Motion Picture News (Sep-Oct 1923)

September 8 , 1923 1175 Crandall's Public Service Work A .8 FTEK the public Service and Educational Department of the Crandall theatres, in Washington, D. C, had taken their places as a potent civic force in the community, Mrs. Locher, director, achieved a notable forward step in linking up the motion picture and public school education. Visual education has had many advocates, but in Washington, as in many other cities, a satisfactory method had not been found ■Thereby the' facilities for picture presentation could be made available to the school authorities. The school buildings were not equipped with projection booths, or other provisions for showing films. Funds were not at hand with which to install booths, or take other necessary steps to conform to police and fire regulations. The Crandall organization did not at once enlist the school authorities. They had to be shown that visual instruction in theatres was practical. The Crandall interests convinced them by demonstrations and the work was entered upon. Visual Education The opportunity to prove the value of this new form of instruction was the indirect outcome of America's war work. The Junior Red Cross of Czecho-Slovakia wanted to reciprocate for the aid rendered them during the war by the American Junior Red Cross. The Bakule School for Crippled Children in Prague, through Dr. Bakule, its principal and a former professor in the University of Chicago, proposed to the authorities of the American Red Cross a concert tour of a group of children enrolled in the school to appear in a number of song recitals in this country. Red Cross officials in Washington took the matter up with the Crandall Publicity Department and it was decided to make the Bakule School the subject of one of the Community Service Hours in the Crandall neighborhood house. Dr. Stepanek, Czeeho-Slovakian Minister to the United States, supplied two reels of film owned by the legation and these were combined with reels devoted to the beauties of Prague and the work of the School. The program, presented under the auspices of the Junior Red Cross, proved of wide interest and educational value; and the Washington school authorities asked that the history and geography classes be permitted to see the program as part of th regular school course. Thus was laid the groundwork for the permanent adoption of the Crandall theatres as annexes to the public schools of the District of Columbia. Dr. Kramer, assistant superintendent of schools, has named certain teachers in each section of Washington to take charge of visual instruction hours in the Crandall houses. The Crandall organization furnishes theatre, films and operators, together with pipe organist and the use of the triple maunal organs, when desired. Films of educational worth are shown, accompanied by talks by persons equipped to — do the subjects justice. Theso hours are not recesses from school work, but are regular class periods during which the pupils are under tha supervision of their teachers and By L. W. Boy nton— Article No. 3 Capital Athletic Club basketball team of Washington, D. C. principals, just as in regular school hours. It has been found thtft visual instruction is not necessarily to be confined to those of school age, but can be adapted to any course of instruction that can be photographed— business, manufacture, sports, mechanics, science, and other subjects. Slow-motion photography has been found of especial service in these theatre-school courses, enabling the student to fix in his mind details of a subject in a moment that would require hours of reading to grasp. Here is a feature of the Crandall publicservice work that every exhibitor can adopt. By allying himself with the schools in his community, he is at once identified with a group intensely interested in good citizenship ; and the exhibitor will at once gain the esteem and confidence of a new group of enthusiasts in the cause of the motion picture. He will be winning new and valuable friends for the industry and building a new clientele, provided of course he maintains a consistently high program at his theatre. Free Government Films A great number of Government films, suitable for this kind of visual instruction, can be obtained by the exhibitor without cost. Government Departments — particularly Interior and Agriculture — are an>ious to give their films as wide a showing as possible without rentals. Definite information concerning these pictures can be obtained from he Government Department or through the Crandall Public Service Department. When the schools open again in the Fall, it is probable a regular circuit of educational films will be available free to the exhibitor who wishes to inaugurate public service work. Visual instruction classes have also been formed this summer in all the Crandall neighborhood houses under the auspices of the Summer Vacation Bible Schools. The forr*1 of instruction is virtually the same as that used by the public school classes. Far-reaching effects are already evident from this contact of church and theatre. It was here that censorship wafs effectually combated. On several occ.sions, prominent ministers of Washington \Cere prevailed upon to look at pictures privately in the Crandall projection room, in order to form their own ideas as to the alleged need for censorship. More often than not, their ideas were found to be the result of misinformation or only partial knowledge. When Charlie Chaplin's " The Pilgrim " came along — it is an excellent case in point — ■ not a single Washington minister considered there was anything of sacrilege in it. Instead, they were highly amused by the respectful humor derived from their calling. This afforded a real opportunity for a frank discussion on the subject of censorship. Here was an argument used by the Crandall organization which impressed the ministers greatly : When an exhibitor buys first-run rights to a picture he buys among other things, the picture's continuity. The minute the censor applies the knife, he destroys one of the qualities of the film for which the exhiibtor has paid. There is no more justice in this than would be the censorship of books in the library of the home. It is equivalent to entering a man's library, tearing out half a dozen chapters and then telling him to go ahead and enjoy the book. The ministers, in some instances, were thus brought to see the other side of the question. The Vacation Bible Schools, conducted by Mrs. Bradley Moffatt in co-operation with Mrs. Locher have made possible ah intimate acquaintanceship between the Crandall theatres and the ministers of the Washington churches. New friendships are created. Any exhibitor in the country can institute this work on large scale or small, in the opinion of the Crandall organization, provided he goes at it energetically and sincerely. MOTION PICTURE NEWS is my Bible and I would not do without it for any price within reason. I also take , but THE NEWS has got them all skinned anyhow, fifty per cent. K. C. County License Test Case Under Way A move to establish by a test case the authority of the Jackson County Court, Kansas City, being the principal city of the county, to collect license from motion picture houses under an order made June 2, was made this week when the prosecuting attorney issued a complaint against A. M. Eisner, president of the Kansas City Division of the M. P. T. 0. A. and owner of the Broadmour. Mr. Eisner is charged with operating a motion picture theatre without, the county license. The information was sworn to by the county license inspector. Mr. Eisner was arraigned before Justice J. J. Shepard and pleaded not guilty and was released 011 +.">00 bond, his preliminary hearing being set for September 1. The new law provides that all motion picture theatres bounded by the souri River, the state line, Fifteenth street and Holmes street pay $100 annually. Theatres outside this district and with a seating capacity of more than 800 pay $50 annually, it is stated. I. C. Hon, Waterloo Theatre, Waterloo, Iowa