Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 16, 1946)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Jan 16, 1946
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 16, 1946)
Leaf #:
0000
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 07, 2025
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VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Vol. 11, No. 3 TORONTO, JANUARY 16, 1946 $2.00 Per Annum Columbia Plans Silver Jubilee Six-Month Sales Drive Marks 25th Year in Industry To celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary, Columbia Pictures has’ announced a Playdate Jubilee, a competitive incentive sales plan in the domestic field, over the Pioneers Ready For Pow-Wow Fifth annual meeting of the Canadian Picture Pioneers will be held at the Royal York Hotel on Friday, February 1st, in rooms 9 and 10. 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Ad-Pub Campaign Aids UK Pix Here With “Madonna of the Seven Moons,” leadoff picture in the Eagle-Lion program, currently opening at all key runs across the Dominion, a powerful supporting publicity campaign is getting under way along with advertising being — Inspection — Who is boss over what and why not? That question has as much sense as the present situation with regard to the application of safety regulations. What with joint authority over situations where a single authority would suffice and single authority over situations that should be supervised from a central source, there are an awful lot of people who are entitled to an answer to any question they may ask of a theatre manager. An awful lot of people doesn’t necessarily mean a lot of awful people. But nice or not, the manager would prefer to have their number reduced. Then there is the problem of what is a theatre and (Continued on Page 10) placed in the leading national magazines and week-end publications. The campaign, worked out at a conference in London between Rank executives, and James Cowan, whose agency represents them in Canada, and all producers concerned, will extend to the end of June. “Madonna,” which has already earned two million in the British Isles, introduces three of Britain’s big movie names — Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc. Miss Roc is already in Hollywood making a film for Walter Wanger, and while Gran(Continued on Page 12) | Scarlet Street period from January 21st to June 29th. Awards will be made to district managers, managers, salesmen and bookers under the terms of the plan, the prizes scaled in relation to their performance in obtaining the greatest number of playdates during the period. Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, praised Columbia’s quarter-century of growth in a (Continued on Page 3) Cooper Starrer “Cloak and Dagger,” which stars Gary Cooper, will be directed by Fritz Lang. Produced by United States Pictures, Inc., it will be released by Warner Bros. Victoria, Toronto Ready in Week Another first-run house will be added to Toronto’s top group when the Victoria, former vaudeville house which has been closed as a regular operation for years, will reopen on January 31st with Russ McKibbon as manager. The Victoria, a Famous Play (Continued on Page 3) Claim Para Helps Tele Progress Denial of charges that Paramount Pictures Inc. or its subsidiary, Television Productions Inc., had hampered television development was made by Paul Raibourne, head of Paramount’s television activities and president of the latter company. He also (Continued on Page 12) Shelly Plant Moves To Toronto Area The Vancouver production studio of Shelly Films Limited has been moved into the administration building of the former Small Arms plant, near Brown’s Line, in the Toronto area, and films are being made there now. Lab facilities for printing will follow. Headed by Leon C. Shelly, the company» has been in operation for 20 years in Vancouver, where it was known as Vancouver Motion Pictures Ltd., and has been prominent in the motion picture industry on the west coast. Shelly’s movie makers have shot a number of entertainment shorts on Canadian subjects for 20th CenturyFox Films, although industrial films are their major interest. In Toronto the company plans making both 16 mm. and 35 mm. color pictures for commercial (Continued on Page 3) starring EDWARD G. ROBINSON, JOAN BENNETT and DAN DURYEA, is a film of terrific suspense and powerful dramatic impact. A Boxoffice hit, Date It early through EMPIRE-UNIVERSAL FILMS LTD.