Canadian Film Weekly (Aug 20, 1947)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Aug 20, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Aug 20, 1947)
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 14, 2025
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VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Vol. 12, No. 32 TORONTO, AUGUST 20, 1947 $2.00 Per Annum Warners To Release 18 Films gack Warner Calls For Revised And Improved Showmanship Warner Brothers will release 18 important productions and eight series of short subjects for the 1947-48 season, it was announced in Toronto by Haskell M. Masters, Canadian district manager, following the return of the company’s Maritime Circuit Sues FPC In NS Franklin & Herschorn, Maritime circuit owned by Joseph M. Franklin and Meyer Herschorn, are suing Famous Players Canadian Corporation, its former partner, for a share in the operation of the Orpheus Theatre, Halifax, NS. The case will be (Continued on Page 4) Two Houses Open And More Soon The opening of two new theatres and the setting of opening dates on four others highlighted the current week’s’ industry building news. Also announced as nearing completion was one other and in addition the rapid progress of construction: on three (Continued on Page 3) Mervyn Goldstone Now with SRO First appointment to the Canadian staff of Selznick Releasing Organization now being set up by Charles Weiner, is Mervyn Goldstone who has resigned from the booking staff of Allied Co-Operative to become office manager of the Toronto branch. Goldstone was with EmpireUniversal prior to _ serving three years in the RCAF and returned to the Toronto sales staff, leaving earlier this year to join Allied. New offices of SRO are at 50 King Street East, in the Letros Building, in Toronto. Variety Men Hustling To Put Over Show The world premiere of Paramount’s 40-star feature, “Variety Girl,” to be held at the Imperial Theatre, Toronto, on Wednesday evening, August 27th for the Variety Village fund, is coming along in great style, committees report. The showing of the film will be preceded by a top stage show arranged by Barker Jack Arthur. Billy De Wolfe, one of the continent’s newest and leading comedy stars, will ye the master of ceremonies. Many luminaries of local night clubs will join Mildred Morey, Doug Romaine and others on the stage. At the recent meeting of Tent (Continued on Page 4) Final Title Set “Summer Lightning” will be the release title of Fox’ “Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!” Lawson to UW. Ullman Quits Pathe For Producer Post Frederic Ullman, Jr., president of RKO Pathe, has resigned from that position and will join Dore Schary, executive vice-president in charge of production, as an RKO feature producer. Tentatively scheduled as the first Ullman production is “The Window,” adapted from ‘The Boy Cried Murder.” Ullman was the creator in 1942 of the popular This Is America series, released in Canada as the Today and Tomorrow shorts. Dominion representatives from the eastern division and Canadian conference in New York’s WaldorfAstoria. The three-day sessions were conducted by Ben Kalmenson, vice-president and general sales manager, and were attended by more than 100 members of the organization. Among those who heard such top men as Harry M. Warner, (Continued on Page 12) To Drop Discount On British Duty? The 50 per cent discount of customs tariff on 35 mm. positive films (prints) imported into Canada from the United Kingdom, which has been in effect since April, 1941, may be dropped with the ‘budget announcement in October. There is some expec (Continued on Page 3) To Operate Aaron Ray Lewis, the exhibitor, will operate the new 450-seat Aaron Theatre in Campbellford, Ontario, built by Mrs. Rappaport. It will be the town’s second house. UK WOULD MATCH OUR RENTALS The drastic nature of the British tax on USA films and the opposition of producers, who will withdraw their films from the rich United Kingdom market, can be better understood when compared with Canadian figures. The new import tax,: called confiscatory by Hollywood, would reduce the $68,000,000 returned to American producers annually to $17,000,000 —a sum on par with rentals from Canada, a country with about one-quarter the popula tion of the United Kingdom. Hollywood sends Great Britain about 350 films each year and these attract about $400,000,000 through the boxoffices of 4,750 theatres from about 30,000,000 admissions weekly. Of the boxoffice receipts, $332,000,000 remains in Britain for taxes and operation. Canada’s 1,323 theatres in 1945 earned net receipts of about $56,000,000 from total admissions of about 217,000,000. Of this sum $17,000,000 was paid for rental of films. All but several hundred thousand dollars of rental revenue went to American companies, who paid their Canadian operating costs out of it and met the remittance tax of (Continued on Page 3) Joins Vanguard As Selznick Assistant Hiram S. Brown, Jr., has joined Vanguard Films, Inc., as Susiness assistant to David O. Selznick, it was announced recently. He will begin his duties immediately. Previous to volunteering for service with the Army in June, 1942, Brown was an executive producer at Republic Studios. Republic's Net For First Quarter For the thirteen weeks ended April 26th, 1947, Republic Pictures Corporation and its subsidiaries report a net profit of $519,305.63 before federal tax provision, estimated federal normal and surtaxes of $207,722.25, or a net after taxes of $377,583.38. The Hon. J. Earl Lawson, managing director of Odeon Theatres of Canada, sailed for Britain on the Queen Elizabeth last week accompanied by Mrs. Lawson. He will meet with his British associates.