Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1947)

26 AMATEUR CLUBS What organized groups are doing everywhere JAMES W. MOORE, AC L Will Plouffe • The officers, for the new year, of the Berkshire Museum Amateur Movie Club, Pittsfield, Mass., who were elected at a recent meeting. Maxim winner at Hartford In line with a ten >ear tradition, the first public screening of the year's Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award winning film was held early last month before members and guests of the Hartford (Conn.) Cinema Club, a group founded by Mr. Maxim in 1926 and of which Mrs. Percy Maxim Lee, FACL, donor of the Award, is a present member. The featured picture, of course, was Typical Times in the Tropics, by Ralph E. Gray, FACL, of Mexico City. This, with Mr. Gray's 1938 Maxim Award for Mexican Fiestas, makes him the first double winner of personal filmdom's highest honor. In recognition of the occasion, Mr. Gray flew north especially for the Hartford screening, where, in the intermission ceremonies, he received directly from Mrs. Lee the engraved and silvered replica of the Maxim Memorial. Other ten Best award winning films seen on this gala program were Doghouse Blues, by E. H. Sparks, ACL, of Bristol, Conn., and Kaleidoscopio, by Dr. Roberto Machado, of Havana, Cuba. William C. Goeben. ACL. president of the Hartford Cinema Club, presided at the gathering, with Edmund Zacher, ACL, behind the dual turntables. James W. Moore, ACL, represented the Amateur Cinema League and Movie Makers in brief discussions of the pictures screened. Contest in Manhattan There were eleven entries in' the recent general contest of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Club. ACL, of New York City, with first place and a cash award of seventy five dollars going to Frank E. Gunnell, FACL, for his new Bryce Canyon Trails. Other winners in order were Henry E. Hird, FACL. with Motion — to take the Mary Jessop Award — and Leo J. Heffernan, FACL, with Trees That Grow in Brooklyn. Joseph F. Hollywood, FACL, served as chairman of the contest committee and was assisted on the board of judges by John Hefele, ACL, George Mesaros, ACL, Sidney Moritz. ACL, Murray Tucker, J. Christian Vogel, ACL, and William H. Weed. Ninth for Peoria Members and guests of the Peoria (111.) Cinema Club, gathered recently in the city's Y.W.C.A. for a dinner marking the beginning of the dab's ninth year of activity. New officers were installed as follows: Carl S. Koch, president; William L. Lucas, vicepresident; Harold Benz, ACL, secretary; Dave Burns, treasurer. Serving with them on the board of directors are C. W. Gustafson, ACL, Earle Becker and Ralph Werner. Three place winning films in the club's Baumgardner Award contest — not identified in the Peoria news release — were screened at the meeting. Gold Cup in Australia • The camera attends a meeting of the executive board of the Minneapolis Cine Club, as its members do the business of the day. There were twelve contestants from three different Australian states in the recently judged Gold Cup Competition for 1946. conducted at Sydney, N.S.W., by the Australian Amateur Cine Society. ACL. Returned winner by a comfortable margin was Victor E. Pye, ACL. of Melbourne, for his 16mm. monochrome comedy. Miss Understanding ; Mr. Pye is an active member of the Victorian Amateur Cine Society. ACL. as well as of AACS, and was recently given Honorable Mention among Movie Makers 1946 Ten Best for his earlier drama. Inspiration. Second and third place winners in the Gold Cup contest were L. D. Holmes, ACL. of Sydney. for Scenes That Are Brightest, and H. Solomon. of Brisbane, for Shadow of Yesterday. Activities on the AACS production. There Sat in a Window, are moving along apace, with the appointment of the following production staff: W. J. Foster-Stubbs, producer; Miss Lynn Foster, director; John Couch, cameraman; Abe Berns, art director; Ron Ferris, sound director; Kenneth Saunders, scenarist. Hird at Passaic II was annual Henry Hird night at a late meeting of the Passaic (N. J.) Cinema Club. ACL, held in the auditorium of the city's Y.M.C.A. On the program, Henry E. Hird, FACL, regarded as the club's top movie maker, presented his latest film, Motion, a 1946 Ten Best award winner, and followed this screening with a discussion of the time lapse and microcinematographic techniques displayed in it. A [Continued on page 37]