Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 29, 1954)

Page scan 0003 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
May 29, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 29, 1954)
Leaf #:
0003
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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PAGE FOUR eee eee eer er were ere The annual report of Confederation Amusements Limited, Montreal affiliate of Famous Players Canadian Corp., showed net profit for 1953 of $103,130, compared with $110,850 for the preceding 12 months. The surplus for the past year was $65,582 after payment of preferred dividends totalling $37,548. Total assets of Confederation, which has seven theatres, stood at $1,287,234. Prominent in the company are F, Tabah and John Ganetakos. A frequent visitor to the Toronto Film Row, Dewey L. McCourt, proprietor of the Brock Theatre at Niagara-on-the-Lake, reported that a Miracle Panoramascope Screen with special projection and sound equipment are being installed at his theatre in readiness for a busy summer season. Exhibitors are watching the introduction in Canada of the Theatre Auction Night stunt at the Avalon and Queen’s Theatres in Hamilton, for which the cooperation of more than 50 merchants has been lined up. Customers at the stores receive “stage money” to the yalue of purchases and the auction certificates are accepted as payment for successful bids on prizes at theatres, a professional auctioneer handling the sales. The auction nights started with an announced offer of $3,500 worth of prizes, Preston Salter, who will be remembered as the manager of the Century at Trenton and other theatres, has become well established as the proprietor of a men's wear store in Hamilton where, he says, he is doing very nicely. A number of Odeon managerial moves have followed the resignation of Al Smith at the Capitol Theatre, Hamilton, where he has been succeeded by Nick Langston from the Odeon at London. Not the Jeast interesting change has been the promotion of Miss Del Ray to manager of the Christie Theatre, Toronto. Miss Ray had been at the Hyland since it opened more than five years ago, being assistant to Manager Barry Carnon for some time, Miss Ray replaced John Printz who has become manager of the London Odeon. Jack Troyer and others at Famous Players headoffice are making arrangements for the annual staff picnic which is to be staged at St. Andrew's Golf Club in June, a planned feature to be the induction of many new members into the 25 Year Club with proper ceremony. THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Teroento and District By BILL PRESS The purchase of Internatiorial Latex Corp. by Stanley Warner Corp., New York, headed by a prominent theatre figure, Si H. Fabian, has an important Canadian angle. International Latex is the parent company of Piaytex Limi‘ed which opened a large new Canadian plant at Arnprior last year. Stanley Warner Corp. also has an extensive interest in Cinerama which has not yet entered the Canadian entertainment field. Ron Cooke has become assistant to Manager Fred Trebilcock at the Tivoli Theatre, Toronto, after haying served as assistant manager at the Capitol Theatre where Manager Henry Marshall now has James Brown in the supporting role. The theatres of Windsor combined to give a boost to the city’s 100th anniversary celebration by conducting a “Centennial Movie Weck” a feature of which was special advertising and publicity ticingin with the community observances. At the theatres, all children under 16 years of age were admitted free when accompanied by adults at performances during the special week. This month eve WITNESS reports on FAMED ARMADALE GIRLS (Halifax) & MAIDEN VOYAGE OF ARCTIC SHIP D'IBERVILLE (ask for Eye Witness 62) BooK THIS ALL-CANADIAN NATIONAL FILM BOARD SERIES EVERY MONTH THROUGH COLUMBIA PICTURES MAY 29, 1954 ee THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Entered as Second Class Matter RAY LEWIS Editor-in-Chief e Address all mail to the Publisher CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST COMPANY, LIMITED 21 Dundas Square Toronto Telephone: EMpire 8-8696 Cable: Raydigest Established 1915. Publication weekly. Subscription: $5.00 yearly — Correspondents — BRUCE PEACOCK Regina, Sask. JACK DROY saseeWancouver, B.C. WILL McLAUGHLIN Ottay,a, Ont. BILL PRESS Toronto, Ont. HELEN CROWLEY “Saint John, N.B. Maritime News eS HELEN CROWLEY Mr. Mitchell S. Bernstein of the B & L Theatres, will be honored by a un‘que tree-planting ceremony in far-off Isracl. Mr. Bernstein is honorary Vice-President of the Zionist Organization of Canada, and will have a grove of 2,000 trees planted in his honour. The grove will be known as “The Mitchell Sydney Bernstein Grove” as a tribute to Mr. Bernstein’s work and accomplishments for the Zionist Organizaticn. The groveplanting has been arranged specifically in recognition of Mr. Bernstein’s “devotion and service rendered the Jewish Community” throughout the Marit’'me Provinces and to the Zionist cause. Mr. Clifford Bowes, Manager of the B & L theatres in Madawaska, Main was a visitor in Sant John this week, Mr. Philip Diamond has been appointed local representative for Sovereign Films Ltd. 16 mm. films. Mr. Diamond will be working out of the Emp‘re-Usi versal office—he had been a salesman for several years and this is his initiation into the Motion Picture business. SUPERSCOPE Top-flight Hollywood studio executives and ranking West Coast exhibitors got their first look at Superscope at a special invitational showing on Tuesday, May 25, at 10 a.m. at the Wiltern Theatre. Superscope is the new anamorphic wide-screen process developed by /rving and Joseph Tushinsky at RKO Radio Studios. In addition to Superscope, the Tushinsky brothers unveiled a startling innovation—that was kept secret until the day of the showing—on which they have been working for some time. .A similar demonstration of Superscope, held in New York City last March, was attended by members of thetre associations, top eastern exhibitors, ond the press. The demonstration resulted in an avalanche of orders.