Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1939)

56 MOTION PICTURE HERALD June 24 , 1939 DOCUMENTARY MAKERS FORM NATIONAL UNIT Joris Ivens Is President of the Association Organized After World's Fair Meetings The Association of Documentary Film Producers formally appeared over the weekend as the first organization of its kind in this country and one of the first in the world. It is intended, primarily, to develop the field of documentary film, artistically and technically, and to publicize it. A constitution was adopted, officers were elected and headquarters established in the old Mecca film building at 1600 Broadway, New York. Joris Ivens President Joris Ivens, president, Paul Strand and Willard Van Dyke, first and second vice-presidents respectively, head the organization. Others elected for one year were William Osgood Field, treasurer ; Mary Losey, secretary ; Lionel Berman, chairman of the membership committee ; Joseph Losey, chairman of the education committee, and Irving A. Jacoby, chairman of the finance committee. These, together with a third vice-president, to be elected by West Coast members as their representative, constitute an executive committee of nine. A membership committee to pass on qualifications of applicants was also elected, consisting of Jay Leyda, Helen Van Dongen, John Bradford and Willard Van Dyke. The purposes of the organization, as stated in the constitution, are : 1) "To develop the artistic and technical standards of independent, creative films. 2) "To publicize such films. 3) "To promote wider production and distribution of such films. 4) "To provide a means of communication and cooperation among independent, creative film makers. 5) "To act as a source of information on such films and to cooperate with other agencies in the compilation and dissemination and exchange of such information." Follows World's Fair Sessions "The Association of Documentary Film Producers is the result of a need felt for such an organization by a group who originally came together to assist Philip McConnell of the World's Fair Education Committee in the selecting, procuring, and publicizing of a program of independent films to be shown in the Education and Science Building at the Fair," said the announcement. "At the first meeting held in April a permanent relationship was proposed. It was felt that an enormously rich field was being neglected, and that no organization existed to meet the common needs of the producers in this field." Regular membership is open to all persons "substantially interested" and "active" in the production of "independent, creative films." Associate membership is open "to those not eligible to regular membership, but who have proved their sympathy to the aims of this organization." At present there are 39 regular members. The Association will begin to function immediately with various projects including film surveys, programs and critical discussions. Regular monthly meetings will be held. Hollywood members participated in the voting by wire and telephone. They will hold regular meetings also. The complete membership follows : NOW PARAMOUNT HAS A "FAIR" BUREAU Paramount Pictures is the latest to open a World's Fair service bureau for exhibitors and other film folk visiting New York, setting aside special quarters starting Wednesday on the 9th floor of the home office building at Times Square, where Miss Evelyn O'Connell will be chief hostess. She had been serving as secretary to Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount vicepresident in charge of studio operations. RKO has its World's Fair service bureau, at its home office, in charge of Henderson M. BJchey. Warners opened similar quarters at its headquarters, in charge of Isabel Turner. Ouigley Publications has had such a service for some time. Regular Members, New York Roger Barlow ; Elaine Basil, WPA Film Project; Lionel Berman, Frontier Films; John P. Bradford, March of Time ; Julien Bryan ; J. V. D. Bucher, Thomas Chalmers, March of Time ; Mrs. Sheldon Dick, Lee Dick, Inc. ; John Devine ; W. O. Field, Jr., Frontier Films ; John Flory, Motion Picture Corporation of America ; Lora Hays ; Fanning Hearon, Association of School Film Libraries ; Leo Hurwitz, Frontier Films ; Joris Ivens, Contemporary History, Inc.; Lewis Jacobs, WPA Film Project; I. A. Jacoby ; Elias Katz ; Herbert Kline, producer of "The Crisis" ; Irving Lerner ; Jay Leyda, Museum of Modern Art Film Library ; Joe Losey, Progressive Education Association and Joseph Losey, Inc. ; Mary Losey ; Julian Roffman; Leo Seltzer, WPA Film Project; Robert Stebbins, Frontier Films ; Ralph Steiner, American Documentary Films ; Paul Strand, Frontier Films ; Helen Van Dongen, Progressive Education Association & Contemporary History, Inc. ; Willard Van Dyke, American Documentary Films ; David Wolff, Frontier Films. Hollywood Regular Members Shirley Burden ; Floyd Crosby, Film Guild ; James Gow, Film Guild ; Arthur Ornitz, Film Guild; Irving Reis, Film Guild; Henwar Rodakiewicz ; Tatanya Tuttle, Film Guild ; Gunther Von Fritsch, Film Guild. Associate Members George Gercke, U. S. Film Service ; Jean H. Lenauer, Filmarte Theatre ; Philip McConnell, Science and Education Exhibit, World's Fair ; W. French Githens, Sound Masters, Inc. ; Alfred Saxe, Frontier Films ; Robert S. Carr ; Arnold Pearl, Frontier Films ; Richard Griffiths, apprentice to Paul Rotha ; Theodore Lawrence, American Documentary Films. Tracing History of Cartoon, Puppet Films A survey of the development of the animated cartoon and puppet film was given at the Museum of Modern Art Film Library, New York, when 22 short films tracing this phase of motion pictures from 1907 to the present day were shown Tuesday before an invited audience. The program was arranged by Joseph Losey, and was chiefly composed of films selected from the Museum's archives, through John E. Abbott, director of the Library. Included in the program are many short subjects never seen in this country, or out of circulation in recent years. The program follows : French "Happy Microbes" — a cartoon by Emil Cohl, the French film pionetr, in 1907. "Drama Chez Les Fantoches" — an early experimental cartoon with white lines on a black background. (1908) "Joie de Vivro" — a surrealistic cartoon by Hopping and Gross. (1934J "Night on the Bare Mountain" — etching-on-film cartoon by the Russian artist, Alexeyeff. (1936) American "Genie the Dinosaur" — cartoon by Winsor McCay, patterned after his comic-strip creation. (1909) "Story of Old Glory" — a serious, animated cartoon tracing the history of the American flag by Lutz, author of the only authoritative book on the animated cartoon. (1918) "R. F. D. 10,000 B. C."— a film with plastic wood figures animated by the stop-motion camera. By W. H. O'Brien. (1917) "Big Swim" — cartoon by Bud Fisher. (1918) "Mutt and Jeff"— cartoon by Bud Fisher. (1918) "Dinkey Doodle and the Bad Man" — an early cartoon by Walter Lantz. "Four Musicians of Bremen" — Walt Disney's first professional cartoon. (1922) "The Mad Dog"— by Walt Disney. (1932) Several cartoons by Charley Bowers. One reel from "Pete-Roleum and His Cousins" — Joseph Losey. (1939) German "Rhythms 21" — an abstract film of animated patterns by Richter. (1921) "Was die Eiche Rauscht" — a color cartoon for the German state railways by Krusc. (1936) Enslish "Carmen" — cut-out silhouette film by Lotte Reiniger. (1933) "Colour Box" — a commercial cartoon by Len Lye. (1935) "Kaleidoscope"— by Len Lye. (1935) "Birth of the Robot"— by Len Lye. (1936) Several commercial cartoons by George Pal. Russian "Revenge of the Kinematography Cameraman"— by Starevitch. (1912) New Documentary Film "School," a documentary film on progressive education, produced by Lee Dick, Inc., New York, in cooperation with the American Film Center and the Progressive Education Association, was previewed by the press Wednesday at the Museum of Modern Art. Its sponsors say it is the first documentary production in full sound and dialogue to be done on 16 mm. film. It is to be shown throughout the summer in the special theatre of the Science and Education Building at the New York World's Fair. "School" was produced under the supervision of Mrs. Lee Dick and Edward Anhalt. The film is two reels in length and was made entirely at the Hessian Hills School at Croton-on-the-Hudson, New York. "School" was made without the use of any professional actors. Children of the fifth grade in the Hessian Hills School, without training, and teachers from the school faculty were photographed during their actual study and play and in the execution of the project which are a part of progressive education. "Democracy in education is the real theme of 'School'," it is explained. There is no commentator, the sound track of the film being entirely devoted to the voices of the children themselves and to a musical accompaniment. Leon Abraham Joins RKO Leon Abraham, for four years head booker at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Kansas City exchange, has joined the RKO Radio branch there as office manager, succeeding John Wangberg, who has become a home office representative in the south for RKO. Al Adler succeeds Mr. Abraham as head booker for MGM in Kansas City. Signs Altec Contract Oscar C. Lam, prominent Southern exhibitor, has signed Altec to service his theatres in Cedartown, Newman and LaGrange, Ga., in addition to his three Rome, Ga., theatres now serviced by Altec. H. B. Moog negotiated for Altec.