Canadian Film Weekly (Sep 10, 1947)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Sep 10, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Sep 10, 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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( Vol. 12, No. 35 i f VOICE of A TORONTO, SEPTEMBER 10, 1947 ACE EU the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY $2.00 Per Annum Variety Show Net Over 20 Gs Imperial Sellout At Big Prices For De Wolfe-Topped Bill About 3,400 persons, who paid $50, $10, $5 or $3 for theix seats, filled every chair in the Imperial, Toronto, Canada’s largest theatre, last week to witness a great vaudeville show and the world premiere of Paramount’s “Variety Leiberman Quits Columbia Sales Joe Leiberman, veteran Saint John branch manager for Columbia Pictures of Canada, has resigned and will be succeeded on September 1st by Lou Simon of the Winnipeg office, it has been announced by Harvey Harnick, general sales manager. (Continued on Pago 2) Famous Players Men Head West The annual meetings of Famous Players’ partners and associates will be held at Banff and Quebec this year, it was announced by J. J. Fitzgibbons, president of Famous Players. The first meeting will be held with the western partners in (Continued on Page 13) Clarke McGlashan A Right Guy When Win Barron contacted Clarke McGlashan of McGlashan, Clarke & Company, Niagara Falls, Ontario, to sell him seats to the Variety Show, he came away pleasantly stunned. Not only did McGlashan take a block of seats after learning what it was all about, but he offered to supply all the silverware needed by the orippled kids who will inhabit Variety Village, the vocational school residence to be erected by the Canadian amusement trade. He initiated a good idea worth following up. Republic Readies Big Production Program Republic Pictures, which releases through EmpireUniversal Films in Canada, in its recently-announced 1947 48 program offers 27 features, 20 outdoor action dramas and westerns, a novelty feature and four cartoon shorts. Program was outlined by Herbert J. Yates, president, and James R. Grainger, executive vice-president in charge of sales and distribution, following executive studio and home office conferences and a survey of sales and exhibitor reactions. Trucolor, the color process revealed just over a year ago by the company, will be used in 12 (Continued on Page 13) Mono Reissues Two “Drums of the Desert’ and “Sign of the Wolf” will be reissued by Monogram. ' CABINET POST FOR Theatre Planned For Woodstock, NB Town council of Woodstock, New Brunswick, has granted permission to F. G. Spencer to build an 800-seat $100,000 theatre. Woodstock's present theatre, the 470-seat Capitol, also owned by F. G. Spencer, who is affiliated with Famous Players, will be used only for motion pictures on Fridays and Saturdays after the new house is completed. The rest of the week it will be open for community activities. Girl” for the building fund of Tent 28,-Toronto, Variety International. The show, headed by Billy De Wolfe in person, will yield more than $20,000 toward the $100,000 needed to erect Variety Village, a vocational guidance school and residence for 40 of Ontario’s crippled children. The house was sold out two days in advance. The doings inside the auditorium were preceded by the ges(Continued on Page 2) Gregory Houses To National National Theatre Services, Odeon affiliate headed by Sam Fingold and Ralph Dale, has acquired the Gregory theatres in Oakville, Georgetown and Acton, all Ontario communities, from Russell L. Gregory. The deal, effective September 15th, will (Continued on Page 2) New Theatre Opened The first theatre in Surrey, British Columbia, the 449-seat Cameo, recently presented its premiere performance. Owned by S. Moskaluke and S. Chizen, the theatre cost $50,000 to erect. A Sign of Success These happy barkers of Tent 28, Toronto, are gathered around a symbol of their triumph, a sellout sign outside the Imperial’s Victoria Street entrance, They are, left to right, Bert Brown, Famous Players; Tom Daley, theatre manager; Jim Nairn, Variety publicity chief; and Win Barron, Paramount. The show committee of 30 was headed by Jack Cooke. President of the University of New Brunswick, Milton Gregg, VC, has becomo minister of fisheries in the Mackenzie King government. A veteran of both world wars, he was for several MILTON GREGG, VC years in tho film and theatre business after the first one He was formerly a Conservative,