Field Guide to Sponsored Films - National Film Preservation ...

Art in the Negro Schools
27. ART IN THE NEGRO SCHOOLS (1940, silent, 2 reels, b&w, 16mm)
SPONSOR/PRODUCTION CO.: Harmon Foundation. CAMERA: Kenneth F. Space. RESOURCES: Copyright not registered;
Negro Year, 455. HOLDINGS: LC, NARA.
Educational film surveying the instruction of the fine and performing arts at leading African
American institutions, including Calhoun, Dillard, Fisk, Hampton, and Howard. The film
argues that exposure to theater, music, dance, and the fine arts produces well-rounded students
and enriches their lives. NOTE: Art in the Negro Schools was part of the sponsor’s Negro
Education for American Living series. The foundation provided funds for parks, established
the Religious Film Association, improved educational opportunities for African Americans,
and fostered awareness of African and African American art.
28. THE ART OF SHIP BUILDING IN 1930 (1930; silent; 57 parts, 1 reel ea; b&w; 35mm)
SPONSOR/PRODUCTION CO.: Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. RESOURCES: Copyright not registered.
HOLDINGS: Mariners.
Series produced to train shipyard workers in modern naval construction techniques. These
beautifully photographed films carefully document the stages of ship construction and include
scenes of the workforce at the sponsor’s Virginia facility.
29. AS THE TWIG IS BENT (1943, sound, 11 min, b&w, 16mm)
SPONSOR: Aetna Casualty and Surety Co. PRODUCTION CO.: Motion Picture Bureau, Affiliated Aetna Life
Companies. RESOURCES: Copyright 15Dec1943 MP14892; EFG (1947), 203; Mental Hygiene, 120–21. HOLDINGS:
LC/Prelinger.
Aetna’s contribution to the wartime campaign to fight crime and juvenile delinquency on
the home front. Produced as a public service, this semidocumentary film with dramatized
sequences exposes the problem of “latchkey children,” whose parents work night shifts, and
argues for closer supervision of teenagers. It also illustrates the dangers posed by “Victory
Girls,” who entice servicemen into compromising situations. NOTE: Viewable online at
Internet Archive, www.archive.org/details/AstheTwi1943.
30. ASK DADDY (1923, silent, 3 reels, b&w, 35mm)
SPONSOR: National Safety Council. PRODUCTION CO.: Unknown. RESOURCES: Copyright 1Oct23 MP2336;
“Charging Failure of Support, Safety Council to Disband,” Wash Post, July 2, 1924, 12; EFC (1936), 37.
HOLDINGS: Not reported.
Safety film for children that exposes dangers in the home, on the street, and around firearms.
Ask Daddy contrasts perils posed by contemporary life with those of “caveman days.” NOTE:
In Washington, D.C., alone, approximately 20,000 schoolchildren saw the film.
31. ASK ME, DON’T TELL ME (1960, sound, 21 min, b&w, 16mm)
SPONSOR: American Friends Service Committee. Director/Producer: David Myers. RESOURCES: Copyright not
registered. HOLDINGS: LC/Prelinger, Prelinger.
Exploration of juvenile delinquency in San Francisco featuring interviews with teenagers
from different racial and ethnic groups about their neighborhoods and gangs. The documentary
offers community projects, such as the “Youth for Service” program, as a constructive
way to draw teenagers back into the community. Ask Me, Don’t Tell Me is a revealing portrayal
of multicultural San Francisco through the eyes of disenfranchised residents. NOTE:
Received first prize in the “Film as Communication” competition at the San Francisco
International Film Festival in 1960.
32. THE ATOM AND EVE (1966, sound, 15 min, color, 16mm)
SPONSOR: Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co. PRODUCTION CO.: Bay State Film Productions Inc. RESOURCES:
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