Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Dec 4, 1954)

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Dec 4, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Dec 4, 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:
June 13, 2024
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JAY L. SMITH EDITOR AND PUBLISHER “FIRST WITH THE ‘FILM. ‘NEWS 1N ‘CANADA RAY LEwis FOUNDER 1915-1954 VOL. 46, NO. 49 Published by CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST COMPANY LIMITED TORONTO, DECEMBER 4, 1954 Griesdort Chairman MPIC of Canada Public Relations Highlighted — Small Town Problems X-rayed The Motion Picture Industry Council of Canada, representing 1,086 theatres across the length and breadth of Canada, the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association, The Theatre Equipment Dealer’s Asso By JAY L. SMITH What a week we had in Toronto last week. By Sunday, when the Westerners and the Easterners departed for their own bailliwicks, they were a pretty tired bunch of exhibitors and distributors, and pioneers. The football game Saturday, was a fitting climax to one of the most eventful weeks in our local history. Our congratulations to the Western gang, which included George and Richard Miles, Dave Rothstein, Bob and Harry Hurwitz, Ken Leach, Frank Kershaw, Steve Rolston, Roy Chown, Mayor Shackelford, Duane McKenzie, Doug Miller, Sammy Swartz, Len Johnson, Jack Lundholm, and the inimitable Charlie Krupp. It was good to see you all, and I am sure you all made enough on the results of the game, to offset any theatre losses for many months to come. I know the distributors will never lay 6-1 odds on their pictures, Our condolences to our Eastern friends, especially the Montreal contingent, which included Johnny Ganetakos, Bill Lester, George Destounis, Basil Salamis, Bill Singleton and Jack Chisholm, and Charles Bourassa. It was a heartbreaker for the Alouettes to lose, but like the good sports they are, the Montreal gang all said it couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch than the Eskimos. Was glad to see a few friend” from the Maritimes, including Archie Mason and his son, Lloyd, and Malcolm Walker and_ his manager, Mr. Ford. Incidentally, my thanks to Archie Mason, for the fine tribute he paid to Ray Lewis at the opening meeting of the Motion Picture Council on Monday. It was very much appreciated by all. (Continued on Page 6) JACK LABOW, RKO. “CANADIAN GENERAL M AES “HANSEL Ane GRETEL", Montreal Leads In IFD 2nd Sales Drive International Film Distributor’s second annual sales and play-date drive has passed the far turn and is ‘heading into the home stretch’ announced Maurice Dia (Continued on Page 3) ciation, the Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada meeting in Toronto last week at the King Edward Hotel, closed their sessions with the election of David Griesdorf, General Manager of Odeon Theatres (Canada) Ltd., as its new chairman. Arch J. Mason of Springhill, N.S., spoke forcefully on the policy (Continued on Page 7) Paramount Meet At Studio Dec. 6 Lightstone & Barron Rep. Canada Representing the first meeting in the company’s history, Paramount has set plans for an take place on the Coast for a full ploitation reps participating will include Win Barron, Paramount's Canadian director of public relations and 15 U.S. field men, studio personnel, homeoffice department (Continued on Page 2) DAVID GRIESDORF (See page 3) “international promotion coordination” meeting, to week beginning Dec. 6. Ad-pub-ex ASN Workshop Sets I6mm ‘Scope Show Two top experts in the field of motion pictures and films for television will be in Montreal on December 6, 7 and 8 to take part in the first film Workshop to be staged in Canada, at the studios of (Continued on Page 3) ener bake pie se ‘Tely. ¢ Maat i be carried in next week's — issue of what could be-— come a new pattern in bet. ter industry-newspaper relations across Canada. John Davis Talks To Tely Reporter (A reprint of an Interview by Ken Johnson, Tely Entertalnment Editor with John Davis) One of the biggest deals in motion pictures, world-wide production and distribution tie-up between the J. Arthur Rank Organization and 20th Century-Fox, eppeared today to have wound up right where it started: in a Hollywood trade paper. John Davis, managing (Continued on Page director Il) E-U’s Perry & Plottel Attending Universal Conference On Coast A. W. Perry, president of Empire-Universal which distributes Universal’s pictures in Canada, and Mark Plottel, general sales manager, will attend a Universal Pictures week-long sales conference at the Uni versal-International studios in California starting on Dec. 6, Also present will be Universal executives from both New York and the U-I studios, home office sales executives, district sales managers, for eign department executives, East and West Coast advertising and publicity executives it was announced by Charles J. Feldman, vicepresident and general sales manag ANAGER, ANNOUNCED A 6 THEATRE, DAY AND DATE PREMIERE. OPENING DECEMBER 23 AT THE ALHAMBRA, CAPITOL, "ST. CLAIR AND TIVOLI THEATRES, TO! | er. Following the studio meetings, the division sales managers will hold a series of district sales meetings with their district: managers, branch managers and salesmen partcipating and with a promotional executive scheduled to attend each of these seven individual meetings, (Continued on Page 3) f CENTURY, se