Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 14, 1942)

Page scan 0005 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Oct 14, 1942
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 14, 1942)
Leaf #:
0005
Language:
English
Subjects:
Motion Pictures, Film Industry Trade Magazine",Canad
Collection:
Canada, Hollywood Studio System, 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 Film Weekly

  • Editor: Hye Bossin (1942-64)
  • Renamed Canadian Film & TV Bi-Weekly (1965-69, editor: Stan Helleur)
  • Renamed Candian Film Weekly(1970, editor: Ed Hocura)

Canadian Film Weekly (1942-70) was edited by Hye Bossin and published by Film Publications of Canada, Ltd., wholly owned by leading exhibitor, Nat Taylor. In the late 1930s, Taylor was head of the Independent Theatre Association and his Toronto-based chain, Twinex-Century (Twentieth Century), was the largest independent circuit in the country. In 1941, however, he negotiated for chain affiliation with upstart Canadian Odeon before leveraging a better deal and greater booking control with nationally-dominant Famous Players Canada, Ltd. No longer independent, he took ownership of the Independent Theatre Association’s semi-monthly magazine, The Canadian Motion Picture Exhibitor (1940-41), installed Hye Bossin as editor, and laid plans to relaunch in January 1942 under a new name, Canadian Film Weekly. This enduring key publication was no longer solely focused on independent exhibitors but instead covered the entire industry on a national scale–exhibition, distribution and production–with some attention given to studio news from New York and Hollywood.

Bossin was a vibrant writer with a canny way with words, admired in the industry in the United States as well as Canada. He was one of a large family who lived above their father’s secondhand shop in the Jewish “ward” downtown in Toronto. His older brother was a bookie with ties to the underground; his younger brother was a famous journalist, protégé of Walter Winchell, and Hollywood screenwriter. In contrast, Hye spent nearly two decades learning the publishing trade in a printers’ shop before trying a stint as a Hollywood publicist, then writing a column for the Toronto Star Weekly before taking Taylor’s offer to edit the Film Weekly. Bossin was central to the creation of the Canadian Film Archive, the Canadian Film Awards, and he wrote some of the first histories of early cinema in Canada, published in the first volumes of the annual Canadian Film Weekly Year Book (1951-70).

In 1957, the Film Weekly had incorporated the rival Canadian Moving Picture Digest (1917-57), and began dating its start to that paper’s earlier start as the Canadian Universal Bulletin (1915-18). Subsequent variants of the Canadian Film Weekly and its yearbooks always claimed their roots all the way back to 1915 and the origins of the film industry trade press in Canada. After Bossin died in 1964, the Weekly’s new editor, Stan Helleur, renamed the magazine Canadian Film & TV Bi-Weekly, scaling back the pace of publishing but adding a purview for television and broadcasting. The annual was renamed similarly, its subtitle amended to “Year Book of the Canadian Entertainment Industry.” An attempted renewal to weekly format in 1970, edited by Ed Hocura, was short-lived and Nat Taylor decided instead to relaunch under an entirely new title, Canadian Film Digest (1971-77) and Canadian Film Digest Yearbook (1971-86).

– Paul Moore, March 2024

Further Reading

  • Bossin, Hye. “Canada and the Film: The Story of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry.” In Canadian Film Weekly Year Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry, 21-41. Toronto: Film Publications of Canada, 1951.
  • Moore, Paul. “Chronicling a National History: Hye Bossin’s Canadian Film Weekly and Year Book.” In Eric Hoyt and Kelley Conway, eds., Global Movie Magazines. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2024.

Date Added:
August 08, 2024
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—_———s Current Releases BOMBS OVER BURMA Anna May Wong, Noel Madison, Leslie Madison * MEN OF SAN QUENTIN The “inside story” of the Big House—and a warden who dared make men out of crimt nals. A prison story which ts realistic. Filmed inside prison walls. J. Anthony Hughes, George Breakston, Eleanor Stewart — * BILLY THE KID TRAPPED First of a GREAT series of real Westerns Buster Crabbe, Al (Fuzzy) St. John * Four Great English Productions JANE STEPS OUT Diana Churchill, Jean Muir, Fred Emney * DANGEROUS CARGO Robert Newton, Walter Rilla, Kim PePacock * DOMINANT SEX Phillips Holmes, Diana Churchill, Romney Brent * BULLDOG SZES IT THROUGH Jack Buchanan, Robert Newton * Coming SECRETS OF A CO-ED Producers Releasing Corporation LIMITED Executive Offices: 277 Victoria St., Toronto, 2, Ont. Watch for “THE YANKS ARE COMING” With a great cast Sse Contributions to this column will be greatly appre ciated from any member of from coast to coast, whether he has chain affiliations or is strictly independent. Address all letters to “What Did You Do?” c/o Film Weekly, 21 Dundas Sq., Toronto, Ont. He“ many brides can a man get without being a bigamist ? ‘ Dozens—if your name is Leo Coyle. Leo is the manager of the Granada, St. Catharines. He’s running “They All Kissed the Bride.” So he invited all who be came brides in August and September to see the show free. Leo is also running an October Harvest Festival and got in touch with the postmaster about getting cards around. The postmaster was co-operative. He should reap a harvest because of his general campaign. Brides mean heir-male and postmasters mean air-mail. But they also mean patronage for the theatre. * * yan the screen gives off hot licks there’s many a youngs ter with a jingle in his pocket and a jangle in his feet who’ll be glad to bring both to the theatre. Bob Berezin of the Marks, Oshawa, knows that. So when playing “‘Sleepytime Gal” he went after the jitterbugs in their lair. He placed a 20x60 in a dancehall in such a way that none could miss it. The management was nice enough to tell the J-B’s about it and also passed on the playdate. x A loudspeaker on the roof of the theatre stopped folks with the arresting quality of Judy’s voice. They didn’t surrender to the siren call right away but plenty of them made a mental note to investigate that night. : * ca * ES VICARY of the Opera House, Orillia, and Paul Frost of the Park, Sarnia, laid the rustic effect on thick while plugging the October Festival idea. The boys are located in towns where the folks understand those things. Les trimmed everything with corn stalks, Montana Ash limbs, berries and maple leaves. He dressed the loges with sheaves of wheat. The non-syne teased the folks with barn dance tunes, Paul spread sheaves of wheat around the lobby, with titles peeping out. Canadian FILM WEEKLY the motion picture industry, SEER some more kissing of the bride. Doug Patterson, that nice feller who guides the Regent, Creighton Mines, was running “They All Kissed the Bride” and he erected a kissing booth in the lobby. A sign said: “Thirty seconds allowed to each couple, so that they will not disturb their neighbours after entering the theatre. Doug Cupid, we call him. ck a * L PERLEY of the Midtown, f Toronto, turned medico the other day and we hope he doesn’t go to jail for practising medicine without a licence. He scattered small envelopes with “Magic Pills” around town. The outside read, “Little pills for all your ills.’ They were certain, it said, ‘“‘to cure melancholia, change the blues to rosier hues, and cause you to laugh and enjoy life.” Inside was a candy and a card reading, “Dissolve pill in one glass of water, allow to stand for twoand-one-half hours, during which time visit the Midtown. When you return throw the pill away. You won't need it.” Cute, eh? Me oo ok (SEN SMART, Capitol, Port Hope, announced that any two boys or men, one of whom was named Charlie, and the other, who came to the theatre dressed as & woman, would be admitted free to see ‘‘Charlie’s Aunt.” * x * Boe BEREZIN, Marks, Oshawa, had the Sea Cadets parade down the main street with the drum and bugle band. Some of the cadets carried banners reading -e’re On our way to the Marks Theatre to see—.” This stopped the public and helped business considerably. PRC Grows Producers Releasing Corporation is trying to buy the old Talisman Studios in Hollywood as part of its expansion program. The company has grown right along since the infusion of duPont money. Duponts own Pathe. PRC has booked pictures into many big circuits this year. October 14th, 1942 [Training Films Come in Handy A selection of the latest training films was shown to officers at + National Defense and Air Force Headquarters with a view to ob° taining their comments on the use of the films and on ideas for others. Most of the movies were British productions, but a Canadian-made_ feature was “Winter Training,” designed to assist in training troops in winter operations. The films were shown as typical of the modern training film which is entertaining as well as instructive and frequently conveys its message by means of drama. “Security,” a British production, conveyed a lesson in silence. It was packed with exciting escapes of German spies as they attempted to and eventually did find out in advance about a British attack on a German submarine base. The film showed how chance remarks by soldiers, conversations. with girl friends, gave the enemy a series of bits of information which enabled him to prepare for the attack which succeeded, but at great cost. “Unarmed Combat,’ anotherBritish film, showed ways of disposing of an armed sentry silently, showed how to break holds, how to tie a man up, and then showed the use of these tricks in a commando raid on a German headquarters in France. Precautions against “Booby Traps” formed the subject of another which showed the right way of searching a house recently occupied by the enemy for hidden explosives. It told the troops to go on searching after finding one bomb as there might be more and ended with the grim warning: “You can only make one mistake.” J. W. Farr Keeps "Em Singing and Buying J. W. Farr, the lively manager of the Rivoli, North Sydney, Nova Scotia, believes that music hath charms that encourage bond buy ing. He has distributed handbills with a parody to the tune of “Bless Them All,’ which is from “Captains of the Clouds.” Here’s the chorus: Buy a bond, buy a bond To Canada’s call we respond We won't buy the things we can well do without In the mind of old Hitler we’ll not leave a doubt That we’re backing the boys ’cross the pond Till Victory’s bright morning has dawned Let’s make a commotion this side of the ocean So come one and all, buy a bond. r gy —