Canadian Film Weekly (Mar 29, 1944)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Mar 29, 1944
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Mar 29, 1944)
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 01, 2024
Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

450 Ff (AN AS CER ASKS VOICE of the CANADIAN MOT! PICTURE INDUSTRY Vol. 9, No. 18 TORONTO, MARCH 29, 1944 $2.00 Per Annum Claim ‘Restraint’ in Montreal Fined For Breach Of Excise Law "There has been of late an increasing number of infractions of the federal excise tax laws pertaining to the amusement tax, according to officials of the Department of National Revenue. Action has been taken against those responsible for the in (Continued on Page 11) Booth Men Plan Benefit Night The special April 11 midnight performance at Shea’s Theatre for Motion Picture Projectionists Sick Benefit Fund looks as though it will be one of the leading theatrical events of the sea~ son. Famous Players has donated the theatre, Premier Operat (Continued on Page 11) Guelph Hauls in 62,000 Pounds Guelph, Ontario, theatres grabbed 62,000 pounds of paper with special matinees. Boys behind the haul were Vern MWHudson, Palace; Tom McCoy, Capitol; and Jim McDonough, Royal. Jos. Moreau Passes Joseph Moreau, 53, projectionist at the Lyceum Theatre, Winnipeg, for the last 15 years, passed away in Winnipeg last week. Will Reconstruct Gatineau P. Show Reconstruction of the combination town hall and theatre at Gatineau Point, Quebec, burned down recently, will be undertaken s00n at a cost of $35,000. Owner is ‘Town of Gatineau Point. Wilfred Picard of Montreal was interested in the theatre, which was managed by Mayor Rudolphe Moreau. Sherlock Holmes “Sherlock Holmes Faces Death,” are ready, Kent vs. United Amusements Draws National Interest _ The hearing before the Montreal Superior Court of the dispute between the Kent Theatre Limited, plaintiff, and the United Amusement Corporation Limited, Quebec circuit, Exhib Scrap Books For New V-Loan The distribution of Sixth Victory Loan scrap books to all exhibitors and managers is being arranged. A record of all activities and publicity on the part of the theatre will be made in them and they will be returned to Provincial chairmen of the War Service Committee. The circuits will distribute the scrap books through their own offices and Provincial chairmen will check on other theatres to make sure that each gets one. Exploitation press books are also being prepared in connection with the showing of “The Fifth Christmas,” a one-reel Victory Loan subject, and the all-star two-reeler, “Shining Future.” Warners made the latter, & great film, and will distribute prints and press books. Start thinking about the campaign now. Rumor Odeon Plans New Halifax House Odeon Theatres of Canada were unofficially reported to have purchased a site in Halifax for the erection of a theatre. J. W. Godfrey, K.C., agent for the purchaser, refused to confirm or deny that report when asked by the Halifax Chronicle. Sharp House Bought The Roxy, Barrhead, Alberta, has been bought from the Sharp Circuit by A. E. Stanland and Henry Clemes, local businessmen. Sharp Circuit will book the house, which plays four days weekly. and Vitagraph Limited, Warners Canadian outlet, will open on April 3. Judge Louis Cousineau denied the petition of the plaintiff for an interim injunction and ordered that the hearing proceed on the application for an interlocutory injunction. Judge Cousineau had ruled that the Montreal Superior Court had authority to try the case, turning down the suggestion of the defendant companies that the dispute be referred to the direc (Centinued on Page 2) Manitoba Banned 15 Only fifteen films were banned of the many submitted for cenforship to the Manitoba department during 1943. il One Man Booth in Small Alta. Sits Under amendments to ince of Alberta regulations 69 (b) and 69 (c), in respect of theatres and places of amusement using motion picture machines, the words “and an apprentice” have been deleted and the one-man booth is in effect in (Continued on Page 2) US ‘Graveyard of British Films ? The British man in the street is apparently interested in the fate of British films in the USA, judging by the space the press gives the matter. Writing in the Sunday Express, London, Harold Hutchinson, its American correspondent, states (Continued on Page 6) Prov ie ae : A view of the Farewell to Bachelorhood party held at the Royal York Roof Garden, Empire-Universal. Toronto, A number of guests came in honor of Archie Laurie of from out-of-town, series ‘of UNIVERSAL, patterned on the very popular radio serial, has always 1943-44 group, been strong boxoffice. “Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman” and They star Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, They're EMPIRE-UNIVERSAL. The first two of the