Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 27, 1960)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Jan 27, 1960
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 27, 1960)
Leaf #:
0000
Language:
English
Subjects:
Motion Pictures, Film Industry Trade Magazine",Canad
Collection:
Hollywood Studio System, Global Cinema, and Canada
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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re. Vol. 25, No. 4 ay 34 f fer one gare VOIGE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE = Incorporating the CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST [Founded 1915) INDUSTRY TORONTO, January 27, 1960 70 MM. INSTALLATIONS SPREADING PRESENT PLANS WILL BRING CANADIAN TOTAL TO 15 Canada will have 15 70 mm. theatres when present projects are added to those recently completed and the ones which had been operating earlier, it was revealed by Lloyd C. Pearson, president of General Sound and Theatre Equipment Ltd. The Our Active Share In Unesco Group Canada is affiliated with seven of the 28 member organizations comprising UNESCO’s _International Film and Television Council and participated in the work of eight associate members, it was shown in the IFTC directory which appears in Volume 1, No. 1 of (Continued on Page 3) Global Survey Of Children's Films A variety of views on the production and exhibition of films for the young is offered in No. 28 of UNESCO’s Reports and Papers on Mass Communication, which is called Film Programmes for the Young. The report is based on a presentation of children’s films (Continued on Page 4) Harrison: 55% Rule NG; Fraser: Biggest Break Canadian and American’ opinion about the results of the Board of Broadcast Governors’ 55 per cent Canadian Content ruling was offered in Montreal on the same day recently. Alex Harrison, 20th-Fox world sales chief, who was in Montreal for his company’s Canadian sales meeting, suggested that Canadians will be seeing poorer TV shows because of the quota, “There is not enough talent in Canada capable of producing enough material required by television operations,” he said. R. Graeme Fraser, Crawley Films v-p, told the Montreal Rotary Club that the BBG ruling was the best break the Canadian motion picture industry ever got. “The film industry is to television what the record industry is to radio,” he said. He saw an impetus to motion picture production through the BB 55 per cent ruling. Theatre Fire Damage Very Low In ‘59 Survey of theatre fires in Canada in 1959, taken from Canadian Film Weekly records, seems to indicate that this year will be a better-than-average one in that respect and far below the two worst post-war years — 1956 and 1958 — in number of fires and damage. In 1959 three theatres were completely destroyed, compared to 10 in 1956 and eight in 1958, and one suffered an estimated $100,000 in damage from a blaze believed to be of incendiary origin. The closing of 82 theatres during 1959, of course, minimized the number of possible places in which fires could occur but, even so, last year looks like one of the best (Continued on Page 4) Cast Set For UA’s ‘Misfits’ Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift will star in UA’s The Misfits, to be directed by John Huston. Franco-London Features Via Astral In Canada Franco-London, through arrangements completed by Henry Deutschmeister, its president, will place a number of features with Astral Films for Canadian distribution, states Izzy Allen of the latter firm. Some are in the original French and some dubbed in other languages, including English. One of the films, Daughters of Destiny, stars Claudette Colbert. Others are Girls of the Night, Obsession, Madame D and Seven Sins. Sins of Pompeii will also be among those released. spread of 70 mm. exhibition recently added Twentieth Century Theatres to those in the field and the forthcoming installations will bring in Odeon. First to use it were Famous Players and Confederation Theatres, Montreal. When completed the projects will bring the total invested for equipment and _ installation to something like $450,000 and to this must be added the costs of structural changes where needed. In (Continued on Page 3) Hawkins ‘League’ Star Prominent in Ben-Hur, Jack Hawkins is starring in Rank’s League of Gentlemen. Woo. CPP Branch Very Busy One Details of the Annual Movie Bonspiel and the Annual Motion Picture Industry Dance, major social activities of the Winnipeg District branch of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, were completed at a recent executive meeting in the Marlborough Hotel. President (Continued on Page 4) Fisher USA Rank Contact Frank H. Fisher of the J. Arthur Rank Organization of Canada, who is vice-president and general manager of The Odeon Theatres (Can.) Ltd., is now responsible for placing of forthcoming Rank films with USA distributors. He is working on this from his office at 20 Carlton St., Toronto. RALPH SHAW TO GENERAL SOUND Increased activity at General Sound and Theatre Equipment Ltd., Toronto, since its establishment early last year has led to the appointment of Ralph B. M. Shaw to the position of treasurer and chief accountant, it was announced in Toronto by Lloyd C. Pearson, president. The appointment was effective the first of the year. Shaw entered the industry as secretary-treasurer of Skyway Drive-in Theatres after his discharge from the RCAF and this firm was acquired by Famous Players. Later he became chief accountant of Theatre Confections Ltd., an FPCC subsidiary, and his transfer to General Sound gives him another important post. BEN OKUN PASSES IN MIAMI President of Biltmore Theatres Ltd., Toronto, Ben S. Okun, died of a heart attack in Miami Beach recently at the age of 56. With his brothers Max and Meyer, Ben entered the motion picture theatre business towards the end of the war and their interests grew into the present four-city Ontario circuit. He was mainly responsible for promoting the organization of a Toronto tent of the Variety Clubs International and became a charter member and its first Dough Guy in 1945. Ben Okun enjoyed considerable personal popularity, being known for his unfailing and unusual sense of humor. Among the organizations with which he was actively connected are the Primrose Club, Oakdale Golf and Country Club and the Palestine Lodge of the Masonic Order. He was a member of Beth Tzedec Synagogue, where the services for him were conducted by Rabbi Stuart Rosenberg. Hundreds of mourners attended. Surviving are his wife, the former Jeanette Suran; a daughter, Mrs. B. Rothbart; and his brothers, Dr. Charles Okun, Max and Meyer Okun. Canadian rights for the product of James R. Grdinger’s Continental Releasing and he has placed its first film, Jet Over the Atlantic, with Astral Films for distribution, with Gold Bug, Adam.and Eve and Should Parents Tell to follow. There are some indications that A. W., (Alf) Perry, for years one of the top figures in Canadian distribution and formerly president of Empire-Universal Films, is moving back into the field in a large manner. His Interworld firm has Perry Back In Biz In Important Way?