Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 16, 1943)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Jun 16, 1943
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 16, 1943)
Leaf #:
0000
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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{fi VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Grievances of USA Exhibs The Motion Picture ‘Theatre Owners Association of the USA, headed by Ed Kuykendall, has issued a bulletin stating its ideas of what changes are necessary across the line in trade relationships. Some of these, part of a memoranda submitted to the Department of Justice, are: The right to buy full season's (Continued on Page 4) Studios Buy and Back Plays Hollywood producers, during the 1942-43 theatrical season, spent $3,250,000 for film rights to 35 legitimate shows and unproduced plays. The studios also backed 14 Broadway dramas and musicals, as compared with the $1,122,500 laid out by movie companies financially interested in 21 (Continued on Page 7) TORONTO, JUNE 16, 1943 SSE aS ae) $2.00 Per Annum Managers Suggest More Police Protection Might Help Things Theatre lineups, usually evidence of managerial happiness, are causing some worrisome hours right now. Merchants in several cities have protested that people who wait on the street for 2 chance to enter theatres were SS ‘A Why the Greeks Can't Be Beaten Canadian theatres have livened up for the Greek War Relief’s Canadian appeal. Napoleon said that an army marches on its stomach. The Greeks fight with or without food. There’s 2a story about the bravery of the Greek fighter. An Italian captain sent 50 soldiers up a hill to capture a lone Greek. “And don’t come back,’ he told them, “until you’ve killed or taken him.” A short while later they were back without their objective. The angry captain denounced them. “But captain,” said the man in charge, “you told us that there was one Greek. There are two!” Showmen Helping Greek War Relief The Canadian Motion Picture War Services, to help the current campaign for Greek War Relief, has asked theatre men throughout the Dominion to cooperate in a number of ways. J. J. Fitzgibbons, public relations chairman, has sent 8 ee Formby Due Here George Formby, English comedy star, will tour Canada this summer for the Navy League. Theatre Roofs Fixed The recent rains may have had something to do with the fact that a number of theatres are going in for re-roofing. The Beach, Toronto, and the Imperial, Sarnia, Ontario, are having their tops done over. | "The whole industry is talking about ' DONALD O'CONNOR. He'll be the prize surprise of the year. soon. O'Connor is the best discovery in a long, long time, a letter to industry people requesting their aid and setting forth means of assisting local drives and the general one. At the same time showmen were told that any contribution, no matter how small or how large, would be received with the warmest appreciation. The Greek War Relief drive started in Canada on June 7th and will continue until June 26th. The objective is $500,000 and this (Continued on Page 2) blocking entrances and holding off business. The latest protest is from merchants adjacent to downtown Toronto theatres. The matter was brought up before the Civic Works Committee of the City Council last week. Members discussed the protests and asked the city solicitor to check on the rights of the storekeepers. Alderman H. EB. McCallum pointed out that merchants were usually anxious to be near theatres and (Continued on Page 2) RKO Plans 40 For 1943-44 RKO Pictures will produce 40 features for the 1943-44 season, Charles Koerner, studio head announced last week. The planned program will include 16 top-flight films, six musicals and two Technicolor pictures. This season RKO released 35 features, of which five were contributed by outside producers, including Sam (Continued on Page &) Ginsler With Mono Harry Ginsler, formerly manager of the Iola, Toronto, is now on the sales staff of Monogram Films. He’s at the head office. Pretty Barbara Fralick invaded the Imperial Theatre, Toronto, to sell tags for “Milk for Britain’s Babies” to (left to right) Sqd. Ldr. D. H. Currie, Tom Daley, Imperial manager, and Sir Ells worth Flavelle, Air Cadet civilian executive. Sir Ellsworth had just presented Union Jacks to representatives of Greater Toronto’s 22 Air Cadet squadrons in the theatre lobby, after which the 138 Cadets and the Manning Pool RCAF band attended a screening of Warner’s “Air Sorce” as guests of Orient Hosiery, which company also donated the Union Jacks. —— 7 —— UNIVERSAL'S nae Peeretionnt dace You'll see him © (advt.)