The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 384 The Educational Screen Douglas A. Rothacker. Wellstood White and F. Lyle Goldman. In 1925 it was decided that the public should be better informed about non- theatrical work, so tlie Chamber ar- ranged to present a program of pictures produced by its members, and engaged for the exhibition in .'\pril the Town Hall auditorium in Xew York. Much favorable publicity resulting, another show of the same sort was scheduled for the following spring. On one of these oc- casions a mild sensation was caused among the members, as among the guest spectators, when C. W. Barrell, as chairman of the affair, made a direct attack on Will Hays for alleged opposi- tion of the M.P.P.D..^. to non-theatri- cals. Hays, however, is not reported to have made any reply. From then on the Chamber was not especially active, other than in circulation of occasional letters urging support or condemnation of this or that legislative bill. These were sent forth by the loyal secretary, George Zehrung, who, had he been seeking excuses to shirk the duty, might have ideaded press of other work. The rest of the membership was generally lukewarm in its action. Sound pictures, being novel then, helped to divert the interest, and the Cliamber gradually drowsed off into a comatose state. Rothacker's "ad-film men," tlie Screen Advertisers' Association, which had had its inception about January, 1941, led a more uniformly active life, and certainly a geographically wider one. Almost from the start it maintained a close tie-in with the Associated Advertising Clubs, and other forms of stimulation, such as are used in maintaining interest in trade associations generally, were vigorously employed. Conventions were held in spring and fall in various cities. The convention at St. Louis, October, 1924. was attended by members from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois. Texas, Washington, D. C, Michigan and Missouri. In July. 1924. Bennett Chap- pie, of the American Rolling Mill Com- pany, of Middletown, Ohio, one of the enthusiastic active members, addressed the Screen Advertising Association of Great Britain and Ireland at the London convention of the Associated Advertis- ing Clubs of the World. An annual meeting of the Screen Ad- vertising Association was held at Cleve- land, March 12-13, 1925. It was an- nounced then that, in cooperation with the headquarters of the Associated .■\d- vertising Clubs and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. Inc., it would publish and circulate "a series of bulletins carrying educational data for those who contemplate the use of the screen as an advertising medium." Officers elected were: president. Douglas D. Rothacker, Rothacker Film Manu- facturing Company, Chicago; vice-presi- dent, Elmer Kuhn; secretary-treasurer, George J. Zehrung, the International Y.M.C.A., New York City. The executive committee consisted of: Bennett Chappie, American Rolling ^lills Company, Middletown, Ohio; Otto Nel- son, National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio; George Fessenden, North East F^lectric Company, Rochester, New York; Verne Burnett, General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Michigan; George Blair, Eastman Kodak Company. Roches- ter, New York; A. V. Cauger, United Film Ad Service, Kansas City, Mis.souri; H. A. Rosenberg, Standard Slide Cor- poration, New York City; H. A. De \'ry of the De Vry Corporation, Chicago; H. M. Richie of the Michigan Motion Pic- ture Theatre Owners of .America, De- troit; R. K. Hammers of the H. J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh; F. J. Byrne, E. I. duPont de Nemours Company, Wil- mington, Delaware; and A. J. Moeller. Moeller Theatre Service Company, New York City. A. K. Gundelach. of the DeVry Corporation, was elected a mem- ber of the National Advertising Com- mission. The following new members were un- animously brought in: J. Don Alexander, president of the Alexander Film Com- pany, Denver, Colorado ; Harry D. Kline, advertising manager Continental Motors Corporation, Detroit; O. H. Briggs, sales manager duPont-Pathe Manufacturing Film Corporation, New York City; B. J. Knoppleman, treasurer Excelsior Illus- trating Company, New York City; C. H. and R. M. McC. Ward, both of Queen City Film Company. Cumberland, Maryland. By invitation of the National Cash i^egister Company, the Screen Adver- tisers' Association (through Otto Nelson, of cour.se held its fall, 1925, meeting at Dayton in the National Cash Register "Company Schoolhousc." For several months the Educational Screen main- tained a department for this Association. .At the annual convention of the Screen Advertisers' .Association in New Orleans. February 10-13. 1926, th° following of- ficers were elected for the ensuing year: Douglas D. Rothacker, president, for his sixth term; vice-presidents. A. V, Cauger and Otto Nelson; secretary, Marie Good- enough, of the Educational Screen ; and treasurer, George Zehrung. The exec- utive committee comprised Bennett Chap- pie, Verne Burnett, F. J. Byrne, Humph- rey M. Bourne of the H. J. Heinz Com- I)any; R. V. Stamhaugh of the .Art Film Studio at Cleveland; Robert McCurdy of Philadelphia; George Blair; H. .A. De Vry; James P. Simpson of Dallas; M. J. Caplan of Detroit; William Johnson of the Motion Picture Advertising Serv- ice of New Orleans; and Allan Brown of the Bakelite Corporation of New York City. About 1926, when Carlyle Ellis and I were associated in work, Ellis was visited by a handsome, smiling, dynamic gentle- man who introduced himself as Francis Lawton, Jr. Ellis, like most of us in non-theatricals who were almost per- suaded by the dribbling patronage to be had in the line that we simply could not be good business men, was fascinated by a personality which could talk so posi- tively about what was wrong with our industry, and about how- easily a really modern executive, such as Mr. Lawton was, for instance, could bring the money pouring in to us. It was Lawton's idea (as it has been the idea of many others over the years,) that non-theatrical producers should form a league for their uniform improvement. Frank Lawton, of course would be the salaried president. Although such a proposition, made by a stranger, naturally seemed to us at first merely a scheme to exploit us, I quickly discovered, when I came to know Frank better, that he was sincerely and characteristically striving to realize a constructive idea. Intelligent, forceftil, enthusiastic, not merely undaunted but actually stimulated by heavy sales re- sistance, and, above all, persuaded of the conquering powers of modern merchar.dis- ing principles as laid down in the stand- ard texts, he has been, in the years of his application to non-theatricals, a truly helpful influence. He had been traffic, advertising and sales contract manager of the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company at Baltimore, sales and adver- tising engineer of the American Tele- phone and Telegraph Company, and representative of various newspaper roto- gravure sections—sufficient to account for his unswerving belief in the im- portance of volume business. This view' had been intensified by several years' ad- ditional experience as a vice-president of the Jam Handy Picture Service, where statistical surveys, slogans and "pep" meet- ings were frequent. .As a longtime mem- ber of the Advertising Club of New York and chairman of its motion picture com- mittee, he has done much over the in- tervening years to impress the represen- tative publicity men who have gathered there with the possibilities of films in the lines of their own interests. But, so far as stirring the non-theatrical pro- ducers and distributors to an association which would make proper test of l<is talents was concerned, he was thwarted by conditions in which the coming of sound pictures and a heavy economic de- pression loomed large. In New York City he found such nourishment as the field would still provide as head of his own production company. General Busi- ness Films, incorporated in 1928 and con- tinuing. Lawton's plan remains unshaken for its good sense. It aimed at the physical consolidation of leading commercial and educational film producers in each major city of the United States from Coast to Coast, their respective volumes of busi- ness to be combined for mutual strength and to end duplicating efforts and multi- plied expenses. In effect it took over the expansion tnethods of every other American industry as these could not be applied by sectional or small indepen- dent producers. The plan did not come to fruition at its first budding, but from it Lawton salvaged for the benefit of his disciples a business operating agreement involving certain regional firms, calling upon them tOiact as correspondents in all benefits but sales. To the date of this writing no active party to that agree- ment so long ago is reported to have cancelled. It was at the .Advertising Club of New York, in the summer of 1943, that Don Carlos Ellis, of Films of Com- merce, Inc., and William J. Ganz. both of New York City, tried to bring non- theatrical producers together once more