Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 5, 1944)

Page scan 0003 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Jan 5, 1944
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 5, 1944)
Leaf #:
0003
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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« Releasing , linited Po, | fi Oz: { i Naud p i S SUBMARINE BASE John Litel Alan Baxter Iris Adrian TIGER FANGS Frank Buck Buster Crabbe Fifi D’Orsay THE GIRL FROM MONTEREY Armida Veda Ann Borg HARVEST MELODY Rosemary Lane Johnny Downs Radio Rogues The Vigilantes THE BLACK RAVEN George Zucco Noel Madison BOOK NOW! Producers Releasing Corporation LIMITED Executive Offices: 277 Victoria St., Toronto, 2, Ont. They Love the Guy The merriest Christmas of all was enjoyed by Benny Granatstein, who was burned out of business by the November film fire. Soft-spoken Ben, whose lobby stand was the supply base for quick nourishment, was exiled from his own little world by the fire and has been marking time in a department store nearby. It was a tribute to Ben’s popularity that his personal situation won as much concern as most of the misfortunes that resulted from the fire. Ralph Dale of Odeon and Johnny Cohn, the Mandarin of China (theatre), went about gathering financial evidence of affection for Ben and coralled $790 before you could say WPTB. Now Benny will be back peddling stomach props and letting the boys and girls run up bills against payday. Ralph and Jaunty John got $590 from the exchanges and the rest came via a turkey raffle that was won by Frank Gilbert of Emp-U. No turkey ever died for a better cause. Here’s the exchange score: Regal, $100; Emp-U, $100; Monogram, $50; UA, $50; RKO, $50; PRO, $25; Columbia, $25; Warners, $25. The circuits kicked in also: Odeon, $100; Theatre Holding, $25. Canadian Premium gave $25 and Moving Picture Digest $25. This. I presume, is the morning line. The price ought to be somewhat better by the time Benny goes to the post. Looks like the boys and girls melted down the silver lining for Ben’s benefit. Writes Ben: “To all in the Film Industry who were concerned and took such a genuine interest in the loss of my cigar stand in the recent fire, my deep gratitude and many thinks. It goes to show that there are real people. When I reopen, which I hope will be real soon, I shall again be of service. May I take this opportunity of wishing you all a very happy new year.—BEN GRANATSTEIN.” We Thank You I’m happy that our Christmas edition was received so warmly. There were so many requests for additional copies that our stock is right down. We had one kind of approval before the edition even reached the mails—that of the printshop staff. Enough extra copies had to be run to overcome staff grabbings, the boys and girls appropriating one each. Among those who phoned or wrote in their praise were Jimmy Nairn, FPCC ad chief; Chester Bahn, editor of Film Daily, NY; Alf Perry, chief of Emp-U; Lieut.-Col. John A, Cooper, chairman of the CMPDA; and J. J. Fitzgibbons, chairman of the Motion Picture War Services. The latter complimented us on “the composition and fine makeup of this very splendid edition.” Esther Silver and Dan Halperin, our staff-mates, share our pleasure and gratitude. 4 We tried to present some of the history, accomplishments and personalities of our native film and theatre industry. The world looks to Canada for many things today and expects much from it in the future. The Canadian motion picture industry is one of the most progressive units in the Dominion. Its history is almost day-anddate with that of-the USA, recognized leader in the field. Because of our earlier entry into the war, it fell to us to teach our North American neighbors how to operate under war economy. Instead of “the sticks,’ we are now an invaluable source of information. “ The fact that Canada-has reached nationhood is reflected by our domestic as well as overseas activities. We try to report the industry with that in mind. January 5, 1944 Canadian FILM WEEKLY TS Six-Sheets, Etc., Are Now Allowed (Continued from Page 1) form Syd Taube, Motion Picture Theatres Association of Ontario, 105 Crown Building, 26 Queen St. E., Toronto, Ontario. The association has been acting in behalf of other groups in different parts of the country. It is also permissible to use photographs in windows. The leeway allowed in both smallersized sheets and photographs extends only to existing paper on hand. Under Order 332 everything under 24-sheets was banned until this new modification of the order. Permission to use stills represents a concession, as does the right to distribute heralds up to 25 pounds of paper per month. The order imposed hardships upon theatres and brought Dominion-wide protests. Film and theatre representatives, during several conferences with the administrator, impressed upon him the vital importance of advertising to theatres. The point was made that theatres were an important medium of information for the government and that a severe advertising cut would have the effect of reducing the number of persons receiving these messages. Bad Boys Busy At Boxoffice (Continued from Page 1) Theatre, largest movie house in Canada. The note read: “This is a holdup. Merry Christmas.” A number of patrons, waiting to buy tickets, were unaware of what was going on. Two cashiers were in the booth ut the time, Muriel Large and Jean Kirby. The girls thought that this was carrying the season’s greetings too far and pushed the burglar alarm. By the time Manager Tom Daley got there—and it was fast—the thief had disappeared into the shopping crowds. i At the Pickford Theatre, Toronto, a man shouted “This is a holdup” through the wicket at Leola Langmaid, cashier, grabbed $3.39 and ran. He didn’t show a gun. It was thought that the same young man was responsible in both cases. Identification was largely similar. At the Royal, Toronto, thieves broke into the boxoffice during the night. There were 63 loose pennies and a roll of 150 pennies handy. The thieves, in contempt for such small bait, scattered them about the floor. Then went across the way and robbed a candy shop.