"A tour of the California theme park." Center for Home Movies.
"Sea Theme: M. R. Weinstein, J. C. Couffer and Conrad Hall have collaborated in the production of a thematic and quite pictorial account of a young couple with a sailboat at sea. The variety of moods are enhanced by the carefully chosen musical score, which has been combined with the film. The picture begins by showing the youth and girl loafing in the sun on the ship's deck. A breeze springs up and they go into action setting sails and the wheel for a cruise in the bay. The camera follows the craft, both in long shot and intimate medium on-deck shots as it churns through the water, runs into a calm, then again bends to the breeze and returns to port at dusk. Consistency of photographic quality is a highlight and the sound recording is quite professional. The picture was filmed with a Bolex H-16 camera and a variety of four lenses." American Cinematographer, May 1951, 190.
""We were among twenty teams, all wearing our glamour suits for this event, as we marched up the beach together." Before the parade there were rehearsals with rope carriage, simulated rescue missions, and resuscitations, going through all the motions of practice. Then came the big event when the teams were in competition, each excited with the ambition and hope of winning, the judges noting every point in favor or against. A sporting day at the beach among the contestants and the spectators. "We didn't win but we were there as a team" is a sporting conclusion" PSA Journal, Nov. 1959, 47.
"From the era of jazz to the big swing bands, show business has meant life and music. The voices of Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson and Bing Crosby bring nostalgic memories as they sing those grand old songs. Clever, pantomime, night scenes of New York, familiar faces, along with the arrangements of Benny Goodman, Glen Miller and others, make the audience chuckle as they tap their toes and swing their shoulders, being caught up in the rhythm and excitement of "Show Biz" PSA Journal, Oct. 1963, 42.
"In Ski Legs, the family filming team of Cinecoles has produced an able and amusing farce comedy on the perils of skiing for the novice. Spurred on by the waning love of his onetime sweetheart — newly devoted to the current ski champion — the hero risks life and limb on the snowy trails, to win out in the end through a series of adroitly conceived mishaps. The film is a pat illustration of the oft spoken truism that the best humor for amateur films is the humor of situation, not the "funny" acting of the actors. To Charles Coles goes the credit for crisp and competent photography, with Robert Coles responsible for the direction of a well developed plot and its genuinely amusing "gags." " Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 635.
"A Ski Story, by Albert E. Sigal, has been two years in the making — but it has been well worth the effort. Laid against the scenic grandeur of Yosemite National Park, the picture is eloquent testimony both to the thrills and the dynamic beauty of the sport of skiing. Mr. Sigal begins his story slowly with an introductory sequence which sets the mood of the piece. Sequences then follow in leisurely progression of the activities of the ski school, the joys of a hot lunch served alfresco beside the clubhouse, down mountain racing and cross country rambling. Mr. Sigal's consistently good color cinematography benefits to a degree by the clarity of the Western air, a boon so often denied to skiing movie makers on Eastern slopes." Movie Makers, Dec. 1943, 477.
"SleepInn Beauty is a comedy situated around a bathing beauty contest based on a story adapted by Dorothea Mitchell. Filmed over two days North of Port Arthur near Mitchell's camp at Surprise Lake, Wally McComber (the "Goof" of A Race for Ties) played the leading man and Maye Flatt, the leading lady. Fred Cooper shared the photography duties with Lloyd Small and took a minor acting role. In addition, over sixty extras were bussed in from Port Arthur to take part. The film was never exhibited publicly although, considering Mitchell's efforts with A Race for Ties, it was most certainly shown privately." Ladylumberjack.ca
"Edited film by Floyd Henry Wells, a retired salesman and a member of the Wally Byam Caravan Club of Airstream trailers, chronicling travels through Tahiti, Fiji and Samoa including scenic views, dance and martial arts displays, cruise ship Mariposa, shipboard activities, underwater photography, collecting sponge or coral, lagoon, market, harbor scenes, outriggers and urban scenes," Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Museum.
"In a film of a familiar subject — a vacation trip to Florida — Ernest Kremer has done an excellent task of compiling a movie of varied sequences into a unified whole. His camera handling is competent, there are interesting viewpoints and he uses nice transitions to a new sequence, to avoid leaving preceding views too long on the screen. The continuous narrative that is presented with Southern Exposures sometimes draws attention from the pictured scenes, but the commentary in jingle style that accompanies the underwater scenes of fish adds a delightful touch. Mr. Kremer is to be commended especially for the compact and smooth editing of his film." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 496.
"Sport Reel, 300 ft., 16mm., represents a remarkable degree of understanding care given to this type of picture by Charles F. Chapman, M. D. Although this picture is something more of a review than a newsreel, each of the topics presented has a local news interest. Dr. Chapman has preserved the direct and stimulating style of title wordings of the professional newsreels but, in the sequencing of scenes, he has deserted their technique for an original one. This is distinguished by a clever use of closeups to symbolize ideas and for dramatic emphasis. For example, in picturing the local baseball team, he introduces the sequence with a closeup of a row of bats lying on the ground and, when presenting the players, he cuts from a medium shot of them in action to a posed closeup preceded by a title. Further, Dr. Chapman did not forget that good composition and attractive lighting are just as welcome in newsreels as in other types of pictures." Movie Makers, Dec. 1931, 684-685.
Total Pages: 14
Amateur Cinema