Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jul 10, 1954)

Page scan 0004 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 #:
0004
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
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JULY 10, 1954 CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST PAGE FIVE PROMOTIONOTES There’s No Business in SLOW Business In the Yarmouth paper we noticed a special matinee attraction for the Capitol, which will be all over by the time this gets into print. Ernie Hatfield had an attraction which was labelled as definitely unsuited for children. So, what does the Capitol manager do, but arrange to have a substitute picture for the Saturday matinee. The substitute was one of the famous Lassie dog pictures. This is something new for Yarmouth, the featuring of a special children’s picture to take the place of adult entertainment on a Saturday matinee. The Capitol management is to be commended for this thoughtfulness. The added expense of bringing in a special picture for one performance only must have been great. But in catering to the special needs of the children, Ernie Hatfield has not only rendered a community service, but has also started a move which should be highly pleasing to his adult patrons of the future. $ $ $ Through a tie-in by Renfrew Motor Sales Limited, a free admission to either the Hi-Way Drive-In or the O’Brien Theater, operated at Renfrew by Ottawa Valley Amusement Co., was given with each purchase of $4 worth of gasoline and oil for a stated period. $ $ $ Art Cauley, of the Paramount, Peterboro, earned himself a 3 col. news and photo spread in his local newspaper as a result of 180 carrier boys attending a showing of RKO’s short “Johnny Gets His Route.” $ $ $ Herb Chappel, Palace, Guelph arranged with Salada Tea to pour as promotion for Paramount's “Elephant Walk” in his lobby. $ $ $ A druggist in Guelph, Ont., took a 336-line ad in the Mercury tieing in its Veiwmasters with the 3D feature, “Hon do.” $ $ $ A crowd-stopper de luxe for “Cease Fire” at the Capitol, Sudbury, Ont., was a lobby display of a toy model submarine that submerged and fired tiny torpedoes. The model sub and the tank in which it submerged was arranged for by Manager Jeff Jeffrey’s assistant, Bob Campbell. Ticket buyers and passers-by stopped to watch the toy sub in action. The local Sea Cadets had a recruiting drive on and two of its members were in the lobby to explain the samples of their equipment which had been set up there. They also had a display of signal flags above and below the marquee, with many former naval men trying to figure out what the signals meant. DIANNA FOSTER TO STAR Canada’s prettiest new export to Hollywood, chestnut-haired, brown-eyed Dianne Foster, has been signed by the Hecht-Lancaster Organization for her most important screen role to date in “The Gabriel Horn,” Technicolor adventure drama of the early American frontier in which Burt Lancaster will star and which also will mark his debut as a director. Miss Foster, who will be on loan-out from her home studio, Columbia, plays the role of the indentured servant, whose freedom is bought at a bitter price by Lancaster in the United Artists release which is scheduled to go before the cameras on August 15, A native of Edmonton, Alberta Dianne became an actress at the age of 13 in local stock and radio. At 14 she was writer-producer-director-star of the Hudson Bay Company drama group in Canada. She made her debut on the London stage at the St. James Theatre as Bianca in “Othello” and was featured in a number of British films. Her most recent appearances were with Barbara Stanwyck and Glenn Ford in “Rough Company” and with Mickey Rooney in “Drive a Crooked Road.” CANADA REPORTS The growing importance of the television film market was reflected last year in Canada’s motion picture output. Canadian government reports, showed that in 1953 the film-makers produced more films of all kinds for TV, and, except for trailers, fewer for theatre presentation. It was a busy year for the 32 commercial firms and 9 governmental agencies engaged in motion picture production last year. Theatrical production included two feature-length films, one less than in 1952, and 55 shorts, 14 less than in the preceding year. Output of non-theatrical films of five minutes or longer, including films for TV, increased to 481 from 308. Production of TV commercials rose to 196 from 111 and of theatre trailers to 1,172 from 893. Fewer newsreel stories were made for theatres by commercial firms, 289 against 507 in the previous year, but more for TV, 229 against 134, while combined output by government agencies increased to 78 from 75. Output of slide films or filmstrips was reduced to 111 from 157. Commercial revenue from production rose 20 per cent last year to $1,592,779 but revenue from printing declined 3 per cent to $1,230,493. Total gross revenue of the commercial film companies was up 8 per cent to $2,823,272 from $2,605,530 in the preceding year. The 32 commercial film producers employed 387 persons in 1953 and their salaries and wages amounted to $1,150,890. FAMOUS PLAYERS ANNUAL HEAD OFFICE PICNIC WINNERS MEN: LOW GROSS Ist. Andy Rouse; 2nd Howard Ozard LOW NET Ist. Paul Cazabon; 2nd Gord Chapman LADIES: LOW GROSS Peggy Fuller LOW NET Wilma Duke Largest Number of Strokes On Hidden Hole Yvonne Croft Lowest Number of Strokes On Hidden Hole Art Fitzgibbons CORN KERNELS GUESSING CONTEST: Ist prize—General Theatre Supply Clock Radio. WINNER—Mrs, Pouliot. 2nd prize — Menzies & Gibson Gift Box. WINNER—Hye Bossin. 3rd prize— Kerr Bros. Gift. WINNER—Mae Sage. FIELD EVENTS Executive, Officers and Dept. Head's Contest . Jean Pouliot . Harold Roberts . Clare Doidge Ladies’ Open Shoz Kick . Marion Bennett . Merilyn Conner . Dorothy Spooner wn WwnNe Men's Open Balloon Race . Don Boyle . Joe Fryer . Harold Bruhn Famous Couple Race . Jean Callender & Don Boyle . Flora Near & Doug Lowes . Fran Wilson & Bill Oakley Men's Open Shoz Kick . Arthur Fitzgibbons . Doug Lowes . Don Boyle whe whe wre Married Women’s Contest . Jean Stuart . Dorothy Callender . Sadie Shea Patch Race 1, Millie Martin & Harry Vowles 2. Fran Wilson & Joe Fryer 3. Irene Coulson & Doug Lowes wie Single Girls’ Bowling Contest . Marion Bennett . Liz Bell . Kay McDermott Plate Race . Doug Lowes & Irene Coulson Harry Vowles & Isobel Andrew Clare Doidge & Veronica Davis Cinderella Race Arthur Fitzgibbons & Isobel Brooks George Davies & Honey Johnson Joe Cardwell & Irene Coulson wht wh— wily