Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jul 10, 1954)

Page scan 0003 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Jul 10, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jul 10, 1954)
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:
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.

PAGE FOUR Ea ote Teronto and District By BILL PRESS The 1954 Moying Picture Trade Show has been arranged for the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, three days Noy. 23-25, in conjunction with the annual conventions. The sponsor this time will be the Motion Picture Industry Council of Canada and the organizer of the exhibition is again Gerry Fitzgerald of Toronto. The exhibits will be placed in Halls “A” and “B” and the Sheraton Room at the conyention hotel. The liaison officer is Arch H. Jolley, executive secretary of the Motion Picture Industry Council. According to a report of Variety’s Heart und, the Toronto Tent spent a total of $67,501 during the past fiscal year on the operation of Variety Village School here, and an additional $4,115 on other worthy projects, for an aggregate amount of $71,616. The money was raised principally through the benefit ball game, various theatre performances and Geo. Altman's scrap drive. In a statement to shareholders of Famous Players Canadian Corp., President J. J. Fitzgibbons described the first demonstration of VistaVision in Canada at the Imperial Theatre, saying that “we were tremendously impressed.” The F-P president announced: “VistaVision will haye an important place in your company’s plans”. The new Paramount process represented a new boxoffice potential, saying that it represented another forward step in the film industry. Allan Lamport, who has long been on friendly terms with executives of the film industry generally, resigned as Mayor of Toronto in a surprise move to join the Toronto Transportation Commission. Lamport attended quite a few trade functions. The Canadian Department of National Reyenue has “cleared” George Norgan of Vancouver in the matter of income tax, according to a declaration of Hon, J. J. McCann, Minister of the Department, who said the government had collected the levy on profits of Norgan and two Vancouver associates in a liquor enterprise. Norgan and associates are haying a tax problem in the U.S. Formerly of Palmerston, Ont., Norgan donated a theatre to that town about seyen years ago. The 420-seat house is called the Norgan. Graeme Fraser, vice-president of Crawley Films Limited, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, is spending considerable time in the Maritime Provinces. for personal and business reasons, He recently retired as president of the Canadian Federation of Advertising and Sales Clubs. Manager AI Ford of the Odeon Palace Theatre, Hamilton, has reported the installation of that city’s largest wide-vision screen in his theatre, the equipment being introduced with the presentation of “Escape from Fort Bravo” and the Marciano ys. Charles heayyweight fight picture. The Odeon Capital in Hamilton, managed by Nick Langston, was previously equipped with CinemaScope. The Saturday morning Movie Clubs at the Palace Theatre in St. Catharines have been suspended for the summer season by Manager Frank Kozlo. The general trend is to drop the organized juvenile pro * firearms until the fall school term but many exhibitors are continuing with cartoons and other pictures for regular Saturday matinees. VANCOUVER NEWS By JACK DROY Charlie Doctor, Capitol manager is back from a four weeks auto tour of Eastern Canada and the U.S. He drove his new car 9,000 miles. British Columbia will be the centre of Canada's movie industry within 15 years said Alan Caillou, actor and writer, Caillou is in Vancouver for a role with a local stock company. C. T. Lynch has started construction of a 350-car drive-in near the Fernic coal town in the Crows Nest Pass district of B.C. Bert Cooper, movie yeteran in Western Canada was appointed assistant general manager of Prairie Allied Booking Association and will make Calgary his headquarters. Jack Reid, JARO manager reports that the “Kidnappers” is doing more business on its eighth week than it did on its first. The run continues at the suburban Dunbar. “The Maggie” continues on its fourth week at the Varsity. Claud Smith, manager of the Paramount Theatre at Chilliwack, a Canadian Picture Pioneer and FPCC 25-year club member, was given a half page spread in the Chilliwack Progress, a Fraser Valley newspaper, covering his long service in show business. *E. Bigganinni has started construction at Grand Forks, of a 350-car drive-in. It will be the first ozoner in that part of the interior. Buck Taylor, veteran stage hand is busy installing wide screens in the Famous Players units here at the Orpheum, Stanley and Broadway. Earl Hayter, Odeon supervisor is holidaying at Crescent Beach. JULY 10, 1954 THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Entered as Second Class Matter RAY LEWIS Editor-in-Chicf MAX CHIC Associate Editor 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 seseesreeeeWancouver, B,C. WILL McLAUGHLIN........... Otta,.3, Ont. BILL PRESS z2 Toronto, Ont. HELEN CROWLEY Saint John, N.B SMawvitime News HELEN CROWLEY } CinemaScope has been installed in the ‘Paramount’ theatre at St. John’s, Newfoundland by the General Theatre Supply Company—opening with Twentieth Century Fox’s production “THE ROBE.” The audiences were most enthusiastic and many Newfoundland Exhibitors attended the Opening. Mr. Jim McDonough recently appointed Maritime Province Supervisor made a tour of the Maritime Province theatres recently in company with Mr. R. S. Roddick. The proposed Drive-in theatre on Manawagonish Road over which a long and sometimes bitter battle has waged both in Lancaster and Saint John has again been held uv because of a new technicality. The technicality which may temporarily prevent construction of the theatre is contained in the Saint John Zoning By-law. The By-law says no building more than 40 feet in length may be.constructed in an agricultural area. Plans for the proposed canteen-projection room building for the theatre show that the length is a little more than 40 feet. ° Mr. Costigan, Proprietor of the theatre in Belle Isle, Newfoundland, has just left for Britain and Germany to consult with British and German Chemists regarding Ironore processing. Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Simon are the proud parents of a baby girl born at the Saint John General Hospital on June 28th. The baby’s name is Wendy Arleen and is the third daughter. Mr. Simon is Manager of the Columbia office in Saint John also Secretary of the Maritime Film Board of Trade. The R.C.A.F, Base of Chatham, New Brunswick is installing 35 mm. equipment. F. O. Miller of the Chatham Base has been in Saint John arranging bookings.