"Mel Weslander and Harry French of San Francisco, with 'Solar Pelexus,' were winners of Agfa's contribution of six rolls of film. As the misspelling of the title indicates, the subject was a farce portraying the journey of two men to another planet in a rocket." American Cinematographer, Jan. 1938, 28.
"For his excellent composition in the 650-foot 8mm. Kodachrome subject of "El Camino Real" John E. Walter, retiring vice president of the Los Angeles 8mm. Club, was awarded the f :1.8 20mm. Astro lens contributed by Mitchell Camera Corporation. The subject is a most interesting pictorial tour of the Pacific Coast missions, with intimate shots around each." American Cinematographer, Jan. 1938, 28.
"Harrison and Harrison's offer of the firm's color meter in leather case, with six 1 1/4 -inch meter-matched filters in leather filter fold, was awarded Eugene L. Ritzmann of Berkeley, Cal., for his 'Garden Life.' The entrant has been making amateur movies for nine years, and his skilled work in putting on the screen in color by means of controlled timing the blooming of flowers demonstrated that his period of apprenticeship has long since expired. If a word of suggestion and distinctly not of criticism might be offered it would be the film would have greater value for the uninformed if titles should be inserted identifying the various flowers. The subject caused some tough eggs of the male persuasion to sit up and take notice. What it will do to the world of womankind it is not hard to imagine." American Cinematographer, Jan. 1938, 28.
"In the educational class, E. N. Harrison's two reel subject, 'The Least Tern,' was excellent. For general showing the film unquestionably did have too much repetition, but for strictly educational use this would be an asset. More serious was the lack of necessary explanatory titles. The photographic technique was truly excellent, for virtually the entire film must obviously have been made with extremely long focus lenses, shooting from a blind, and the results on the screen were practically perfect." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1938, 76.
"Last, but by no means least on the list of honorable mentions, is Duncan MacD. Little's 'Voyageur's Trail,' a news film of a four-day canoe race in Canada. This film, photographed perforce under whatever conditions happened to obtain at the moment the action occurred, represents a remarkable achievement in amateur news filming, for which Little is to be commended in the highest terms." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1938, 78.
"R. C. Denny, S.A.C, was awarded the Weston Cine Exposure Meter Model 819, contributed by its manufacturers, for 'Scenic Wonders of the Southwest,' an 800-foot subject in color." American Cinematographer, Jan. 1938, 28.
"In this connection, one of the honorable mention films, William Murphy's 'If Rugs Could Talk,' deserves special mention. Consisting of close-ups of hands and feet in a manner perhaps too reminiscent of the still remembered 1932 prize film, 'I'd Be Delighted [To],' 'If Rugs Could Talk' was a technical achievement of the first order, for it consisted entirely of interior scenes, made by artificial light, and photographed entirely on positive film, reversal-processed at home." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1938, 75.
This was one of five films Rocker submitted to the American Cinematographer contest of 1937 on the subject of "the service given by some municipal agency of his home city of Cleveland." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1938, 78.
"Four 8mm. films, however, found places among the honorable mentions. Included among these may be mentioned Earl Cochran's 'gay 90's' melodrama, 'The Engineer's Daughter,' which, in addition to being most amusing, was well photographed, excellently acted and costumed, and a more than ordinarily creditable job of production. It suffered, however, from a few strictly technical shortcomings — mostly in directing." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1938, 76.
"This film had a strikingly unusual theme and one which was slow to grow upon the spectators. But grow it did, and had the cinematographer-director been able to lavish a bit more attention on the pictorial attractiveness of some of his shots, and had he, as producer, clarified his plot with a few more titles, the film might well have been a winner. It is, however, a notable production, for seldom if ever before has an amateur filmer attempted to put on the screen so unusual a story." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1938, 76.
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema