"Francis M. Spoonogle apparently keeps a large family of snakes, bats, bugs, slugs and praying mantises in his backyard, to talk to in his idle moments. It is a fascinating collection, though most of us would probably be just as well satisfied with a couple of dogs and cats. At any rate, in Movie Menagerie Mr. Spoonogle exhibits his prizes in some of the finest ultra-closeup studies ever to reach the 8mm. screen. Although playing on a small stage, his creatures seem quite uninhibited during their brief periods of stardom. For instance, the favorite pastime of the female mantis seems to be eating all other types of small life (including her husbands) which might offer interesting digestive experiences. Many of Mr. Spoonogle's other characters are of a sweeter nature, however, and the film does not leave you feeling hopeless about nature by any means." Movie Makers, Dec. 1947, 534.
"A bathing beauty parade in Florida, blessing the fishing fleet at Gloucester, a tomato throwing fight in — well, it doesn't matter. These are not, to be sure, true scoops in the journalistic sense of the term. But they do constitute what passes for news these days in the newsreels; and, under George Merz's competent camera treatment and incisive cutting, they most certainly make for good movies. Mr. Merz sustains audience interest throughout Movie News Scoops, working in a film form — the topical newsreel — which the amateur generally has found difficult." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 412.
A story of a man who dreams of a rogue lawn motor coming to wreak havoc in his house.
"Mr and Mrs Behrens are seen walking along a driveway, outside their family home. Includes footage of two young children and a toddler, kicking inflatable ball in the garden" (NWFA Online Database).
"Family members pose for photographs outside a house in Cockermouth; later they are seen running around in the garden. The photographer is seen discussing his camera. Shots of a ruined mill building after a fire." (NWFA Online Database)
"Mr. Motorboat's Last Stand, written and produced by John A. Flory, who was assisted in photography by Theodore Huff, ACL, carries the subtitle, A Comedy of the Depression. It has, however, nothing in common with the typical motion picture comedy but is, instead, one of the very few films made each year that represent an intelligent attempt at experimentation with the motion picture medium. It is a story of Mr. Motorboat, an unemployed negro, who lives as elegantly as circumstances will permit in an automobile dump and who sells carefully washed and polished apples on a street corner. The picture turns into fantasy as Mr. Motorboat appears to ride to work in the morning in one of the cars of the dump that stands motionless without its wheels. Then the fantasy becomes more complete when he makes a bit of money and uses it as bait with which to fish in Wall Street. This he does literally and actually and with marvelous results until the crash of 1929. Simultaneously with the explosion of the prosperity bubble, Mr. Motorboat's competitor smashes his apple stand and the picture ends in a magnificent chase sequence, Mr. Motorboat after the competitor. This picture is photographed superbly well, and the editing is as smooth as that of the professional studio product. It is filled with remarkable directorial touches and cinematic symbolism and, although it suffers to some extent from the haphazard admixture of fantasy and realism, it is decidedly the best experimental film of the year." Movie Makers, Dec. 1933, 522.
Total Pages: 295
Amateur Cinema