Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 24, 1947)

Page scan 00013 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Dec 24, 1947
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 24, 1947)
Leaf #:
00013
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 14 CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY Christmas Number italiana PENG ISIEIEIA ISIE IG IEIEIR IRIE IR IIR IRANI 7G re S 3 ADDL DD NADI I SI See DRS Season's Greetings Hye Bossin Film Weekly Paper Please place EMAAR AANAAARAMY — where television is considered to “(1) Instantaneous projection = ae be further ahead than on this in theatres, from a given disSe nee ere en continent, addressed the Society tribution centre, of items of enof Motion Picture Engineers. tertainment of interesting events West's observations should be of and actualities. interest to Canadian exhibitors. “(2) Delayed presentation There is a similarity of probfrom the distribution centre. lems in England and here in For example, daily film of local the method of distribution and interest which are applicable to projection, he said: The English theatres in a local area. exhibitor is somewhat bewildered’ “(3) Delayed presentation about television and how it will in individual theatres where pro SY vy 3 wy v o R : : ; y w a iy v A uy y in ny y A Ny y aR A ye i wy advert in y a y 6 @®@ y A & Christmas M4 a iv aR ¥ number ¥ a y vy FS ¥ greeting . iy A ; a iy eee in Shows? y S i 4 friends. @ FA A y i y z Fe wy . y CHIPS RAFFERTY, 3 | : Toronto A | . . : i y Darlinghurst Road, os y Motion Picture a “ Kings Cross, i HAT relationship to our customer, and he presumably tee rs 4 : i motion picture exhibition is capable of visualising a true Projectionists wy Sydney, Australia. a will television have? In representation of what the pubv is October this year G. D. lic will require. It is’ our duty ¥ Union a FA = West, director of Cinema-Televito satisfy him, if he wants it, y an vy & sion, Limited in Great Britain, by providing: y & 82 SDSS aie aaa rS4 a A at Season’s Greetings J. John Shulman & Co. CROWN THEATRE Chartered Accountants UE VERVE VUE VENUE UE URINE TURURRELERRUEUEREUE PLINER IEICE SSDI affect him and there was yet no gram planning is impracticable TORONTO clear view as to how such enterto eke (1). 2 a TORONTO, CANADA tainment would be organized and % ese needs must be pro; ae presented to the public. Large vided with the qualities of norJOE COHEN in screen television has, however, mal film projection.” in VUAAARARRAVNAssa provided a means of attracting It may be three years, West a us : film patrons on certain special stated, before television could. PUVVIAIVNNANNIIIIISIE 6 ocasions. have the brightness and defini Sqrqrergrarererarare Crate RIRIAIEIEIEIIEIS West recounted some of the tion necessary for the exhibitor history of television in Britain to mingle it with his regular and recalled as a red letter day ‘film program but he might conthe one in February, 1939, when Sider it profitable to use it sepan excited and enthusiastic audiarately. It was possible also that ence paid up to ten dollars per the new art could be used sucseat to watch a prizefight which cessfully in new ways not yet went the distance. Not one paVisualized. tron asked for his money back. The coming of television, he Isidore Ostrer, president of predicted, would cause a revision Gaumont-British then, was a of theatre acts and their regulaman of vision and equipped 12 tions. London theatres with television projectors. At the same time Qa problems to be solved Scophony equipped the Odeon . had to do with a means of in London. The coming of war financial return to those who ended the projection experiment, controlled television patents and which seemed headed for sucfinanced its development, and the cess. EN to operate on a commercial : asis in transferring it be | PCB after the terminastudio and theatrer The ans tion of war has _been con| difficulty arose out of getting centrated on technical gain, together the parties concerned Season’s Greetings Compliments of FOTO-NITE Amateur Shows . Limited pia Best Wishes For Christmas and The New Year 2 * 7 HOTO ENGRAVERS and : ? a * vs -s FAY PETER BARNES, Sau aby Sebe eee Dare De Dea Bree ABE SUEUR GRA LAIST UR IPRA RADAR IEEE RELAIS LEER ARIE IRR REIALE UE IR RRIAIRIRIIRIRIIRIEIE TETRIS IRIE IRIE III IERIE EIR UII REEL ELAR RIA IERIE ERIE 4 z pes rere . West said, and would continue — government radio which i B, FEECTROTYPERS _A., “until. there is evolved a satisGreat Britain (as in Ganda President R "ITD =f vagy Factory. system eee exhibitors controlled television, promotors Bs nang _ f&. . will welcome as a valuable conof events and the film inter S : tribution to entertainment yi However, Captain West pee LOUIS DAVIDSON, a That is the first stage in the nounced recently that ecreta GHARLES and & work program. The second, as Arthur Rank aonipaniae he ae Secretary 8 KEN CASHMAN, described, by West, follows) ; make, a, bid for the Canadian Bp welt torte tie EES SoA he RES pe Exhibitor’ ay a Ge eee ge es, eeueceuunacumene sek The éxhibitor°or promoter is” theatre television market. Dey DabebababeDebabeae Beware aE ~ _—