Beep Beep is a quickie little cutie that deals with the concern of a proud Cadillac owner when, at 120 miles an hour, a little Nash Rambler begins to go around him. If you recall the popular song by the same name, you know the outcome" PSA Journal, Sept. 1966, 35.
"When the schooner yacht Enchantress put out from San Pedro for a five weeks' marlin fishing cruise in the Gulf of Lower California, fortunately James H. McCarthy was on board with camera, Kodachrome and a filming plan. The result was Before the Wind, as happy a movie yarn of a pleasure cruise as we have ever seen. A spirit of jollity and a general good time pervade this chronicle, which is adequately strung on the thread of a series of entries in the ship's log of the Enchantress. This casual continuity is entirely sufficient, for each episode is beautifully sequenced, and the whole film reflects a consistent happy go lucky holiday spirit. Exquisite shots of the schooner in translucent California Gulf waters, numerous studies of ship life, handsomely lighted interior views in cabins and engine room are all technical accomplishments in this picture. The sequences of marlin fishing and of clam digging on the Mexican shore are gems of good film planning and good cutting. The movie is presented with an intelligently planned musical accompaniment that really fits the film, but it is the natural handling of sequences of people on a carefree sea vacation that makes this picture superb entertainment." Movie Makers, Dec. 1940, 577.
A film documenting the work of deep-sea fishermen aboard steam trawler "Trier".
"There are precious few sails in this production which William Messner has called Blades and Sails. But there is a powerful lot of cinema in its smooth 650 feet of Kodachrome. And there is a wealth of flashing blades. The blades are bandied about by Ernest Riedel, a gaunt length of rawhide and muscle, otherwise known as the national, international and Olympic canoe champion. During the smoothly plotted course of Riedel's exposition of canoeing techniques. Mr. Messner demonstrates his own championship calibre behind the camera. His angles are so right as to seem effortless — though you suspect they're not. His follow-through is as deft as a sweeping blade and his cutting as crisp as a speeding birchbark. Blades and Sails is informative, entertaining and sound cinema — which is quite a combination in any man's movie." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 410.
Travelogue exploring British islands. Includes footage of "harpist Catriona Maclean McKinnon playing along the shores of the Isle of Skye in the early 1970s" (Chicago Film Archives).
"By Sea To Florida, 400 ft., 16mm., made by Porter Varney of Bradenton, Fla., is a film record of a sea trip which derives its importance from the fact that the photography and choice of viewpoint are consistently exceptional. Parts of the ship, such as the rigging and cordage, the portholes, the lifeboat davits, etc., were used with rare artistry as aids to composition and effect. An expert use of filters produced exceptionally pleasing and truthful black and white rendition of the sea and the movement and sway of the ship. Continuity was effectually obtained by a shifting of the camera viewpoint, emphasizing the harbor, the high seas and the arrival in Florida. A startling climax to the film was given by a series of shots of an approaching hurricane captured by Mr. Varney 's intrepid camera." Movie Makers, Dec. 1931, 685.
A Camper and His Canoe was filmed at Camp Kawagama, the youth summer camp run by the filmmaker and his wife.
"Canadian Capers, filmed by Hamilton H. Jones, ACL, is a superlatively good vacation picture, complete in every important detail and containing several magnificent examples of sequencing. Among these is a satisfying study of a railway train. Mr. Jones neglected none of the cinematically interesting views that are unique to this subject and included several, such as scenes inside the engine cab, that ordinarily could not be secured. This picture has the important quality of conveying to the audience the maker's enthusiasm for the subjects filmed." Movie Makers, Dec. 1932, 560.
"A “city symphony” film, produced to encourage Photographic Society of America members to attend their 1963 conference in Chicago, City to See is a surprising film. It combines footage of Chicago with a deadpan commentary that pokes fun commercial travel films: “Chicago is my town,” the narrator says wryly, “and no other town will do.”" Chicago Film Archives
"Miscellaneous scenes of the sea. Includes brief shots of some boats moored in a foreign harbour and various travelling shots of the sea, taken from on board ship. Concludes with family footage of a young girl walking along a garden path, holding hands with two women and a brief shot of a couple of children playing on a swing" (NWFA Online Database).
Total Pages: 12
Amateur Cinema