"Fundraising film about Queen Alexandra Solarium for Crippled Children at Mill Bay, near Victoria." (Duffy, Camera West)
"Already well in the forefront of contemporary photoplay producers, Charles J. Carbonaro has taken a marked step onward in his current comedy, Little Sherlock. Simply planned yet smoothly integrated, this new production tells a delightful tale of the precocious daughter of a photographer, who was always "helping" father. How, during a surprise robbery of their home, she records the crux of the event with Daddy's amateur movie camera provides a denouement which is both satisfying and successful. In Little Sherlock, Mr. Carbonaro has more than maintained the suave lighting and impeccable technical standards for which his work is known; he now wins new honors with a display of genuine talent for light comedy direction. To both of these credits must be added praise for his own acting of the busy cameraman and for the portrayal of the eager apprentice by his own daughter, Alice." Movie Makers, Dec. 1937, 603.
"The Little Swan is an animated film using paper cut-outs, and is tailored to fit the music of the Swan Lake Ballet. A little girl cuts out the images and watches them dance through the air, only to be trampled under foot when her little brother and his friends get into a scrap over a football" PSA Journal, Sept. 1966, 35.
"Magic Boy received the special citation for combining animation with live action. A small boy is watching a comic book or drawing board and what he sees comes to life before him. Whether Filmer Falco is a real life artist or not, he did a good job with the cartooning, but a really superb job in combining the boy with the animated character" PSA Journal, Sept. 1964, 51.
"Alexander Black imagines his grandchildren appearing around him in a swirl of double-exposed trick cinematography." UC Berkeley Library.
"The plot of Magic Mush is one that is fairly familiar to movie makers. A youngster saves up enough of the coupons that come with a breakfast food to get a free magic set, complete with wand. It turns out that the magic wand actually works, and Sister and Brother make things appear and disappear to their hearts' content. The trick work involved is done by stopping the camera, removing some article from the scene, or adding one to it, and starting the camera again. To this familiar plot, Eric N. Unmack has added some clever ideas of his own. One amusing device is the return of a kitten, rescued from the limbo of magic; she comes floating down, tied to a small parachute. Other clever tricks and especially good acting make this a first class family reel. All of it is presented with uniformly excellent interior filming." Movie Makers, Dec. 1941, 566.
"Film of a girl making items disappear and reappear for her sister." Church History Library.
"A short but poignant film of a crippled girl with a toy carousel which becomes very real to her. She dreams of visiting an amusement park." PSA Journal, Nov. 1956, 45.
"In a relatively short period of filming, Raymond J. Berger has mastered a type of photoplay which a great many persons have expressed a desire to make, the story film featuring a child and a pet. His script, a simple and unpretentious recounting of how an invalid child wills herself to walk again, to go to the aid of her injured dog, proves an ideal vehicle for Mr. Berger's young daughter and her handsome collie, Lassie. This 8mm. Kodachrome picture, scored with re-recorded music, is noteworthy for its excellent framing and splendid closeups. Particularly engaging is the sequence, after the accident, showing the mutual recovery of the two stars. Young Miss Berger, considering the limited histrionic ability of a natural child, plays her role with grace and assurance; her crying scenes and the ingenuous frolics with Lassie are unusually credible and well performed. Mr. Berger deserves credit for his planning and fulfillment of a screen play that revolves around two such charming personalities." Movie Makers, Dec. 1946, 486.
"George A. Valentine long has been one of the nation's leading 8mm movie makers, because of his knack for consistently turning out capsule movies with a punch, which have won numerous awards. In 'Make Mine Magic' Valentine has scored again with an appealing story of a lad who comes into possession of a magic wand, and thereafter brings to reality numerous wishes of his and those of his brother and sister. Valentine has a slick way of injecting humor and also a surprise last-minute gag into his movies. His 8mm color photography is consistently good and his editing and titling, as always, is skillfully done." American Cinematographer, May 1952, 222
Total Pages: 15
Amateur Cinema