Canadian Film Weekly (May 7, 1947)

Page scan 0007 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
May 7, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (May 7, 1947)
Leaf #:
0007
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 10 Canadian FILM WEEKLY Film Advertising $65 Millions 46 An average of $1,000,000 a week was spent on newspaper advertising during 1946 by motion picture distributors and exhibitors, according to reports in the Film Daily Year Book, recently issued. The volume issued annually by the New York Film Daily is the most comprehensive in existence on motion picture matters. Motion picture expenditures for all forms of advertising dur ing 1946 were estimated to have amounted to $65,700,000. These figures indicate that, despite space curtailments imposed by newspapers because of newsprint stringencies and strikes, dailies . received an expenditure equal to that of 1945. ' The year book estimates that motion picture advertising expenditures last year were up $2,700,000 from 1945’s $63,000,000 total. It breaks down the 1946 expenditures as follows: Accessories and direct mail, $5,000,000 as compared to $4,500,000 in 1945; magazines $5,000,000, up $1,000,000 from 1945; and radio $2,000,000, or double 1945’s expenditure. Outdoor advertising last year added another $1,700,000 to the motion picture budget, as compared to $1,500,000 in 1945. The record advertising expenditure was employed to promote attendance at the 467 feature-length motion pictures released last year as compared to 377 during 1945. Of this total, 378 features were made in the United States and 89 were imported. Motion picture theatre attendance records were shattered in 1946, according to the year book. An average of 100,000,000 people a week attended the movies as compared to the 1945 average of. 95,000,000 per week. Adult admission price increases last year averaged 5 to 8 cents, and children’s admission prices 2 to 3 cents. It is estimated that 18,765 motion picture boxoffices in the United States took in $1,800,000,000 exclusive of taxes during 1946, and $630,000,000 was spent for film rentals. At the first of the year there were 10,238 United States cities and towns with at least one movie theatre, and 450 first-run movie theatres in 95 cties of more than 100,000 population. Actress Contracted Jeanne Shepherd, young dramatic actress who appeared on tour in “The Glass Menagerie,” has been placed under long-term contract by Jack L. Warner. Miss Shepherd is a Bucknell University graduate and former Conover model. FRR PAR PH HP wW with MADGE EVANS FRANK MORGAN HARRY LAN DISTRIBUTED BY A S STRLAMLM DG T ——— ae : O R Peerless Films Lid. rR PR vummaaeceraAan=wv MPAA To Hono; ltself On 25th At its recent anny in New York, the Mot Association of Ameri ly the Hays Omite ete : i Proved plans for a dinner on May 8th in New York to Celebrate th 25th anniversary of the associ i tion. Arrangements for the ee quet were submitted by Jose Ph R. Vogel of Loew's, chairman of the program committee. Proposals to send American motion picture stars to the second post-war Command Performance in England in November and to the World Film Festival in Brussels in June were also passed. Wight stars from the USA> weer on the Command Performance last November, the first one at which Royal patronage was extended to movies and film stars. Formerly it had been reserved for drama, opera, ballet and vaudeville. Domestic and world problems affecting the movie industry were discussed at the meeting. Eric Johnston, president, reported on the activities of the past year and praised the constructive and co-operative attitude of Hollywood, particularly in relation to Production Code. ‘Principal Pictures, one of the member companies, filed notice of resignation from the association, which, under the by-laws, becomes effective in one year. A decision was reached to call a special membership meeting shortly to consider increasing the number of directors from each company from one to two on the board of the association. The board of directors elected the following officers for the next year: Eric Johnston, president and chairman of the board; Joseph I. Breen, vice-president; Francis S. Harmon, vice-president; George Borthwick, secretary and _treasurer; Sidney Schreiber, assistant secretary; Fred W. DuVall, assistant treasurer; and James Howie, assistant secretary-treasurer. During the meeting @ Ress tion of thanks was directed 4 Carl E. Milliken on his retirement as secretary of the association: Milliken, a former governor F Maine, was the first director ° the Department of Community Service and manager of the In ternational Department. Cast Of 'Foxes’ Cast so far assembled for a Century-Fox’ version of Fra al meeting ion Picture Yerby’s best-seller, “The ey of Harrow,” include Rex victor son, Maureen O’Hara, a McLaglen, Vanessa Brown 32 _ Gene Lockhart.