Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 15, 1947)

Page scan 0001 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Jan 15, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 15, 1947)
Leaf #:
0001
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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Page 2 McKenzie, law To Eagle-Lion | (Continued from Page 1) Harry Law, who was general manager of Associated Theatres’ when its accounts were transfered to National Theatre Services, joined Eagle-Lion as head office representative on January 6th. ; Don McLean has joined the Calgary branch as a sales repre. sentative, resigning as manager of the Odeon, North Vancouver, to make the change. He was formerly assistant manager of the Plaza and Rio in Vancouver. The rise of British pictures in popularity and the increasing amount of exhibition time being offered them in Canada has eaused continued reorganization of sales and other departments.’ Cashman Re-elected Charles J. Cashman, who with his son, Ken, takes care of film industry needs for Photo-Engravers, was recently re-elected to his 12th term as a councillor in York township, Ontario. eee eee fille. (oar 7126 PRESENTS THE THEATRES GREATEST MONEY MAKER CREATING, AND SUSTAINING BOX OFFICE RECORDS Head Office STERLING FILMS LIMITED 431 Yonge Street Toronto Quebec & Maritimes STERLING FILMS LTD. 5969 Monkland Ave., Montreal. Western Canada FOTO-NITE DISTRIBUTORS, Inc. 1246 Burrard St., Vancouver. __ Canadian FILM WEEKLY Distribs Challenge _ Salamis Report | (Continued from Page 1) rentals and the second his failure to deduct the money returned for 16 mm. films. Salamis _contends in his report that rent als in the last three years have increased by 25.6%, while boxoffice. receipts went up _ only 19.3%. ; ; The figure for 1945 -rentals, for instance, $17,976,467 by Salamis but the annual government report and the distributors offer the true figure as $17,490,264, a difference of $486,203. ~ — Any statistics .designed to show a relationship between theatre receipts and film rentals should not be based on a figure which includes 16 mm. returns, say the distributors, for a great. number of accounts are non-theatrical, such as homes and institutions. Nor should rentals -from 16 mm. films exhibited to the public in places without theatres be -included. In 1945 rentals from 16 mm. films came to $1,198,016 and those from 35 mm. totaled $16,292,248. The latter figure should have been used by Salamis, whose report lists boxoffice re. ceipts and film rentals from 1933 on. Each of his figures is different from that offered by the government and distributors are wondering where he obtained them or how he reached them. Using government figures, the distributors show the percentage of boxoffice receipts returned to them for film rental in 1945 as 29.5%. In 1944 the figure was i Sale Price Of Reels Announced By NFB Canadian sale price for 16 mm. productions of the National Film Board have. recently been announced as approximately $12 per ree] for black and white subjects and $45 a reel for color. The above prices are for purchase only, as all rentals of NFB films are handled in Canada by the various film libraries which set their own charges. An interim catalog and price list have been made available by the board and can be obtained from the NFB Information Section in Ottawa. “in 1942 29.8%. is claimed to be . ‘non-denominational 29.2%, in 1943 it was 28.9% and These figures dispute Salamis’ statement that 32.41% of every dollar gross goes for rental and that the combined total ratio is higher than that of the United States, . which he puts at around 30%. Ninety percent of deals are at the basic rate, according to the distributors, ‘and the comes through circuits playing ‘top. attractions on percentage, in contrast to flat deals continued because of WPTB regulations. . : W: C. Fields Leaves Bequest For Orphans _ The will of W. C. Fields, the comedian whose death on Christmas day introduced’ a sad note in the holiday festivities, bequeathes part of his estate to the setting up of a trust, fund to establish a college in Los Angeles for white orphans. Announcement of the bequest was made. by Leo L. Schaumer, ° lawyer for Mrs. Magda Michael, © Fields’ secretary for many years and executrix of his estate. SIR ALEXANDER KORDA presents oe oe e e Vivien | eigh (GONE WITH THE WIND) (CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA) Ines Exciting Story Riddled with Bullets and Kisses! DARK © JOURNEY NOW BOOKING ASTRAL FILMS 1; H. ALLEN 6 DUNDAS SQ. TORONTO Vol. 12, No. 3 Jan. 15, 1947 ae .HYE BOSSIN, Managing Editor itor rt oe a ee ec Address all communications—The Managing Editor, Canadian Film Weekly, 25 Dundas Square, Toronto, Canada. Published by Film Publications of Canada, Ltd., 25 Dundas Square, Toronto, Ontario. Canada, Phone \ADelaide 4317. Price-6 cents each or $2.00 per year. Entered ap Second Clase Matter. increase’ January 15, 1947 Fire, Scares In Movie Theatres (Continued from Page 1) in the northern city in 25 years, it burned out several rows of seats, the curtain, screen and stage equipment, and caused the ceiling to break. A theory that the fire was caused by defective wiring was denied by the theatre’s electri cians, who stated that they had checked the wiring immediately following the conclusion of the midnight. show and found it in good order. Firemen said that smoke delayed their getting at the fire itself. There have been: several fire scares in Canadian theatres in the past few weeks, these originating through blazes in nearby premises. Another, in the Tivoli, Toronto, was caused by a cigar ‘ ette left on a toilet seat made. of composition which smolders and gives off a great amount of smoke. In each case presence of mind of managers averted a panic by inducing a good-humored and orderly exit from the theatre. _In Edmonton patrons of the Strand withdrew in good order when a fire next door filled the theatre with smoke and Ied the manager to cancel the New . Year's Eve holiday performance and refund admissions. In Guelph, Ontario, the manager mounted the stage and asked the 900 patrons to file out, informing them that there was a fire down the street when it was actually next door. The Tivoli, Toronto, fire led to a checkup by the fire department of the types of toilet seats in use in all the city’s theatres and may help the passing of a by-law to prevent smoking in any place in any theatre. The by-law, which theatre men oppose, is being prepared by the city solicitor’s office and will come . before the city council soon. : In the case of the Tivoli the house was filled with choking fumes before the fire could be located and Captain Sam Hill, deputy district fire marshal, praised the calmness and presence of mind of Leonard Bishop, the manager. The latter, after turning up the house lights, spoke to the audience from the stage. With no sign of excitement and with humor he informed the audience of the situation, told it about passout checks and caused it to file out in easy style. The audience wasn’t told what was causing the smoke because Bishop, with friendly frankness, said that he didn’t know himself.