Film treatment of the poem "When the Frost Is On the Punkin" by James Whitcomb Riley. Intertitles with text from the poem are interspersed among images that match the themes and content of the poem. The scenes include shots of harvest work, fall scenery, turkeys, and pumpkins.
"The Texas Forest Service was faced with a grave problem. Large parts of Texas were being devastated and deforested by numerous fires. The fires were caused by the idle fancy and carelessness of backwoodsmen. Which He Hath Planted was produced for the Service by Larry J. Fisher, ACL, as part of the campaign to lead these woodsmen into more constructive paths. It is a striking example of how, with imagination, a motion picture can be constructed to fit the needs of a very special situation. Mr. Fisher and the Forest Service had to find a common ground on which to base their appeal against the pyromaniacal instinct. Realizing that, however uneducated, most people from the backwoods have both acquaintance with and veneration for the Bible, they decided to peg their entire film on quotations from the Scriptures. What they have produced is a beautiful welding of applicable Biblical passages, both spoken and sung, to forest scenes, the end result tending to promote the idea that trees are rich and wondrous manifestations of God and are not intended by Him to be destroyed by man's casual whim. The lesson is well taught. But the film imparts a sense of beauty and reverence that far outlives the immediate lesson. For that, Mr. Fisher's blending of music and word and image is responsible." Movie Makers, Dec. 1946, 486.
"White Hearts, filmed by William R. Hutchinson, whose Blossom Forth the Fruit placed in Ten Best last year, presents further evidence of Mr. Hutchinson's understanding of the treatment necessary in handling progressive developments in nature when it is used for educational subjects. This story of celery raising begins with shots of farmers preparing the rich black soil and concludes with sequences showing the produce, packaged, ready for shipment. One of the difficulties overcome was the achievement of variety of value in the scenes showing the white celery stalks in contrast with extremely dark earth. Human interest is introduced by including intimate shots of the workers. Logical progression, interesting compositional effects and a genuine feeling for texture and tactile values make this a fine study picture." Movie Makers, Dec. 1942, 508.
"Shows a traditional wild rice harvest, including parching, threshing or jigging by foot power, and fanning. Participants are the John Chicag family and Gerald Strong." Minnesota Historical Society.
"On college student work campers from the Hartwick Seminary and the farmers' cooperative movement in Cooperstown." National Archives.
"With the vitality of youth, the wonder of the woods and adolescent hunger for adventure, you have the ingredients for an excellent movie. Al Morton accepted the challenge offered by them, and turned out an interesting and competent film. Worth Scouting For has the indefinable quality that comes from fine filming, innate good taste and an understanding of boys' ways in the woods. Taking two independent youngsters and a large Boy Scout troop, Mr. Morton skillfully weaves a good story, based on the scorn of the two boys for the "sissy stuff" of Scouting. Both the troop and the boys go camping in the same area. The untrained campers make the mistakes avoided by the Scouts. They eat cold food because of their inability to build a fire; they become ill from smoking cigarettes which they have stolen; one almost drowns and is rescued by a Scout. They learn their lesson and decide that to "know how" is intelligent, not "sissy." A fine ability to film and direct youngsters with success makes Worth Scouting For an excellent picture which will be a delight to the actors in years to come. That, in itself, is a high accomplishment." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 495.
Total Pages: 8
Amateur Cinema