Canadian Film Weekly (Mar 21, 1945)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Mar 21, 1945
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Mar 21, 1945)
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 15, 2024
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Vol. 10, No. 12 VOICE of A the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE TORONTO, MARCH 21, 1945 FOF INDUSTRY $2.00 Per Annum FPCC Makes Important Shifts Fred Pursel, 67, Dies of Stroke Prominently identified with motion pictures in Simcoe, Ontario for the past 38 years, Frederick Roland Pursel, manager of the Strand, passed away on March 9th as a result of a stroke after an illness of a week. He was 67 years old and a member (Continued on Page 6) Columbia Honors Abe Montague Columbia’s Canadian representatives have joined heartily in the sales drive in honor of the general sales manager of the company, Abe Montague. The popular executive is celebrating the end of his second decade with Columbia and the drive, which began (Continued on Page 9) Kershaw, Gow, Joiner, Others Upped by Fitzgibbons, Bearg Important changes in the supervision and management personnel of Famous Players have been announced by J. J. . Fitzgibbons, president, and Lawrence I. Bearg, Western general manager, after a meeting in Vancouver of the THE RED CROSS Alberta Exhibitors Beef at 16 Mmas. The exhibition of 16 mm.. films is dangerous under present conditions, the Alberta Theatres Association claims in its brief addressed to the provincial government, and should be restricted to structures which comply with theatre building safety regulations. Regular inspections of a rigid nature are made where theatres. are concerned. Exhibitors say that 16 mm. shows are now playing in towns and villages where there are licensed 35 mm, theatres. According to the 1943 report of the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Alberta was fifth among Canadian provinces in the smallguage field, with eight operators having 90,468 admissions during 1,292 playing days and grossing $24,715 inclusive of amusement tax. No 35 mm. _ intinerants (Continued on Page 9) . Frisco Sal British Columbia district. The promotions were made in keeping with the company policy of recognizing and rewarding the ability of men within the ranks. All the changes but one affect the British Columbia district. Frank H. Gow, at present in charge of Famous Players’ suburban Vancouver houses and upcountry units, becomes general district manager in charge of all of the company’s theatres in (Continued on Page 6) Back in Office Mayor Fred O. Graham of Kingsville, Ontario, and Councillor Gary Hogarth were both re-elected, heading the poll. Universal Gives Canada Info Canadian readers of the financial pages of newspapers had the experience of reading a most unusual company report recently, that of Universal Pictures Company, Inc. The ad explained that Universal was distributed in Canada by Empire-Universal Films, (Continued on Page 6) Toronto Mayor Guest of Mars. “The proposed subway rapid transit system may bring about a centralization of activity in downtown Toronto ‘and have an adverse effect on the life of the city’s communities,” Mayor Robert H. Saunders told the members of the Toronto Suburban (Continued on Page 6) Nova Scotia Take Hits New High Theatre admissions in Nova Scotia reached the all-time high of 13,549,451 last year, the report of the provincial secretary’s department tabled in the House of Assembly reveals. Why Not Now? the Canadian Radio Technical Planning Board? Wie’ about appointing one or two industry observers to That organization, which has governmental blessing, is made up of those interested in post-war radio and telc vision. Its purpose is to organize now for a smooth transition into the kind of communicated entertainment that will result from the tremendous technical advances made during the war. There is an unhealthy lack of interest in television matters by the Canadian motion picture industry. There is not the same sense of urgency that is apparent among American motion picture men. Is this because Canadians fail to realize that all future screen fare won’t arrive in cans? Perhaps those exhibition and (Continued on Page 2) Paid admissions totalled 12,602,417, showing a boost of 663,783 over 1943. Receipts in taxes, ' licenses, etc., totalled $385,352 for 1944, marking an increase of $9,084 over 1948. During 1944 the provincial censors passed 2,250 films. Of this total 537 were full length, 505 were shorts. Sixty-four theatres were in operation during 1944. To indicate the change upward in theatre business since the start of the war, it is pointed out that in 1939 the total paid admissions had been 5,703,301. (Continued on Page 6) Excéjjent entertainment and lots of it—and certain to bring gratifying grosses. ‘ With Susanna Foster, Turhan Bey and Alan Curtis. Available now at EMPIRE UNIVERSAL Films Ltd, SURE IT’S A UNIVERSAL PICTURE: