Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 26, 1947)

Page scan 0002 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Nov 26, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 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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November 26, 1947 Dom n Situations Now Total 1562 (Continued from Page 1) with 1944, in which there were 704,814, and 1940, when there were 687,367. The increase in seven years Was 193,265. The preliminary statistics isrecently by Ottawa gave the number of theatres operating in Canada during 1946 as 1477 and the 1947 figure from the Association gives some idea of Canada’s rapidly expanding exhibition field. Vancouver territory has 133 theatres open and three closed, the seats numbering 77,789. Not included is one drive-in, with a 500-car capacity. Last year Vancouver had 117 theatres, open and closed. Included are Yukon and Northwest Territories. Calgary territory has 212 theatres open and five closed, the seat total being 71,146. There were 213 theatres in this area in the previous period. Winnipeg exchange territory contained 350 open and four closed places of exhibition, the seats numbering 126,629. Theatres last year numbered 288. Toronto territory has 435 theatres open and none closed and these hold 290,999 seats. There were 397 theatres last year. The 1946 figures do not include five drive-ins with a total capacity of 3150 autos. Montreal has 286 theatres open and one closed, that territory containing 158,394 seats. There were 237 theatres in the previous 12 months. Quite a number of theatres play all or half-French programs. : Saint John territory has 146 theatres in operation and three closed, with seats numbering 75,675. There were 132 last year. This territory is made up of the three Maritime provinces and Newfoundland. mS UNDIMASTE RG SOUND EQUIPMENT The Golden Volce of the Silver Screen Built for Today’s Modern Theatre To Meet the Demands of Today’s Progressive Exhibitor IMMEDIATE DELIVERY: Write Wire Telephone COMPANY LIMITED 77 WGTORA STRAIT 2027 BiRURY sTROsT sued Canadian FILM WEEKLY Three Theatres Open And Four Due Soon Three new theatres opened recently in Canada and four more are expected to do likewise before the end of the year. Plans for three new projects were announced and work started on three houses listed earlier as in the hands of architects. In addition, construction is under way in 20 locations not previously reported in these columns. Open are the Vaughan, B & F's 1,000-seat $160,000 house at Vaughan and St. Clair in Toronto; the 450-seat Aron Theatre in Campbellford, Ont., operated by Ray Lewis; and G. A. Gough’s $75,000 house in Oliver, BC. Due to open before the end of the year are 20th Century Theatres’ 1,000-seat Glendale in Toronto; FPCC’s 962-seat Nortown, also in Toronto; Odeon’s 1,000-seat $100,000 proiect in Peterborough, Ont.; and United Amusement’s $250,000° Montreal ~ theatre, the Van Horn. Planned are a new theatre for Norwich, Ont., by Bruce McCorkell of Toronto; a 725-seat one for Verdun, Que., by United Amusement Corp.; and a $350,000 project:in Montreal by General Theatres (Quebec) Limited. Lastnamed may be under way shortly. Construction work has stopped on the Ottawa drive-in of the Auto-Sky Drive-In Theatre Company by orders of the theatre inspection branch of the province. Under way are Odeon’s $175,000 New Odeon in Victoria, BC; Jules Cloet’s 700-seat $90,000 house in Port Dover, Ont.; and Francois Fortin’s 600-seat $30,000 Beloeil Theatre in Beloeil, Que. In construction but previously unreported here are the following: Forestburg, Alta.—Grillion being built by Glenn Voss. Managers Shifted By 20th Century Circuit Manager of the newest 20th Century Theatres’ unit, the Glendale in Toronto, will be Don Baecker. The house will open near the end of this month. Baecker was moved from the Circle, which will be handled by Ralph Wilson, at present in the Belsize. Nat Bresver moves from the Community to the Belsize and Aubrey Lent from the Avalon to the Community. All affected by the foregoing switches are managers. Freddy Levins, assistant manager of the Centre, London, has been promoted to the management of the Family, Toronto, and M. Manoff, formerly with Hollywood Confections, will be manager of the Avalon, Toronto, while Don Wainman is now assistant manager at the Kum-C, Toronto, Taber, Alta.—No details. Kapuskasing, Ont.—Strand being built by Premier Operating. Vermillion Bay, Ont. — Being built by Ted HBuler. Windthorst, Sask..— By J. A. Johnston. Benito, Man.—By C. Wynant. Fannystelle, Man.—C. Wynant. Cabano, Que.—Pelletier by Rene Pelletier. St. Honore de Shemley, Que.— Rev. S. Dubord. Bonaventure, Que.—Acadia by Victor Leblanc. Ferme Neuve, Que.—Vimy by W. Clovel and L. Vanier. Huberdeau, Que.—Cine Huberdeau by Antonio Plouffe. Armagh, Que.—Lemelin by Jos. Lemelin. St. Gideon de Beauce, Que.— Frontenac by Yvon Gilb>rte. Baie St. Paul, Que.—Clearence by Simard and Tremblay. Malbaie, Que.—Centre Recreatif by Dr. Paquin and P. Laberge. St. George de Beauce, Que.— Royal by A. Veilleux. St. Joseph d’Alma, Que.—Canadien by L. Rossignol. Halifax, NS.—Vogue by Franklin-Herschorn. "Anna Lucasta’ Set Yordan Enterprises, in partnership with Columbia, will bring the Broadway stage hit, “Anna Lucasta,” to the screen. Phillip Yordan, author of the play, will write the script. THEATRE REQUIRE: MENTS CONTRACT SALES OFFICE Page 3 PROF. DOUG ROSEN, B.A. The lad with flat conk cover and academic shroud pictured above will conduct the spelling bee that will be the highlight of the year’s last meeting of the Variety tent. The BA, he insists, doesn’t mcan booker’s assistant but Bachelor of Arts. I don’t know how he gets that way, because he’s no bachelor and from art knows but nothing. In fact, he hasn’t even got a clue. The scholastic standards where he picked up that degree must be lower than in reform school. Kidding On the Square, he really is a collage graduate. Two teams will be chosen for the spellfest and Doug is sure that they would make John Kieran sound like H-y-m-i-e K-a-p-l-i-n when it comes to putting consonants and vowels in their right order. Anyone who agrees with him, if present, may leave his name with Ben Geldsaler, the new Property Master, who has arranged for him to have his head read — and not by a phrenologist, either. Anyway, it promises to be plenty of fun. The photograph was taken by Len Bishop, who faced Doug’s becapped physog with welder’s goggles, an asbestos suit and a piece of raw wolf meat, a la the anti-Dracula character. THEATRE CHAIRS 887 repainted and rebuilt American theatre chairs with spring cushion seats and inserted panel upholstered backs covered with strong heavy leatherette. Also 400 used spring seats and padded backs in good condition. Apply Palace Theatre Val d'Or, Quebec ee ee ee ee er