Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Oct 30 1954)

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Oct 30 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Oct 30, 1954)
Leaf #:
0000
Language:
English
Subjects:
Motion Pictures, Film Industry Trade Magazine",Canad
Collection:
Hollywood Studio System, Canada, 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. 44 CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE FIRST WITH THE FILM NEWS INGANADA SS Published by CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST COMPANY LIMITED RAY LEWIS FOUNDER 1915-1954 TORONTO, OCTOBER 30, 1954 Empire-Universal Gets Disney Deal Vanishing Prairie First Release 20,000 Leagues In ’ScopeXmas The announcement from Empire-Universal of their franchise with Walt Disney Productions has put an end to the many rumors that have permeated the industry since Disney ended his lengthy relationship with As is er the case when the need arises, the entertainment world around Toronto has rallied to the cause, and is going all-out to raise funds for the relief of victims of the recent disastrous Hurricane Hazel. Radio, Sports, Television, and now the Motion Picture Industry are all participating in order to raise the $10,000,000 which has been set as the objective of the official Flood Relief fund. Already, well over $2,000,000 has been raised, and the first cheques have been given out to some of those who were completely wiped out in those chaotic few hours, the night of October 15th. One of the first men in the entertainment field to go all-out to aid the victims, was Ken Soble, owner of Hamilton Television Station, CKCH-TV, who conducted a Telethon that lasted for hours, with several thousand dollars received in donations. Other radio and television stations have followed suit. The re-opening of Yonge St. in Toronto, orginally scheduled as a holiday-fiesta, with street dancing, eftc., was quickly converted into a fund-raising project, and Metro Goldwyn Mayer had Elaine Stewart, star of "Brigadoon" flown up to Toronto to lend a helping hand. Close to $80,000 was taken in on Yonge St. last Wednesday evening, with further donations still coming in. The Canadian Moving Picture Digest has undertaken to act as a central agency for recording, collecting, forwarding and reporting to the official (Continued on Page 2) New Odeon Theatre For Moncton N.B. In Moncton The Odeon Company has awarded contract for construction of its new Kent theatre, to be erected on the site of the old one which was destroyed (Continued on Page 4) RKO. The announcement follows: A. WPerry, President of Empire-Universal Films, Limited, and Roy O. Disney, President of Walt Disney Productions, announced last week a franchise with Empire-Universal Films, Limited, for the distribution in Canada of three of the Disney Studio's forthcoming feature productions, “20,000 Leagues Un (Continued on Page 4) Children’s Film Library Holds National Convention In Toronto The Convention of the National Representatives of the Children’s Film Library, at the Village Theatre, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1954, was convened by its National Chairman, Mrs. McCutcheon. The meeting acted as a workshop, to refresh and instruct the representatives in the art of acting as critics for pictures. The Film Industry was represented by Peter Myers, Clare Appel and Bert Brown. The entire meeting was tape recorded so that those unable to attend, on account (Continued on Page 2) Keep your <a) (eon A. W. PERRY (See Page 3) Dominion Sound In New Toronto Offices Dominion Sound moved to their new location at 45 Wingold Ave., Toronto 10, on the week end of October 22nd. The telephone number is RUssell 1-6161. This is a new building of approx (Continued on Page 2) Teamwork In Action From Crawley Films “Teamwork in Action”, matic 33-minute film which docu a dra ments the compensation and rehabilitation services available to approximately 1,350,000 persons covered by Workmen’s Compensation Act of Ontario was previewed last Friday for press and radio representatives Produced by Crawley Films Ltd. for the Workmen's Compensation (Continued on Page 5) Columbia’s Montague Asks Can. Aid For Will Rogers Hospital The Digest as a result of many inquiries asking for further information about the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital Fund, obtained the following report from the Fund's President, A. Montague. It has occurred to me that now, al the beginning of the Sth Annual Christmas Salute to patients at the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, I should report to you and other members of the Motion Picture Industry in Canada who have been sO generous in supporting this most worthy industry project. More than twelve hundred mem (Continued on Page 6) UA’s Benjamin Drive Hits Record Billings The first six-week lap of United Artists’ Robert S. Benjamin Drive has racked up the highest weekly average billings ever recorded by the company in a sustained period, it Was announced by co-captain 3B, (Continued on Page 2)