Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 5, 1946)

Page scan 0004 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Jun 5, 1946
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 5, 1946)
Leaf #:
0004
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 14, 2025
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a June 5, 1946 WILLIAM P. COVERT Bill Covert has been elect ed by Local 173, IATSE, Toronto, as_ its business agent for three more years. Open-Air Theatre Ready Shortly (Continued from Page 1) June, is Foto-Nite, the Barnes and Davidson circuit. Designed by Kaplan Sprachman, Toronto, the house will seat 1,500 and employ a staff of 15. Seats will be canvas chairs that fold when their removal is necessary. A small building in: front will house the projection booth, office, ticket office and washrooms. The screen will be of ordinary size and the site enclosed by a plywood fence. An unusual amount of exit space has been provided, as well as a parking area. Another feature is a refreshment bar. Some arrangement will be reached that will satisfy the patron if the performance is rained out—possibly rainchecks. Foto-Nite has the exclusive concession from officials and it is expected that 16 mm. operators will be banned. Product will be run after Collingwood theatres. A number of such theatres are in successful cperation in the USA. Two Airmen Reopen Regina Beach Show An old and familiar Regina Beach, Saskatchewan, landmark, the Ark Theatre, has been reopened by two former members of the Snowy Owl Squadron of the RCAF, Tony Biegler and Bill Cook. Known as the Regina Beach Theatre Company Incorporated, the new owners have completely reconstructed the building and enlarged the capacity to 350 seats. They hope to show three first-run _ pictures weekly all year round. The new name has not been selected as yet. and | Canadian FILM WEEKLY ee mera ee ee Pr vee EET ATE IO a en HYGIENIC PRODUCTIONS _ of CANADA Cordially Invite ONTARIO EXHIBITORS To Be Its Guests And Witness— THE WORLD’S MOST AMAZING ATTRACTION ‘MOM AND DAD’ With An All-Star Hollywood Cast and ELLIOT FORBES In Person — On The Stage Massey Hall Opening MONDAY JUNE TENTH In Over 600 cities played to date in the United States, this Attraction has broken the All-Time attendance record in over 95 percent of them! ‘Nothing Like It — Every Before!’ HYGIENIC PRODUCTIONS of CANADA Offices 26 QUEEN ST. E. MR. GEO. ALTMAN GEN. MGR, A Division of HYGIENIC PRODUCTIONS Hollywood * Dallas * Chicago * Cleveland * Wilmington * New York PRODUCERS AND WORLD-WIDE DISTRIBUTORS OF “MOM AND DAD" | R. J. Again grand Chief Barker ef the Variety Clubs of America, having been re-elected at the annual convention in New York. O'Donnell Again Heads Variety (Continued from Page 1) first assistant chief barker; W. Jenkins. property master; M. Wolf of Indianapolis, national dough guy; and J. H. Harris, founder of the clubs, big boss. Cc. J. Latta, Albany, replaced EK. Sweigert as second assistant chief barker. Appointments included that of W. McCraw as executive director: C. E. Lewis of New York as publicity director; J. Balmer, Pittsburgh, ceremonial director; and J. J. Maloney to the chairmanship of the ‘Heart’ committee which has charge of charity awards. Two awards featured the convention. General Evangeline Booth of the Salvation Army was presented with a silver plaque and a check for $1,000 for her life-long humanitarian works. The club’s Charity Citation Award went to Oklahoma’s Tent No. 22 by an unanimous vote. Now numbering some 6,000 members in 27 tents of which one is in Toronto and another in Mexico City, the Variety Clubs of America spent a combined total of nearly $1,500,000 on charity and have pledged $1,351,300 for the same purpose in the next 12 months. It is hoped that O'Donnell, McCraw and Lewis will be present at the inauguration dinner of Tent 28, Toronto, the first Variety Club in Canada. Charles Bickford To Try Comedy Charles Bickford, for the first time in 25 years on the screen, will try his hand at comedy. He will play a wise-cracking butler in RKO Radio’s topical drama, “Katie for Congress,” O’"DONNELL