The Motion Picture and the Family (Oct 1934 - May 1937)

8 THE MOTION PICTURE AND THE FAMILY March 15, 1936 All These Smiling Boys And Girls Belong To The Motion Picture Appreciation Club Of Peabody High, Pittsburgh Promote Interest By Ship Model Contest A ship model building contest which started up wide interest in Mutiny on the Bounty among the younger generation was the novel method chosen in Indianapolis to stimulate a large attendance of boys and girls at this exceedingly worthwhile film, which is one of those selected by the Motion Picture Committee of the Department of Education of the National Education Association as the subject matter for a study guide. Not only did scores of school children submit a ship model but hundreds applied at the library for Mutiny on the Bounty and correlated reading as a result of the distribution of 8,000 bookmarks. Chairman Evolves Movie Catechism (Continued from Page 1) birth who have starred in American made films." "Name three American films that foster peace." There is also a glossary of motion picture terms which the members are asked to define and a list of widely known stars whose pictures they are asked to identify. Mrs. Miner suggests distribution of mimeographed lists of these questions at a regular club meeting or copying them from a blackboard if this is too costly. Each club chairman is asked to report at a general conference in April how high a rating the members of her club achieved in answering the questionnaire. One of the most enthusiastic groups studying the motion picture is that pictured above, representing one of Pennsylvania's largest high schools. Greenwich Manager Cooperates With School Henry C. Dreyer, manager of the Pickwick Theatre of Greenwich, Connecticut, is giving the photoplay appreciation movement decided impetus in that town. He purchases study guides on outstanding films and furnishes them to the English department of the Greenwich High School for use in motion picture appreciation classes. The initial study guide order was for 100 copies of the guide on A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mr. Dreyer gives notice to the English department about forthcoming attractions which should be of interest to the students. Publications Popular In The League Library Selected Motion Pictures, the joint publication of the East and West Coast Previewing Groups, and The Motion Picture and the Family, publication of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc., are popular with patrons of the League of Nations Library, according to a letter received from Miss Marie Ginsberg of the library staff. A woman delegate from Lithuania has been among the many people making use of them. This was done during a special study conducted for her government, dealing with the cinema question with relation to children. Why the Bookmarks Modern Times becomes an inevitable choice for a bookmark (see page 7). Without omitting uproarious humor of the type we have come to expect from the unique Mr. Chaplin, it supplies current comment, satire and philosophy of a high order. The Story of Louis Pasteur presents the life of a genius, who was also a martyr to science, in a way that both thrills and uplifts and must result in a tremendous desire to read the life of a man who was truly great and also truly humble. Rhodes, The Diamond Master, presents the life-story of a man who did big things, and to this interesting biography is added the dramatic adventure that accrues to the pursuit of all gems and to diamonds in particular. The Ghost Goes West was chosen for a bookmark because of the high quality of story and film. It presents a delightful tale, rich in humor and a keen, yet kindly satire, and is sure to arouse interest in its connecting books, which deal with stories of ancestral ghosts and Scottish clans and plaids. Encouraging Reports From Island Group Organized a year and a half ago by four or five people who were interested in the promotion of better week-end programs for child consumption, the Port Washington (Long Island, N. Y.) Motion Picture Council has now grown until it is composed of representatives from practically every organization in the town, both social and political. Mr. Paul Schreiber, the superintendent of schools, serves as secretary, and other officers are: president, Mrs. Lyman Langdon; vice-president, Mrs. F. L. Woolley, and treasurer, Mrs. Howard Reid. To date, the organization has operated without dues, but it is now fixing a small membership fee to reimburse the officers for funds expended for printing and postage. Progress to date includes the introduction of a good family picture on most Friday-Saturday programs, with the understanding that if possible the family picture will be shown at the two o'clock matinee so that the children may leave at its close if the other feature on the double bill is not particularly desirable for a juvenile audience: also a considerable improvement in the type of shorts shown with the feature picture. A poll is shortly to be inaugurated to determine how the public in Port Washington reacts to the double feature billing policy. The Council is also inaugurating library cooperation and each week inserts in the newspapers a detailed criticism of the pictures to be shown locally the coming week.