Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 22, 1956)

Page scan 0003 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Feb 22, 1956
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 22, 1956)
Leaf #:
0003
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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FLECT STEIN (Continued from Page 1) ization no person should remain too long in office. This is Stein’s first term as president, although he carried out the responsibilities of that post during most of the 1949 term. Stein was vice-president when the president, the Honorable J. Earl Lawson, KC, was struck down by the illness that led to his passing in May, 1950. Stein did not accept office again until 1954. Vice-president is now R. W. Bolstad, vice-president of Famous Players Canadian Coroporation, a past Chief Barker of the Variety Club of Toronto. Tom §. Daley, manager of the University Theatre, Toronto, was re-elected secretary treasurer. He has held important chairmanships in the past, among them that of The Pioneer of the Year Award dinner and the annual Motion Picture Pioneers Golf Tournament. C. J. Appel, executive director of the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association, heads the Public Relations Committee. Membership is chaired by Charles S. Dentelbeck and Harold Pfaff of Independent Theatre Services pilots the Sick & Welfare Committee, Dan Krendel tops the Golf Tournament Committee. David Ongley, QC, Toronto remains solicitor for the Pioneers and Oscar Hanson, of course, heads up the Trust Fund as life chairman. These elections took place at the first meeting of the 1956 Board of Directors. New members named to the Board at the annual meeting were Frank Fisher, Archie Laurie, Frank Vaughan and Bolstad. Former directors re-elected were George Oullahan, Appel, Dentelbeck, Pfaff, Krendel, Stein and Daley. s "Grey Flannel Suit’ Lee J. Cobb and Gene Lockhart have joined stars Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones and Fredric March in The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, Darryl F. Zanuck’s personal production currently before the CinemaScope cameras at Twentieth Century-Fox. Toronto WOMPI Hold e ' Valentine's Dance Over 250 people attended the Valentine’s Dance of the Toronto branch of the Women of the Motion Picture Industry at the Seaway Hotel last week. Curly Posen emceed the affair and he and his orchestra supplied the music. A buffet supper was served at midnight to those from the film industry and their guests. Prizes, including a clock radio, were drawn for during the evening and all proceeds went to the WOMPI Service Project Fund. May Levandusky headed the dance committee. CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY Producers and Guest at Annual Meeting Shown in the above photograph at the recent annual meeting at the Engineers Club in Toronto of the Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada are, from the left, Pierre Harwood of Omega Productions, past president of the Association; Graeme Fraser of Crawley Films; president; A. Davidson Dunton, chairman of the CBC Board of Governors, who spoke on the important role film producers could play in the development of TV in Canada; and Arthur Chetwynd of Chetwynd Films, vice-president. Cornel Wilde In 'Khayyam’ Cornel Wilde has been signed by Paramount for the title role in Omar Khayyam, which Frank Freeman, Jr. will produce and William Dieterle direct. UA's ‘The Black Sleep' Basil Rathbone will UA’s The Black Sleep. star in Columbia Buys ‘Last Hurrah’ Columbia has acquired Edwin O’Connor’s The Last Hurrah. ‘Barretts Of Wimpole Street’ Jennifer Jones and Sir John Gielgud will star in MGM’s forthcoming new film version of the Rudolph Besier classic, The Barretts of Wimpole Street. JUST 3 ADMISSIONS A DAY PAY FOR MAGNETIC SOUND ® It's as economical as that to equip any theatre sound system with Magnetic sound to play the new composite magnetic-optical prints. © Furthermore, the parts supplied for the conversion include the famous Westrex Magnetic Sound Head. It is capable of reproducing full Stereophonic sound after the necessary additional amplifiers and loudspeakers are installed. © Maintenance Costs are low because only the wearable gaps on the Magnetic pick-ups need be replaced. For complete details call your nearest D.S.E.L. office DOMIMON SOUND Equipments Limited _— HEAD OFFICE: 4040 St. Catherine Street West, Montreal. BRANCHES AT: Halifax, Saint John, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London, North Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver. February 22, 1956 PARA RECORD (Continued from Page 1) of both years combined will provide a record for any previous ‘ two 12-month periods. The per~ share profit for 1955 was $4.50 compared with $4.10 the previou year, The recent sharp drop of Paramount’s common stock on the New York Exchange startled the industry, although it came back somewhat since. Paramount has over $50 million tied up in film inventory, the highest amount in the company’s — history. One film, The Ten Commandments, produced by Cecil B. DeMille, has a negative cost of _ not less than $12 million, making it the most expensive film ever produced. Another film, War and Peace, will cost over $6 million although Paramount’s share of that amount will be approximately $2,500,000. Paramount supplied financing for The Ten Commandments although DeMille receives a_ percentage of the profits of the film, as he has in all his previous Paramount films for the last 20 years. Speaking of the Lawrence color tube, produced by a Paramount affiliate, Chromatic Laboratories, Balaban said that demonstrations of a 22-inch color set that could retail for under $400 have been held privately by Paramount. He said engineers for all the major set and tube makers attended the demonstra tions but none as yet had contracted to produce the tube or a set using it. A public demonstration for the press may be held after the industry technicians have completed their inspection and subjected the tube to searching criticisms, he said. ‘First Travelling Saleslady' Clint Eastwood, TV bit player, has been signed by Arthur Lubin for an important role in his RKO production, The First Travelling Saleslady. Odeon Houses Play Dunham Dancers Flown in from Miami to appear on the CBC show, Folio, the Katherine Dunham Company of dancers were engaged by Odeon Theatres for a three-day stand at the Humber, Toronto, along with a first-run JARO feature, A Woman For Joe; a two-night engagement at the Palace, Hamilton, along with a film to be chosen at this writing; and a one-night stay in St. Catharines, where the film was Value For Money. An eight-piece orchestra will accompany the troupe in Toronto. The February 13-20 availability was picked up by E. G. Forsyth, assistant general manager. Odeon has had occasional live shows for some theatres, with Forsyth approaching the policy with extreme care. eS jah”