The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 242 The Educational Screen Motion Pictures— Not for Theatres (Continued jrom page 223) Christian Education. It was published by the Westminster Press in 1932. When Miller died so suddenly, leav- ing plans at loose ends, the relation- ship of the Presbyterian board and the Harmon Foundation became somewhat delicate, and only the high character and good faith of those concerned evolved a happy ending. No formal con- tract had been drawn. It was under- stood, however, that there would be a generous number of exchanges scattered over the country, and that the board would pay for a proportional number of prints of the Harmon productions. But, in reviewing the situation after Miller's death, Robinson concluded that much fewer exchanges could serve the project at the start of distribution with fewer prints. Miss Brady naturally sought to protect the Harmon Foundation by ob- taining a contract, and Robinson, with- out in the slightest intending to repud- iate the original agreement, naturally wished first to see some of the "I Am the Way" pictures to judge the probable church demand for them. This threw the responsibility for delivery upon Wythe; but he, in turn, had been pre- vented from prompter completion of the series by the unanticipated difficul- ties of obtaining and examining the "King of Kings" material from Holly- wood. The "I Am the Way" reels were never fully completed by Wythe. It had been intended to "score" them with sound, and, to demonstrate with one subject, he obtained cooperation of the Radio Corporation of America. Not only the R.C.A. recording and studio equipment was thus made available for the ex- periment, but a full choir from the Roxy Theatre, New York, and the large orchestra from the Broadway produc- tion "Blossom Time" volunteered to provide the impressive sound. Every- thing seemed right for continuing the plan despite the death of Harmon, but the funds intended for the purpose be- came bogged in a real estate stagna- tion, and the work was obliged to stop. However, the Foundation goes on even today with the library so auspiciously begun, and Miss Brady, with a utility film man who can photograph occa- sional scenes as well as care for the institution reels, adds from time to time to the supply. Other materials are sent in by de- nominational efforts outside, such as the picture made in 1934 by John, son of the Rev. W. H. Gable, head of the Rocky Boy Mission in Montana, in co- operation with the Foundation. It is a three-reeler called "Below the White Top," and it shows the work of the Rev. John Killinger in the Virginia Blue Ridge country. It is in addition to several other subjects similarly pro- duced by John Gable. In February, 1936, a 16-mm. silent picture was completed under Foundation sponsorship by ama- teurs of Port Washington, Long Island. It gained general publicity because the "leading man" and "leading lady" an- nounced their engagement to be married coincidentally with the preview. Major productions made with Founda- tion support and sponsorship are a number in the wider missionary field. They include eight informative reels on China, three concerning India, a trio of African titles, and approximately four reels covering religious activities in Brazil. Other projects are constantly in work or under consideration. One of the most fervently held policies of the Foundation has been always that the organization of a proper church film program should be maintained, if not initiated, by the churches themselves. The Foundation was willing to gather neces- sary information to point out objectives, and to bring active persons together; but it positively would not undertake the sup- port of an enterprise which so manifestly should be the full responsibility of the religious orders. It therefore seemed a happy culmination of the Foundation's seventeen years of earnest endeavor when, March 25, 1942, the Religious Film As- sociation, Inc., opened headquarters at 297 Fourth Avenue, New York. This enterprise—with William L. Rog- ers, who had produced a number of interesting films under Foundation aus- pices, as executive secretary—was on that date described as the union of sixteen leading Protestant denominations. The purpose was to distribute suitable motion pictures for the ultimate benefit of some 122,000 churches. Apart from this am- bitious goal, interest of the non-theatrical field in general was aroused by the in- clusion of a novel circulation idea. The large publishing houses maintained by the various leading sects were to take over the physical handling of the reels. In other words, this plan was not just a dream, on paper. It was so far a reality that the Association already possessed the machinery for an eflfective distribution system, with operators in all centers cur- rently used for sales of printed literature, trained and seasoned in the specialized objectives, and already in friendly contact with the customers. Success of this new undertaking ob- viously must be a matter for future rec- ord. Its leadership gives luster to the bright promise of its approach. The chairman is Lovick Pierce, of the Meth- odist Publishing House at Dallas, Texas. George W. Card, of the Baptist Sunday School Board at Nashville, Tennessee, is vice-chairman; and John Ribble, secre- tary of the Presbyterian Board of Chris- tian Education at Philadelphia, is secre- tary-treasurer. The early efforts of the Harmon Foundation to bring about a similar amal- gamation of religious interests had been to develop a film service through the Federal Council of Churches in America. Some passing reference to that experience has been made in preceding paragraphs. When progress in that direction became diflScult, the Foundation turned its atten- tion toward the International Council of Religious Education as a group better qualified to attack the problem. Out of the proposals and conferences—out of all the accumulated experience, indeed — emerged at last the present Religious Film Association. If this does not suc- ceed, however, it is assured that the Har- mon Foundation will try again, in some other way, to see that American churches are regularly supplied with proper films. In those eventful years since the establishment of the Religious Motion Picture Foundation in 1925, Miss Brady has acquired a comprehensive knowl- edge of non-theatrical problems and undoubtedly has made, in addition to her labors as an instrument of the Foundation, a valuable personal con- tribution to the field. The various en- deavors listed in the organization's current literature owe much to her conscientious support as an individual; and it must be observed that all have been encouraged with the clear under- standing that their work is expected to be self-supporting, and that the Founda- tion will not be controlled, in its own words, "by any denomination, religious faction or prejudice." (To be centinvarf) S.V.E. Kodachrome Slides Four new catalogs of Kodachrome 2"x2" slides, available from the extensive library of the Society for Visual Educa- tion, have just come off the press. They present a wide selection of color slides on the following: The Arts —44 pp. (archi- tecture; paintings—religious, secular and juvenile: sculpture; landscape gardening; literature; costumes; fashions; dances; design and crafts) ; The Social Studies 72 pp. (United States and world history; geography; world's fairs; sports; trans- portation and communication; sociology) ; The Sciences —26 pp. (nature study for young science students; botany, zoology, biology, geology, etc.; medical and tech- nical subjects; useful arts); The Beate Collection —26 pp. (from hand-painted glass slides of the illustrations of Joseph Boggs Beale). To obtain copies of these catalogues, write to the Society for Visual Education, Inc., lOO East Ohio Street, Chicago, IM. Slide Viewer The new "Hollywood Viewer", manufactured by Craftsmen's Guild. 5773 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los An- geles, California, is made of Tenite and designed for viewing 2" x 2" Ko- dachrome slides and 35 mm strip film. It accommodates slides in paper, glass or metal mounts. A slight pressure on the sides makes possible the re- moval of the diffusing window for the viewing of 35 mm strip film. The ground polished lens has a depth of focus which provides effective magni- fication without the necessity of ad- justment. The curved top of the case allows the corners of the slides to project so they can be inserted and removed easily.