Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1921)

February, 1921 MOVING PICTURE AGE 29 Elevating Morale with Moving Pictures By Walter A. Rohde Employment Service Manager, Simonds Manufacturing Co., Chicago EVERY Tuesday evening, at the close of the business day, there assembles in the recreation room of the Simonds Manufacturing Company of Chicago a crowd of the workmen employed at that plant. A three or four reel moving picture show is the attraction that draws them. This has been going on for 18 months, and the interest built up is doing much to better the morale of our working force. The programs are in charge of the Employment Service Department. We are firm believers in moving pictures as applied to employment service and believe that the weekly shows at the Simonds Chicago plant aid materially in our work. When we first began to show pictures, over a year and a half ago, we had little or no trouble getting the kind of pictures we wanted. We now find, however, that although the available supply of industrial film is by no means exhausted, it is getting a little difficult to get in touch with the places that have this kind of film for distribution. For programs such as we put on, only a reel or two of industrial are needed ; but these must be interesting — not too full of advertising and not too technical. We have shown all the safety first films we could get. We usually arrange to show, in connection with the educational or industrial subject, one reel of comedy. Since these are rather expensive, we must of course keep the cost of the other items down. We do not believe that our employees should be provided with exhibitions for amusement purposes only. We believe that, in the moving picture, the employer has the means of broadening the outlook of his help. To give them a view of what other factories are making, how their work is done, and where their methods can be applied to improve our own work, helps to awaken in the men a better sense of organization that is otherwise latent. We have had men come to us with suggestions for improvements in our methods or on our machinery. These suggestions have often been traced back directly to something seen in the picture or brought to mind by something shown therein. The Kind of Pictures We Use It must not be inferred, however, that our pictures are all of the strict industrial type. Anything that brightens the intelligence of the men even a trifle is serving our purpose directly. We recently contracted for the Ford Educational Weekly and we expect to find it satisfactory. I might even say that pictures with a broad religious appeal could be used to advantage. The spirit of the Golden Rule, that has been so abused in the relations between capital and labor during the past few years needs a little reviving. In a city the size of Chicago, where the homes of the working force may be scattered out to a radius of ten miles or more, from the factory, we do not believe it would be practical to show these pictures after supper. The attendance would be too small. We have, therefore, always started ours at 5:15, so that the men can come direct from their work-benches into the rest room. The show is over by six or a little after, and the men can still get home in time for supper. As stated before, our big problem is beginning to be where to get industrial film. We would like to plan our programs a month or more in advance of the time of showing, and to do that we must keep in touch with the field. We expect the book "1001 Films" which has recently been issued by Moving Picture Age to be a great help to us. if EDUCATIONAL MOTION PICTURES founded by Henry Ford IS NOW READY for the use of every Classroom, School House, College, University, Institution and Organization in the world. Prepared and edited by prominent educational specialists who are experts in Visual Instruction. Price, $100 a Year for 40 Films. One film for each week of the school year for 50c a day — 5 days a wee k. Synopsis of films and complete information on request. Fitzpatrick & McElroy 202 South State Street CHICAGO Sole Representatives If Please say, "As advertised in MOVING PICTURE AGE," ivhen you write to advertisers.