Evening star., 1937-07-25
By UHliam A. Bell, J.


Mines formerly branch of the Com
merce Department, but now an In
terror Department agency, has been
producing movies of mineral and al
lied industries and now has what is
proba bly, the largest library of educa-
tonal films in the world
Bureau of Mines films have been
Shown during the past five years to
272,523 audiences totaling 23,634. 665
persons, mostly school children. They
are so popular that every one of them
Is booked up constantly many months,
even as much as year, in advance.
Several weeks ago there were de-
ecrlbed in an article by this writer
activities of three Government agen-
cles-Interior Department, Agricul-
tural Department and Army Signal
Corps-ln making their own movies
movies of their own work Each has
numerous movle-making personnel,
laboratories, studios and elaborate
equipment
The Bureau of Mines motion pic
ture work, on the other hand. is a
Morton F. Leopold. safety engineer.
who solicits the necessary funds,
writes the scenarios and directs pro-
ductions. All of his work is done
from a small office in the Interior
Departments new South Building or
in the field.
Time was, says Mr. Leopold, when
.he used to have to hold out a tin
cup to get industry to put up the
money for movies which the bureau
wanted made But now. he saws, in
dustries come to him as often as he
goes to them.
WHEN an industry wants to have
picture made or when one
consents to cooperate with the bu-
reau in picture the bureau wants
made, it must agree that no trade
name, trademark or anything family
resembling advertising shall appear
In the movie The only credit which
the industry receives-no matter how
much it pays for the movies a brief
acknowledgment preceding the film:
presentation of this film was made
possible through the cooperation of
the John Doe Co.
Leopold was asked why industries
didn't PUT out their own pictures
and include all the advertising they
wanted, instead of paving the Gov
eminent for production and spon-
sorship of films bare of any sugees-
ton of ballyhoo. He explained that
~
to give to the films the widespread
distribution obtained bv the bureau
through its experiment station in
Pittsburgh.
Industries have discovered that the
public won't swallow blurbs.' he said.
Furthermore State boards of edu-
cation and boards of official reviewers
or censors generally won't permit the
showing in public schools and SIM
liar institutions of movies which pub
lci2e any commercial product"
There is instance after instance to
illustrate the elaborate care that is
taken to eliminate from films pro-
duced under Bureau of Mines sane
ton anything that will identify
commercial product. For the two
reeler The Story of Spark Plug"
the cooperating manufacturer had
TO make a special spark plug, minus
his trade name or other symbol of
Identification, and to buy 100 un-
marked shipping cases. A monster
sign was removed from the smoke
stacks of a large automobile plant
before filming of factory activities
could begin, while within the factory
. the hubs and radiator caps OF the
cars that were to be filmed were
masked. Two days were spent in
painting over the name of large
cement company on factory wall.
7 EoPoLD chuckled at the reconec-
ton OF an incident resulting from
the showing of an oil movie at con-
vention of petroleum men in Chicago.
Although the film had been viewed
and reviewed by bureau officials 10
guard against revealing the identity
OF the cooperating oil company ex-
rept IN the statement of acknowledge
ment, letter of complaint was re-
celVed from representative OF a rival
cooperating companys symbol on a
barrel shown in the film. What kind
OF business was this? he hollered. Was
the Federal Government trying to
boost his competitor? Leopold took
another careful look at the film, and
sure enough there was the offending
symbol. Its appearance was so brief
that it occupied only inches of film
and had been virtually impossible to
detect. But out it came. and apolo-
gles were made to the complainant.
Several motor car manufacturers
and Oil refners have financed movies
OF national parks just to stimulate
automobile travel This kind of ex-
penditure, on films which lack direct
promotion of any particular company
or product, is known as institutional
publicity" Industries also create good
will for themselves by co-opera ting in
Bureau of Mines movies which illus
trate safety devices and methods of
saving gas and oil and making mex
pensive and durable repairs to auto
mobile parts, machinery and home ap-
planes.
Leopold believes many bureau films
have been of incalculable value in
educat ting people in the prevention
and treatment of domestic, factory
and motoring accidents. A widely cir
culated film illustrates graphically the
danger Of carbon monoxide; shows
how to steer clear OF it, how to treat
persons who have been overcome An
other shows how the use Of water in
rock drills allays dust and prevents
silicosis, commonly known as miners
tuberculosis" The bureau recently
released one-reel film, Follow the
White Marker" which stresses the
importance of driving on the right
side of the white cement lines on high
ways.
THE influence for safety exercised by
Bureau of Mines films is shown by