Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 18, 1920)

Page scan 00035 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
May 18, 1920
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 18, 1920)
Leaf #:
00035
Language:
English
Subjects:
Motion Pictures, Film Industry Trade Magazine",Canad
Collection:
Canada, Hollywood Studio System, Early Cinema, and Global Cinema
Format:
periodicals
Contributor:
Media History Digital Library, Canadian Picture Pioneers, Paul Moore and Jessica Whitehead
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:

Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Editors: Merrick R. Nutting (1917-18), Raymond S. Peck (1918), Ray Lewis (1918-19 and 1920-54), Walter Greene (1919-20), Jay Smith (1954-57)

Canadian Moving Picture Digest (1917-57) was initially a Montréal-based rival of the first film paper in Canada, Toronto-based Canadian Universal Bulletin (1915-18, edited by W.A. Bach 1915-17, J.W. Cambridge 1917-18, Raymond S. Peck 1918). The two periodicals were combined in 1918, keeping the Digest name, but moving production to Toronto with Peck as editor. Canadian Moving Picture Digest assumed The Bulletin’s volume numbering and always claimed 1915 as its year of origin. Ray Lewis (née Rae Levinsky) was a writer and playwright, who spent time in early Hollywood’s publicity departments. She briefly took the Digest helm in 1918, then long-term editor, later owner and publisher, from 1920 until her death in 1954. Under Lewis’s leadership, the trade paper claimed to serve as a voice for independent exhibitors and advocated for a Canadian cultural presence in cinema, particularly emphasizing British films as a way to keep a distance from Hollywood. Lewis's editorials were notable for their advocacy, wit, and critique of American dominance in the Canadian film market. While initially positioning herself as an outsider, she became integrated within the industry and a true insider. She even had an ongoing correspondence with Canadian Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, advocating for the industry as a whole and supporting British film imports. She was well-known at Toronto’s Dundas Square film row as well as in New York and Hollywood. Variety’s Sime Silverman called her “the Girl Friend in Canada,” and she delighted when U.S. writers not “in the know” presumed “Ray” was a man’s name. Lewis was later an inaugural member of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, eventually the group’s first female president and Pioneer of the Year. After she died in 1954, her son Jay Smith took over editorial duties until Canadian Moving Picture Digest was bought by Nat Taylor’s Film Publications of Canada in 1957. Taylor incorporated the legacy journal into a joint masthead for Canadian Film Weekly (1942-70), which subsequently dated its roots back to the 1915 origins of the film press in Canada.

– Jessica Whitehead and Paul Moore, March 2024

Further Reading

  • Whitehead, Jessica, Louis Pelletier and Paul Moore, “‘The Girl Friend in Canada’: Ray Lewis and Canadian Moving Picture Digest (1915–1957).” In Daniel Biltereyst and Lies Van de Vijver, eds., Mapping Movie Magazines: Digitization, Periodicals and Cinema History, 127-52. London: Pagrave-Macmillan, 2021.

Date Added:
May 29, 2025
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Mr. William Fox | af ? Commensurate with the growth of theFox Film Corporation throughout the world is the latest announcement issuing from. the executive offices of that firm in West-Fifty-fifth street, New York, heralding the sixth aynual convention of. its sales forces, whieh pe wall be hold Wt the Commadure Hotel Now Vork Cit Fox Company to Hold International — Convention of Branch Managers Sheehan to Take Charge r Z Winfield R. Sheehan, general manager of the cor poration, who is in Europe, will return in time to take charge. of the convention, as in the past. Mr. Sheehan will be thoroughly equipped for an exhaustive eonfer ence with Mr. Fox regarding-the-results-of his tour and the conditions of the foreggn market with relation to. Fox films, , i ® William Fox will open the convention, and will out: line to his sales organization the poliey to be adopted by the corporation for the ensuing year as regards the distribution of Fox productions. \Other matters of import will be brought before the sales force by Jack Leo, vice-president. of the company, John €.— Eisele. treasurer, and Saul Rogers, general counsel for the eorporation. Kath: of-these will address the body on matters pertaining to poliey, and whieh will -bring together the Fox, branch manag : a=. gers; district -suptPintendents, speciad represeutatives. =e and sales heads Krom everS*Fox office in the world, ay It is an ingernational convention which William Fox has planned and according to the schedule it. will | be opened on Monday, May 24, and continue throughout the week, losing on Saturday, Maty 29. Bea Among Largest of its Kind ; . ~ This convention of Fox Film Corporation, willbe amongttie biegest affairs Of itsRind in dee filh world. . ia ~~ Representatives of the firm will come from’ all the | iia principal cities of the United States and from the vari-. : hous branches located in the Dominion of Canada. ia ‘London, Liverpool, Manehester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Cardiff, Leeds, Birmingham and ‘Dublin will furnish “ the quota of Fox officials from Great Britain. The Aus-_ ie > tralsian field will send managers from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Wellington, New Zea | land. The South Ameriean field will contribute its share “from the Fox exchanges in Rio: de Janeiro. Sao Panto, Buenos Ajres, Rosario, Montevideo and Lima. 7 ~ The corporation for sonte time has tiaintained Gfhves | in France at Paris, Marseilles, Strassbourg, Lyons; Lille { ; and Bourdeaux. | _ The other foreign branches which will be represent| ed include the Brussels office in Belgium, the Amsterdam branch in Holland and the Italian exchanges in Rome and Turin. 2 William Fox brings his sales _toree—toecthertis year for’the most important business meeting in the __history of the corporation. This convention eome elnrax—to-the broadest a md nrost sticcesst Ut sa oe Wialeld Sheet Waryue loth Most. of theeconventioidelegates have. never seen the hew Fox studio building on West Pifty-tifth street, It is therefore planned to receive them in a budy at the studio and conduet them through the various departments, thcluding the large stages on the-third floor, Herman Robbins yill have thrown on the screen of the battery of projeétion rooms the Fox special productions ——and-theearly forthcoming reenhur releases:—Fhesetihns—— wilk be shown-to the sales foree before the scheduled release datés. The Canadiaii Managers who will attend are: Vincent J. MeCabe, District Superintendent: Maurice ~ West, Montreal: LL. M: Devaney, Toronto: dos. Lieber man. St.John, N.Bo-R. A Scott, Vancouver: William Spencer Jones, Winnipes: Mitchell Rose, Caleary, bd cd * * ‘ Fox Will Open Convention On the morning of the 24 th the convention will be opened by Mr, Fox. The afternoon will be eiven over to the viewing of Fox sereen productions at the new studio and the evening will he devoted to entertainment of the conventionites. ing devoted to conference and me afternoons. to the |-_____paign-ever instituted bythe reanization, Page Thirty-Six —shidtio=projecticn tooss——— SESE