Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 16, 1954)

Page scan 0007 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Jan 16, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 16, 1954)
Leaf #:
0007
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 18, 2024
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JANUARY 16, 1954 — JARO’S ROYAL SYMPHONY = Frank Fisher, General Manager of wm pF) ¢ r 1 i i SHE J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (Can | er A Ss | ada) Ltd., announced this week that J J = hn ; “. Producer Castleton Knight has produced | " another Technicolor film of the events : al, | f — which followed the Coronation on June 4 < : ht CARIES “Royal Symphony” is a 55-minute 4 feature containing all Queen Elizabeth's and the Duke of Edinburgh’s visits to Scotland, Wales, the Braemar Games, Samuel Goldwyn suggests code be re-examined since it is a quarthe Air Force review and the Naval Pies ter of a century since first introduced and should be brought up review at Spithead climaxing with the d River Thames Pageant which incidentalto date. ly Castleton Knight produced for the @ Bee er tai the Sotyof ‘the Twenty features planned in total by major and independents in Queen receiving the crown in Edinburgh January, the lowest number in months. and her visit to the famous Bramaer @ Games, receiving the acclaim from the ; : A ; people of Wales at the historic CarnarOtto Preminger, director of the stage production of the musical von Castle. The Junior service provided success, Carmen Jones, will direct, in Cinemascope, Carmen a spectacular review which had units f We EF : i i 1 Peermeiiitie <Gommanwealth. countries. Jones, for 20t entury-Fox, in technicolor and with an allThe Queen and her consort then reviewnegro cast. ed the Navy at Spithead. e The River Thames pageant told the 4 story of the river from the time of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, U.S.A. selected MGM’s Vikings through centuries to the present roducti : : ; MepeRUbGSe Gdloihil, memorable and P tion of Julius Caesar as the top picture of their 1953 Ten historic events will be included in this est. Technicolor film. ® RUSS SIMPSON MOVES Representatives of four film trade associations in England to TO O’BRIEN CO. LTD. meet with J. Boyd Carpenter, financial secretary to the TreasRussell (Russ) Simpson, that popular fellow from the Coast, who, following Uty, to discuss Industry’s appeal for entertainment tax relief, the resignation of Jack Hunter, Parathe first week in February. mount Toronto Branch Manager, came to Toronto from Paramount Vancouver co] office. Russ has resigned to become penis oe tie eieats. operitions. of Adolph Zukor, chairman Board of Directors, Paramount Picthe M. J. O’Brien Company Ltd. in the tur ds £1,000 Ottawa valley. Russ has been with Paraare : ($2,800) to endow bed at Glebelands, es mount Film Service since 1929, nearly Home of the U.K. Trade Fund beneficiaries. a quarter of a century. Gordon Lightstone, Canadian Gene= ral Manager for Paramount announced Watican City asks check on TV programs. that the resignation will take effect, Jan. 16th, and that Al Iscove has been ap pointed as acting Toronto Branch Censor Board Quebec bans Martin Luther film. Chairman states Manager. that the ban is open to appeal. CANADIAN PICTURE e PIONEERS Jack Benny’s show (C.B.S., Sunday nights) was voted the best At the last Directors’ meeting it was decided to hold the next Annusl Mea, metWork radio program of 1953 and Jack Benny radio best 1953 ing of the Canadian Picture Pioneeis Petformer in the 18th Annual Motion Picture Daily Radio poll Wednesday, January 20th. tor Fame. The location of the meeting will be e the Crystal Ballroom at the King Edward fone Registration tae be at ae 5 J. J. Chisholm leaves Associated Screen Toronto Office to and the meeting wi open at 3: MM, s At the General Meeting, in addition work in Head Office, Montreal. to the reading of the Reports of the e President and the Secretary-Treasurer, : eS the election of Officers and such othe. Ca@tty Graburn and family have left for Hollywood where b business as may be brought before the Will take over his work at Columbia Pictures. meeting, there will be submitted for rati e fication and approval an amendment to ‘ 2 : 5 the By-laws passed by the Directors at Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were co-stars of nine musicals their meeting of December 1th, 1953, for RKO, which were all boxoffice winners, RKO will remake providing that past Presidents of the or vsnization shall be ex-officio members the eight plus an Astaire-Joan Fontaine combination. All stories of the Board of Directors, have great musical compositions. ..