Canadian Film Weekly (Sep 28, 1955)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Sep 28, 1955
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Sep 28, 1955)
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 08, 2024
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| AVA VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Vol, 20, No. 37 TORONTO, SEPTE*ABER 28, 1955 $3.00 Per Annum ROSENFELD ‘THE PIONEER OF THE YEAR’ HELPED DEVELOP NATIONAL DISTRIB SYSTEM AND TRADE PRACTICES Everybody In Act At Ottawa Show Pioneer of the Year for 1955, selected by a special Two Ottawa service clubs de Film Delivery For Western Canada Announcement from Winnipeg panel acting for the Canadian Picture Pioneers, is Louis Rosenfeld of Toronto, president of Columbia Pictures of Canada Limited. A popular veteran, Rosenfeld has played of the establishment of a Western Canada film delivery service has aroused much interest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan exhibitors. Plans are that the new company will operate a fleet of trucks from the Winnipeg film (Continued on Page 6) AA 13-Wk. Drive Starts October 3 Biggest sales drive to date for Allied Artists Pictures of Canada Limited will get under way October 3, it was announced last week at the company’s head office in Toronto by Jack Bernstein, general sales manager. The second drive since the change of (Continued on Page 7) Montreal Wins JARO Drive; St. John Cops Cardinal's Final standings in the 13-week Tenth Anniversary Sales Drive of J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (Canada) Limited have been announced from head office in Toronto. At the same time the winners of the separate Billings Drive of the Cardinal Films division of JARO were made known. Montreal, managed by Bob Johnson, nosed out Frank Scott's Calgary Branch for first place in the JARO Drive. Irving Stern's Toronto office was third. The Cardinal competition wound up in a very close finish with Saint John just managing to win over Calgary, which was second, and Vancouver. Frank H. Fisher, JARO general manager, stated that the JARO sales effort was the most successful in the history of the company and expressed his thanks to the exhibitors for the cooperation that made it possible. Ont. Pioneers Tourney Hailed As Best Yet Over 300 members and guests, a complete sellout, at the fourth annual golf tournament of Ontario’s Canadian Picture Pioneers saw Nat Taylor, CPP president, present the N. A. Taylor trophy to the foursome from IATSE Local 173, Toronto projectionists union, who carded a 313 to repeat their win of last year. Each member of the team, comprising F. Cox, F. Cross, A. Pura and G. Georgas, received a miniature trophy and a clock lighter. Runner-up in the team play was the Twentieth Century Theatres foursome captained by Taylor and including R. Auer (Continued on Page 4) Sask. Theatre Opens Hugh Vassos has opened his 600-seat Paragon Theatre in Melville, Saskatchewan. It is the third house in the community. STRAUSS TO REP TOA OF QUEBEC AT USA MEETING Stein Heads Variety Nominating Com'tee Morris Stein, a Past Chief Barker of the Variety Club of Toronto, has been named by Chief Barker Harry S. Mandell to head the nominating committee for the selection of candidates for the 1956 Crew. With Stein on the committee are Wm. Summerville, Jr., Hye Bossin, Frank Goldhar, Claude Alexander, Al Troyer and R. W. Bolstad. Those named from the floor at ° the general meeting will be added to the committee’s selections. Delegate of the Theatre Owners Association ef Quebec to the forthcoming convention of the Theatre Owners of America, with which it recently affiliated, is Joseph }h, Strauss, Montreal theatre operator, who {s chairman of its executive an important part in the development of film distribution methods and business practices in Canada since he entered that field in 1912, a year after he came into the motion picture industry as an usher in Brantford, Ontario. He was born in Barrie. Announcing the selection, N. A. Taylor, president of the Pioneers, said that Rosenfeld would be honored at the annual Pioneer of the Year Award dinner, to be held in the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, on Tuesday, November 1. (Continued on Page 3) voted their luncheons to the Ottawa Theatre Managers Association’s “Movie Month,’ hearing speakers on industry subjects. At one a wooden ‘Oscar’ was presented to the mayor and at another a special guest was Will (Continued on Page 5) Krendel Blitz Chief The “Profit Blitz For Fitz” drive of Famous Players Canadian Corporation and _ several partner circuits will be captained by Dan Krendel for all of Canada. Krendel, an Ontario district manager, is considered the circuit’s top ballyhooer by many. Hague Gets the George Ganetakos Memorial Trophy Arnold Hague (centre) of Associated Screen News Limited, Montreal, is seen receiving the George Ganetakos Memorial Trophy from John Ganetakos (left) and Harold Giles (right), son and son-in-law respectively of the late George Ganetakos, at the second annual Golf Tournament of the Canadian Picture Pioneers (Quebec Division), held recently at the Lakeshore Golf and Country Club. Looking on are Phil Maurice (extreme left) and Fred Peters {extreme right), president of the Quebec Pioneers. The Trophy, which goes to the player with the low net, is open to Pioneers only and was presented for the first time this year, with Hague's name being the first to be inscribed. A challenge trophy, it will be up for competition each year, the winner receiving a miniature to retain permanently, Mare Thibeault won the J. H. Strauss Trophy for Low Net lopen). board. The convention will take place in the Bilimore Hotel, Los Angeles, October 6-9. The TOAQ came into existence last Fall and E. N. Tabah of Montreal was elected president at its first meeting. Quebec now has two exhibitors’ associations.