The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

MOTION PICTURE THEATER A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION 40' permanence but for the distinguished recognition accorded the event. The First Lady of the Land accepted an invitation to be the children's guest of honor because she thoroughly approved of selected programs for children and was willing to lend her presence to encourage their support. Official, diplomatic and social life were represented in the ladies receiving in the foyer on that occasion. Mrs. Cuno H. Rudolph, wife of the District Commissioner; Mrs. Harry Atwood Colman, National President of the League of American Pen Women; Mme. Ekgengren; Mrs. Virginia White Speel, President of the District of Columbia Federated Women's Clubs; Mrs. Harvey W. Wiley; Mrs. Thomas W. Sidwell, President of the Friends School; Mrs. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. of the Girl Scouts; Mrs. Theodore Tiller and Mrs. Edouard Albion. \aturally Peter Pan was selected for the occasion. This as everyone knows is not essentially for children, and its length deprives them of the regular comedy on the program, without which no child is completely satisfied; but the picture is in every way so lovely that every child should see it more than once. We gave them an additional feature in a charming impersonation of Peter Pan himself in the Shadow Dance cleverly executed by Frances Lehman, a pupil of the Friends School; and the "Patriotic Opening" led by Troop 25, Boy Scouts of America, who also had the honor of escorting Mrs. Coolidge from her car into the theatre. From the opening day of this second season we could have said, "Every day, in every way, conditions are growing better and better. ' Famous Players-Lasky made it possible for us to show a number of "special pictures" among them Marguerite Clark's The Seven Swans; Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch and Come Out of the Kitchen, Mary; Mary Roberts Rinehardt's Twenty-Three and A Half Hours' Leave and Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. This brought so many children and there was such a buzz of conversation throughout the showing that we were puzzled until we discovered the story had been running as a picture strip in one of the daily papers, which goes to show the press can be a wonderful factor in the establishment of these programs if they will share the public's responsibility in promoting them. Interspersed with these special pictures were live, bright, up-to-date feature comedies selected from the exchanges. Douglas MacLean, Harold Lloyd, Richard Dix, Raymond Griffith, Buster Keaton, Jackie Coogan and Baby Peggy all contributed their share. We do not use slap-stick and we depend largely upon the Our Gang Comedies for our short stuff. The children seem never to tire of these screen play-fellows. Experience has taught us the necessity of centering our efforts upon the child himself, making his reactions our guide; it has demonstrated that the attention of the little folk cannot be held for the length of a feature film; that, while story telling pleases them, the older children restlessly evince their impatience for the pictures to start; that the requirements of the child from eight to fourteen must be the basis for the selection of these programs, and that, while we are ostensibly providing entertainment for children whose parents demand selected programs, it is of the greatest importance to make the programs so interesting they will win the voluntary patronage of the children who attend regularly the pictures made for adults. We have experienced all the vicissitudes attendant upon the building of programs for children, but our second season developed so many encouraging phases in securing suitable pictures, increasing patronage and winning the children's personal expressions of appreciation and satisfaction, that our season opening October 30th, 1926, will have two theaters instead of one running Saturday Morning Programs. As rapidly as conditions warrant this service will be extended to other theaters (Concluded on page 409)