Educational film magazine; (19-)

"CHILDREN'S PLEASURE HOUSE" MOVIES By Mary A. Brader Graduate Secretary, Service League, Connecticut College, Kew London, Conn. 'T'HE Children's Pleasure House, (name submitted by Max Lipps of the sixth grade, which won the prize in the name contest conducted through the public schools of New London) is conducted as a part of the inter-racial program which the Service League promotes in New Lon- don, Conn. The sociology students made a survey of the local theaters in reference to their appeal to children and also got in touch with the various national boards for better films supplying much needed materials. The Children's Pleasure House has met six times with an attendance averaging between 500 and 600 each time. The following films have been shown: Cinderella, AH Baba and the Forty Thieves, Snoiv White, Tom Saivyer, Seven Swans, and Hack and Tom. The meetings seem like big informal parties, the children responding splendidly to supervised play before the theater is opened and to com- munity singing between reels. Community spirit and co- operation is probably best illustrated by the offer of music by the children's orchestra directed by a self-styled "executive". The following is quoted from an article which appeared in the Survey last spring. "The applause of the children that greets the dwarfs at the moment they save Snow White from -the poisoned comb or the Seven Swans when they rush down the. river to the aid of their sister at the burning stake far exceeds any given over the Midnight Man when he saves Helen Holmes from the lion's claws." The reaction affords as much pleasure to the college girls who act as "guardians" as the pictures do to the children. The college also receives the cooperation of the art de- partment in this venture. The students of this department supply attractive posters which are placed in the public schools advertising esch performance. This year we plan to run a show every two weeks if we can get suitable films. On October 30 Treasure Island was shown at the Children's Pleasure House; admission five cents. So far no attempt has been made to show pictures other than the best fairy tales we can procure. Our children seem to be exceedingly proud of a theater all their own. We have had no purely educational films. NEW CAMERA TO GIVE DEPTH? A CAMERA that "sees with two eyes" and makes pictures as ■^^ a person would see them, with depth, is claimed as the in- vention of two Chicago men, P. John Berggren, a Swedish physi- cist, and George K. Spoor, owner of the Essanay Film Manufac- turing Company. Heretofore photographs have been made as a one-eyed person would see them—the perspective distorted and the figures out of focus when seen from any angle other than that at which th« picture was taken, and without depth. When the new machine is applied to moving pictures, the inventors assert, patrons who sit in a comer or under the sheet or off to one side will see the pictures in the same way as those seated in good seats, and all will seem to be looking through a window at actual figures and scenes. The inventors claim they have added the third dimension, depth, to pliotography, which scientists have contended is an impossibility. MOVIE SHOWS ON VIRGINIA FARM John Armstrong Chaloner, Whose Phrase "Who's Looney Now?" Became Famous, Tries to Solve Farm Labor Problem JOHN ARMSTRONG CHALONER, eccentric millionaire, whose telegraphic inquiry to his brother some years ago, "Who's looney now?," became famous, is trying to solve the problem of "How to Keep Labor on the Farm," by the establishment of a movie theater at his place, Merry Mills, two miles from Cobham, Albemarle Couniy, Vir- ginia. The theater represents the reincarnation of a former cow- barn, with a spacious interior and wooden seats, com- fortably heated and well supplied with accessories for show- ing the films. Each program is presented two evenings a week, on Wednesdays for colored people and on Saturdays for white folks. At a recent Saturday's performance more than 250 were present, representing twen'y-one different localities. Many came from Charlottesville and as far away as the neighboring county of Fluvanna. The majority traveled in automobiles, old-time family two-horse carriages and buggies. Some appeared in Irue Virginia fashion on horseback, and many others came afoot, generally accompanied by a flock of small children. At each performance a good historical picture or melo- drama of several reels is given, with a couple of excellent comedies. Dpi |i|t CLEAN COMMUNITY MOVIE SHOWS WIN So-Called "Legitimate" Commercial Shows Cannot Compete With Church Entertainment Programs A SPECIAL dispatch to Wid's Daily from Minneapolis is enlightening and significant of the new conditions movie theaters are compelled to face in many communities: In a complaint lodged with the L'nited Theatrical League the Colonial theater of Watertown, S. D., states that the Watertown "legitimate" picture business is being ruined by so-called free shows, community films, and church entertainments given by the Methodist Church in that place. Various feature films have been shown, with no admission fee save a voluntary offering, and these have drawn the greater part of the attendance from the picture theaters, the complaint says. W. A. Steffes, president of the league, says that the league is taking firm steps to prevent release of films to churches unless previously shown at theaters, or unless they are strictly educational films. And here is another case in point cited from the North- western Christian Advocate: Parkdale, Ore., is a little town of about 1,000 people with a dearth of wholesome amusement. The social side of life was almost entirely neglected with the result that life was tawdry and often tempted sorely to the vicious. The Forum, a class of men in the Parkdale L'nited Church, began to have some prickings of the conscience on the subject and determined to see what could be done in providing happy and sane amusement. A complete motion picture equipment was purchased and installed in the village hall. It was understood that no private gain was to be made out of the venture. The owner of the hall provided the building a very nominal cost. The newspapers advertised the showings free. The public was admitted at a price only large enough to actually cover the expense. Programs are shown every Wednesday evening, two hours in length, Church services are announced on the screens through the use of stereopticon slides. The "Forum Entertainment Bureau" has been able to completely master the situation and has so com pletely enlisted the interest and cooperation of the community that it is impossible for a regular commercial house to enter the field. 15