Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 3, 1943)

Page scan 0005 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Nov 3, 1943
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 3, 1943)
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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Page 12 ee X Galt, Ontario, a atre. WESTERNS 16 8 Buster Crabbe of show business in that town. print. COMING which opened its doors in June, 1930. DEVIL RIDERS with “Some ‘run’ Eddie,” George Rot ; Buster Crabbe Your Favorite Action Hero and Al (Fuzzy) St. John, Kermit Maynard and Frank LaRue Produced by SIGMUND NEUFELD time.” years you have brought much hap many friends, and had a good time doing it.” ae: TEXAS RANGERS COMING Jim Newell Dave (Tex) O’Brien in BOSS OF RAWHIDE with Guy Wilkerson Produced by ALBERT STERN ‘held over’ for another twenty-five years.” Ware Eddie Landsborough can the fondest memories from the period he managed the opera house. Under his management Scott’s Opera brought many of the outstanding road shows and individual performers to Galt. For instance the first show to come there after he took over the management was Captain Al Plunkett’s Annual Revue, ‘‘The Dumbells,” the show which gained great prominence during the First Great War entertaining the troops in France and England. After the war this group of entertainers went into the show business in a commercial way and played before capacity audiences across. the North American continent. Things were different in the “Middle Twenties” than they are now. At that time the Regent gave one show each night with a matinee performance Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. Scott’s Opera House showed movies only on Friday and Saturday nights with a matinee performance Saturday. Today there are three theatres in Galt each playing daily matinees and continuous performances each night. He Sings As He Rides 16 MONEYMAKING WESTERNS Producers Releasing Corporation LIMITED Executive Offices: 277 Victoria 8t., Toronto, 2, Ont. Canadian FILM WEEKLY ‘OQuarter-Century for j Kd Landsborough No so long ago the citizens of went out. of their way to mark the 25th anniversary as a theatre manager in that town of Eddie Landsborough, popular manager of Capitol TheEddie started out as a doorman of the Old Temple Theatre and has many a cherished memory The Galt Daily Reporter devoted a page to the story of Eddie’s years in show business and theatre men from various points in Ontario joined local citizens in extending their congratulations in Landsborough managed several theatres in Galt before becoming the first manager of the Capitol, sky said in his congratulatory ad. “Congratulations to you on the record twenty-five year ‘run’... May you be ‘held over’ for a long “They say that the first 25 years in show business are the hardest,” proclaimed Ernie Smithies, “‘but I’m sure that in all those piness to many thousands, made “Here’s hoping,” was the way Jim McDonough put it, “you are recall many interesting incidents throughout the years in the theatre business, he probably holds Roe has other interesting incidents to recall which took place at the old Regent theatre. Quite often the Regent presented vaudeville with the movie program and it was during one of these performances that tragedy almost entered the managerial career of Landsborough. The incident occurred suddenly one evening when a huge man was on the stage singing the stirring Strains of ‘“‘The Anvil Chorus” from I] Trovatore. In order to add a realistic atmosphere the singer accompanied himself by pounding pieces of red hot metal on a real anvil. Suddenly one or more of the sparks flew backwards and ignited the nap bordering the screen on which the movies were shown. With startling rapidity fire spread around the screen while a shout of “fire’’ came from the audience which immediately rose to their feet. A possible panic was averted, however, as the fire extinguished itself almost as quickly as it began and the singer in true trouper fashion continued with his song as if nothing unusual had happened. In a few moments the audience was again seated and the show went on. Probably the most popular picture to show at the old Temple theatre in Landsborough’s time was ‘‘The Diamond From the Sky,” starring Lottie Pickford, sister of Mary Pickford. This picture was a serial and ran for 26 consecutive weeks with a sequel that ran for another six weeks. This picture was shown every Thursday, Friday and Saturday and played to a full house each night every week. Newspaper advertising for this picture always carried the slogan across the top: “Throw the Dishes in the Sink.” This was intended to be good advice to housewives so that they would be reminded to get to the show early and be sure of getting a seat. Landsborough came to Galt from Milton. He attended the Milton public and high schools. Leaving school he had ideas of becoming a lawyer and took a position in Victor Chisholm’s law office at Milton. He gave this up to become a banker, rising to the position of teller-accountant in the Milton branch of the old Farmers’ Bank. He also spent two days a week at a sub-branch at Palermo. After coming to Galt he stepped into the show business. Eddie Landsborough married the former Charlotte Fennemore, of Milton. They have one son, Jack, and two daughters, Margaret, at home, and Mrs, George Last, of Galt. November 8, 1948 v) ED LANDSBOROUGH He wins congratulations of Galt, Ontario, citizens on his 25th anniversary as a showman. Extra Shows Cut To Save Fuel (Continued from Page 1) branch, Secretary H. G. Marshall said that there must be “no extra shows, charity or Sunday performances if we are to save the necessary amount of fuel.” The meeting, with President William O’Regan in the chair, agreed. The South-Western Division met in Windsor and decided to act along the same lines. President Gary Hogarth presided, and introduced a Victory Loan speaker. The City Clerk of Toronto, J. W. Somers, in behalf of the City Council, has written a letter of thanks to the MPTOA in appreciation of its assistance to the Farm Commando drive. SEAT REPAIRS * Send us your torn seats to be re-upholstered with genuine Leathercloth Seats returned same x day as received. x CANADIAN THEATRE CHAIR CO. 277 Victoria St., Toronto, Ont.