Canadian Film Weekly (Aug 18, 1954)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Aug 18, 1954
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Aug 18, 1954)
Leaf #:
0000
Language:
English
Collection:
Canada, Hollywood Studio System, and Global Cinema
Format:
periodicals
Contributor:
Media History Digital Library, Greig Dymond in memory of David Dymond, 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:
May 23, 2024
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Vol, 19, No. 31 TORONTO, AU GUST 18, 1954 $3.00" Per Kannum >» MGM WILL WITH 27 IN ‘54-5 PRESENT PRODUCTION PLANS APPLY TO 52 FEATURES MGM will produce a minimum of 27 important motion Some Coolers Get Our Patrons Hot Carelessness of theatre managers in the use of air conditioning and cooling systems is not only cancelling their sales value but building resistance through exposing patrons to discomfort, it was indicated in The Ottawa Journal by Will McLaughlin, (Continued on Page 3) Kitchener Movie History Recalled First movie in Kitchener, Ontario (named Berlin until during World War I) was shown in the Berlin Opera House, on Queen Street, on Nov. 9, 1896 and was advertised as “The Greatest Wonder of the Age; Lumiere’s Great Invention, The Cinemato (Continued on Page 7) Fox’ 'A Man Called Peter’ Richard Todd will star in 20thFox CinemaScope production, ‘A Man Called Peter. Knowles, Melick In Film Board Shifts Manitoba and North-West Ontario supervisor for the National Film Board is now Arthur F. Knowles. Appointed by L. W. Chatwin, distribution director, Knowles, who is 29, joined the NFB as district field representative in the Hamilton area and was assistant regional supervisor of Ontario: A graduate of Western, he was a YMCA program chief before joining the NFB. J. A. Melick, Saint John, NB, has succeeded W. Elmore Tufts as district representative for the Saint John area, a post he held prior to becoming West-Central Ontario head. Tufts was recently named NFB education officer. Melick was principal of several schools before joining the NFB in 1950. DRIVE-IN WITHOUT ONTARIO LICENCE ORDERED CLOSED pictures during the next 12 months, Dore Schary, studio head, announced recently. Eight of the new pictures will start within the next 60 days. With a total of 52 story Jack Scott's Calgary Branch JARO Sales Drive Winner Calgary, under Jack Scott, was first in the 27-week Branch Managers’ Playdate Drive by the J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (Canada) Limited, with the Winnipeg and Vancouver branches, headed by Phil Geller and Jack Reid respectively, second and third, Frank H. Fisher, Canadian general manager, announces. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver ran one-two-three in the 19-week 16 mm. playdate drive, according to Sam Lambert, JARO‘’s small-gauge chief. The drive was carried on separately from the other. properties in script form or various stages of writing, MGM is working two years ahead. Stage plays include the two current top Broadway successes, Tea and Sympathy and The Tea House of the August Moon, while a third, The Tender Trap, is scheduled for fall opening. Among’ recently purchased novels are Mary Anne, The Cobweb, The Female, Bhowani Junction, Charlemagne, Black (Continued on Page 16) Top Odeon Prize To Nick Langston @ Top prize of $300 and an extra week’s vacation for Odeon’s justended 13-week campaign contest, which employed a circus theme and a points system, went to Nicky Langston of the Capitol, Hamilton. Don Gauld, Odeon, Fort William, got $100 (Continued on Page 11) "Magnificent Devils’ Deborah Kerr has been signed to star in Paramount’s The Magnificent Devils, which William Perlberg and George Seaton will produce and direct. YEARLY GIVING SUGGESTED AS SOUNDER METHOD FOR Picture Pioneers Benevolent Fund Observing that the various money-raising schemes in behalf of the Canadian Picture Pioneers Benevolent Fund “take a great deal of time and, cumulatively, seem to cost the people of the industry more than is returned,’ N. A. Taylor, president, in an appeal letter, revealed that the CPP directors “concluded that a more simple and effective method would be to request the various business firms of our industry to put us on their charity list on an annual basis.” This manner of receiving income, he wrote, would allow the Fund’s administrators tc have greater scope and put it in a position to become self-sustaining eventually. With Taylor’s letter was a four-page pamphlet, originated by O. R. Hanson, chairman of Columbia's "Women's Prison’ Howard Duff joins his wife, Ida Lupino, and Jan Sterling in the starring cast of Columbia’s Women’s Prison, now before the cameras. the Fund, which described its work and urged support. The pamphlet, in naming the trustees, revealed that Morris Stein, vice-president of the Pioneers, had been appointed by the directors to fill the vacancy caused by the recent passing of Ray Lewis. Stein is vice-chairman of the Fund and George Beeston secretary. The other permanent trustee is Clare Appel, while Taylor, as president, has such status automatically. Quoting Clause 3 of the Pio (Continued on Page 16) Ten Theatres Opened: 1954 Total Now 46 Nine drive-ins and one standard-type theatre opened in Canada in the two-week period the offices of this publication were closed for the annual vacation. The nine new ozoners brings the total bowing in since the beginning of Fox Casts Guy Madison Guy Madison will star with Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker in 20th-Fox’ The Tall Men. To Direct ‘Riot On Pier Six' William Castle will direct Columbia’s Riot on Pier Six. ‘Battle Taxi’ Completed Shooting has been completed on the Ivan Tors-Art Arthur UA production, Battle Taxi. fe the year to 28 and the number now in operation in Canada to 210. There are also 24 in various stages of construction and an additional nine projected. The addition of the new auditorium theatre brings to 18 the number opened since January 1, 1954. Seventeen more are in work and 21 others are being ae planned. Drive-ins opened were: (Continued on Page 10) Scott & Stanton’s new drive-in near Leamington, Ontario, was closed by Provincial Police one day after it opened because it lacked a licence. The Theatre Inspection branch reproved exchanges for delivering film to it before the usual clearance and the prints were held. The owners explained that they thought plan approval and a Hospitals Tax okay were enough but a final inspection was required by the Province. _