Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Oct 2, 1954)

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Oct 2, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Oct 2, 1954)
Leaf #:
0000
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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JAY L. SMITH EDITOR AND PUBLISHER VOL. 46, NO. 40 N MOVING PICTURE PUBLICATION 1915-1954 Published by CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST COMPANY LIMITED THE FIRST WITH THE FILM NEWS IN CANADA RAY LEWIS FOUNDER 1915-1954 TORONTO, OCTOBER 2, 19754 230 Million Canucks Pay To See Pix Newspapers Ignore Film Biz Interest—Amusement Rates Up Over 250 million Canadians pay their way into Canadian theatres, every year, but despite this Canadian newspapers, in the main have seen fit to scramble up their amusement page, lumping theatre ads with One of the most amazing developments in the Film Industry in Canada in recent years has been the change of attitude of distributors, exhibitors and public alike towards so-called Art pictures. I can well recall a few years back, when Ray Lewis was pioneering in the development of this type of pictures, handling through Alliance Films the distribution of the Italian operas, such as “The Barber of Seville’ and “Rigoletto”, and the DeSica opus, “Shoe Shine”, there were only two outlets for these “different” pictures in Toronto, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and Eaton’s Auditorium. Both were very expensive propositions, where the distributor had to rent the theatre, underwrite an extensive newspaper advertising campaign, and hope and pray we would at least break even, or maybe make a few dollars profit. Now look at the same situation today. At the Towne Cinema, “The Green Scarf” (Brit.) is in its 3rd week; at the International Cinema, “An Inspector Calls” (Brit.) is in its 4th week; at the Hollywood, Toronto, “Companions in the Night” (French) is in its 3rd week; at the Circle, Metro and Esquire is the Italian operatic double-bill of “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “La Traviata”; at the Studio, a Polish picture, “The Life of Chopin”; at the Pylon, an all-Italian program; at the Major, St. Clair, an all-Italian program; at the Melody Theatre, a German program. Nor does this take into consideration Odeon’s Hyland and Christie Theatres where the British film, “Doctor in the House” is in its 4th record-breaking week, and at the same company’s Danforth and Humber Theatres, “The Kidnapp (Continued on Page 2) Odeon Ontario Mgrs. Meet In Toronto Theatre managers who presented subject features at the Canadian Odeon regional conference at the Royal York Hotel, following the gala showmanship prize-presenta (Continued on Page 3) everything under the sun, and giving front page and wide coverage only to the more sensational phases of the news of our industry. Charging in most cases higher rates for theatres, the papers provide page after page of women’s, sports, Radio and TV news. The recommendation of the committee headed by N. A. Taylor for a Can(Continued on Page 6) Famous Players Executives Meet With Western Partners The president of Famous Players and a group of his executives recently completed a trip across western Canada holding meetings in Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The party from Toronto included J. J. Fitzgibbons, R. W. Bolstad, Bob Eves, Western division manager, Ben Géeldsaler, chief film booker; J. J. Fitzgibbons, Jr. president of Theatre Confections Ltd.; George Cuthbert, manager of General Theatre Supply Co. and James R. Nairn, director of adver (Continued on Page 2) Keep your’-<2) >» on COMMUNITY CHEST DRIVE OCTOBER 4 White Christmas For Maritime Confab General Manager Gordon Lightstone of Canadian Paramount has arranged for a special screening of “White Christmas” in VistaVision in connection with the annual meeting of the Maritime Exhibi (Continued on Page 3) Sask. Exhibitors Hold Meeting Strong objection to movie distributors releasing motion pictures at advanced prices was voiced by the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Exhibitors’ Association at its an nual meeting in the Hotel Saskatchewan, Regina, Sept. 12. These “so-called” road shows were selected at the producer level and sold only on condition that (Continued on Page 2) Taylor Reports To CMPIC On Motion Picture Institute The Fourth Annual Meeting of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry Council of Canada, last November appointed a committee for the purpose of studying the suggestion of a Canadian Motion Picture Institute. The Council appointed N. A. Taylor, chairman and with his committee of Morris Stein, David Griesdorf, William Lester and Gordon Lightstone unanimously recommended the items listed below for consideration at the MPIC Convention, which takes place November 22-24. The report was read by Gordon Lightstone at a (Continued on Page 6) WISP Quebec Pioneers Golf Tournament The Quebee Division of the Canadian Picture Pioneers held their first Annual Golf Tournament and Dinner at the Lakeshore Golf and Country Club, Lachine, — last Thursday, and in spite of poor (Continued on Page 2)