Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 18, 1961)

Page scan 0000 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Oct 18, 1961
Volume:
Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 18, 1961)
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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VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE CEES Incorporating the CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST (Founded 1915) INDUSTRY TORONTO, October 18, 1961 UNIVERSAL’S LINEUP LONG, STRONG SPECIAL PRODUCT REEL GIVES TRADE LOOK AT EXCERPTS “In all the time I’ve been in the business I’ve never been so excited about a program,” states Henry H. “Hi” Martin, vice-president and general sales manager of Universal Pictures, in the special product reel showing excerpts from six of the Heres A Look At TM Programming Still in its experimental period for programming, Telemeter, the toll-TV project now in its second year in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, has a wide variety of attractions, judging from the printed schedule for Oct. 1-14. The schedule is carried in a_ well (Continued on Page 2) Pioneers Fund Needs Your Help “Tf the increasing demands are to be met and the danger of exhausting all available funds is to be overcome, then every effort to constantly build the Trust Fund account must be put forth,”’ states Frank H. Fisher, president of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, in an (Continued on Page 6) Sunday Movies Sought In BC & Maritimes Newspaper ads placed in Vancouver papers by the British Columbia Exhibitors Association told citizens of Vancouver that “your City Council denies your right to vote” on the question of Sunday movies. It asked them to mail a coupon in the ad to the Association’s office, enclosing name and address for inclusion on a petition asking for a plebiscite. The City Council will rehear delegations on Oct. 24. The issue is beginning to boil in Vancouver and perk in the Maritimes. The Maritime Motion Picture Exhibitors Association passed a resolution favoring Sunday operation at its recent annual meeting in St. John, NB and this is now being discussed outside the trade. Brantford Township, Ont., which has two drive-ins, will vote later this year and a plebiscite is being sought in Wallaceburg and Espanola, Ont. Windsor started last Sunday. company’s features. The excerpts, seen in screening rooms and theatres by the trade, brought emphatic praise. The films touched on in the product reel are among those to follow Come September, which has whipped up a boxoffice storm at theatres, and brought about the signing of Sandra Dee, who stars in it with Rock Hudson, to a new seven-year contract. They should add great strength to the 1961-62 season. Hatton Taylor, Canadian general (Continued on Page 2) WB's 'Chapman Report’ Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. will star in WB’s The Chapman Report. Special Awards Made By CPP James Davie of Vancouver, Bert Cooper of Calgary, Robert Hurwitz of Winnipeg and Wm. Redpath of Toronto have been given ancillary awards by the Canadian Picture Pioneers, the selection committee of which chose Reuben W. Bolstad, vice (Continued on Page 2) New Manitoba Drive-in Sportsmen’s Park Drive-in, with a 200-car capacity, was opened at Clear Lake, Man. recently by D. McKelvy as a six-day operation. A report has it that E. Parobec, Preeceville, Sask. exhibitor, will build a new theatre there, although he has just transferred operation of his Grand to Mr. & Mrs. Romick. ROBERTSON QUITS OVER TELEMETER Public revelation of dissatisfaction with Famous Players’ Tele meter relationship on the part of a director was made by The Financial Post, Toronto. The story quoted an unnamed director who resigned because of the Telemeter issue as being “fighting mad’’ over an $8,500 weekly loss which totalled $481,000 in 1960 and $225,000 in the first 26 weeks of 1961. He blamed Paramount, owner of 51 per cent of Famous Players’ stock, for the situation, charging that on its insistence the directors’ meeting of August, 1959 voted $1,480,000 to the project. The director told The Financial Post that he had offered not to go through with his intention of resigning if Paramount agreed to take over the operation from Famous Players from Jan. 1, 1961 but re Industry Council Seeks BO Promotion Ideas Suggestions for improving business at theatres are being asked by C. S. Chaplin, chairman of public relations and boxoffice promotion of the Motion Picture Industry Council of Canada. Exhibitors all across the country have been contacted by «naan, Unitea Ariss... general manager in Canada. “How about sending me a letter outlining as briefly as you can your suggestions for improving our business?’ Chaplin wrote. ‘Your suggestions can cover boxoffice promotion, ways and means of promoting greater Toronto-Made ‘The Mask’ To Bow In On Broadway The Mask, a Taylor-Roffman production made in Toronto under Julian Roffman’s direction and being distributed in the USA by Warner Bros., will open at the ceived no satisfaction. The Financial Post story was followed up by the Toronto papers, which revealed that the director who resigned was Norman S. Robertson, a Famous Players’ board member for 20 years. John J. Fitzgibbons, president of Famous Players, issued a statement in which he “regretted that impatience and misinformation’? had led to Robertson’s resignation. He was satisfied with Telemeter’s progress and said he was sure of its ultimate success. public interest in movies and any Warner Theatre on Broadway The New York Times, after querying Paramount in New York, other thoughts you may have Oct. 27. It will make its Los reported a spokesman as saying that Barney Balaban, president of which could be of benefit to theAngeles debut on Nov. 1 with Paramount, had no comment to make and that the situation was atres anywhere in Canada.” The field of public relations and (Continued on Page 6) Paramount's ‘Easter Dinner’ Harry Guardino will star in Paramount’s Easter Dinner. 4 Hippodrome a multiple booking. Warner Bros. has prepared a very exciting exploitation campaign and eye-catching, provocative advertising for the public. The Mask is an IFD attraction in Canada. Winner of the $250 first prize in the Ontario first-run contest for the best promotion and publicity campaign on International Film Distributors’ Hippodrome was Frank Paul, manager of the Victoria, London. The competition was considered an “internal”? one for Famous Players. The International Telemeter Corp., which issued a 25-year franchise to Famous Players, made public in New York the fact that it has been bearing all costs of the Etobicoke project since Jan. 1, 1961. This had been revealed a few days earlier in Toronto by Famous Players and at that time Robertson was quoted as saying that this was the result of his stand. 20th Century Theatre houses and those of other linked with them in the Toronto multiple first-run showing. Don Watts, Regent, Sudbury, won the $150 second prize and Paul Summerville, Prince of Wales, Toronto the $100 third prize. circuits open to all Prizewinners SNe SS