Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Aug 7, 1954)

Page scan 0006 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Aug 7, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Aug 7, 1954)
Leaf #:
0006
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.

AAUGUST 7, 1954 tte” That Could Satter Y By MAX CHIC At the Ballyhoo Contest lunchseon, Mr. Fitzgibbons asked prize ‘winner Jack Bridges, of Timmins, ‘if he had ever worked in a gold mine... the answer was yes... and Mr. Fitzgibbons said, “keep diggin it up, Jack!” . . . Paul Turnbull joins Twinex in Hamilton... Peter Myers, Vic Beattie and Sam Glasier in New York for headoffice discussions. While waiting for Norma Dogett, one of MGM’s “Seven Brides’, Hilly Cass, Canadian General Manager for MGM told us that GWTW outgrossed its original opening, years back at Loew’s, Toronto . with the same breath he mentioned that “Seven Brides” had set a new record for a “normal week” at Radio City Music Hall. JARO’s “Man With A Million” had a special screening last Sunday for Nash, Dominion Store, JARO and Odeon employees . . . Rumor has it, that Pola-Lite, the single-print 3-D system, are conSidering going into production... we hope so, as it will guarantee top product for a medium that can attract many people to our boxOffices. The Cinerama people who are expanding to Europe this fall, are also considering two Canadian situations . plans for CinemaScope installations in a number of Distributor’s screening rooms are being readied . . . R. W. Bolstad is quoted on the back page of the Motion Picture Daily, from a speech at a luncheon in honor of Charlie Doctor, Quigley Award winner . . . the quote, “For writing, there’s the Pulitzer prize; for acting, there’s the Oscar; and for men in the motion picture exhibition field, there’s the Quigley Award for showmanship. Esquire Films, Ltd., which used to release British films under the guidance of Archie Laurie, has applied for leave to surrender its charter . . . a worthwhile charity, and one that has won industry wide support, the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, has energetic Harvey Harnick, singing its praise ... any donations can either be sent to the Digest, care of this column or direct to Harvey Harnick, Columbia Pictures, 72 Carlton St., Toronto. The Event Of The Week... 8 baby girl to Ben Okun’s son-inlaw, Bernie Rothbart. Cc Om The Waterfront “On the Waterfront,” set a nonholiday opening day mark on Wednesday at the Astor theatre officials disclosed. Only two pictures in the history of the-house, both of which opened on holidays played to larger grosses on the first day. It continued its record-breaking pace, on its second day and may set a new high for the Astor. Sigms New Contract Dan Dailey was signed to a new . contract by 20th Fox . : . he will go to MGM on loan to join Gene Kelly in a comedy with music “It ~ Is Always Fair Weather”. “pIeerT Lowell Chomas (Continued from Page 1) in New York City, where it ran 10 weeks, grossing over $100,000 for the engagement. The book, by Lowell Thomas, Jr., was serialized in Collier's Magazine, and headed the nonfiction best-seller lists for several months. In addition, it was condensed in Reader’s Digest, with an estimated reader coverage of over 16,000,000. “Out of This World” will head Alliance’s 195455 releases, with a number of other important pictures to be announced shortly. . Wz TrausCanada oe TORONTO IMPERIAL Second week. Knock On Wood (Para.) Technicolor with Danny Kaye. SHEA’S Living It Up (Pora.) Technicolor with Martin and Lewis, UNIVERSITY Princess Of The Nile (20th-Fox) Technicolor with Debra Paget. EGLINTON 3 Coins In The Fountain (20th-Fox) CinemaScope and Technicolor with Clifton Webb. NORTOWN Fifth week. Dial M for Murder WornerColor with Roy Milland. ODEON Second week. Garden Of Evil (20th-Fox) CinemaScope and Technicolor with Susan Hayward. UPTOWN Her Twelve Greer Garson, LOEW'S Second week. Gone With The Wind (MGM) Technicolor with Vivien Leigh. HYLAND & CHRISTIE The Maggie (JARO) with Paul Douglas. TOWNE CINEMA Fourth week. La Ronde (IFD). INTERNATIONAL CINEMA Twenty-second week. Hobson’s Choice (IFD) with Charles Laughton. MONTREAL PALACE 3 Coins in the Fountain (20th-Fox) CinemaScope & Technicolor with Clifton Webb. LOEW'S Fifth Week. Knock on Wood (Para.) Technicolor with Danny Kaye. PRINCESS Silver Lode (RKO) Technicolor with John Payne and Lizabeth Scott. CAPITOL Indiscretion of an American Wife (Col.) with Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift. IMPERIAL The Man with the Iron Glove, Technicolor and Paris Model (Col.). KENT Fifth Month, The Kidnappers (JARO) with Vincent Winter. SEVILLE Marlag ‘O’ (IFD) with Anthony Steel. ALOUETTE The Heiress Fr. (Pora.) with Olivia de Haviland and Montgomery Clift. (WB) Men (MGM) Color with WINNIPEG CAPITOL 2nd week. 3 Coins in the Fountain (20th-Fox) CinemaScope and Techni color with Clifton Webb. LYCEUM Three Young Texans (20th-Fox) Tech USE THIS INFORMATION AS YOUR GUIDE ON RELEASE DATES ~--~-—-— nicolor and House of Blackmail (20thFox). ° MET Carnival Story (RKO) Technicolor with Anne Baxter. ODEON “Ma and Pa Kettle at Home” (E-U) with Marjorie Main. GARRICK New Faces (20th-Fox) CinemaScope with Eartha Kitt. GAIETY Make Hoste to Live (E-U) ond The Sun Shines Bright (E-U). VANCOUVER CAPITOL 2nd week, 3 Coins 20th-Fox) CinemaScope color with Cliftom Webb. ORPHEUM Men of the Fighting Lady (MGM) with Van Johnson and Walter Pidgeon, In Color. STRAND Dail M For Murder (WB) and Duffy of Son Quentin (WB). STUDIO Times Gone By (IFD) with Gina Lollobrigida. VOGUE Mon With a Million (JARO) Technicolor with Gregory Peck. PLAZA The Miami Story (Col.) and The Desperado (AA). PARADISE Black Horse Canyon (E-U) Technicolor and The Killers. DUNBAR 12th Week. The Kidnappers (JARO) with Vincent Winter. CALGARY CAPITOL Executive Suite (MGM) Holden and June Allyson, PALACE Pinocchio (RKO) in Technicolor Prowlers of the Everglades (RKO) UPTOWN Man With a Million (JARO) Technicolor with Gregory Peck. GRAND Garden of Evil (20th-Fox) CinemaScope, Technicolor with Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward and Richard Widmark. STRAND Held Over. Racing Blood (20th-Fox) and Broken Arrow (20th-Fox). SAINT JOHN STRAND Mon With o Million (JARO) Technicolor with Gregory Peck. CAPITOL Men of the Fighting Lody (MGM) with Von Johnson and Walter Pidgeon. In Color, PARAMOUNT Living It Up (Pora.) Technicolor with Martin ond Lewis. in the Fountain and Techni with William and PAGE SEVEN that Dore Schary announces MGM has purchased “The .Tender Trap,” a sophisticated comedy which will have its legit opening on Broadway this Fall; also “Tea & Sympathy another Broadway starrer, Winner of New York Drama Critics Award . . . RKO has signed Robert Pirosh as directorwriter for the Rosalind Russell Technicolor musical, “The Girl Rush,” in VistaVision. Gary Grant and Grace Kelly back in the U.S. after completing assignments on the Alfred Hitchcock Technicolor thriller, “To Catch A Thief” shot in VistaVision ... United Artists announces two for Robert Mitchum, “Not As A Stranger” and “The Night Of The Hunter”; also from the United Artists lot the forthcoming drama “The White Orchid,” featuring William Lundigan and Peggie Castle. Latest major release for 20thFox is the CinemaScope drama “Broken Lance,” to be followed by the Technicolor Panoramic Production “The Raid” which will have its premiere in New York, August 13th . . . Mervyn LeRoy has been assigned the direction for Warner's “Lewis and Clark” in Cinerama and the CinemaScope WarnerColor drama “Strange Lady In Town,” which has as its leads Greer Garson and Dana Andrews. Rod Cameron, Joan Leslie and John Russell were set by Republic to top the cast of “Hell's Outpost” . .. Alaska will be the location for the Allied Artists, Mark Stevens starrer, “Ketchikan,” starting date set for July 3lst .. . Paramount reports that two new Pine & Thomas productions are to be produced in VistaVision. 450-seat theatre well located in town of 3,000, Modern projector and screen, In good repair. Price $35,000 Terms can be atranged. Contact: HARLAND RANKIN, c/o O'BRIEN REALTY 128 Queen Street, Chatham, Ontario.