Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Sep 11, 1954)

Page scan 0002 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Sep 11, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Sep 11, 1954)
Leaf #:
0002
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 23, 2024
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SEPTEMBER 11, 1954 MGM Stars Taylor Director Roy Rowland completed the filming of the M.G.M. production “Many Rivers To Cross,” featuring Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker and Victor McLaglen. Keep Your Eyes On FRANK FISHER Frank H. Fisher was appointed a director of Odeon Theatres (Canada) Ltd. and Odeon Theatres Ltd. and became a Vicepresident of J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (Canada) Ltd. last week. General Manager of JARO, since 1947, Mr. Fisher joined Odeon Theatres in 1944 as chief buyer and booker and later became Western Division Manager of Odeon Theatres. Appointed as General Sales Manager on January 1, 1947 of the distribution companies handling JARO films in Canada, including Eagle-Lion Films of Canada Ltd., he became its General Manager, in July of the same year, a post he has held since that time. He was first associated with the motion picture industry in 1926 joining Canadian Educational Films in Calgary. He later became Branch Manager in charge of the Calgary territory prior to moving to Toronto with Empire Films as salesman. He was appointed to the position of Office Manager of the Toronto branch of Empire-Universal, retaining that position until 1938, when he was transferred to Quebec as Montreal Branch Manager. In 1939, Mr. Fisher returned to Toronto as Branch Manager, and in 1940 became Assistant Canadian General Manager of Empire-Universal. Born in Toronto, “Frank” as he is familiarly known, was educated in Calgary, but is widely known throughout the Dominion and is personally acquainted with practically every theatre town in Canada. He is married to the former Ruby Roberts, one of Canada’s top ranking tennis players. They have two sons and a daughter. Mr. Fisher is immediate past president of the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Assoc., a director of the Canadian Picture Pioneers and of the Rotary Club, Toronto. ————————————— Across Toronto and District Adding a Roy Rogers’ picture, “Grand Canyon Trail”, to the Saturday matinee program, Manager Bill Burke of the Capitol Theatre, Brantford, put on a stunt that tied in with the Canadian National Exhibition and its grandstand show, featuring the Western star. A draw was conducted for the juveniles and the first prize consisted of transportation for two to Toronto and back, plus a pair of CNE grandstand tickets to see Rogers in person. e e e Country With the local choristers returning to the Limestone City after a summer of church services in London, England, the Odeon Theatre, Kingston, played tp a highly appropriate picture, “The St. George's Cathedral Choir Singing in Westminster Abbey.” e e e For the wind-up of the school vacation season, Hilly Yudin of the Centre Theatre, Peterborough, put on a splash program for Friday and Saturday with three Westerns for the kids and a stunt in which he gave away two Roy Rogers shirts, courtesy of Black's store to boys or girls who occupied lucky seats each day. The pictures were “Bells of Coronado”, “Night Stage to Galveston” and “Phantom Stallion”. J ° e The Granada Theatre, Hamilton, a unit of Famous Players, was looted by a night prowler, a quantity of confectionery being stolen from the refreshment bar, Jack Hunter's Delta Theatre there had also been robbed in a similar manner while his Bay Theatre in downtown Toronto also suffered a boxoffice loss totalling $134. e e e Arch H. Jolley, executive secretary of the Motion Picture Theatres Association of Ontario, started off for the season on his service-club circuit when “he made a personal appearance for the film industry Aug. 30 as guest speaker at the dinner meeting of the Aurora, Ont. Rotarians. Olltawa Ottawa is to have another art theatre in the near future. National Theatre Services Limited, operators of the Glebe Cinema, have closed the Century, located deep in the west-end of the city. The theatre will re-open as the Towne Cinema. °e e e The new movie season was officially opened in Ottawa over Labor Day holiday with traditionally established midnight shows for which patrons go for in a big way. ° e e CinemaScope installations have been completed at the Elmdale Theatre, making NTS’s big West End house the fourth in the capital city to be equipped with the new projection medium. Others are the Capitol, Odeon and Nelson theatres. e e e If hold-overs and long runs are any criterion, Ottawa must be one of the best movie-going centres in Canada. The High and the Mighty (Odeon), Three Coins in the Fountain (Capitol), Scotch on the Rocks (Glebe Cinema) and Times Gone By (Little Elgin), are all enjoying extended engagements. Maritimes Mr. Harold Gaudet has made a number of improvements in his Capitol theatre at Summerside, P.Ed., and has increased his seating capacity from 550 to 800. He has installed CinemaScope with four-track Stereophonic Magnetic Sound and opened on Sept. 5 with “The Robe’. e oe e The Prince Edward Theatre, Charlottetown, P.E.L., (F. G. Spencer Company Limited), has installed CinemaScope with four-track Sterco (Continued on Page 6) (Continued from Page 1) the Toronto branch. Irving Stern has been associated with the JARO Company since its inception in Canada ten years ago. Coming from a show business family, Stern has been active in the trade most of his life, including five years with Empire-Universal. His father was the late Max Stern, a Pioneer of the film industry in Canada. Active in many of the film business organizations, he has earned the respect and recognition IRVING STERN of the trade at large, and especially of the exhibitors of Ontario. This change was brought about through the resignation of Mr. J. S. (Joe) McPherson, who has been with JARO for the past eight years. Prior to Mr. McPherson coming to Toronto, he was branch manager in Winnipeg. First VV From Rank Life Of George Wilson The first picture to be made in England with the use of the VistaVision cameras, will be “The Life of George Wilson,” to be shot at Pinewood Studios. J, Arthur Rank Organization is the producer. IGES1 fitOS APRIL 3, 1920 Ben Geldsaler, manager of Allen’s Bloor theatre, appointed manager of the new Allen theatre, the Parkdale. J. B. Cronk, General Manager for the Allen’s read telegrams from some stars and Luigi Romanelli played a violin solo at the opening. ~—Reprinted from the Canedion Moving Picture Digest THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST, Entered as Second Class Matter. Jay L. Smith, Editor-in-Chief; Max Chic, Associate Editor. Correspondents: Bruce Peacock, Regina, Sask.; Jack Droy, Vancouver, B.c.; Will Digest Compony, Limited, 21 Dun McLaughlin, Ottawa, Ont.; Bill Press, Toronto, Ont.; Helen Crowley, St, John, N.B. Address all mail ta the Publisher, Canadian Moving Picture — das Square, Toronto. Telephone: EMpire 8-8696. Cable: Raydigest. Established 1915, Publication weekly. Subscription: $5.00 yearly, . | : ;