Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

46 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE Volume XII, No. 2 choice” — period. This fact devaluates all the criteria and selection methods one may have absorbed anywhere at any time. The raw, brutal fact is that in eighty percent of all attempts at obtaining educational pictures one is faced with the harsh rule of “take it or leave it.” In those rare cases where there is a choice, there is little likelihood that one will have the opportunity of seeing (previewing) the several similar pictures before booking (reserving) them for his use. This is because exchanges do not dispose of pictures outright but only rent or loan them. Time is all a rental exchange “sells” or a free exchange “loans.” A patron may not shop around until he picks up what suits him, as he does with books. The borrower of motion pictures does his shopping vicariously after the m a n n e r of the patrons of Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward; that is, he catalog-shops. If one’s city or state provides educational pictures for its schools, the teacher should obtain the catalog of this local exchange. It is also advisable for those who may obtain local service, as well as those who can not receive such service, to procure catalogs from the following sources : (a) Educational F’ilm Catalog ($4. Price includes Supplements). (b) 1001 Films (75c) Educational Screen, (54 E. Lake Street, Chicago, 111. (75c) (c) U. S. Government Films Write Castle Films, .30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 20 (Free) (d) Film and Slide Lists (Free) U. S. Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Buieau of Mines, Labor, Navy, and U. S. Office of Education, Washington, D. C. (e) Slide and Film Exchange Catalogs (Free) Universities of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Syracuse, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania College for Women, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin. (f) There are a number of commercial concerns which issue free catalogs listing films which they rent or sell. Among them are: American Trading Association, 723 Seventh Ave., New York Bell and Howell Co., 1801 Larchmont Ave., Chicago Bray Pictures Corp., Educational Dept., 729 Seventh Ave., New York Burton Holmes Films, Inc., 7510 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago Castle Films, RCA Bldg,, New York Commonwealth Pictures Corp., 729 Seventh Ave., New York DeVry Corporation, 1111 Armitage Ave., Chicago Edited Pictures System, Inc., 330 W. 42nd St., New York Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, 1841 Broadway, New York Films Incorporated, 330 W. 42nd St., New York Films of Commerce Co., Inc., 21 W. 46th St., New York Ganz, William J., Co., 19 E. 47th St., New York Garrison Film Distiibutors, Inc., 730 Seventh Ave., New York General Electric Co., Visual Instruction Section, Schenectady, N. Y. Gutlohn, Walter O., Inc., 35 W. 45th St., New York City Handy, Jam, Picture Service, Inc., 2900 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit, Mich. Harmon Foundation, Inc., Div. of Visual Experiment, 140 Nassau St., New York Hoffberg, J. H., Co., Inc., 729 Seventh Avenue, New York Ideal Pictuies Corp., 30 E. Eighth St., Chicago International Film Bureau, 59 E. Van Buren St., Chicago Modern Talking Picture Service, 9 Rockefeller Plaza, New York Nu-Art Films, Inc., 145 W. 45th St., New York City Pictorial Film Library, Inc., 130 W. 46th St., New York Teaching Film Custodians, 25 W. 43rd St., New York Victor Animatograph Corporation, Film Division, 330 W. 42nd St., New York Wholesome Films Service, Inc., 48 Melrose St., Boston, Mass. World Pictures Corp., 729 Seventh Ave., New York City Y.M.C.A. Motion Picture Bureau, 19 S. LaSalle St., Chicago, or, 347 Madison Avenue, New York Yale University Press Film Service, 386 Fourth Avenue, New York Note; See a fuller list in the back of “1001 Films.” Catalog mentioned above in (b). Having obtained the catalogs, located the subjects desired, and discovered a choice of two or three pictures (a rare coincidence) , always select the one made or distributed by the outstanding firm. In those rare cases where one encounters two or more pictures relating to the same topic, each made by an outstanding producer— and where a preview is permitted — select the picture which (1) best covers the subject, (2) has the best photography, and (3) has the best sound, if it is a sound picture. The year when the picture was made may give some indication of its photographic quality, since photography has naturally improved with the years. But we can not say that this date is a very safe guide. Dates can be changed. Moreover, there were very good pictures made in past years — witness some of the motion pictures made by Yale and by the Society for Visual Education, which were probably the earliest educationals made. We continue to buy them in Ohio because our school patrons rebook them year after year. One should carefully check sound pictures which have the narration spoken by British com