Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 26, 1957)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Moving Picture Digest

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest
Date:
Jan 26, 1957
Volume:
Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jan 26, 1957)
Leaf #:
0000
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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SS VVUS ASUS Sh Se. ee tS ee SSS JAY L, SMITH EDITOR AND PUBLISHER FORTY-SECOND YEAR OF PUBLICATION CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE FIRST WITH THE FILM NEWS IN CANADA 1915-1957 RAY LEWIS FOUNDER 1915-1954 VOL. 49, NO. 4 Published by CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST COMPANY LIMITED JANUARY 26, 1957 20 Paramount Pictures For 1937 Big Backlog Ready For Release As Studio On Production Spree Toronto: Gordon Lightstone, Canadian General Manager for Paramount, announces to his sales force assembled in Toronto this week for a special conference, a list of some twenty outstanding attractions that By JAY L. SMITH beam I had promised to report my reaction to W-B’s “Giant” if possible this week, but a bout of flu, brought about by the “inclement” weather, kept me from the Imperial Theatre last week. I hope to be able to make it this week. In the meantime, I am happy to report that “Giant” is doing smash business in its hold-over at the Imperial and looks headed for a long and profitable run at the F-P flagship. I am also happy to report that « number of pictures are doing outstanding business at theatres all the way across the Dominion of Canada, in spite of some of the worst possible weather we could have faced. W-B’s “Baby Doll”, that controversial Elia Kazan production, opened to the biggest business seen at the Odeon-Carlton since “Guys and Dolls” over a year ago. Odeon also report that business at the Fairlawn and Colony theatres in Toronto, where it is playing day-and-date with the big downtown house, was strictly SRO, and couldn't be better. The picture incidentally, received some front-page publicity anew, as a result of its banning, in an insulting manner, by Alberta’s Chief Censor, Col. Fleming. “Baby Doll” has also been banned in New Brunswick, but appeals will be launched by Warner Bros. in both provinces. In all other provinces of Canada, the picture has been passed, in some with either a “Restricted” or “Adult” classification, which nobody can dispute, Twentieth Century-Fox’s “Anastasia”, which opened in a number (Continued on Page 4) Bill Read Dies Toronto: Bill Read, for the past 34 years connected with the Torento office of Fox Films, now 20th Century-Fox, died Sunday in hospital in Toronto, where he had been admitted just last week for an internal complaint. Bill started with Fox as assistant manager of the Toronto office back in 1922, (See BILL READ Page 15) Paramount will put into release during the 1957 season. This is a slight increase over last year, when Paramount released 17 features, plus the initial engagements on “War and Peace” and “The Ten Commandments”. In addition to the Hal Wallis production of “Hollywood Or Bust”, co-starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, in Technicolor, Paramount will release in January (See PARAMOUNT Page 13) “Oklahoma!” To Famous Players As Odeon & Fox Settle Lawsuit Toronto: Odeon Theatres of Canada Ltd., and 20th Century-Fox, have effected an out-of-court settlement of Odeon’s lawsuit against the distributing company, in respect to the release of the CinemaScope ver sion of “Oklahoma!” Odeon had sued to restrain 20th Century-Fox from supplying the picture to Famous Players theatres across Canada, claiming that the picture fell in Odeon’s side of the Fox split. Under the terms of the settlement, Odeon relinquish — their rights to “Oklahoma!” in return for a “satisfactory settlement”, (See SETTLEMENT Page 13) Odeon Regrouping Toronto: In another re-arrangement of theatres in Toronto, the Christie on St. Clair Avenue, a Canadian Odeon unit, turned to a foreign-language policy with the playing of “Die Mucke” after having been linked with the Hyland for many months. Grouped with the Hyland are the Danforth and Humber Theatres in Toronto and the Cooksville at suburban Cooksville which was formerly known as the Roxy. Final Slate Approved For Loew's Inc. Board New York: Agreement has finally been reached between management and the dissident stockholder group headed by Canadian Joseph Tomlinson, for a new Board of Directors for Loew’s Inc., to be (See LOEW’S BOARD Page 14) William C. Gehring Fox V-P, Dead Ai 59 New York: One of the most popular figures in the motion picture industry, William C. Gehring, 20th Century-Fox Vice-President, and Executive Assistant to President Spyros P. Skouras, died suddenly last week at his home in New York. He was 59 years old. Well known to Canadian exhibitors and distributors, Bill Gehring served as branch manager for Fox in both Montreal and Toronto at one time, as well as head (See BILL GEHRING Page 4) Warner Bros. Profit Soars To $15,000,000 With Sales To TV New York: Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. recently reported film rentals, sales, etc., for the fiscal year ending August 31, 1956 of $73,350,938. Net profit, not including the profit from the sale of old films, was $2,098,000 equivalent to 84c per share on the 2,482,247 shares of common stock outstanding. This compared with film rentals, sales, etc., for the period ending August 31, 1955 of $72,597,678; net profit of $4,002,000, and $1.61 per share on the 2,474,271 (See W-B PROFITS Page 15) RKO-Universal Deal Hits Legal Snags New York: Reports here published in the daily trade papers are that the pending distribution deal between Universal Pictures and (See RKO-UNIVERSAL Page 14)