"'Life,' by H. B. Hutchings, given the highest recognition for Home Movies, is the sort of picture that the 16mm camera was made for. It is a day in his son's life and contains many effects which were undoubtedly secured with one of the more modern cameras." American Cinematographer, Dec. 1933, 321, 342.
"This year, Ten Best welcomes a baby picture to its select circle. Out of the large number of personal and family films submitted to the League, Linda represents the ultimate in child movies. Here, in less than ten minutes of running time, unfold some of the high lights of the first few weeks of a baby's life. Following a carefully planned scenario, Richard Fuller shows himself well acquainted with motion picture technique. Lovely settings are accentuated by superb lighting. Pastel pinks and blues, colors intimately connected with the nursery, predominate. Fine cutting, well chosen camera viewpoints, effective use of dolly shots and double exposures all attest to a sound knowledge of cinematic expression. Above all, there is a feeling of quality and good taste. At the advent of a tiny stork, ingeniously controlled by wires, Mr. Fuller begins pacing the floor and lighting one cigarette after the other. Then, the routine of Linda's early days is set forth in charming fashion." Movie Makers, Dec. 1941, 564.
"A family picture built around the young daughter of Ira Radovsky. She is coming into the age when little girls want to go for a walk when things at home are not completely as they would like them. We follow the adventures of this young lady and enjoy every moment of it." PSA Journal, Nov. 1958, 46.
"In Little Geezer, running 400 feet, Theodore Huff, ACL, has produced one of the most able and amusing burlesque film stories of the amateur year, repeating his success of that earlier satiric classic, Hearts of the West. Again he has used, with amazing directorial facility, the neighborhood youngsters as his only actors. Again he has aped, with his own peculiar genius, the threadbare cliches of professional drama, poking fun in his filming as well as his titling. Little Geezer offers fine examples of real cinema, is the sort of thing amateurs can do as well or better than professionals and is delightfully amusing in the process." Movie Makers, Dec. 1932, 561.
"Theodore Huff, ACL, has done it again! That lone wolf producer of Hearts Of The West has paralleled the gorgeous fun of his earlier panning of the purple plains as he takes the gangsters for a ride in Little Geezer. The Big Shot, his lieutenant, Greta Garbage (" — more to be pitied than sniffed at") and Scarface Macaroni are all there, played by the neighborhood kids, no one of them over eleven years old. Through their naively serious acting and his own genius at direction and editing. Mr. Huff has riddled with bursts of laughter the machine gun monarchy of professional filmdom." Movie Makers, Sept. 1932, 398.
"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 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.
"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.
"A teen-aged girl — whose imagination has been excited by murder headlines in the local paper — and a mysterious new boarder in her mother's home are the ingredients of The Man With The Box, a superlative melodrama by James L. Watson. For here is as hair-raising a thriller as you could want to see. Mr. Watson tells his story through the interplay of image and counterimage, without benefit of dialog, and he tells it simply and well. Taut and well paced, the film should hold any audience in suspense-filled excitement from its quiet and clearly stated beginning right up to the shock of its logical and terrifying conclusion. The small cast has been cunningly chosen and wisely directed. The players, Cathy Moss as the inquisitive young girl and John Dowell as the strange boarder, give restrained yet moving performances, sustaining the film's mood admirably. The accompanying score not only complements the story line: it becomes, excitingly, an integral part of it. The Man With The Box returns to the first principles of the silent cinema with rewarding vitality." Movie Makers, Dec. 1952, 399-400.
"In Maxine's Big Moment, William Messner proves that he knows the language of the motion picture, for he tells his tale in true visual terms. No subtitles are used, nor are they needed. This is a small film but a suave one, scarcely more than a vignette, as it recounts the excitement of a teen age girl's first formal dance. In it, the producer has used high key lighting that is eminently suitable in portraying a lovely young girl anticipating and preparing for a party. The choice of softcolor backgrounds adds immensely to the mood of the film, and the imaginative mirror shots in which the young lady pins a corsage to her gown are noteworthy. Fine editing and smooth transitions, in addition to good acting, combine to make a delightful and entertaining home movie." Movie Makers, Dec. 1948, 476.
A short film about the children and activities at the Milton Road infant school located in Cambridge.
Total Pages: 11
Amateur Cinema