Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 11, 1942)

Page scan 0005 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Nov 11, 1942
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 11, 1942)
Leaf #:
0005
Language:
English
Subjects:
Motion Pictures, Film Industry Trade Magazine",Canad
Collection:
Global Cinema, Canada, and Hollywood Studio System
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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Page 6 November 11, 1942 Canadian FILM WEEKLY ue A STREET OF CHANCE (RKO) This drama, though modest in production, traps the watcher’s attention and holds it in a fast grip throughout its entire length. This is accomplished by concentrating almost all movement in one character, Burgess Meredith, who gives one of. his best performances to date. The mystery is a deep one and endures up to the giveaway scene. ‘ Meredith plays a man who became a mobster while suffering from loss of memory. He recovers that sense to find himself hunted for a murder and protected by a girl apparently his sweetheart—both new to him. Apparently of fine character while of normal mind, he retraces his adventures in the realm of amnesia to clear himself and reveal the mystery. There is an extremely clever piece of work between Meredith and Adeline De Walt, as an old deaf-and-dumb woman, in which the former works out a means of communication through the eye-blinks of the latter. Claire Trevor as the sweetheart, Sheldon Leonard as a relentless detective, and Jerome Cowan and Freda Inescort as suspects, help put together an acting combination that makes it an uncommonly good film. THE NAVY COMES THROUGH (RKO) This first treatment of a popular and inspiring war subject, the work of the merchant marine, has some action sequences that are positively the most suspenseful a good many patrons will have seen. When the mixed crew of battleship and tub seamen trick the U-boats into taking aboard loaded torpedoes while believing they are being fed by a Nazi mother ship, you'll chew your fingernails off to the elbows wondering if the suckers will get wise. There are close-range battle scenes that would do credit to a picture with a much bigger budget. Pat O’Brien and George Murphy are the male leads who don’t like each other, said dislike being motivated in O’Brien by his disapproval of Murphy as his sister’s sweetheart. There’s much more to the story than that, for it takes some interesting turns. Jane Wyatt is the girl. The supporting cast is excellent. Max Baer, the ex-pug, does a good piece of work as a tough sailor but outstanding is the performance of Carl Esmond as an Austrian violinist who forsakes the concert halls for the sea. Others, such as Jackie Cooper, Desi Arnaz and Frank Jenks, round out a top-notch piece of work. : YOUTH ON PARADE (Republic) A lively college musical pleasing all the way. To show up a professor's special method, they pool their plugging in behalf of a fictitious student, who gets honors. Faced with having to produce her to stay out of trouble, they hire an actress to fill the gap. John Hubbard, Ruth Terry, Martha O’Driscoll and Tom Brown take part. YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (Columbia) The studio has met the current demand for musicals with a very enjoyable offering. Rita Hayworth, at the top of her popularity, and the Fred Astaire symphonies in shoe leather carry the customers away. The scene is South America, the music is Jerome Kern and the comedy is Adolph Menjou and Gus Schilling —a powerful combination. Astaire, a stranded tap dancer, is mistaken for a suitor by Hayworth. Her father, Menjou, considering her indifferent to men, has been trying to awaken romance in her with orchids and anonymous love notes. She thinks Astaire has been doing it, and falls for him against her father’s wishes. Much of the doings deal with Hayworth pursuing Astaire. Imagine that! The production is rich and gay and the players keep the mood up all the way. The singing of Hayworth and Astaire is satisfactory but the dancing is tops. Xavier Cugat plays a role and leads his band. It’s among the top musicals of the season. MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH (Paramount) The old favorite about a fatherless family living on the other side of the tracks and waiting for pappy to come back from the Klondyke is done nicely. Fay Bainter, of course, is the reason. Vera Vague, Hugh Herbert and others help. ©GENTLEMAN JIM (Vitagraph) This lusty, brawling reconstruction of the early life of James J. Corbett is the finest prizefight drama to date and well-designed to capture female interest to add to the guaranteed reception it will get from men. It is full of loud, true laughter, unmilitary thrills and Gay 90s color. It’s an escape into another and muchdiscussed era and has its own type of excitement. The skill of Errol Flynn as a boxing master is a treat to watch, whether it truly represents another of his talents or not. Most of all, it’s very human in its presentation of the family life of the Corbetts. Flynn plays Corbett well. Alexis Smith has a very important role as Corbett’s knocker and ‘eventual sweetheart. Alan Hale gives his usual broad and noisy performance, this time as Corbett’s father. Jack Carson as Corbett’s pal and John Loder as his rival give excellent performances. So does Ward Bond as John L. Sullivan. Others who make it a case of good casting are Rhys Williams, William Frawley and Minor Watson. 3 It’s one of the nicest offerings of unserious drama to come out of the studios in quite a while. THE THOUSAND DAYS (Empire-Universal) This Associated Screen News short, one of the Cameo series, is an especially powerful and comprehensive presentation of Can ada’s part in the war to date. The producer has overcome the usual handicap of too much to tell in too short a time and it runs along smoothly, clearly and with increasing tempo. Ordin arily films of a documentary news nature, even in greater length, become disjointed and leave the audience behind. Not this one. It’s inspiring, informative and interesting. USA Half-Cent Piece? American treasury officials are considering plastic coins to release metals for their war effort. Halfcent coins, for sales tax purposes, and three-cent coins for stamps, may be issued. Taube Thanks You Syd Taube would like to thank the mant theatre men across Canada for condolences given him by them at the recent passing of his mother. Coyle’s Coup ASN Gang Here For "The Thousand Days' Ernie Roberts, Associated Screen News publicity man; Gordon Sparling, producer of “The Thousand Days,” and other ASN execs deserted headquarters in Montreal and spent a couple of days in Toronto in connection with the special showing of their new Cameo short, named above. This is just part of the rubber haul of Leo Coyle, manager of the Granada, St. Catharines. It’s happening all over the dominion. €