Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-08-23

PICTURES FOR TROOPS
100000 Feet of Film Provided
Each Week.
Reports from Various Departments
show That what In Popular in One
Department Ii Popular in An.
other.

To provide recreation for the troops In
camp, the National War Council of the
Young Mems Christian Association In the
United States has made provision for the
presentation of eight million feet Of film
per week. In 343 environments. camps and
posts, 1925 programs will be rendered
weekly.
OF course the great demands will be in
connection with the camps of the Nation
al Guard and the National Army, 3S in
number, but arrangements have been
made to take care of many smaller points.
In the southern department. for instance,
two motor trucks will be used to carry
, entertainments to troops in out of the way
places. The moving picture machine will
be mounted on the truck and portable
screen will be hung wherever needed. A
week will be required for a truck to cover
its route. Should the necessity arise.
other trucks will be put into service. In
the permanent camps arrangements are
being made for outdoor and indoor NOV
ing pictures. The machines in the large
auditoriums will be SO arranged that the
pictures may be thrown upon the screens
in front Of the auditorium or out win
dow to an open air screen on the side.
! In. order that the layman may under
! stand what eight million feet Of film a
| second is required to run a foot Of film
! through a machine. This means that
eight million feet Of film represent eight
million seconds, or two thousand two hum
dred and twenty-eight hours of solid en-
tertainment. Reducing these figures still
further, 1t means that were an ordinary
moving picture house to present show
two hours long. the eight million feet OF
film would provide program for one
thousand one hundred and fourteen days
The eight million feet would stretch from
New York to Fargo. North Dakota. or
Wichita, Kansas. II would stretch from
New York to two hundred miles beyond
Kansas City. New Orleans and Mime.
apolis.
AS result of careful study of the pic
lures presented by the Young Mems
Christian Association at the various camps
along the border and in the camps estab-
lished since the war began, Mr.. Warren
Durham Foster Of the Community Motion
Picture Bureau which is supplying the
pictures for the Young Mems Christian
Association has pretty good ideas as te
the kind Of pictures the men like In sum
ming up the dislikes Of the men in camp
he said:
1.-THE men don't want sob stuff. They
do not want pictures of home, mother
and Heaven. At the same time they
do not like pictures depicting the soldier
as being especially heroic or patriotic.
ION the other hand. they like romances
Little Mary Pickford is just as popular
with the men in the camps as she is will
the millions Of movie fans. The men like
real war pictures. They like farces. II
fact they are working hard and they want
entertainment.
nA~H
ports from the various departments show
that what is popular in one department
is popular in another. For instance, wha
lproves a great success in the Western
Department. also proves a success in tn
Eastern, Southern or Central apartments
The reports from the various department.
are nearly uniform"