Canadian Film Weekly (Sep 8, 1943)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Sep 8, 1943
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Sep 8, 1943)
Leaf #:
0000
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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VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY ® ‘cently has caused costs for adsales Vol. 8, No. 37 TORONTO, SEPTEMBER 8, 1948 $2.00 Per Annum United Artists Promising Sked United Artists, home lot of Hollywood’s leading Independent producers, is a busy place right now and a squint at the lineup reveals a very promising season, The studio is marching in the groove opened by “Stage Door Canteen,” in its seventh week at Loew’s, (Continued on Page 11) Hollywood Has Space Trouble Production of films by ‘Independent producers will be seriously affected by the decrease in available studio space which is becoming more critical every month. Independent companies which rent stage space from six Hollywood (Continued on Page 6) Postage Blues The raising of postal rates re matter to rise accordingly. Hxhibitors are none too pleased. Some think an adjustment is in order. New Nabs Thief Larry New, assistant manager of Capitol, Vancouver, spotted Stanley Spragg breaking into his car. New, aided by cops who fired a shot, ran the fellow down. MPTOA to Meet In Toronto The Motion FPicture Theatres Association of Ontario will hold its annual meeting and luncheon at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, on Tuesday, September 2ist. There will also be a luncheon for the delegates. Quebec Allied Theatrical Industries invited representation of the Ontario body at its annual meeting. ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Groupings Vex Independents Ask Fewer ‘So-Called Specials And Top Group Pictures’ The National Council of Independents will appeal to the Dominion authorities to pare down what it considers to be the inordinate number of “so-called specials and top group War Services Committee Talks Coal Saving The Canadian Motion Picture War Services met in the offices of its chairman, J. J. Fitzgibbons, on September ist, to discuss the coal conservation plan of Ottawa. Present to confer with the committee were O. OC. Sturdy, Office of the Controller of Construction; M. W. Kingsland, Director of Coal Conservation, and Alexander MacFarland, Publicity Division, Department of Munitions and Supply. The War Services Committee decided to circulate pledges bearing instructions to all exhibitors, asking their complete co-operation. The committee will ask exhibitors to join it not only in helping the industry do its part but to make the public realize the need of conservation through the screen, the lobby, exploitation, advertising and in every other possible way. Condon Quits 20th Hal Horne, Director of Advertising and Publicity for 20th CenturyFox, announced today that he had accepted the resignation of Dick Condon, Director of National Promotion for the Company. Condon’s resignation becomes effective September 15th when he will open publicity offices to be known as the Richard Condon Organization. Pictures,” it was decided at the Toronto convention. It will, —_—_ + ee according to its position, ask that means be adopted to keep the freezing of film prices as of the basic period from thawing out, and a “re-freezing of the thawed-out prices.” Officials said that the intended action was based on the film situation of the last season. This season’s groups have not been completely approved as yet. The Nationsl Council decided fo (Continued on Page 6) Joe Norris Passes Joseph Norris, 48, for 22 years @ projectionist for the Ontario government, died in Toronto last week. Surviving are his wife, two daughters and one son, the latter overseas with the CASF. A. J. Mason Heads Indies Council Archie J. Mason, veteran Maritimes Independent who is currently the mayor of Springhill, Nova Scotia, was elected president of the National Council of Independent Exhibitors of Canada during the three-day convention of that organization at the King Eid (Continued on Page 2) Quebec Allied For Nat! Body Support of the plan to form a Dominion-wide association of motion picture exhibitors was promised at the meeting of the Quebec Allied Theatrical Industries at the Mount Royal Hotel, Montreal, Quebec, on September ist. Discussion (Continued on Page 11) Groupings Okayed By Prices Board The 1948-44 groupings and sales companies of nine Canadian distribution companies have been approved by the Theatre and Film section of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board and those of the other exchange will follow shortly. — Wright to Tilbury Lila Wright, formerly of the staff of the Centre, Chatham, has become assistant to Manager Vannie Chauvin at the Plaza, Tilbury. Robbery Attempt Two safes in the office of the Mount Royal Theatre, Montreal, resisted the assaults of safecrackers who retired without success. G. G. Sperdakos, manager, reported to the police that the thieves had broken a skylight and dropped through. Most of the companies are offering a smaller total this season. RKO, which listed 50 features last season, has 46; Vitagraph is offering 38 this season as against 34 last but four of the current list are reissues; Republic, which sold 67 last season, has 64. Monogram has increased its 1948-44 list by eight more than the 34 of last season. The number of specials is mainly the same. Where an added number seems to be the case, it is probably due to the company’s (Continued on Page 2) the screen event of the year, in glorious Technicolor, broke every — attendance record of years standing at the Uptown, Toronto. Of course it’s from UNIVERSAL and distributed in Canada by EMPIRE-UNIVERSAL. Never anything like it. (advt.)