Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 1, 1954)

Page scan 0008 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
May 1, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 1, 1954)
Leaf #:
0008
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
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.

MAY 1, 1954 PAGE NINE CANADIAN FILM AWARDS Non-Theatrical—Sponsored by a Government Agency World At Your Feet National Film Board. First Award for a compelling presen New President For Associated Screen Shareholders representing the new management of Associated Screen News Limited met today and elected Maxwell Cummings of Montreal as President, George Beeston of Toronto as Vice-President, plus the following directors: Paul Nathanson of Toronto, Lazarus Phillips Q.C., Montreal, Duncan MacTavish, Q.C., Ottawa, and Hugh O'Donnell Q.C., Montreal. Associated Screen News Limited is Canada’s largest and oldest motion picture studio and laboratory. Control of the company was acquired by Paul Nathanson and Maxwell Cummings a few months ago. The new President is a prominent Montreal business man who first became identified with business properties more than 25 years ago when he headed a group which constructed the MedicalDental Building. Since then, he and his associates have undertaken a number of important business property developments, and have constructed more housing units for private enterprise than any other single group in Canada. Mr. Cummings is President of the University Tower Corporation, the Northern Film Exchange Ltd., the Sherbrooke Apartments Limited, Suburban Enterprises Inc., administrators of the large Norgate residential and shopping centre, the Boulevard Shopping Centre of Montreal, and other developments across Canada. He enters into active association for the first time, with the motion picture and television industries. He feels that an important contribution can be made in the television entertainment field for, by, and with Canadians. Announcement of first steps in the unfolding of a new program for Asso PROMOTIOWOTES There’s No Business in SLOW Business The week of March 8-14, was Education Week in Sault Ste. Marie. To complete the week with CAREER DAY on March 14th, Olga Sharabura donated the Orpheum theatre on behalf of Farnous Players for a Sunday evening gathering to the Catholic Youth Organization which consists of the Regis Club. and all the Sodalities in Sault Ste. Marie. $ $ $ As a special treat for patients of the Home for Incurable Children, Manager Barney Simmons arranged for 25 wheelchair cases to attend a matinee performance of “The Living Desert,’ (RKO) an Academy Award feature, at the Towne Cinema, Toronto. Cooperation was provided by the Oddfellows. $ $ $ “Martin Luther,” (IFD) played 15 days at advanced prices in the Rex Theatre, Regina, and chalked up a Canadian record gross for the size of the house and the population of the city, according to owner J. D. (Jack) Watson. House seats 660. A hefty advance campaign was carried on through churches in Re MAXWELL CUMMINGS ciated Screen News Limited can be expected in the near future. The new management group is determined to continue the position of leadership which has been enjoyed by Associated Screen News during its thirty-three years as a Canadian company in the motion picture industry, and intends to promote the development of motion pictures for television entertainment. gina, clergymen were guests at a preview and 35,000 coupons entitling the bearers to reduced admission prices were mailed out to provincial points. Some patrons came from as far away as 170 miles. SoS ES When “The Glenn Miller Story” opened at the Palace Theatre, St. Catharines, the large store operated by Cavers Bros. there made a splash announcement featuring the new Decca album of the music from the film and otherwise tied in with the engagement with appropriate displays. $ $ When Bob Nelson, manager, Broadway theatre, Timmins, popped down to give a candy sucker to the local disc jockey, he found a friend. So impressed was the deejay with Bod’s promotion that he was plugging the picture all the way through the show. Bob arranged with one of the candy companies to supply him with a quantity of suckers. Then Bob had a card printed tieing in with “Francis Covers the Big Town.” $ $ $ Jacques Martin and his Mercier, Montreal coming through with a sensational Baby Contest over a 13 week period. Included is over $2,000 in prizes and a Free front page coverage in local paper. tation on the subject of soil conservation. wt Everybody's Handicapped Graphic Associates, Toronto. Honorable Mention for highly effective achievement of purpose in the field of rehabilitation placement. Non-Theatrical—Sponsored by a Non-Government Agency Episode In Valleydale Crawley Films Ltd. First Award for a well conceived and realistically acted story depicting the importance of wheat pool co-operatives to the farmer and his community. ay The Ring-Necked Pheasant Wildlife Productions, Toronto. Honorable Mention for a unique presenation in the field of wildlife conservation. +> Polysar Crawley Films Ltd. Honorable Mention for excellence of production in picturing a large scale and complex industrial operation. Non-Theatrical—Open The Seasons Christopher Chapman, Toronto. First Award for its outstanding artistic achievement. Canadian Film of the ‘Year By unanimous agreement the adjudicators have declared THE SEASONS ‘Film of the Year.’ Embryonic Development of the Chick National Film Board. Honorable Mention for effective realization of purpose. Theatrical—Short Farewell Oak Street National Film Board. First Award for excellence of production. * L’Abatis National Film Board. Honorable Mention for masterly handling of difficult sequences. Danish Seining Atlantic Films & Electronics Ltd. Honorable Mention for its effective explanation of a new method of fishing. Amateur Class Eight-Fifteen Toronto Film Society. Honorable Mention for a unique approach to an ordinary problem showing a great deal of imagination in a truly cinematic way. : Treasures Of The Ukraine E. F, Attridge, Toronto. Special Mention for an excellent approach to a_ difficult subject, which might have been extremely dull with different treatment.