Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Oct 1, 1955)

Page scan 0001 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Oct 1, 1955
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Oct 1, 1955)
Leaf #:
0001
Language:
English
Collection:
Canada, Hollywood Studio System, Early Cinema, and Global Cinema
Format:
periodicals
Contributor:
Media History Digital Library, Greig Dymond in memory of David Dymond, 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
Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

PAGE 2 a] Ou the Beam “(Continued from Page 1)-- Martin Simpson, canny manager of the Downtown, had a one-sheet specially made up for the occasion, with an admission price of $5.00 (which was charged for the TV showing) crossed out and his early matinee price of 40 cents featured. UA is once again distributing the Fight Films. An excellent piece of pre-selling publicity and public relations is a post-card received this week, by air-mail, from Paris, France, which reads as follows: “Paris is a wonderful city and it’s very exciting for Leland and Billy and me right now, because we are recreating the landing Lindbergh made here in 1927 in the ‘Sovirit of St. Louis.’ Best regards. Jimmy Stewart.” The picture on the front of the card is an aerial photo showing a replica of the famous Lindbergh monoplane, “The Spirit of St. Louis” flying over the Eiffel Tower. The Warner Bros, production, starring Jimmy Stewart as Lindbergh, is well into production. Strength of the current releases is made very obvious by the list of hold-overs at the first-run houses in Toronto. Walt Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” is in its 4th week at Shea’s; Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” in its 5th week at the Imperial, and another Paramount release, “We’re No Angels” in its 6th week at the University and Eglinton. At Loew’s, “Not As a Stranger” is in its 6th week, and will go a seventh, while at the OdeonToronto, and Fairlawn, the Katharine Hepburn starrer, “Summertime,” is in its second week. With the possible exception of the best man, who sported a very fancy tartan vest, the most dapper individual at the very plush Bolstad-Ashworth wedding reception at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, was the orchestra leader, none other than Maestro C. (for Curly) Posen, whose rhythmic baton brought frequent rounds of applause from the many guests present. Curly was decked out in dove grey swallow-tails that would have done justice to an Emil Coleman or Meyer Davis. Besides being the epitome of sartorial elegance, the music Curly and _ his band provided was excellent. As for the wedding itself, Shirley Bolstad was everything a starry-eyed bride should be, while her handsome groom, David Ashworth, made a big hit with everyone. That truly grand couple, Ethel and Reuben Bolstad, looked proud as punch as they received the good wishes of their friends, and well they might. for they have raised a lovely daughter, and now, by marirage, have acquired a fine son. e e Esquire & Mayfair Toronto: Recently re-opened by Harry Firestone, the Esquire and Mayfair Theatres, Toronto, have joined the Associated Theatres buying and booking organization. TORONTO PIONEERS ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT — Left to right, first row: Dan Krendel; Al Troyer and Dave Ongley presenting the Tom Daley Trophy to winner Marvin Freedman, Second row: Morris Stein and Ralph Dale; N. A. Taylor with the Projectionists team who won the N. A. Taylor Trophy. Third row: Jack Fitzgibbons and the winner of the “pIerrT LIGHTSTONE (Continued from Page 1) poration; Jerry Pickman, vice president in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation; Charles Boasberg, special assistant to Weltner; Robert J. Rubin, vice-president; Sidney Deneau, assistant to O’Shea; and Al Fitter, assistant to Owen. OCTOBER 1, 1955 Guy Upjohn Made Harvey Hunt Aide Toronto: The Odeon Theatres (Canada) Limited announced the appointment of Guy Upjohn as Assistant Director of Film Buying and Booking, under Harvey Hunt. Mr. Upjohn has just returned from three months in British Columbia. Theatre Confections Trophy, W. Goodison; the Film Weekly Trophy winner Martin Bloom, Hye Bossin and Harold Fingold, runner-up. Fourth row: E. Huber, who won the 20th Century Theatres Trophy and Harry Mandel and F. Price who took home the Projectionists Local 183 Trophy with Jim Sturgess. ——