Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 14, 1956)

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Jan 14, 1956
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 14, 1956)
Leaf #:
0008
Language:
English
Collection:
Hollywood Studio System, Canada, 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
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JANUARY 14, 1956 aselitt ovine PeTeRE DI¢EST U-Is David Lipton Speaks Out “Tet Us Face The Facts’ (Continued from last week) “In addition, to reach the enormous audience on wheels as they drive through city streets and highways, we believe that billboard advertising is more effective today than ever before. Millions of people, while driving, were reached during the past year by national billboard posting for pictures like 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Not As A Stranger, To Hell And Back and Lady And The Tramp— all successful pictures, although I am not prepared to attribute the success of any of them to this one factor alone. National billboards are part of the pre-selling pattern which, we for one, are again using, this time on our forthcoming picture, The Second Greatest Sex. “As far as pre-selling pictures through TV is concerned, I quote from remarks I made to you gentlemen in Houston in 1950 — five years ago. I quote: “To meet the challenge of television, we have made it a partner in the selling of pictures in a manner which only Universal among all the companies — is now doing. We believe we pioneered in the promotional use of television when we were pretty much alone in recognizing the effectiveness of this medium. “IT can recall to some of you who attended an Exhibitor-Producer Forum at the Beverly Hills Hotel a number of years ago, that I spoke in favor of the widest use of television to sell pictures—against the battery of protesters. Our policy remains unchanged—we continue to use television as extensively as good judgment and good opportunities afford. “However, we believe that television selling, especially where film clips are concerned, can be just as damaging as it can be helpful. “Another interesting aspect in modern living is the fact that national magazines continue to increase in circulation. Apparently there is still a great deal of recreational reading time available despite television. Although newsstand sales have fallen off, as you know, this has largely been attributed to the fact that fewer people are accessible to newsstands. Today, more homes have more magazines delivered through subscriptions than ever before. “And so we at Universal are attempting to solve the pre-selling problem created by modern Amer ican living—among other things by reaching our audience in their cars as they ride, on the roadside as they drive—and in their homes as they listen to the radio, look at television or read their national publications. “At the outset of my talk I said that my theme would be “Let us face the facts.” have an attraction that the public wants to see and when we effectively bring this attraction to their attention through pre-selling, all these serious competitive, recreational and cost factors fade—the inconveniences are ignored—they respond in a manner that warms our hearts and fills our theatres. “This is the key point. The fab ulous grosses of sO many pictures during the past few years have proven that the so-called lost audiences is not hopelessly lost. The American public has not lost its “LET US FACE THE FACTS” REPRINTED ON THIS PAGE ARE EXCERPTS FROM AN ADDRESS BY DAVID A. LIPTON, UNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT THIS FALL AT AN ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION SEMINAR OF AN IMPORTANT THEATRE ASSOCIATION. “There is still one more fact to be faced and a very comforting fact indeed. The fact that despite all these problems, when we do love of the movies. Our responsibility is to keep contact with that audience, through proper pre-selling.” Trans-Canada Wy USE THIS INFORMATION AS YOUR GUIDE ON RELEASE DATES ~-——-— TORONTO IMPERIAL 3rd wk. Artists & Models (Para.) VV & Tech. with Martin & Lewis. SHEA’S 2nd wk. The Rains of Ranchipur (20thFox) C’Scope & Color with Lana Turner. UNIVERSITY & EGLINTON 3rd wk, Good Morning Miss Dove (20th-Fox) C’Scope & Color with Jennifer Jones. LOEW'S 2nd wk. Kismet (MGM) C‘Scope & Color with Howard Keel. UPTOWN The Spoilers (E-U) Tech, with Anne Baxter & Jeff Chandler, ODEON 3rd wk. Guys & Dolls (MGM) C’Scope & Tech. with Marlon Brando. HYLAND CHRISTIE DANFORTH HUMBER 3rd wk. Doctor at Sea (JARO) Tech. with Dirk Bogarde, DOWNTOWN Desert Sands (UA) & Fort Yuma (UA). TOWNE & INTERNATIONAL CINEMA The African Lion (E-U) Tech. VV & MONTREAL LOEW'S 2nd wk, Kismet (MGM) C’Scope & Color with Howard Keel & Ann Blyth. CAPITOL 3rd wk. Artists & Models (Para.) VV & Tech. with Martin & Lewis, PALACE The Tender Trap (MGM) C’Scope & Color with Frank Sinatra. PRINCESS Quentin Durward (MGM) Tech. with Robert Taylor. SNOWDON-OUTREMONT-STRAND Kiss of Fire (E-U) Tech. with Jack Pa lance, AVENUE 3rd wk. Doctor at Sea (JARO) VV & Tech, with Dirk Bogarde. KENT 3rd wk, Lady and the Tramp (E-U) C’Scope & Tech. SEVILLE 2nd wk. Guys & Dolls (MGM) C’Scope & Color with Howard Keel. AVON 3rd wk, Romeo & Juliet (Astral) —in Color, MONKLAND 2nd wk. Wages of Fear (JARO). WINNIPEG CAPITOL Good Morning Miss Doye (20th-Fox) C’Scope & Color with Jennifer Jones. ODEON 2nd wk. Doctor at Sea Tech. with Dirk Bogarde. GARRICK 2nd wk. Guys & Dolls (MGM) C’Scope & Tech. with Marlon Brando, MET The Deep Blue Sea (20th-Fox) C’Scope & Color with Vivien Leigh. (JARO) VV & GAIETY 2nd wk. African Lion (E-U) with Tech. CALGARY CAPITOL 2nd wk, The Rains of Ranchipur (20thFox) C’Scope & Color with Lana Turner. PALACE 2nd wk. Artists & Models (Para.) VV & Tech. with Martin & Lewis. UPTOWN The Second Greatest Sex (E-U) C’Scope & Tech. with Jeanne Crain. ' GRAND 2nd wk. Guys and Dolls (MGM) C’Scope & Tech, with Marlon Brando. VANCOUVER CAPITOL The Deep Blue Sea (20th-Fox) C’Scope & Color with Vivien Leigh. ORPHEUM The Rains of Ranchipur (20th-Fox) C’Scope & Color with Lana Turner. ODEON 2nd wk, Guys & Dolls (MGM) C’Scope & Tech, with Marlon Brando. PLAZA ODEON CIRCLE The Spoilers (E-U) Tech. Baxter & Jeff Chandler. DUNBAR Passage Home (JARQ) Steel & Diane Cilesto. STRAND 2nd wk. Good iiorning Miss Dove (20th-Fox) C’Scope & Color with Jennifer Jones. with Anne with Anthony PAGE NINE RKO’s “The First Traveling Saleslady” goes before the cameras the beginning of January with “Back From Eternity” scheduled to start shooting in February. Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. signs Victor Mature for top-role in “The Sharkfighters” tor United Artist release. Paramount again teams _ prizewinning combination of Audrey Hepburn & William Wyler for their screen version of “L’Aiglon” which will be filmed in Austria and Hollywood. MGM adds Ann Miller to cast of “The Opposite Sex,” joining glamourous trio of June Allyson, Dolores Gray and Ann Sheridan. Jan Sterling handed femme lead in Columbia’s “The Harder They Fall,” which topcasts Humphrey Bogart. January release for Uniyersal’s “All That Heaven Allows” starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. Bob Hope agrees to play role of himself in the Paramount production “Gertrude Lawrence as Mis. Aw Alan Ladd’s son, Laddie, is making his film debut in the Warner production “Santiago” in which his father is starred with Rossana Podesta and Llyod Nolan. EmpireUniversal signs young German star, Marianne Cooks, to a long term contract. Republic purchases screen rights to “The Man in Question,” a Crime Club Selection mystery novel. Terry Moore’s first picture, under her renewed contract with 20th-Fox, will be “The Last Wagon. * Edward Platt handed top role by Universal in “Written on the Wind.” Alfred Hitchcock returns to Hollywood from Tokyo and begins casting for “The Wrong Man” which he will direct for Warners. Doris Day and husband, Mary Melcher, announce plans to produce “I Can’t Have You,” a suspense drama starring Miss Day, for release by Metro. Disney’s “The Great Locomotive Chase” back on the home lot after 62 days of shooting. 20th-Fox assigns John Lee Mahan to do script for “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison,” a Buddy Adler-Eugene Frenke production. S