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The video revolution in the 1980s affected all areas of the American entertainment industry; its impact was most dramatic--ultimately devastating--to the non-theatrical film field. Non-theatrical film is the term used to describe motion pictures which are not shown in movie theaters, but are produced and/or distributed to markets that include the educational community, home, and business and industry. The author covers the early Hollywood-produced features and short subjects in a format other than 35mm for homes, hospitals and correctional institutions, as well as industrial films. This is also the history of two major non-theatrical libraries, Bell and Howell and Kodascope, both of which were founded to service the needs of purchasers of the then-newly introduced 16mm projectors.
The book documents how the advent of the 16mm projector made possible the introduction of audio-visual aids in classrooms and offices. A number of production companies were established, primarily in Chicago, to produce films for this new outlet. In addition, Hollywood saw a new market and began licensing distribution of the films. Complete with appendices providing distributors from the 1920s-1940s and current names and addresses of non-theatrical film sources, this book-length study of the history of this film genre is both important and much needed.
List of contents
Introduction
Origins
Chicago--The Non-Theatrical Film Capital of the World
The Eastman Kodak Connection
Specialization
Film in Education and Religion
The Chronicles of America
The 1930s and 1940s
Decades of Progress and Prosperity
The Waning Years
Appendix A: Major Non-Theatrical Distributors of the 1920s
Appendix B: Major Non-Theatrical 16mm Distributors of the 1930s
Appendix C: Major Non-Theatrical 16mm Distributors of the 1940s
Appendix D: Useful Non-Theatrical Addresses
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the author
ANTHONY SLIDE is the author or editor of more than 50 books on the history of popular entertainment and editor of the Scarecrow Press Filmmakers series./e Among Slide's previous books for Greenwood Press are The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville (1994), The Television Industry: A Historical Dictionary (1991), and The American Film Industry: A Historical Dictionary. He is the former associate archivist of the American Film Institute and resident film historian of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is also a documentary filmmaker. In 1990, in recognition of his work in documenting the history of popular entertainment, Slide was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by Bowling Green University.
