"Sometime during the summer of 1950, Fred Evans, L. A.'s genial maestro of 8mm movies, arranged to pick up a new Nash sedan in Grand Rapids, Mich. What better excuse need there be for packing up his two Southern California sons and taking them East to meet the land of their forefathers? Which is exactly what he did in Vacation Highlights of 1950. The lead title is commonplace, perhaps almost banteringly so; but the film footage which follows it is not. Niagara Falls, his native Vermont, Concord, Lexington, New York, Philadelphia and Washington are on the Evans itinerary of American history. There is a rewarding stop at the St. Louis zoo — for its incomparable Sunday shows — and soon the Evans are home again. But not without one final twist to the tale. "Hey, look-out here, Pop!" urges the oldest offspring as he returns from scouting the premises. The family cat, with inimitable feline pride and savoir faire has had kittens." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 410.
"Northwoods Adventures is a plumply constructed and neatly tied half-hour package of travel through the Adirondack area. Evident in it are the well known technical skills, the smooth sequencing and the attractive titles which mark all the movies of Frank E. Gunnell. But the picture seems a package, nevertheless — and a package for a purpose. One gets the impression that the producer, as he edited, had his eye on the guest-lecturer's clock at a luncheon club meeting — rather than on the crisp continuities of movie making per se." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 412.
"Leo Caloia's 'The Thing' is an ambitious effort in a storyfilm production, demostrating excellent camera work." American Cinematographer, May. 1952, 224.
"Oscar Horovitz clicks with a second entry in this competition with his 'Tulips, Canals and Wooden Shoes,' documentary on native Holland." American Cinematographer, May 1952, 224.
"Leo J. Heffernan's 'What God Hath Whrought" pictures some of the wonders of Nature, with emphasis on the mighty Niagara Falls. His color photography is excellent." American Cinematographer, May 1952, 224.
"While motoring through Zion National Park, Leo J. Heffernan photographed the mountains, trees and canyons as they passed by his camera. The resulting picture, What God Hath Wrought, filmed almost entirely from his moving car, has an amazing three-dimensional effect. Changes in depth and perspective give the viewer a strong sense of participation, a true feeling that he is actually on the spot. For, traveling along the main highways, where so many tourists drive each year, Mr. Heffernan shows us this usually static subject from a tourist's level — but with new and refreshing viewpoints." Movie Makers, Dec. 1952, 341.
"Donald Volkman's film, A Breath of Spring, is a montage study of the vernal season in a city — in this case, Boston. But shots of the blowing skirt of a girl, the wind-whipped awning of a department store and the clothesline ballet of the Monday wash are universal. Mr. Volkman has truly brought imagination to his pictorial progression of spring, from melting snows in a churchyard to the full flowering of the sun-warmed earth and its people. His choice of musical accompaniment is especially notable, particularly with shots of running water in gutters and the Boston Pop's rendition of The Wearing of the Green with the sequence of a St. Patrick's Day parade. A Breath of Spring was created as a thesis in a course on motion pictures at Boston University, where Mr. Volkman is a student." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411.
"What happens when a pair of jewel thieves masquerading as house painters get into a lady's apartment to elude the police is entertainingly told in this club production by the 8mm. group of the Seattle Amateur Movie Club. John F. Herman, the director, keeps the action moving, while the players discharge their roles for the most part with good humor. J. W. Crock and George Hayden contribute ably as the cameramen. Although the cutting, as with so many amateur dramas, is not as swiftly paced as one might wish, Apartment C is an engaging example of cooperative filming." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411.
"In the process of viewing Around Lot 34, one is reminded of the gag in old comedies where an impossible number of persons emerge from an automobile. Only in this case it is the incredible amount and variety of produce and flowers grown in the area of a trailer plot. Henry J. Auger has made a "dawn to dusk" film of trailer life, but he has lifted it above a humdrum record by occasional inserts of humor that are wisely not belabored. Mr. Auger makes life in a trailer park seem relaxed and pleasant indeed — with Mother doing all the chores. The result is a film of warmth, refreshingly portrayed." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411.
"Grand Canyon Voyage is the record of how seven daring people in three tiny boats ran the Colorado River from Lee's Ferry in Arizona, through the awesome gorge of the Grand Canyon, to Lake Mead in Nevada. The trip itself was the exciting and gallant climax to four years of dedicated effort by Al Morton. Ideally, this film record of the trip should be infused with this same excitement, this same sense of gallant adventure. That it is not consistently so inspirited will be a source of sincere regret to all who know Mr. Morton. But perhaps no motion picture of this dangerous, demanding river run could recreate this spiritual overtone. The physical odds against filming were too great, too overwhelming, for controlled camera work and integrated continuity. Survival itself became more important than an image of it. Al Morton, we believe, has done a supremely difficult job far better than would the most of us. He has done it as well, surely, as any cameraman living." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411.
"Louis Dishotsky and Arthur Rosenthal have put together in High Card Goes an entertaining variation on the travel record film. A definite story line replaces the usual slight continuity device. A pair of tickets for a Florida trip are won on a radio quiz show, but since both parents and two children cannot go, the mother and the father draw cards, high card winning. Wifey tops her mate's king with an ace and takes off for Florida, with the older child. The luckless husband is left to tend the baby and the house. While the acting is fine and the production is technically competent, the pictorial-dramatic pace is rather slow. Tighter editing is indicated." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411-412.
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema