Early Years
Born and raised in Bristol, England, Ackery moved to Canada in 1914, arriving in Montreal and going from there to Vancouver. After serving in Europe with the Canadian Army during World War I, Ackery returned to Vancouver to further his education before moving in 1920 to Calgary, Alberta, beginning his long career in the entertainment industry as an usher at the Capitol Theatre, then the flagship of Famous Players' Calgary operations, in 1921.
After returning to Vancouver in 1923, Ackery became an usher at that city's Capitol Theatre before his promotion to manager of the Victoria Theatre in south Vancouver in 1927. It was during his tenure there that Ackery began developing the promotional ideas that he would use in cinema management for the next four decades.
Ackery was then promoted to manage the Dominion Theatre in downtown Vancouver in 1930, then was sent to Victoria to manage the Capitol Theatre there in 1932. While at the Victoria Capitol, Ackery introduced and promoted monthly midnight movies on Sundays, during a period when local bylaws prohibited Sunday movies, then persuaded Famous Players to allow him to play a Victoria-filmed feature at the Capitol called Crimson Paradise, which drew packed houses during its run thanks to heavy promotion by Ackery. Saturday afternoon children's matinees also were begun and became popular at the Capitol during Ackery's tenure.
In 1934, Ackery returned to Vancouver when Famous Players promoted him to manage the Strand Theatre (located on the future site of Vancouver Centre in the downtown area), where he promoted live stage shows and popular British films. He was subsequently promoted to become the manager of the Orpheum in the summer of 1935.
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