Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 26, 1947)

Page scan 0002 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Feb 26, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 26, 1947)
Leaf #:
0002
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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February 26, 1947 Grierson Refusal Not Explained (Continued from Page 1) However, North Winship, consulgeneral in that city, offered ‘‘no comment” in answer to enquiries and Washington stated that he was “not eligible under existing laws.” : Failure to make public reasons for the rejection has led to the opinions that there are political considerations involved, some arising from unauthenticated charges that many of the National Film Board personnel hold radical political beliefs. Grierson, who resigned from the NFB 15 months ago and was succeeded by Ross McLean, was a witness before the spy probe commission, which was at that time examining the actions of his former secretary, a woman whose whereaboutS are unknown. Nothing wag brought out before the commission which reflected on Grierson personally. Grierson withdrew from the National Film Board when, with the end of the war, it became plain that higher officials preferred that its films be national rather than international in scope. He then founded International Film Associates, a nonprofit organization with offices in London, Ottawa and New York. It is Grierson’s well-known belief in the possibility of international understanding as a means of fighting the evils of poverty, prejudice and war which led him to devote his talents as a producer, writer and lecturer to that end. The Scottish-born pioneer of the documentary field began his work in Britain and since then has accepted duties and responsibilities in behalf of a number of countries. After service in Hollywood and Australia, Canada sent for him in 1939 to lead film work and his accomplishments in this coun© try, almost barren of film craftsmen, were nothing short of remarkable. Governments of several of the countries occupied by the Nazis during the war availed themselves of Grierson’s advice and NFB facilities and the USA State Department invited him to Washington for consultations. Upon his resignation the National Film Board issued a statement of commendation and gratitude. . Representative of Great Britain on the UN film council, Grierson is at present in that country at the invitation of the British Overseas Film Council and will remain for a month. He holds Canadian citizenship. "The Big Cloak’ Ray Milland will next star in Paramount’s “The Big Cloak.” Canadian FILM WEEKLY Add Two Toronto First (Continued from Page 1) will be teamed with the downtown Victoria Theatre. The day and date booking of the Tivoli with the Eglinton and the Capitol with the Victoria will give Famous Players six outlets for first-run features — four of them in downtown Toronto. The shift of population to north Toronto in recent years has been tremendous and there is every indication that it will continue to increase. This area in itself is as large as many Canadian cities and Famous Players executives feel confident that first-run attractions presented in north Toronto simultaneous with their downtown showings will prove popular with residents there. Another reason for Famous Players’ decision to extend its first-run policy is that it will speed the release of topflight attractions so that showings in Toronto will be close to presentations in the larger cities on this continent. Long runs, indicated by such pictures as “Blue Skies,” “The Jolson Story,” ‘Sinbad the Sailor,’ “The Razor’s Edge,” “Notorious,” etc. naturally use up available playing time with the result that big pictures are often backed up. By establishing identically the same policy in the Eglinton and the Tivoli Theatres as is now in effect in the Imperial and Shea’s Theatres, Famous Players will be able to divide its top product between four first-run houses. With the inauguration of the new policy on Friday, March 21st, the Eglinton and Tivoli admission prices will be on a level with those prevailing in the other first-run houses, Shea’s and the Imperial. “The Jolson Story,” one of the great boxoffice attractions of the current season, is expected to run for a number of weeks in its twin theatre engagement and Famous Players announces that “Sinbad the Sailor’ will follow “The Jolson Story” in the Tivoli-Eglinton. Negotiations are being completed to follow these attractions with an exceptionally strong lineup of the season’s great features. Day and date booking of big budget films is not new, but this policy usually affects houses in the same area. In Toronto the Victoria and Eglinton, with the exception of British pictures, did not double top product. A dayand-date policy has been in effect in the Vogue and Hastings, Vancouver Odeon houses,..but. these, while in different zones, are not at two extremes of the city. The. Page 3 NORMAN SMITH Appointed Saint John, NB, representative of Astral Films by I. H. Allen. Famous Players policy in Toronto seems~to be the only case where two theatres, each in end municipal areas, will offer the biggest pictures. Theatre Purchased Ernest W. Kendall has purchased the 250-seat Starland Theatre in Morden, Manitoba, from the Kendall Estate. He has also purchased a site, had the plans drawn up and applied for a per mit for a 400-seat theatre in the same community. AWE an ar espns CCST Wali, cee 4 DARK sir \ DEBORAH KERR Lo) O O O O eae BS . cS Ee te ma c xd aus ge eX) | | SEEA DARK Suess. roe P “ j oH wk ii Tn <> CESS SOS cs SS ‘I J | Mi Lda, “Who's that Dark Stranger? He's the checker that checks the checker! It's a problem!”