Frontiersman is a religious film sponsored by the British and Foreign Bible Society and produced by Crawley Films.
"Film about the Woodley family’s attempts at Sunday morning relaxation when the Woodley boys are away at Sunday School." Library and Archives Canada.
A woman grows frustrated with her husband's commitment to his various hobbies, which seem to take precedence over their marriage.
Comedy about a psychiatric hospital patient who attempts an escape. Two inept hospital employees fail to retrieve the patient, allowing him to encounter a child whose scooter offers a chance at a faster getaway.
A man is late for his anniversary dinner after getting drunk at an "amateur magician's club." He attempts to make up for it by surprising his wife with gifts, but the gifts turn out to be magic tricks which further infuriate her. The man's magic tricks are accomplished via trick photography.
After celebrating his fourth wedding anniversary, a man becomes obsessed with building a homemade weapon of mass destruction. The man's efforts reach a breakthrough after the couple celebrates their fifth anniversary.
"Film about three little boys, played by Doug, Bill and Lorne Woodley, the sons of Charles Devenish Woodley, visiting the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto on a sunny day." Library and Archives Canada.
"All In A Day - Consistently good photography marks this humorous document of the trials and tribulations that beset a man who goes fishing despite the objections of his wife. Overruling his wife's plea that he take her to visit her mother, the man sets out on his trip early the next morning. His first disappointment comes when the pal who was to accompany him bows out. Setting out alone, trouble comes in bunches. He gets a ticket for speeding, then a flat tire, and when he arrives at the lake selected for fishing, the boat is flooded with water. After bailing it out, the man rows out on the lake, forgetting his lunch, tackle, etc., and he must return to shore - further building up his state of high dudgeon. Before night falls, he's fallen in the lake, not to mention the fact he caught nary a fish, so he returns home a sadder but wiser man. But even then, his troubles are not over. His wife, who promised he'd 'be sorry' for going on the trip, locks him out of the house. In the closing scene he finds solace in his little son, who remains his only friend. One outstanding feature of this film is the maker's ability to cut scenes as he shoots. Result is each scene dovetails snugly with the next, and this greatly simplified, we are sure, the task of editing the film." American Cinematographer, May. 1952, 211.
"The story concerns an incident involving a psychopathic criminal at large. It is told by a radio narrator during his nightly program and through flashbacks of the action itself. All action takes place at night, which placed an added burden on the abilities of Cowart. Nevertheless, his lighting of the night shots, both indoors and out are as good as one sees in theatre films today. The closeups of the radio narrator could be cut a little tighter, thus speeding up the pace, but that is about the only serious criticism one can find with this unusual amateur production." American Cinematographer, May. 1952, 222.
'In Fancy Free' is a fantasy, imaginatively planned, photographed, and edited, which pictures the day-dreams of a young woman as she sits by the window looking out on her garden. Nearby objects, such as a Buddah, a porcelain figure of a dancer, a flower, and the passing of friends by her house set her to reflecting on her greatest wish -to be a dancer. She becomes absorbed in these dreams as a participant and the dances she imagines are laid against colorful and symbolic backgrounds. As the picture unfolds, narration by a young woman with a remarkable appealing voice tells the story of the young girl's desires, and then in the closing sequence, we learn in a brief heart-tugging climax that the girl, a cripple, can never take part in the activities of her dreams. The production is replete with effect lighting and special photographic effects -a forte which Turner ably established in his earlier productions. The dance numbers demanded skill, both in direction and execution; and the musical score, especially prepared by members of the student orchestra of the college where Turner is an instructor, is a vital and moving contribution to the picture." American Cinematographer, May 1952, 222.
"Save for a few opening and closing scenes, In Fancy Free is creative film fantasy of the highest order. For in it Glen H. Turner, beginning only with an idea, has evoked from his own mind and heart and spirit a superb and moving visual drama. As with all truly great art, the theme of In Fancy Free is essentially simple. At the film's opening a grave and tranquil girl is seen seated by a sunny window overlooking a rose garden. Laying aside her book amid these halcyon surroundings, she daydreams to herself of that which in all her life means most — the joys of dancing. There follow then four sequences of modern ballet, their themes suggested by objects or activities around her — an Oriental figurine, a string of paper dolls, a tennis game and the sunny, nodding roses. As these ballets end, we learn — in a brief, throat-tightening climax — that never, in her lifetime, can the girl take part in them. Although thematically quite different, In Fancy Free is a direct descendant of One Summer Day, with which (on 8mm. film) Mr. Turner won the Maxim Memorial Award in 1949. For in both fantasies the producer has, with sound dramatic instinct, related his world of pulsing wonder directly with the world of poignant reality. Thus it is that Mr. Turner's brilliant creative imageries take on a meaning above and beyond their mere technical virtuosity. The story development, dance themes, abstract settings and, needless to say, the camera work of In Fancy Free are all original creations by the producer. Mr. Turner enjoyed, however, a wealth of heart-warming collaboration in bringing this picture to its full flowering. An assistant professor of art at Brigham Young University, he was able to enlist the enthusiasm of countless other creative spirits. Thus it was that an original and brilliant musical score was written directly into this film dream. Thus, too, that this music was performed for recording by the university orchestra and that the dance themes were developed, almost step by step with the picture's progress, by the college ballet group. There will be those among the carping who are sure to complain that with this cooperation and those resources any amateur could produce a winner. To these few our unequivocal answer is "Non-sense!" Great art is created by the mind and heart of the artist — not by the hands of those who help him. That Mr. Turner could integrate these efforts into his own filmic concept is only another measure of this man as a truly creative cine artist." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 392-393, 410.
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema