The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 208 somebody talk for an hour and a half? (Approval) I think you will authorize me to carry that to the group as a whole. I believe that you people who are here will do that. I hope we will have another such clinic in another year. High School Clinic (9:30 A. M., Saturday) Physics demonstration with the film, Molecular Theory of Matter, arranged by Carl Benz, Hammond High School, Hammond, Indiana, and discussion led by P. S. Godwin. Township High School, Thornton, Illinois. (Partial transcript will appear in Reprint) College Clinic (9:30 A. M., Saturday) Presentation of some very re- markable microscopic films in Biology, discussion led by Ralph Buchsbaum, University of Chi- cago. Showing of very fine color film, made and discussed by R. H. Uhseld, Bell and Howell Com- pany. Discussion of Harvard Remedial Readings For College level. (Brief abstract will appear in the Reprint) FINAL GENERAL SESSION (11:00 A. M., Saturday) Chairman, John A. Bartky, Presi- dent, Chicago Teachers College General Topic, Producing Visual Materials in the Local School. Demonstration and discussion of varied school activities in this line including Marionette Movies, by Arnold Heflin, Lane Technical High School, Chicago ; Slides and FilmslideSr by J. Kay White. Pjin- cipal, Pershing School, Berwyn. Illinois. Lyle F. Stewart, Oak Park High School, and G. F. Hairiilton, Keystone View Com- pany, Meadville, Pennsylvania; and Microslides, by I. P. Daniel, Lake View High School, Chicago. The session closed with brief re- ports from Classroom Clinics, gen- eral discussion of what the Forum had accomplished, and brief Busi- ness Session. (Full abstract will appear in the Reprint) Motion Pictures — Not for Theaters (.Continued from page 194) devotion to "commercial" and industrial films. It was called the Advance Mo- tion Picture Company; and it seems to have begun in 1912. George L. Cox, a former writer and director for the Selig and American Companies, had been en- gaged as "master of production." In the summer of 1913 he had become general manager. Functioning in that place he tried valiantly for a year or so to emulate Rothacker's talent for keeping his activities in the public eye, but with little success; and the Advance Company faded then into the background. The Atlas Educational Film Company, which claims a beginning in 1913 will be discussed later in another connection. There doubtless were many other early film enterprises which it would be point- less to recall, although, as a matter of proving the observation that companies were frequently organized in the non- theatrical field merely as a way of en- tering theatrical production, an example or two of that type may be cited. Here, for instance, in January, 1913, at an obviously unpromising New York ad- dress, is begun the Commercial Motion Picture Company which quickly essays to make theatrical offerings, and which, almost precisely one year later, is an- nounced as having been absorbed by the Life Photo Corporation. Or witness the declaration of Rath & Seavolt, com- mercial film makers of St. Paul, in September, 1914, that they "will en- large their business and enter the regular production field." And that this method remained a popular one was attested in June, 1916. when the tantologically named Niaeara Films Motion Picture Company, at Niagara Falls, N. Y., declared its establishment "to produce religious, ed- ucational, historical, travel subjects and liic/li class comedies." The italics are mine. But it was not necessarily lack of principle or vision which kept the non- theatrical producers close to the theatre. Rothacker, himself, as I have pointed out, maintained a prosperous theatrical laboratory. There simply was not, in the non-theatrical field, a profit commensu- rate with the amount of labor then required to serve it. That fact is still generally true. If one looks attentively enough at almost any apparently pros- perous non-theatrical production venture, he will soon see that its real strength is derived from some closely allied, more substantial line of business. Non-Theatrical Departments In many respects, therefore, the pro- ducers who dabbled in non-theatrical pro- duction, were in sounder position and more reasonably fitted to pioneer. The Edison Company, largely because of the great inventor's personal interest, never ceased to favor educational efforts while that motion picture enterprise lasted. As late as 1915, it will be remembered, Edison's films on chemistry, physics, natural science and history were being released and, in June of that same year, Eugene Nowrfand and Seldon Warner The Educational Screen of the Edison Company were giving lectures on the past, present and future of educational pictures. Industrial production was less altruis- tic and probably at that time more ad- visable. Virtually all members of the Patents group, along with Edison, dipped into propaganda and advertising pro- duction at every opportunity—although none of these went at the development as systematically as did the great In- dependent, Carl Laemmle, of Universal. When Laemmle sold his interest in Rothacker's company in 1913, he did not long remain out of industrial produc- tion. Only a couple of years elapsed before he instituted a department for that kind of service at his New York head- quarters in the Mecca Building. This move was no doubt partly at the urgence of one Harry Levey. Levey's name will be recalled by many New Yorkers, not for his film achievements, but for his widespread advertising that he would clean gloves for five cents per pair. His proudest boast then was that he had plastered Dr. Parkhurst's abandoned old Fifth Avenue Church from top to bottom with one-sheets stating that Levey the Cleaner would renovate gloves at the given price. But that was an old business. Levey had looked with shrewd appraisal at this rapidly growing new film industry, and had decided that his fortune lay in the une.xploited line of commercial production. Laemmle ap- proved his enthusiasm and took him on. Of course, Levey was determined to make a go of it. By canvassing the indrstries he obtained orders for ad- vertising pictures, selling at prices as high as the traffic would bear, and oblig- ing the scenario writers, directors and cameraman who made the reels for him, to work within inversely small budgets What came between you see, was profit. His stafT included Carlyle Ellis, first borrowed from the "Universal Weekly" as a scenario writer and soon impressed as a director, and William Ganz, a cameraman. Ganz, in later years, set himself up as a commercial producer in New York, and made good. .\nd Ellis, from this strange debut, was to gain a none-theatrical eminence of his own. Another cameraman who cranked there for I^e\ey in these days before the War, but was destined for higher achievement, was .'Mbuin Mariner. By way of demon- strating the mad fortunes of this strange business. Mariner, just a few years earlier, had "cranked" as house cinema- tographer to the King of England. Divers devices carried Levey through the fantastic nightmare of the World War; and May 8, 1921 he sprang into the spotlight as subject of an interview in the editorial sect'on of the New York Times. In a statement bulwarked with handsome figures of how many users of non-theatrical films there were in .America, he announced the incorpora- tion of National Non-Theatrical Pic- tures, himself as president and with forty-two exchanges over the country which would supply films, projectors, screens and operators to those who wished to have their own private film shows. (To be continued)