Pioneers on April 24. As President, Jack’s chief responsibilities will be running the Pioneer Organization across Canada and fund rais- ing. According to Orval Fruitman, the Pioneers’ 1979-80 President, **Jack will be a dynamic President. He’s full of great ideas for raising money to help pioneers in need.’’
The Canadian Picture Pioneers Annual Meeting and Banquet was held on Monday, April 13 at the Park Plaza Hotel in Toronto.
Most of the evening was taken up in electing new directors for the board, delivering reports on the trust fund, handing out awards and inducting new Pioneers. On the following pages, we show photos of some of these activities.
Orval Fruitman, 1979-80 Pioneer President.
About the Canadian Picture Pioneers....
The Canadian Picture Pioneers, the fraternal/benevolent organiza- tion of the film industry, was incor- porated in 1940 to, ‘‘create and pro- mote friendly relations amongst those who have been or are engaged in or who have been or are actively
Leonard Bernstein presents ‘‘Spotlight’’ award to Henry Marshall (retired Famous Manager) in recognition of his many years of service to the Pioneers. Also receiving a Spotlight award but not present was Howard Schedewitz, retired Premier Operating Manager.
connected with the motion picture industry.’’ It is non-profit making and supported by its members. A Trust Fund exists to aid those in need in the motion picture business.
At the 1980 Annual Meeting, age eligibility was lowered from 25 years in the industry to 20 years. The in- itiation fee is $15 plus an additional $15 for yearly dues. The initiation fee covers the inductee’s ticket to the Annual Meeting & Banquet at which time new members are in- ducted into the Pioneers. Dues for retired Pioneers are $10 yearly.
Anyone requesting further infor- mation on the Pioneers is asked to contact Barry Chapman at the Canadian Picture Pioneers, 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto, Ontario M4W I1C8.
50 Year Scroll recipients — Pioneers celebrating 50 years in the motion picture industry. From left to right; Doug Watt, Howard Jackson, Nat Taylor, John Harris, Art Grover, and Burt Brown.
May/June, 1981 37
Pioneers
Left to right: Lionel Gibb; TCL, Marjorie Brandston; Payroll Manager, Genny Leblanc; Manager, Paramount Theatre, Moncton, N.B., Alan Youngson, TCL and Sec-Treasurer of
the Pioneers.
Left to right: Murray Lynch; Manager of the :
Capitol Square in Ottawa, Doug Pinder; Advertising Manager, H.O., and Mike Micelli, District Manager, Ontario.
New 1981 Inductees. From left to right, Front Row:
Carol Pierce, Manager of the Jackson Square in Hamilton, goes through the initiation pro- cess with Curley Posen.
Eugene Amodeo; Universal, Doris
Williams; Famous Players, Doreen Ross; Famous, Roberta Whitby; Famous, Carol Pierce; Famous, Cay McDermott; Famous, Anne Carroll; Famous, George Cole; Odeon. Back Row: Karel Zajicek; Mavety Films, John Moore; Odeon, Olaf Matz; Premier Operating, James Sweeney; Premier, Gord Guiry; Astral Films, Phil Traynor; Famous, Terence Guiry; NYA TV Sales, Lorne Davis; Famous, Bob Zahorchak; Odeon, and Peter Doody; Universal.
SSS SSS ni SSS
38 May/June, 1981
Payables
and Computer People Work Together
To Speed Payments
by Sean Keleher
Accounts Payable, the depart- ment responsible for producing che- ques to pay Famous’ more than 7,000. monthly invoices, recently converted from batch to on-line processing in its computerized pay- ment system.
The batch concept of processing cheques involved bundling up and shipping invoices to the Computer Department, (in ‘‘batches’’) where operators then punched frantically for hours to meet payment dead- lines.
With on-line processing, the key- punching responsibility has been transferred to Accounts Payable personnel who feed data required to produce cheques directly into the computer.
Currently, seven people work one day each inputting data into one of three terminals located in the department. These terminals feed directly into the computer in E.D.P.
Because the entire Accounts Pay- able staff can key-in this informa- tion on a continuing basis, a more even work flow has been created.
In addition, as Department Supervisor Audrie Hogan points out, the on-line system gives the Department greater control over the processing of bills which will mean a reduced time for processing pay- ments, a simplified bills-tracing system and a capacity to handle more ‘‘emergency’’ cheques.
The development of the on-line payables system represents another accomplishment for the E.D.P. Department, the people who brought us Telxon in the theatres and are bringing us the PET com- puter system for more automatic and accurate theatre transmission.
Russ Dudley, Manager of the Computer Department, and his peo- ple, worked closely with the Ac-
Teresa Cheung and Jim Goodwin of Accounts Payable key-punch data into ter- minals which feed into E.D.P.’s computer.
Photos by Audrie Hogan
counts Payable Staff to develop a successful on-line system. There are few companies in Canada with an on-line payables system which ex- plains why our Computer Depart- ment has received countless in- quiries from several other com- panies.
Sounds exciting doesn’t it? Well, maybe ‘“‘exciting’’ isn’t the word for it, but you can bet our suppliers and managers are enthusiastic over the idea of increased efficiency in one step of the process which delivers their payments to them.
It all adds up to an Accounts Payable system that is on-line and in-time! *
Here is a photograph of the con- fection counter of Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre, circa 1949. Ac- cording to Ontario Branch Manager for TCL Lionel Gibb, confections counters did not appear in theatres until after World War II. ‘‘Before this,’’ he says, ‘‘some theatres had machines which dispensed roll-type candies. Usually, patrons would buy snacks at confectionary stores like Laura Secord and Jenny Lind which would often locate next to theatres.”’ Certainly at this time, signs outside the theatre like the one at the Orpheum informing patrons of a ‘‘Candy Bar on the Mezzanine’’, suggest that candy counters in theatres were still a novelty.
The above bar illustrates what Lionel terms the ‘‘old-fashioned’’ way of displaying candy — with drapery and under glass. ‘‘This was
Confection counter of Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre, 1949.
not very efficient as the candy girl would have to be constantly reaching behind the counter and showing candy to patrons,’’ says Lionel, ‘‘nowadays, the open display acts as an incentive to customers; they help themselves and there’s an awful lot of impulse buy- ing.’’ The open concept of selling started to take off in the early 50’s. Many counters, such as the one above, did not sell popcorn initially because managers could not warm up to the smell of popcorn in their theatres. Many theatres at this time sold pre-popped corn in warmers. Needless to say, the most striking aspect of this counter is the sign boasting, ‘‘Ice cream bars, 6¢,”’ ...but when you consider that a very good weekly salary in 1949 was $35 ... It doesn’t seem that big a bargain. e
May/June, 1981 39
Laws You Can Count On
Reprinted by My ermission from Office Overload’s ‘‘Managemen- tips’’.
Theories may come and go, cir- cumstances may change, and modes of management may vary from place to place, so isn’t it reassuring to know deep down that some things never change? Fortunately, these few simple laws which should com- mand our absolute trust can be listed quite briefly:
1) Nothing is as easy as it appears to be. Everything takes longer than expected, and if anything can go wrong it will, and at the worst possi- ble time;
2) Anytime things seem to be going better, something has been over- looked;
3) Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn’t have to do it;
4) All employees have the right answers to all problems. These answers evaporate when people are promoted to a position of respon- sibility;
5) Once a job has been fouled up, any attempt to correct the situation only makes it worse;
6) It is always difficult to make things simple;
7) It is always simple to make things difficult;
8) The specialist learns more and more about less and less, and ends up knowing everything about nothing;
9) The generalist learns less and less about more and more, and ends up knowing nothing about everything; 10) Whatever happens, there is always someone who knew it would.
famil ainum
Send us pictures of yourselves, your families, your employees, etc. for our FAMILY ALBUM. A note ex- plaining the photo would be ap- preciated.
Meet the Marketing Team of Pyramid Place. From the left: Stephen McClure, Corporate Sales; Najla Ruskoff, Group Sales; Rob Philip, Public Relations and Promotions; and Stuart Cottrelle, Marketing and Sales Director.
40 May/June, 1981
FAMOUS NEWS is published every two months by the Advertising Department of Famous Players Limited in the interest of Famous Players employees and associates from coast to coast. Any material for this magazine should be submit- ted to the editor’s attention type- written and double-spaced. We reserve the right to edit for grammar and considerations of space.
Photographs accompanying articles would be most appreciated. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Famous News, 146 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5S
1P3, Telephone: (416) 964-5964.
Director of Advertising
D. K. Watts
Editor
Michelina Trigiani
MAY/JUNE 1981
CONTRIBUTORS TO
THIS ISSUE:
Ivan Ackery Doug Armstrong, (North York
Brent Calvert Brian Cameron Debbi Capstick Barry Chapman Ross Chapman George Clarke William Cowan John Dwyer Doug Gow Debbie Green Harry Green Bill Howe
Sean Keleher James LaVia
Genny LeBlanc Murray Lynch Verd Marriott Joan McCulloch Audrey McKenzie Doug Mickleboro Beverley Nagata Frank Naphan Cliff Narbey Don Perriard Rob Phillip
Brian Rogers Don Spencer John Sperdakos Bud Vickers Kathy Villeneuve . Gene Wasik Robert West Marg Zelezney