Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 12, 1947)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Nov 12, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 12, 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. 44 v% VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE TORONTO, NOVEMBER 12, 1947 AVA INDUSTRY $2.00 Per Annum Has Strong Sked Thirty-five feature films from the combined studios of the J. Arthur Rank Organization will be released for the 1947-48 season by EHagle-Lion Films of Canada, it was announced by Frank Fisher, general manager. Six are in Technicolor (Continued on Page 19) Quebec Allied In Annual Meeting Removal of the 20 per cent federal amusement tax was asked at the annual meeting of the Quebec Allied ‘Theatrical ‘Industries, held at the Mount Royal Hotel, Montreal, last week. Exhibitors of every category came from many places in the province (Continyed on Page 19) New Policy Changes Franchise Deals New administrative policy of the Foreign Exchange Control Board will stop the prepayment of funds in the character of royalties or rentals to persons or companies outside Canada and such obligations must be met only from the earnings of the commodities involved. _The policy prevents Canadian Independent distributors and franchise holders from paying USA owners of films flat Sums in whole or part payment in advance for Dominion exhibition tights, a common practice until now, Formerly advance or (Continued on Page 3) Christie To Odeon Christie Theatre, Toronto, for years operated by B & F, be Comes an Odeon unit on November 17th, down Joan LESLIE — Louis Grand Gross Up Over $4 Million In 1946; 154 More Theatres The year 1946 was a record one for the Canadian motion picture industry in receipts, paid admissions and the number of theatres operated. The total gross received at Canada’s 1,477 theatre boxoffices was $59,793,215, while the number of paid admissions amounted to 227,425,905. Amusement taxes from all sources come to $15,024,547. During the year there were 154 more theatres in operation than in 1945, while receipts increased by $4,362,504 and admissions by 11,852,538. The gain in amusement taxes amounted to $969,526. f The number of licensed places where motion pictures were exhibited, according to provinces, (Continued on Page 3) Joe Belinsky Dead Joe Belinsky, manager of the Imperial, Sarnia, Ont., died after a car crash last week. Harry Cohen Heads RKO Saint John Successor to Herman H. McArthur as Saint John branch manager for RKO is Harry Cohen, formerly a salesman in Montreal, it was announced by Robert Mochrie, vice-president and general sales chief. Cohen, from Winnipeg, joined the Toronto branch over five years ago and a year later left ad sales to be a booker in Montreal. McArthur, an industry old-timer, remains in the branch in other capacities. The new manager is a wellliked lad in the trade and should be a popular choice. ELECT VARIETY BOARD Election of the executive board for the next term featured the regular meeting of Tent 28, Toronto, Variety ional. pas ines chosen as canvasmen for the Canadian Tent, which now has a membership of over 200, were Barkers Jack Cooke, Jack Chisholm, Ralph Dale, John J. Fitzgibbons, Ben Freedman, Ben Geldsaler, Dave Griesdorf, Haskell Masters, Doug Rosen, Morris Stein and Hye Bossin. The new board will meet shortly to elect officers. Chief Barker John J. Fitzgibbons presided over the meeting, with Haskell Masters acting as chairman during i scussion. ar iia ae evening final reports on the recent premiere were heard and projects for adding to the building fund for a vocational guidance school were reported. The first BIG one to come from EAGLE-LION [Hollywood] LIE. " HAYWARD — ‘REPEAT PERFORMANCE’ Vnaru INTERNATIONAL FILM DISTRIBUTORS Limited Myer Herschorn Passes In Hfx. Myer Herschorn, vice-president of Franklin & Herschorn Theatre Company, Limited and a pioneer of the industry in the Maritimes, passed away recently in Halifax at the age of 66 after a lingering illness. He was a partner in the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (Continued on Page 18) Kay Guides New Booking Setup Harold Kay has resigned as Toronto branch representative of Eagle-Lion Films of Canada to act as manager and buyer for the National Booking Company, formed in conjunction with Sam Fingold and Ralph Dale. At present the offices are on the eighth (Continued on Page 18) Need Fresh Outlook Nat Taylor Says A new outlook was required of the persons responsible for the management of theatres today, one as fresh as the physical character of the newest motion picture houses and as different as the exhibition field is now when compared with the war and pre-war period, N. A. Taylor, president of Twentieth Century Theatres, said in Toronto last week. The coming of driveins, roadshow attractions and new comfort and services had altered the picture of things in the mind of the patron, and it remained for those in closest touch with the public, managers (Continued on Page 2) Norman Allen Quits After 15 years with Associated Theatres and Odeon Theatres Norman Allen, well-known booker, has resigned.