Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 12, 1957)

Page scan 0003 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Jan 12, 1957
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 12, 1957)
Leaf #:
0003
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
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JARO PRODUCT (Continued from Page 1) Mr. Vaughan pointed to the tremendous success of JARO’s “Reach For The Sky”, which last year rang up many new records for a British film in various cities throughout the world. He also emphasized the fact that “The Battle of the River Plate”, already established as an all-time record-breaker in Great Britain, is heading for the same success in Canada and other parts of the world, where it has had its initial engagements. Mr. Vaughan disclosed that the Rank Organization will again use Canada for location shooting on at least one of the current season’s productions, “Campbell’s Kingdom”, and possibly on a second feature, “The One That Got Away”. It will be recalled that in 1956, a Rank production unit shot a large part of “High Tide At Noon”, in a little fishing village in Nova Scotia. Scheduled for production during 1957 are the following features: “HELL DRIVERS”, now in production in black and white VistaVision, starring Stanley Baker, Patrick McGoohan, Jill Ireland, Wilfred Lawson and Herbert Lom. Based on an “Argosy Magazine” short story by John Kruse, the picture is being produced by Benny Fisz, and directed by Cy Endfield. “MIRACLE IN SOHO”, (tentative title), is scheduled to start shooting this week, with Emeric Pressburger producing, and Julian Amyes directing. John Gregson and Belinda Lee star in this film, to be shot in color and VistaVision. “ROBBERY UNDER ARMS”, now in production in color and VistaVision, with Joe Janni producing, and Jack Lee directing. Ten weeks of location shooting will be done in Australia, locale of the story. Starring are Peter Finch, Maureen Swanson, Ronald Lewis, David McCallum and Jill Ireland. “ACROSS THE BRIDGE”, from the short story by Graham Greene, starts shooting the end of this month, with Hollywood star, and Academy Award winner, Rod Steiger in the main role. Location shooting will be done in Spain, simulating the Mexican locale of a great part of the story. “THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY”, from the best-seller by Kendall Burt and James Leasor, deals with the true and amazing drama of an escaped German pilot in wartime Britain, who actually reaches Canada. Castings have yet to be announced, also locations, but it is expected that part, at least, of the picture, will be filmed in Canada, “CAMPBELL’S KINGDOM”, from the novel by Hammon Innes, which ran as a serial in Saturday Evening Post. This will be produced by Betty Box, in Eastman color and VistaVision, starring Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker. Shooting, scheduled for March, will be done in Italy, and in the Canadian Rockies. “A KING RELUCTANT” (tentative title), also scheduled for a March start, will star Belinda Lee, and will be filmed in color and VistaVision. Much of the film will be shot on location in France, with George Brown producing, and Brian Desmond Hurst directing. “PRECIOUS BANE”, scheduled for an April start, will be filmed in color and VistaVision. Based on the book by Mary Webb, it will be produced by Teddy Baird, and directed by Phil Leacock. “A TALE OF TWO CITIES”, remake of the Charles Dickens classic, will be produced by Sidney Box, with Dirk Bogarde probable choice for the Sidney Carton role. Filming is planned for July. “FELLOW PASSENGER”, scheduled for early August, will be produced by Joe Janni and directed by Jack Lee in color and VistaVision, from the novel by Geoffrey Household. “THE DECEIVERS”, due to start early in September, will be produced by John Bryan in color and VistaVision. No casting announced as yet, but the film will be shot on location in the Far East. “THE WIND CANNOT READ”, also due to start in September, is to produced by Betty Box and directed by Ralph Thomas in color and VistaVision, from the novel by Richard Mason. No castings yet announced, but location shooting will be done in India. “A NIGHT TO REMEBER”, from the book by Walter Lord, is also scheduled for a September start. It will be produced by William MacQuitty and directed by Roy Baker, and is the authentic story of the sinking of the liner Titanic. Location shooting will probably be done in Ireland. Other pictures scheduled for production this year, but with no starting date yet set include: “A LONG WAY FROM LONDON”, to be produced by Betty Box and directed by Ralph Thomas; “THE GAY GALLIARD”, the story of Bothwell and Mary, Queen of Scots; “EPISODE OF SPARROWS”, from the novel by Rumer Godden; “THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE”, from the novel by Thomas Hardy; “REQUIEM FOR A WREN”, from the book by Nevii Shute; “MONARCH OF THE GLEN”, by Compton Mackenzie; “HEREWARD THE WAKE”, “plerrT LIGHTSTONE (Continued from Page 1) Publicity; Hugh Owen, Eastern Division Sales Manager; and Charles Boasberg, supervisor of sales on Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” addressed the sessions. Attending from Toronto, in addition to Gordon Lightstone, was Win Barron, Canadian Publicity Manager. Upon his return to Toronto, Gordon Lightstone will call a Canadian sales meeting, to report developments at the Philadelphia meeting. Pictures under discussions included “The Ten Commandments”, “Three Violent People”; “The Rainmaker”; “Fear Strikes Out’; “Funny Face”; “Gunfight at the OK Corral’; “Omar Khayyam”; “Beau James”; “The Delicate Delinquent” and “The Buster Keaton Story”. VARIETY (Continued from Page 1) tent eleven years ago. Expected to attend are, John J. Fitzgibbons, Morris Stein, J. J. Chisholm, R. W. Bolstad, W. A. Summerville, Jr., Harry S. Mandell and David Griesdorf. The luncheon will be held in the Sheraton Room of the King Edward Hotel at 12.00 noon on Tuesday, January 29th. RADIO TV (Continued from Page 1) tember, the total being 2,132,000. It was estimated that 96 percent of households had radio sets of which 3,817,000 were in use. In Ontario there were 915,000 homes with televisions while 1,314,000 radios were found in this Province. Quebec’s figures were 671,000 TV’s and 1,010,000 radios. from the book, “The Last Englishman” by Hebe Weenolson; “NELSON”, by Carola Oman, and “NIGHT RUNNERS OF BENGAL”, by John Masters. With this large and important group of productions, plus the dozen or more already completed and ready for release, the J. Arthur Rank Organization confidently looks forward to receiving a far greater share of the world film rentals, than ever before in the history of British pictures, particularly in view of the fact that within the next few weeks, Rank Film Distributors of America, Inc., will be in operation in the United States, under the direction of Kenneth Hargreaves, JANUARY 12, 1957 CPR STRIKE (Continued from Page 1) film shipments because of the strike. Accounts normally serviced by the CPR, have been receiving their film via the CNR, transport trucks, buses, and in some cases by Air Express, all of which have added up to a higher film transportation bil] for many of the theatres, but no danger of dark houses, or enforced hold-overs. In Ontario, Mavety Film Delivery Service, reports that all of their accounts have been taken care of promptly, with alternate methods of transportation used for theatres on the CPR direct lines. For example, the Ottawa Valley Circuit, comprising Pembroke, Renfrew, Arnprior and Almonte, have all been serviced by transport truck. The same applies to Deep River, Chelmsford, Levack, Little Current, and Gore Bay. Chapleau, Ont., presented a somewhat more complicated problem, but this was overcome by shipping film via the CNR to Sudbury, flying it from there via Air Express to Foleyet, 18 miles from Chapleau, with the manager of the Chapleau theatre arranging to pick the film up himself at the airport. Mavety’s also advise that films for CBC television stations in Sudbury and the Soo, are being handled by CNR plus transport trucks, and no shipments have been missed. The same situation applies in Quebec, the Maritimes and Western Canada, where the CNR, truck transports, and in isolated instances Air Express have substituted for former CPR shipments. No estimate is available at this writing of the increased costs to theatres of the alternative methods of film transportation, but it is not believed to be too serious, providing the strike does not last indefinitely. CPP MEETING (Continued from Page 1) tertainment set to start at 7 o’clock. Co-ordinator for this year’s annual meeting and dinner is Archie Laurie. The election of officers for the coming year will be held at the Annual Meeting. Winding up their year of service are Morris Stein, President, R. W. Bolstad, VicePresident, and Tom Daley, Secretary-Treasurer. New members scheduled for induction and initiation into the Canadian Picture Pioneers this year are Chris Holmes, Toronto; Sam Korman, Noranda-Rouyn; J. E. Delaney, Gananoque; Irving Stern, Toronto; and D. W. Snider, Toronto,