Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 31, 1948)

Page scan 0003 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 #:
0003
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.

Pago 4 CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Toronto and District By BILL PRESS se ofiset the impression that the new Biltmore Theatre at Yonge and Dundas Streets in Toronto, scheduled to open at the end of March, will be operated as a unit of the Canadian Odeon circuit, attention has been drawn to the fact that the house is being constructed by B. S. Okun and associates and will be operated by the same group. It has been rumored that Odeon would take over because the Biltmores at Oshawa. and Kingston haye been leased to Odeon Theatres of Canada, but the deal does not include the Toronto Biltmore nor the new Biltmore which was recently opened at New Toronto, both of which are on the independent list. The Biltmore at New Toronto has a seating capacity of 700 and is under the management of Bill Rodda, a former Toronto publicity man. Ben Okun and associates continue to own theatre sites in Sudbury and Ottawa but no start is being made on construction for the time being. * Ok Al Young, one of the founders and partners, with Arthur Gott lieb and Jack Goetz, in the Du Art Film Laboratories, has purchased the other interests, and is now the sole owner. An expansion in ac tivity is contemplated by the New York company. * * *& Arthur Silverstone, newly-appointed general manager of 20th Century-Fox in Canada, says that, as soon as he can get settled in Toronto, he expects to make his first tour of inspection of branches in Western Canada. He looks forward with particular eagerness to his visit in Winnipeg because his wife is a former resident of the Manitoba capital. His family has not yet taken up residence in Toronto due to the usual housing problem. se © Al Ritchie, manager of the Bloor Theatre, Toronto, has been given. nutch appreciated assistance for the period during which he is looking after the nearby Alhambra Theatre in the illness of Manager Jack Laver. Famous Players has transferred George Davies from the Capitol, North Toronto, to help Ritchie. x * * Congratulations are in’order for the genuine success of the seventh annual meeting and jamboree of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, the “first love’ of many old-time filmsters across the Dominion. The meeting was truly flavored by the sweet essence of fellowship, the very basis of CPP membership and appropriately, too, because the joy of companionship is more highly prized by those who have advanced along the path of life. The Pioneers watch for the welfare of others and have true enjoyment in doing so. It was interesting to see two veterans get together from opposite ends of Ontario at the Pioneers’ dinner. One was Simon Meretsky, managing director of Windsor Paramount Theatres, and the other was D. B. Stapleton, owner of the Centre Theatre, Ottawa, * * * W. C. “Wannie” Tyers, promoted to manage the Odeon Toronto Theatre when it opens next summer, after managing the Capitol at Niagara Falls for some time, has returned from a trip to New York during which he examined a number of important theatres. He made immediate preparations to sail to England to study Odeon theatre operations there prior to taking charge of the Toronto showcase. x Ok Ok Charlie Dentelbeck, construction supervisor at Famous Players’ head office, was an involuntary absentee from the annual meeting of the Canadian Picture Pioneers. He recently underwent an operation on his foot and is confined to his home, although he is able to do some hobbling. ico k Manager Claude Hunter of the new Odeon at Peterborough, has started a movie club there in competition with the Famous Players club at the Capitol. Hunter made a name for himself by building up a Saturday-morning organization when he was a manager at Kingston. ‘Tom Bowyer of Odeon head office was a recent visitor in Ottawa for the promotion of the club idea and gave an address before the First Avenue Home and School Association. a ae Col. John A. Cooper, secretary of the Sixteen Millinetre Moving Picture Distributors Association, is wl at his home in Rosedale, but | no alarin is being felt for lis condition. . NOW A COMPLETE THEATRE SUPPLY SERVICE FEATURING All Steel Prefabricated Theatres Carrier Air Conditioning Equipment Royal Soundmaster Sound Systems Superior Model “A” DeLuxe Projectors Strong 1-Kw. and Suprex Arc Lamps and Rectifiers IMMEDIATE DELIVERY Write Wire Telephone a ELECTRIC S COMPANY LIMITED 277 Victoria St. TORONTO 2027 Bleury St. MONTREAL January 31st, 1948 The Canadian Moving Picture Digest Entered as Second Class Matter RAY LEWIS Editor and Publisher BERT H. WILKES Associate Editor Published by MOVING PICTURE DIGEST CANADIAYWMPANY, LIMITED 277 Victoria Street Toronto Telephone: WAverley 4929 Cable: Raydigost Established 1915. Publication weekly. Subscription: $5.00 yearly — Correspondents — ’ A. L. FAIRWEATHER Saint John, N.B. J. J. CONKLIN BRUCE PEACOCK Work on B & F’s Donlands Theatre, Donlands and O’Connor Drive, ‘Toronto, is now progressing very rapidly, and the theatre is expected to be open in May, following on the footsteps of the recently opened Vaughan ‘Theatre. * * * Henry Nathanson, President, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures of Canada Limited, accompanied by Mrs. Nathanson, left Toronto for a stay in California, and will be at the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel. x Ke Ok Hon. D. C. Abbott, Federal Minister of Finance, has categorically denied that the Dominion Government will “vacate” the amusement tax field almost at once, as suggested by Mayor Robert Saunders of Toronto after an Ottawa visit. The Minister said the tax would go “as soon as circumstances permit” — which sounds like a long time in government parlance. % m Al new Odeon Theatre is under construction. in Brantford, Ont., and ts expected to open in about five months. » x x» The new Warner Canadian Pathe News, although only a few weeks old, has scooped the other newsreel companies on the Prague finals of the European skating championships. The news, which: features shots of Barbara Ann Scott, winner of the title, was given special mention in newspaper ads, by those theatres showing it. oe Clare Solomon, B & F secre tary, visited New York city over New Year's to attend the wedding of her sister. a a The latest report is that the ban on structural steel imports from the United States has been set back from Feb. Ist to March Ist probably to enable the completion of a number of buildings in Canada. There has also been the easing of taxation and restrictions on oil-burners and air-conditioning units. One equipment man in Toronto has reported that he was compelled to refund $8,000 in deposits on large contracts for theatres because of his inability to import the necessary lines, He said his total loss of business would be heavy.