Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 19, 1955)

Page scan 00010 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Oct 19, 1955
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 19, 1955)
Leaf #:
00010
Language:
English
Collection:
Global Cinema, Canada, and Hollywood Studio System
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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October 19, 1955 —° CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY Page 11 (PP BANQUET (Continued from Page 1) management committee, who is also director of The Canada Foundation. The Film of the Year presentation will be _ fol lowed by another in behalf of the CFA, this one to Hye Bossin, managing editor of the Canadian Film Weekly. Bossin’s Special Award, according to the CFA, is “In recognition of his valuable contributions over the years in the field of motion pictures in Canada, and particularly his promotion of a Canadian Film Archive.’ The Film of the Year Award was made after a dozen judges picked the winners in a number of categories this Spring. The Award to Bossin is the third of its kind since the inception of the CFA, the first having gone to L. Ernest Ouimet of Montreal and the second to Gordon Sparling of the same city. The Canadian Film Awards are sponsored by the Canadian Association for Adult Education, The Canada Foundation and _ the Canadian Film Institute. The Stratford Adventure, in color, is the story of the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. It was produced by Guy Glover, directed by Morten Parker, photographed by Donald Wilder, scripted by Gudrun Parker and scored by Louis Applebaum. Bossin, a 49-year-old bachelor who is one of the founders of the Canadian Film Weekly and is vice-president of Film Publications of Canada Limited, has been a diligent researcher and writer of Canadian film history. The historical sections of annual editions of The Year Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry, which he edits, contain the result of these researches. Because of them the books are to be found in both the general and business sections of Canada’s leading reference libraries. He is also the author of the film industry article in the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Canada and recently completed a lifetime souvenir volume for the Canadian Picture Pioneers. George Oullahan of Sterling Films Limited is chairman of the arrangements committee for the dinner, with George Altman of Mavety Film Delivery Limited and Harry Lester of the Bonita Theatre as co-chairmen. The dinner will take place in the Concert Hall of the Royal York Hotel on Tuesday, November 1. e Cast In Science Film Hugh Marlow, Joan Taylor and Donald Curtis have been signed to co-star in Columbia’s Clover production, Invasion of the Flying Saucers. Fred F. Sears is directing for producer Charles Schneer who has had the film in preparation for more than a year. Mystery: Why No Native Features? “The Mystery of Canadian Film Production,” the title of an article in the September issue of Image, Journal of Photography of the George Eastman House, Rochester, introduces the reader to the surprising absence of feature film production in this country. The article, unsigned but likely written by James G. Card, director of the George Eastman House and one of the editors of Image, suggests something should be done to put Canada in the field of full-length films. The article opens with these paragraphs: “Why have no great feature films come from Canada? Why has Canada produced more distinguished short films over the years than any other country in the world? “With all the English-speaking world to draw on, is it not strange that Canadian feature production should be almost limited to French-Canadian language films? With the rich talent available in the Ottawa school of short-subject producers, the absence of a Canadian film industry is one of the enduring mysteries of motion pictures.” The article then recalls John Grierson’s contribution and _ its expansion by others “through brave and imaginative work” now with the National Film Board. Private producers, along with NFB workers, are named and praised. It is noted that gifted directors, among them Fedor Ozep, have tried to produce here. The article concludes: “The film world is grateful for the engaging and stimulating short films created in Canada. But good features are not so plentiful in the world that so great and talented a motion picture industry as Canada’s should remain aloof from the challenge of making full-length pictures to take their place along with the rest of the world’s cinema.” KODAK PROGRAM (Continued from Page 1) young scientists and engineers. There have been two such fellowships in the past two years and there will be at least two for each year in the future. These usually go to fields related to photography. Each fellowship grant provides at least $1,400 to the recipient. If married and with dependent children, it provides $2,100. In addition, the award allows a sum of $1,000 to be paid to the university to help defray the cost of research expenses during the period of the fellowship. In order to encourage further the professional development of the recipient, the Kodak company also provides funds under each grant for attendance at one important scientific or professional meeting appropriate to the field of study. Each institution receiving a grant selects the recipient with preference being given to students in the last year of study for. the: PhD: degree. ‘The, purpose is to permit the student to devote his full time and effort to his research problem during this important period. Factors in the _ selection of students for the awards are demonstrated ability in their major field of study, a high degree of scientific or engineering promise and financial need. Fox' ‘Bottom Of The Boftle' Van Johnson, Joseph Cotten, Margaret Hayes, Ruth Roman and Jack Carson will star in 20th-Fox’ CinemaScope film, The Bottom of the Bottle. Alice Joyce Passes In Hollywood At 65 The beautiful star of the silent screen, Alice Joyce, died of a heart ailment last week at the age of 65. She didn’t have the voice for sound pictures and faded into retirement after She Knew Women in 1930. She divorced Clarence Brown, her third husband, in 1945. Her first husband was Tom Moore and her second James B. Regan, Jr., a hotelman. EDISON FOUNDATION AWARDS Annual awards from the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation for those who create more wholesome film, radio, TV and literary fare for children were announced by Charles Edison, son of the inventor, last week in New York. A committee of experts from 50 organizations will make the winning selections and the awards will be made at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, on De cember 13. Edison, honorary president of the Foundation, said the awards, confined to Americans, are designed to inspire material that will capture the imagination of boys and girls and lead to an appreciation of the USA’s heroes and ideals. In this way elements leading to juvenile delinquency will be eliminated. Films and programs best portraying the USA, best suited to children generally, and best in the science field are being sought. Also comic and standard books along these lines will be rewarded. News Clips Atlantic Films & Electronics is shooting the last scenes for its film about Confederation in Newfoundland. Sponsored by the Newfoundland Government, it has sequences lensed in each province by Ralph Balodis .. . A Shetland pony was recently given away by the Brockville, Ontario drive-in. All children under 12 attending the ozoner were eligible and the pony won free newspaper space and plenty of attention . . . Crawley Films recently completed its 16 mm., 16-minute short, A Matter of Importance, for the Investment Dealers’ Association. It deals with the benefits of securities investment. Charles Bahrynowski has been named manager of the Royal and Frank Sabatini the Lake, both in Fort William, Ontario, by James Cameron, FPCC_ super visor, who also stated that both theatres would be renovated and refurbished. The two managers were moved when their former houses, the Orpheum in Fort William and the Lyceum in Port Arthur were disposed of recently . . . Twentieth Century Theatres appointed Cliff Bolton to succeed Lawrence Summerhayes as manager of the Granada in Dunnville when the latter left to go into private business. The company also promoted the doorman of the Century in Lindsay, Ontario, Allan Ferguson, to the post of assistant manager at the Vanity in Windsor, Ontario. Loew Hall, named in honor of the late Marcus Loew and built with a $300,000 contribution from Arthur Loew, was recently opened as a student dormitory in New York University. Arthur, son of Marcus, graduated from NYU ...A large ad in the Toronto Daily Star recalled the success of the recent theatre TV fight at Loew’s Uptown, Toronto. Seven thousand applications came in for the 2,600 tickets and $20,000 arrived in the mail in a few days for a house worth $13,000. The paper suggests that its selling power had much to do with it ...A Variety Club is being set up in Rome Japan will soon unfreeze some USA film revenue. Stewart TOA ‘Star’ At the dinner that closed the Theatre Owners of America’s Los Angeles convention in the Hotel Ambassador James Stewart was presented with a gold statuette as Star of the Year. Canadian delegates from the Theatre Owners Association of Quebec attended and saw Myron Blank elected president.