Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jul 17, 1954)

Page scan 0007 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Jul 17, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jul 17, 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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PAGE EIGHT CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST JULY 17, 1954 Chatter... that could matter! By MAX CHIC Our thanks to the countless hundreds of people who gathered in person to pay their last respects at the Holy Blossom Temple to our Ray Lewis... these and scores of others, who by wire, letter and oral expression, extended their condolences, have helped all of us who were in daily association with her, to keep marching forward, as she would have wanted. With our own sorrow at hand, we extend our sympathies on the death of Mrs, Leo Devaney, last week-end, to her family and friends. Haskell Masters, informed us that WB will provide color stills on all color films, at the same price, starting with the release of “The High And Mighty” . . . Gordon Lightstone busy these days with plans for the new Paramount building. Jack Labow, back from home-office discussions told us that “Canadian exhibitors can look for big things from RKO in the immediate future”. . . “Son of Sinbad” and “Jet Pilot” will be released in Superscope as well as standard, Jack told us .... Win Barron celebrating his 10th anniversary as editor of Canada’s Paramount newsreel... Win's princely English auto, is up for sale. MGM's Chet Friedman hosted the winners of a “Julius Caesar” contest to a full day day at the Stratford Festival . . accompanying the group, I had the opportunity of meeting Jack Wellard, Vogue theatre, and promised myself, to take Dan Krendel up on his offer to cover his district with him . . . what better way to study our Industry... than meeting the people that make it tick. Overheard . . . while in Stratford... Stewart Granger will be next year’s Festival star . .°. Pola-Lite demonstrations in Winnipeg and Calgary were enthusiastically received . , . another Pola-Lite demonstration scheduled for Vancouver on July 20th. ; Mark Plottel was reunited with his parents, in Vancouver, for the first time in 10 years, on his recent trip to the West coast .. . L. Brockington visiting England . . . Pioneer Golf Tournament tickets going fast for the annual jamboree at St. Andrew's Golf Club, Aug. 12th. The Event Of The Week... 20thFox's demonstration of “The Advancing Techniques of CinemaScope” at the University Theatre, Toronto, on Tuesday morning .. . The applause of the large sroup, at the end of the demonstration, augurs well for the future of our Indus{Ty-0« further demonstrations will take place at the Paramount, Saint John, July 20th; Capitol, Winnipeg, July 23rd; Capitol, Calgary, July 27th and at the Capitol, Vancouver, July 29th. Gabriel Pascal, noted British producer and film director, died in New York, after a 3 week illness, on Tuesday, July 7th. @ Tentative agreements set for 31 US theatres to telecast the opening night of the Metropolitant Opera on Nov. 8th. Variety lists 5 top grossers for the month of June Ist, 3 Coins In The Fountain (20th-Fox); 2nd, Cinerama; 3rd, Demetrius and the Gladiators (20th-Fox); 4th, Johnny Guitar (Republic) and 5th, Dial M For Murder (Warner’s). @ JARO sets first two features for lensing in Vista Vision, “Passage Home,” starring Norman Wisdom and “As Long As They’re Happy,” a Raymond Stross production. 12) St. Lawrence Seaway project will eventually doom 2 Canadian theatres, the Cameo, Morrisburg, operated by Carl Masden and the Savoy, Cardinal owned by H. and C. Swedlove. @ Oklahoma will be filmed both with Todd-AO and CinemaScope cameras, it was announced by Michael Todd on behalf of the Magna Theatre Corp. ® Goldwyn acquires film rights for “Guys And Dolls” and has engaged Joseph L. Mankiewicz to write and direct the picture. @ Robert M. Fellows, president of Batjac Productions Inc., formerly known as Wayne-Fellows Productions, predicts combining of 3-D and CinemaScope. Mr. Fellows stated, “The new 3-D system (Pola-Lite) of having both images on one film strip, eliminating many projection difficulties, makes a CinemaScope and 3-D merger a probability.” e Al Lichtman, 20th-Fox director of distribution, expects 8,000 theatres to be equipped for the showing of CinemaScope films by August Ist. To date, he announced there are 419 Drive-in theatres equipped for CinemaScope. @ Mexican government organizes film company to undertake world-wide distribution of Mexican films, now handled by a number of private concerns. e Twelve color productions will be released between July, 1954 and March, 1955 by RKO, it was announced by James R. Grainger, president, including “Jet Pilot” which went into production in 1949 and stars John Wayne.