American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS CALLING CLUB SECRETARIES! This department of Til E AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER is your department. We feel that there is a great deal to be gained all around by making these reports of club activities available to other clubs and to independent cinefilmers all over the country. To that end, we ask all you club secretaries to consider yourselves special ..porters for THE AMERICAN CIXKMATOGRAPHER with the assignment to "cover" the activities and meetings of your club. The Editor. Colorado Springs Studies "Mt. Zao" The recently-formed Colorado Springs (Col.) Cinema Club's August meeting was highlighted by the showing of two notable prize-winning films loaned by THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER. These were "Mt. Zao," the sensational skiing film made by Khoji Tsukamoto, of Japan, and "Prize Winner," made by J. Kinney Moore, of Brentwood, California. As a matter of fact, "Mt. Zao" was screened twice, the first time so that everyone could thoroughly enjoy the picture, and then the second time to study the methods of photography used. In this way the club members could give more attention to the study of the film and the camera-technique that made it one of the world's outstanding amateur film achievements. This method of repeating a notable picture for closer study can be recommended to other clubs. August evenings are rather warm, even in Colorado, but "Mt. Zao," with all its snow-scenes gave the members at least a psychological aid in keeping cool. And the club thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Moore's homespun comedy, "Prize Winner." Seeing these two films gave the club an incentive to try to make better and more interesting pictures, and perhaps in the future THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER'S "Home Movie Previews" department will see the results. EARL COCHRAN, President. Varied Show For L. A. Cinema The August meeting of the Los Angeles Cinema Club, under the chairmanship of past president Dr. LeRoy Bailey, provided the members an unusually varied screen programme of both 16mm. and 8mm. films. First shown was a Kodachrome film made by member Fred I »n. .little, an engineer with the Southern California Edison Company, illustrating the special equipment and methods used by his company's linemen in repairing extreme high-voltage power-lines without shutting off the current which in some shots was said to be as much as 225.000 Volts. Through the courtesy of William Stull, A.S.C., Editor of THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, the Club was privileged to screen three notable films sent in to him from various parts of the country for review. First of these was "The Green Album," an allinterior 16mm. Kodachrome costume picture filmed by Miss Agnes Marx, winner of the Harmon Trophy in the Annual Contest of the St. Paul Amateur Movie Makers. Next was a pair of unusual 8mm. shorts, "Democracy," and "Mr. Hitler Never Loses," filmed by Joseph F. Hollywood of the Metropolitan Movie Club of New York. These two 50-footers, which made use of superimposed titles, animation, and miniatures were declared to be among the most unique pictures ever screened before the club. Final feature of the evening was a showing of a commercially-made Kodachrome sound-film, "Unsung Heroes," made for the Westinghouse Co. by the Calvin Co., of Kansas City. Before showing this, Mr. Stull declared it was the finest example of all-16mm. production he had yet seen, and the picture more than lived up to his words. The optical wipes, transitions and splitscreen effects especially proved a revelation to the members present. JACK SHANDLER, Secretary. of Kodak, Ltd., and the screening of | several pictures. Parkville Screens "Beyond Manila" The August meeting of the Parkville (Md.) Cinema Club was devoted to study and discussion of making travel movies. The screen feature of the evening was the showing of THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER'S prize-winning Kodachrome travel-film, "Beyond Manila," an unusual 3-reel picture filmed in the Philippines by W. G. Hahn of B'aguio, P. I. Both in subject-matter and cameratreatment the film proved the high-spot of an interesting evening. India Resumes Activity At the Third Annual Meeting of the Amateur Cine Society of India, held in 1940, the members decided that because of wartime condition's the Society's activities should remain in a state of "suspended animation" for one year. At the Fourth Annual General Meeting of the Society, held this spring in Bombay, the Emergency Committee of this normally vigorous Club recommended a resumption of Club activities. The first regular monthly meeting after the resumption of Club activities was held in Bombay and featured talks by Messrs. G. Quiribet and C. W. Dack Long Beach to Sponsor Documentary Show The August 6th meeting of the Long Beach Cinema Club was "Gadget Night," and proved so successful that the members asked that at least one gadget be shown or demonstrated at all future meetings. The screen fare included a wedding picture, "The Old, Old Story," filmed in Kodachrome by Pat and Xorf Rafferty and presented with a musical accompaniment, and a vacation picture filmed in the Mammoth Lake country by Forrest Kellogg. Robin Hadley gave a report on the latest Directors' Meeting concerning arrangements being made by the Club to sponsor a showing in a professional theatre of a programme of outstanding documentary films. This showing will be at Long Beach's Egyptian Theatre on Sept. 23rd, and the programme will include the Government Documentaries, "The River." "The Plough That Broke the Plain," "The Harvest of the Land," "The Power and the Land," and two unusual MGM shorts, "Quicker'n'a'Wink," filmed in super-slow-motion photography (over 2,000 frames per second) and "Third Dimensional Murder." Gadgets necessary for back-projection were demonstrated by President Mildred Caldwell, and three very novel home titling outfits were shown by Harold Hillinger. Ted Phillips and Harold O'Neal. The remainder of the evening was spent in examining gadgets brought by the rest of the members, and refreshments were served. Highlighting the August 20th meeting was a Kodachrome film, "Tins of Tuna," made by Mildred Greene and showing all the processes in the Harbor's biggest cannery. C. Don Hughes, of Amarillo, Texas, exhibited his Kodachrome film "Cherry Blossom Time in Washington D. C." "Holidays in Cuba." a Kodachrome film with very clever titles, was shown by Dr. Harold Brooks, and "Through the Window Pane," a film loaned from Hollywood, was also screened. RAYMOND FOSHOLDT. Secretarv-Treasurer. L. A. 8's Have "New Deal Nite" The August meeting of the Los Angeles 8mm. Club was held under the chairmanship of Treasurer and staunch Democrat Bill Millar, and programmed as "New Deal Night." On taking over the chair, new-dealer Millar instructed the Secretary to read Millar's speeiallyprepai-ed version of the minutes of the previous meeting, which was riotously ordered revised by unanimous vote of all members mentioned. A letter from member Lewis Reed, now a Naval flyer (Continued on Page 449) 434 September, 1941 American Cinematographer