Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

48 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE Volume XII, No. 2 lem with facts in a warm, human, exciting dramatization.” (b) “Suitable for classes in chemistry and physics from grade 11 thi'ough college. Also for general science and non-school use to stimulate interest in scientific method and individual experimentation. Widely acclaimed as a magnificent instruction film. . . .” (c) “Things are first shown as they naturally are and then through a magnifying glass. The film is mor'e of an incentive to investigation than definitely educational in itself.” (d) “Significant events in geologic history peitaining to mountains and movements of earth’s crust — animation and models.” We must not end these suggestions without warning the teacher against placing too great reliance on so-called picture “evaluations.” Bear in mind that what is one man’s food is another’s poison and what one rates high in value another may rate low. “Evaluation” is largely a matter of immediate personal reaction — we say “immediate” since personal reactions vary, and even reverse themselves, from day to day. Most of this “evaluation” has been mere “busy-work” on the university level. Courses in “visual education” must be drawn out as long as possible and “evaluation” is a splendid time-killer. When you begin criticizing pictures, bear in mind that p i c t u r emaking is so costly that producers do months of “evaluating” before beginning work ; hence the evaluations made by amateur degree-seeking students are mere postmortems and are valueless from a practical standpoint. The teacher who can not evaluate for herself is indeed a poor specimen of her art. So we advise teachers to “be themselves” literally, and, when judging books or motion pictures, to judge them solely in terms of how they satisfy them individually without relation to ready-to-wear mental folderol. Our next topic will be : So You Are Going To Buy A Projector. WHAT SHALL WE READ about the MOVIES? A Guide to the Many Books about Motion Pictures; Their History, Science, Industry, Art. Future — Compiled as an Aid to Photoplay Appreciation. By WILLIAM LFWIN, Ph. D. Chairman, Department of English, Weequahic High School, Newark, New Jersey 25)z^ a Copy Free With Two-Year Subscriptions to "Film & Radio Guide.” BEHIND THE CREDITS BY HELEN COLTON Not long ago Variety, the show-business trade paper, set up a front-page howl instigated by Eddie Cantor. The yelping was to the effect that radio was dying a slow but sure death by not training new people who could qualify to continue radio’s tasks — it had no new generation to carry on for it when the present one died off. By now, this complaint from Variety and assorted radio big gies has become an annual thing. And certainly a justified one. But nothing ever seemed to be done about it, beyond the lipservice of calling attention to this need. Next year. Variety may be able to change that story. If so, it may be due, in part, to the pioneer spirit of Station KFI in Los Angeles which, in cooperation with University of California Extension, began last January to render more than lip-service by setting up a radio workshop which provides training for radio aspirants. The whole thing started with a course in the theory of radio at University of California Extension. When it came to giving actual practice in radio to the students of the course. University of California Extension enlisted the aid of KFI, which donates its facilities and the