Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 22, 1966)

Page scan 0009 from Canadian Film Weekly

Record Details:

Title:
Canadian Film Weekly
Date:
Jun 22, 1966
Volume:
Canadian Film & TV Bi-Weekly (Jun 22, 1966)
Leaf #:
0009
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:
August 08, 2024
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WORLD PREMIERE (Continued from Page 1) cliche—would you believe water skiing in the hotel swimming pool? It was that big. Attending were four of the starring poker-players — Joanne Woodward, Paul Ford, Robert Middleton and John Qualen—and together with Director Cook were always available for interviews throughout a relaxed but full agenda which included a tour of the city’s famed Astrodome, a press luncheon there in one of the umpteen restaurants, a prepremiere cocktail party at the Shamrock attended by Jack Valenti, newly-named president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and a post-premiere reception at the hotel for which guests were outfitted with cardboard stetsons and plastic six shooters. Real booze was the equalizer. ; As usual, Warners’ Canadian ad-publicity director Al Dubin had everything under control for his group which included Vancouver Sun columnist Les Wedman, CHCT-TV Calgary’s Ron Chase and Vern Kent, Winnipeg Free Press columnist Gene Telpner, Toronto Telegram columnist Bob Blackburn, morning radioman Wally Crouter from Toronto’s CFRB and Dave Wright of CFCF-TV and radio, Montreal. By design or accident, the premiere itself typified a trend in the movie industry—the growing importance of suburban shopping plaza theatres as first-run houses. Instead of downtown Houston, the showing was held in General Cinema Corporation’s new Cinema I Theatre in Meyerland Shopping Plaza, on the outskirts. Working to a blueprint designed by Warners’ Joe Hyams and Ernie Grossman of the New York office and Max Bercutt from Hollywood, the main event included a sheriff’s posse-led motorcade to the plaza; a deafening welcome by the 60-piece band from Boling High School; a whirlybird delivery of the premiere print which MHouston’s Mrs. America, Mrs. Joy Noufer, accepted; a close-order precision drill by Sheriff Buster Kern’s Mounted Posse, and a display of gun-slinging by Houston’s Border Bandits. Finally the movie and a firstrate one. Adapted from a Sidney Carroll TV play, A Big Hand for the Little Lady has suspense, surprise, plenty of humor and excellent performances from the four already mentioned, along with Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bickford, Burgess Meredith and Kevin McCarthy. Lee Garmes, who has done a lot of work in Canada, was the cameraman and should be proud of it. ‘A Covenant With Death’ George Maharis stars in WB's A Covenant With Death. Page 10 PICTURE: IFD’s Las Vegas Hillbillys. PROMOTION: CFGM, the Toronto country music station, hosted a Saturday morning theatre party at the Midtown Theatre four days in advance of the film’s multiple opening in Toronto and its day-anddate engagement in Oshawa and Hamilton. Three of the station’s most popular disc jockeys, dressed in western costumes, hosted the affair and both the tie-in and film received numerous plugs on the air, along with many free spot announcements. Highlights of the theatre party included a surprise personal appearance by Ferlin Husky, star of the film, a draw with his autographed records as prizes and a free autographed fan photo for everyone attending. Two-color heralds are a feature of the engagement across Canada, along with autographed photos of Husky, being supplied gratis by Capitol Records as part of its promotion locally for his records. Radio spot announcement discs and TV trailers also have been made available by Barney Simmons, IFD pub-ad head, who also duped the Husky and Bill Anderson groups onto one tape and is sending them out to every theatre playing the picture. They can be used as a soft-sell type of announcement and along with the regular hard-sell radio spot announcement disc make a successful combination. Early playdates have shown that radio stations programming country music are happy to co-operate with theatres in promoting the picture. Society Of Film Makers Elects 1966 Officers John Howe was elected president of the Society of Film Makers at the recent annual meeting in Montreal. Other officers named were Guy Glover, first vice-president; David Bair ieee et eee a was born in theatres \ \ | \ \ stow, second vice-president; Ray C. Jones, secretary-treasurer; and Kay Ferris, assistant secretarytreasurer. Directors voted in were Eugene Boyko, Barry Howells, Felix Lazarus, Ian MacNeill, Kathleen Shannon and Robert Verrall. The Society has over 135 members in Canada. Don't let it die there! Install up-to-date General Sound equipment to match the superior quality of today’s sound tracks. Fast service . night or day! Canada’s Theatre Supply House General Sound AND THEATRE EQUIPMENT LIMITED Branches across Canada CANADIAN FILM-TV BI-WEEKLY ALBERTA CENSOR (Continued from Page 1) sor Branch. At the same time it was made public that Kenneth Kremer had been named Chief Inspector of Theatres, filling the vacancy left by the death of H. W. Burkell last January. Day has been with a branch of the Alberta Government as public relations officer for a number of years. His background includes several years in professional theatre in England, both acting and management. He has written several plays and other fiction and non-fiction stories and articles. He is married and has five children. Col. Fleming, a former commanding officer of the Camrose and Dundurn training centres, was named to the position of chief censor on the retirement of Christine McCaig in July of 1947, who had been acting head following the retirement of Robert Pearson two years earlier. Kremer, the new head theatre inspector, moved up from assistant following the death of Burkell. At the time of Burkell’s appointment in November, 1951, Kremer had been made his assistant. Previous to that Kremer had been the projectionist at the Uptown, Calgary. Named To Editing Staff Roland Piggott has been appointed to the editing staff of Williams Drege & Hill Ltd., it was announced in Toronto recently by Heinz A. K. Drege, executive vice-president. Piggott was formerly associated with The Rank Organization, Pinewood Studios and London Films in England and Australia and with the CBC in Canada. Work On Twin Drive-In Starts In Windsor, Ont. Work has started on a new twin-screen drive-in theatre in Windsor, Ont., at Walker Road and Highway 98 and it’s expected the 1,500-car operation will be open before Labor Day, according to a joint announcement by R. W. Bolstad, president of Famous Players, and N. A. Taylor, president of United Century Theatres Limited. To be operated by 20th Century Theatres, the double drivein will be serviced by a centrally located refreshment arcade which also will house the projection suites. Electric car-heaters will be available for yearround operation and the entire surface will be black-topped. HELP WANTED MALE Manager-projectionist (combined) for small-town Ontario theatre. Good salary and _ working conditions. Apply to BOX 42 CANADIAN FILM-TV BI-WEEKLY 175 Bloor St. E., Toronto. June 22, 1966