Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 31, 1948)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Jan 31, 1948
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 31, 1948)
Leaf #:
0000
Language:
English
Subjects:
Motion Pictures, Film Industry Trade Magazine",Canad
Collection:
Hollywood Studio System, Global Cinema, Early Cinema, and Canada
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:
August 14, 2025
Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

RAY LEWIS EDITOR AND PUBLISHER FILM BLDG. 277 Victoria St. TORONTO THIRTY-THIRD YEAR OF CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE 960 PUBLICATION 1915-48 Vol. 39, No. 40 TORONTO, CANADA January 3lst, 1948 The Famous Family fAMoUS Players Canadian Corporation held its Fourth Birthday Party for its 25Year Club members, at the King Edward Hotel Crystal Ballroom, Tuesday, January 13th. On this occasion twenty new members were inducted. They received handsome watches, membership parchments, a trip to Toronto, with all expenses paid, for the outof-town members; and their ladies, also received a handsomely engraved silver compact, as a memento of the induction. With the exception of the former 25-Year Club members, the new members, executives of Famous Players Canadian Corporation, the daily and film press, there were no other guests, wives of members included, and partner affiliates. First we must take note of the table decorations, with their festoons of flowers, their floral settings and candle-light arrangements, while overhead the crystal chandeliers, with their blue-bulbs, lent their softened lighting to a scene of enchantment. Sounds flowery, but we assure you, Famous Players really said it “with flowers”. The cocktail hour gave everyone a chance to say “hello” and to recall happy memories. The dinner was an Epicurean’s delight. If we gave you the courses, six of them, starting with a half of a broiled lobster, good rare wine, and finishing with cherries over icecream and candied petit fours, the latter from the chef's dream of the pre-war years, you might think you were listening to the gustatorial grunts of a gourmand. We made careful observations and noticed that even the most fragile-looking of ladies freely partook of all the courses, passed up none; and were ready to accept the invitation to dance in the King Edward’s Vanity Fair Room, as guests of Famous Players. On such a night as this, there were some speeches. In the absence of the president, John J. Fitzgibbons, Morris Stein officiated as chairman and R. W. Bolstad did the honors of welcoming the members and guests. Both of these executives did exceedingly well, but we hope that next year, tax or no tax, John Fitzgibbons will be present, he was the one missing note in a perfect symphony of enjoyment. Mr. Stein called on a member of the Board, Norman Robertson, to toast the ladies, following the toast to His Majesty, The King. Mr. Robertson, always inspired by his own gracious lady, Mrs. Robertson, had no need for further inspiration, and made the ladies present feel that there was nothing better in life than to have been born, a woman. Ray Lewis was requested to respond to the toast to the ladies; and they tell your editor, that not being obliged to give a toast to the British Empire, her response was brief and enjoyable. Morris Stein introduced the partners, stressing the fact that Famous Players had grown to its present strength through its partners and associates. He particularly stressed the association of the oldest partner, Jules Allen, and in calling on Jules to speak, he mentioned Herb Allen, and the long list of Allens, who had made many outstanding contributions to the Industry. What particularly impressed your editor was the preparation-and care which was expended on the arrangements for the entertainment and dinner for members of the Famous Players 25-Year Club. If the executives of the Famous Players Canadian Cor ' poration had been arranging a banquet for the Prime Minister of Canada and leading citizens of this Dominion, they could not have given the arrangements more personal attention. Nothing was too good for the members and the guests. It was a friendly, appreciative tribute to the Famous Family. —EDITOR. ee 0—0°00NNNNENEESSNNNS0MM,,,NS NSS SS | PUBLISHED BY CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST COMPANY LIMITED 277 VICTORIA STREET TORONTO