Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Aug 21, 1954)

Page scan 0008 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Aug 21, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Aug 21, 1954)
Leaf #:
0008
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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a MAUGUST 21, 1954 “DIGEST Ontario Prepares For Railway Strike Mayety Film Delivery will make special ¥eliveries to the following points in addifitien to their regularly serviced accounts: CAPITOL THEATRE — CHATHAM Distributing centre for: WWelleceburg Capitol nia Capitol Bothwell Joy FPetrofia Iroquois Blenheim Temple FForest Kincto WWest Lorne Royal ARidgetown Palace Odresden Majestic OChotham Drive-In Chatham AVON THEATRE — STRATFORD Distributing centre for: UListowell Capitol TElmira Reo OGrand Bend Alton @Clinton Roxy AMitchell Plaza !St. Mary’s Lyric Goderich Capitol £Seeforth Regent lExeter Lyric INew Hamburg Regent 'Centralia Air Station R.C.A.F. *Clinton Air Station R.C.A.F. 'Uashmar Drive-In Clinton £Sunset Drive-In Goderich tWoshmor Drive-In Listowel ROXY THEATRE — MT. FOREST Distributing centre for: i Fergus Grand IHorriston Crown tHonover Pcramount 1 Pa'merston Norgan Owen Sound Center * Wolkerton Roxy * Chesley Roxy Southompton Esquire Port Elgin Elgin " Wierton Berford Durham Dell "Wingham Lyceum * Orangeville Uptown Hanover Drive-In Hanover Hartiston Drive-In Harriston Orangeville Drive-In Orangeville Owen Sound Drive-In Owen Sound Port Elain Drive-in Port Elgin CAPITOL TEHATRE — KINGSTON Distributing centre for: All Kingston Theatres and Gananoque GENEVA THEATRE — ORILLIA Distributing centre for: Beaverton Strand Cannington Jewell Orillia Drive-In Orillia Port Drive-In Port Bolster GRANADA THEATRE — BARRIE Distributing centre for: Meaford Capitol Collingwood Regent Wesoga Beach Skyview Midland Roxy Penetang Pen Kincardine Capitol Alliston Circle Huronia Drive-In Barrie Wesago Drive-In Collingwood Elmyale Drive-In Elmvale Mid'and Drive-In Midland MUSKOKA THEATRE — GRAVENHURST Distributing centre for: Burks Falls Bluebird Parry Sound Strand Port Carling Island Park Huntsville Capitol Sundridge Community Bracebridge Norwood Muskoka Drive-In Gravenhurst Perry Sound Drive-In Porry Sound MORRISBURG THEATRE — MORRISBURG Distributing centre for: Cerdinal Savoy Cornwall Roxy Prescott Princess Cornwall Drive-In Cornwall Sterlite Drive-In Cornwall McCARTHY THEATRE — BELLEVILLE Distributing centre for: Tweed Victoria Picton Regent Stirling Stirling Madoc Empire Compbellford Avon Marmora Plaza CAPITOL THEATRE — NORTH BAY Distributing centre for: Espanola Espanola Massey Princess Princess Little Current Gore Bay Community Sudbury Capitol Capreol Audion Levack Rio Creighton Mines Rio Sturgeon Falls Odeon Chelmsford Plaza Mattawa Champlain South River Fox Powasson Rio North Bay Drive-In North Bay Sudbury Drive-In Sudbury STRAND THEATRE — SIMCOE Distributing centre for: Port Dover Beach Port Rowan Bay Waterford Royal Skylork Drive-In Tillsonburg PATRICIA THEATRE — LONDON Distributing centre for: Strathroy King Watford Reo Parkhill Fox Glencoe Fox Port Stanley Roxy AIR EXPRESS *Soult Ste. Marie Capitol *Thessclon *Blind River *Chapleau Regent *Soo Drive-In *Skylark Drive-in Sault Ste. Maric Sault Ste. Marie STRAND THEATRE — PORT COLBORNE Distributing centre for: Dunnville Granada ODEON THEATRE — PETERBORO Distributing centre for: Lindsay Holiburton Minden Fenelon Falls Bancroft Lindsay Drive-In Peterboro Drive-In Century Malou Beaver Fenelon Bancroft Lindsay Peterboro CAPITOL THEATRE — OTTAWA Distributing centre for: Hawkesbury Carleton Place Almonte Arnprior Renfrew Pembroke Deep River Perth Smiths Falls Alexandria Alfred Kemptville Egonville Barry’s Bay Regent Roxy O’Brien O'Brien O’Brien O'Brien Alcana Perth Soper Garry Eden Empress Rio Barry Arnprior Drive-In Arnprior Belvue Drive-In Howkesbury Pembroke Drive-In Pembroke Port Elmsley Drive-In Port Elmsley Renfrew Drive-In Renfrew Renfrew Hiwey Drive-In CAPITOL THEATRE — WINDSOR Distributing centre for: Horrow Amherstburg Essex Tecumseh Kingsville Leamington St. Clair Drive-In Windsor Drive-In Skyway Drive-In Hcro Liberty Rio Rex Roxy Vogue St. Clair Village Windsor Windsor TO BE SHIPPED VIA TRUCK TRANSPORT FROM TORONTO: *Hearst * Kapuskasing *Smooth Rock *Cochrane *Timmins *Kirkland Lake *Virginiatown *Lorder Lake * Englehart *Ansonville *New Liskeard *South Porcupine *Cobolt *Hoailybury *Matachewen Royal Strand Trinity Center Empire Cartier Strond Strand Capitol Palace Empire Empire South Classic Strand Palace (drop off at New Liskeard) *Copper Cliff Drive-In *Porcupine Drive-In Copper Cliff Timmins A Star Is Born The world premiere of Warner Brothers’ “A Star Is Born” co starring Judy Garland and James Mason and filmed in Cinema Scope and Technicolor, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 30, at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Holly wood. The opening will be followed shortly thereafter by a simultaneous engagement of the offering in two New York theatres, to be named at a later date. Across the Country | (Continued from Page 3) ‘ Two new drive-ins opened in British Columbia last week. The Fernie at Fernie in the Crows Nest Pass, geared for 400 cars, operated by L. D. Lynch and the Prince George in Northern B.C., headed by Herb Stevenson of North-West Theatres Ltd., with accommodation for 500 cars. Harvey Hunt, Odeon's head booker and buyer, is in Vancouver for a ten-day visit from his Toronto headquarters. “Living it Up", Paramount, at the Orpheum Vancouver, way the best in town, doing away above average. It holds for a second week at the 3,000-seat house, “The Kidnappers” after a 14-week record engagement at the OdeonDunbar, Vancouver, made way for “Man With a Million” which ts expected to have a long run at the Dunbar. Bob Lightstone, B.C. Paramount manager, is in high gear for that company’s 40th Anniver sary Sales Drive. The three Western offices at Vancouver, Winnipeg and Calgary of JARO were in the top brackets in the recently completed Sales Drive. Frank Scott, Calgary manager, was the winner, PAGE NINE Paramount's First In VistaVision A sweeping change in the technique of motion picture presentation which will be of great importance to the movie-going public through its ability to portray startingly realistic and life-like visual entertainment, is promised for early this Fall, when Irving Berlin's “White Christmas,” first picture ever produced in VistaVision, will have its world premiere at the Radio City Music Hall. Announcement that contracts had been signed for the world premiere were made jointly by Russell V. Downing, president of the Music Hall, and Barney Balaban, president of Paramount Pictures Corporation, producers of “White Christmas.” Vistavision is a production and presentation process which accomplishes reality on a screen of spectacular height and breadth with the most startling clarity ever attained. Sirzske Depots (Continued from Page 1) the Exchanges to supply two programs per week only. Those theatres making three changes a week and which are not regular users of the Mavety Film Delivery Service, will have to pick up their own film at the Exchanges and these theatres will be responsible for the return of all film to the Exchange. “Everything possible has been done to service theatres in isolated locations. “All theatres being serviced from film depots will be required to return all film to the depot. Each exhibitor must sign a duplicate form at the depot so that there is evidence of the return of the film to the depot. The original of this form should be signed by the man in charge of the film depot. “All theatres within a radius of approximately fifty miles of Toronto, will be expected to pick up their programs and return all films to Toronto Exchanges. “It is our understanding that a small service charge will be placed on each film shipment to pay for the necessary labour that must be employed at busy depots. “The Toronto Film Board assures all theatres that film shipments will be made as far in advance as is feasible in order to make allowances for possible delays in transportation. “This is an emergency... If a strike takes place, let's all co-operate to share the burden so that a few won't have all the headaches.” gets Appel, Toronto Film ard, Arch H. Jolley, Motion Picture Theatres Assoc. of Ontario.