Canadian Film Weekly (Apr 13, 1955)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Apr 13, 1955
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Apr 13, 1955)
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. 20, No. 15 Crawley s Spread Cost $300,000 Indicative of both business enterprise and the great potentiality of non-theatrical production in Canada is the expansion program of one of the leaders in the field, Crawley Films, which is now operating in a plant representing an expenditure of (Continued on Page 6) Canada To Share Lumieres Anniv y Canada, through the National Film Board, has been asked to participate in marking the 60th anniversary of the first commercial screen exhibition, given by Auguste and Louis Lumiere in Paris in 1895 with what is considered to have been the first (Continued on Page 6) NO VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY TORONTO, APRIL 13, 1955 ERE UNTIL FCC ACTS INDUSTRY AND OTHER GROUPS ORGANIZE USA OPPOSITION Telemeter in Canada, controlled by Famous Players Canadian Corporation under a 25-year franchise, will not be proceeded with until the Federal Communications Commission of the USA resolves the present sharp dispute Install VistaVision Screen In Imperial, Toronto A VistaVision screen is now being installed in the Imperial Theatre, Toronto, the largest movie house in Canada, which has 3,373 seats. ‘‘Conversion of the Imperial Theatre to this new screen and projection combination will incorporate every advantage embodied in any other system of motion picture entertainment plus the unique VistaVision advantages of definition, clarity, sharpness and color brilliance with a single film which is not matched by any other system of presentation,” says the annual report of Famous Players. This type is for theatres of 3,000 seats and over and there is another version for smaller houses. The screen, developed by Paramount > Pictures, Inc., is a smaller version of the 64-foot one now being installed in the Paramount Theatre, NY, at a cost of $100,000. Strean, Fogler Acquire Canad'n Automatic President of Canadian Automatic Confections Limited, Canada’s largest Independent concessionaires, is now Frank H. Strean, following his acquisition, with Lionel Fogler of Toronto, of the stock in four companies held by Mrs. G. N. ALBERTA BOARD REJECTED FIVE Of the 6,002 35 and 16 mni. films reviewed by the Alberta Motion Picture Censor Branch in 1954 five were completely rejected and 228 deletions were ordered from 97, it was reported recently by P. J. A. Fleming, chairman of the three-member Board. In 1953 the Board reviewed 6,495 films and ordered 153 Heller of Toronto, whom he succeeded. Strean, who was an officer of all the companies, will continue to direct their operations. Fogler, who is best known for his association with Draper Dobie & Company, Toronto stockbrokers, holds*an equal interest but will not be active in any way. Strean is now president of the three subsidiaries as well as the (Continued on Page 6) Columbia, Spiegel! Sign Deal Columbia has concluded a deal with Sam Spiegel through which he will produce three films for the studio. CANADA-BUFFALO MGM WORKSHOP MONDAY, APRIL 18 over it, it was stated in the 35th annual report of Canada’s top circuit by J. J. Fitzgibbons, its president. Hearings will be held in Washington this summer. This position was dictated by present USACanadian agreements covering TV channels. Pay-as-you-see TV is so dormant in Canada right now that it isn’t even in the discussion stage. The recent annual meeting in Quebec City of the Canadian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters appar (Continued on Page 3) ‘Pearl Of The South Pacific’ Benedict Bogeaus has completed shooting on his RKO film, Pearl of the South Pacific. $3.00 Per Annum New Sit ns Open; More Under Way Opening of two new theatres and speeding up of construction on several drive-ins highlighted the industry building news in Canada and indicated that work on theatre projects is accelerating considerably with the coming of milder weather. The open (Continued on Page 4) Oscars Called By Canadian Critics Academy Awards to Columbia’s On the Waterfront as the best picture of 1954 and to Marlon Brando as the best actor for his performance in it coincided with the choices our critics made earlier in the Canadian Film Weekly Poll. Grace. Kelly, voted (Continued on Page 4) Financial Position’ Fine, Says FPCC Report Canada’s largest circuit, Famous Players Canadian Corporation, which operates and is interested in 419 theatres, had consolidated net profits of $3,384,825 in 1954 after operation earnings of $6,241,121, the first figure being cuts in 60 of them. The Board found that of the 35 mm. films examined 2,187 were from the USA, 251 from the UK, 35 from Germany, 25 from Italy, eight from France and the rest were from various countries. Of the 16 mm. pictures 701 were from the USA, 71 from France, 34 from the UK, 20 from Russia and the rest came from Australia, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the Ukraine. Of the five films rejected, one—Times Gone By—was from Italy and the other four from the USA. These four were The Wild One, Public Enemy, She Shoulda Said No and The French Line. The last-named was approved after alterations, : Canada’s first official participation in the MGM TicketSelling Workshop will be a joint one with Buffalo, when exhibitors from both sides of the line will gather at the Statler Hotel on Monday, April 18. About 30 Canadians, srry ceictetorsreaea $226,180 smaller than in 1953. The balance sheet “continues to reflect the very strong financial position” the company has always maintained. Loans and investments made to its TV and color tube companies lowered its net current assets by $1,039,000. Depreciation was up to $1,235,545 compared with $1,156,648 because CinemaScope and VistaVision, which (Continued on Page 3) Lee Grant In ‘Storm Fear' Lee Grant, TV and stage actress, has been signed by Cornel Wilde to star with him and Jean Wallace in UA’s Storm Fear, along with MGM executives, attended the recent session in Detroit and about 150 will be in Buffalo for this one. Hillis Cass, MGM’s general sales manager in Canada, is expected, along with Chester Friedman, ad-pub director.