Exhibitors Herald (Jul-Sep 1922)

August 26, 1922 Ask Hays to Give Verdict on Film Want Public Statement on Pictures Which May Not Be Proper (Special to Exhibitors Herald) PITTSBURGH, PA., Aug. 15.— Directors of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Western Pennsylvania, in a resolution passed, have called upon Will H. Hays to make known to the public which of the pictures being distributed by his organization members measure up to the standard set by him and those who do not. He is also solicited in the resolution to obtain cancellation of contracts for pictures which in his opinion should be condemned. The resolution states that in view of statements made by Hays that pictures have been produced and are now distributed which are subversive of public morals and that no improvement can be expected until next year and that such pictures should not be patronized; "Be it resolved that we hereby solicit Mr. Hays, whom we appreciate as a competent judge of what is wholesome, moral and clean, to make public statements upon the pictures distributed by the members of his organization, informing the public which of the pictures measures up to the standard set by him and which do not. and "Whereas, the motion picture exhibitor is compelled to buy his pictures before production, and has no means of determining which of the pictures are fit to be shown, and whereas, the contracts contain what is known as the non-cancellable clause, be it further resolved that we hereby solicit Mr. Hays to secure for us cancellation of contracts for pictures, which in his opinion should be condemned." Educational Fund in Will to Be Used for Producing Photoplays (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15.— After interviewing legal authorities on the question of the educational standard of motion pictures, Robert J. Trimble of Los Angeles, as trustee of an educational fund held intact since the death of his father, the late William W. Trimble, noted Kentucky jurist, writer and statesman, has decided to invest the total amount of this fund, about $150,000, in picture production. Judge Trimble died August 31. 1880, leaving his heirs wealthy. A short time before his fatal illness the jurist added a codicil to his will, setting aside $100.000 for educational purposes. Robert I. Trimble was named custodian. This money has been piling up interest for thirty-six years. As the result of his decision, and by the advice of counsel, Mr. Trimble, the trustee of his father's unusual bequest, has begun production on the first of the Trimble Endowment Series, as the oictures will be known, with Arthur Trimble, the grandson of the late judge, as the featured player. Harding Recovering From Bandit's Shot (Special to Exhibitors Herald) KANSAS CITY. MO., Aug. 15.— David Harding, part owner of the Liberty theatre. Kansas City, who was shot down by bandits last week in an attempted hold-up of the theatre, and who was not expected to live, now is on the road to recovery, according to physicians. Mr. Harding was unconscious for more than a day. physicians announcing that he could not live. HIBITORS HERALD ilm Production Now Vital Factor in Ten Universities Eastman Survey Shows Nineteen Colleges Giving Courses in Visual Instruction — New Theatre Will Open Early in September (Special to Exhibitors Herald) ROCHESTER, X. Y., Aug. 15. — Film production no longer is confined to the studios. Ten great universities now are in the act of producing one or more motion pictures. Thi5> fact, as well as others pertaining to the activities of American institutions of higher learning in the motion picture field, has been revealed in a survey conducted by the Eastman theatre as a branch of the University of Rochester. Survey Discloses Wide Interest in Motion Pictures While not complete the survey makes it apparent that a hitherto unsuspected interest in cinematography has developed among educators, and that many great schools have taken up seriously the work that is exemplified in the S5.000.000 theatre experiment of the Rochester institution. Concerning the Eastman theatre, it is announced that despite troubled industrial conditions the house will open early in September as scheduled. The Eastman theatre in undertaking the work of classifying the educational activities as expressed in motion picture terms took advantage of the facilities for gathering information posessed by President Will H. Hays of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America. Some Films Educational A partial tabulation of the facts ascertained disclosed that ten great universities have been or are now in the act of producing one or more motion picture films. They are Yale University, Chicago University and the Universities of Illinois, Indiana. Iowa, Oklahoma. Michigan. Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Utah. Some of the films are educational, and intended for class room use; others are educational and agricultural films for use with adults as well as with children. Yale University is now producing 100 reels of "Chronicles of American History." The rowing coach at Vale has had slow films made of the crews in action so that defective rowing may be discovered and corrected. In addition to the work of the Universities it is interesting to know that the State Department of Public Instruction at Raleigh, X. C, is preparing a film history of the state. The Bureau of Education at Washington has 3.000,000 feet cf films for teaching Americanization; and various other government depaitments have become film producers on a generous scale. There are forty-three schools, colleges and universities which have organized centers for the distribution of motion picture films. Most of the films they handle are educational or industrial. These centers are located at Brown University and the Universities of Alabama. Arkansas, California, Colorado. Florida. Georgia. Indiana, Iowa. Kansas, Kentucky. Louisiana. Michigan. Minnesota. Missouri. Montana, Nebraska, Nevada. Wisconsin. North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon. Pittsburgh, South Carolina, South Dakota. Tennessee. Texas. Utah. Yermont, Virginia and at Iowa State College. Maryland State College and Agricultural School. Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College, Oxford College, Ohio. Rutgers College. Washington State College, Cleveland Normal Training School, Illinois State Normal University, Kansas State Normal School, Louisiana State Normal School and Michigan State Normal School. Interest in the use of motion pictures for class room instruction has increased rapidly. Nineteen normal schools, colleges and universities are now giving courses in visual instruction. They are Columbia University, Pennsylvania State University, the Universities of New York, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Nebraska, California and Utah; North Dakota Agricultural College, Western Reserve University, Texas Agricultural College, Cleveland School of Education, Detroit Teachers' College and the College of the City of New York. In Washington State schools are given credit, when comparative ratings are being made, for the possession of stereopticons, stereographs and motion picture projectors. The Pedagogical Library of the Philadelphia school system has a department of pedagogical films. Thirty-four or more cities including New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit. Indianapolis. Los Angeles and San Francisco are using pedagogical films for showings in class rooms and assembly halls. New York spent approximately $10,000 for this work. Los Angeles spent approximately $25,000. The total schooi appropriations were probably in the neighborhood of $100,000 during 19211922. Organizations Are Interested There are at present four great organizations tor the extension of educational uses of the motion picture. They are the Visual Education Section of the National Education Association, the Visual Education Association. the National Academy for Visual Instruction, and the Visual Instruction Association of America. For several years Chicago University, under the leadership of Dr. Charles H. Judd. has conducted motion picture studies of eye movements in reading and in arithmetical calculations. Dr. Frank N. Freeman of the same University has conducted similar experiments in recording hand movements in penmanship and in the use of tools. Dr. McCloskey at Chicago University, and many others ha\-e made careful scientific inquiries into the use of motion pictures for pedagogical purposes.