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Encyclopædia Britannica Films (also named EB Films for short) was the top producer and distributor of
educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...
16 mm films and later VHS videocassettes for schools and libraries from the 1940s through the 1990s (by which time the
internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
replaced video as a primary source for educational media). Prior to 1943, the company operated under the name of Electrical Research Products Inc. (ERPI) Classroom Films.


History


Early years as ERPI Classroom Films

In November 1928, John Otterson of Electrical Research Products Inc. decided to make use of the latest
sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...
technology in
35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
motion pictures and apply it to the 16mm format that was gradually being adopted by colleges and schools with easier-to-use projectors. The company had already been involved with many Hollywood studios including
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
and boasted an operating business of $20 million leasing equipment to theaters. The headquarter offices were shared with its parent company
AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, with the
Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial Research and development, research and scientific developm ...
as the research staff and Western Electric as its manufacturer. At first, there was much skepticism of the value of motion pictures as an educational tool in public schools, despite mogul William Fox's willingness to spend $9 million in putting projectors into the nation's classrooms. As lampooned in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' (November 9, 1929): "We doubt if any director could photograph Bunker Hill for the kiddies without stopping the fighting at least once for Major Pitcairn to sing ' Sonny Boy'. We doubt if any director could photograph a major operation without interrupting it for a mandolin solo by one of the surgeons. Also, we are troubled by the haunting dread of living in a completely canned civilization where everyone will look like
Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...
and talk like
Eddie Leonard Eddie Leonard (October 17, 1870 – July 28, 1941), born Lemuel Golden Toney, was a vaudevillian and a man considered the greatest American minstrel of his day, at a time when minstrel shows were an acceptable and popular mainstream entertainm ...
. Without doubting Mr. Fox's honorable intention, we are nonetheless anxious to know whether the talkies are going to approach science and education the way they have approached life. We want to know whether they intend to give truth a happy ending!" During its first year of operation, Otterson appointed "Colonel" Frederick L. Devereux as company head, along with Varney Clyde Arnspiger, a former superintendent of schools. Under Arnspiger, a special team of experts was assembled, among them researchers Howard Gay, Max Brunstetter and Miss Laura Kreiger, along with Dr. Melvin Brodshaug from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
who would stay with the company for over two decades. Among others involved, Howard Stokes and Arthur Edwin Krows (famous for an earlier ''Yale Chronicles of America'' educational series) became leading production supervisors. In its early years, ERPI had competition with both the
Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Hollywood's silent era. Known for its groundbreaking newsreel and wide array of shorts, it grew out of the American division of the m ...
, which entered the educational market in conjunction with
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, and Eastman Teaching Films, an offspring of Eastman Kodak that had invented the 16mm format along with E.I. Dupont de Nemours back in 1923. The latter company had made an estimated 300 silent (with title cards) films by the thirties (with eventually 270 silent and later sound films officially registered for copyright between 1927 and 1943). An often repeated story involved Arnsiger getting invited to an alley fist fight with an Eastman representative who feared losing a fortune with their silent films already in circulation. (Later, in the 1940s, Eastman's film library would be sold to them.)
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.James Brill, an artist, unofficially became narrator on the majority of ERPI films (and later many early EB films through the mid-fifties). His stentorian style made science and geography topics easy to understand for children. In 1930, he also helped supervise the company's first major series, profiling the musical instruments of an orchestra (i.e. ''The Brass Choir'', ''The String Choir'', ''The Woodwind Choir'', ''The Percussion Group''). These were all successfully reissued in later years before being redone in color in 1956. Among the first films to be sold with text brochures to aid teachers were nature documentaries focusing on the
time-lapse photography Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus ...
of plants and close-up footage of animals. These were credited to (George) Clyde Fisher of the American Museum of Natural History, borrowing much footage from earlier British Instructional Films. Other early films of importance included a
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
backed
Arnold Gesell Arnold Lucius Gesell (21 June 1880 – 29 May 1961) was an American psychologist, pediatrician and professor at Yale University known for his research and contributions to the fields of child hygiene and child development.Harris, B. (2011). Arn ...
covering early child development and a slow motion study of football techniques with popular coaches like
Biff Jones Lawrence McCeney "Biff" Jones (October 8, 1895 – February 12, 1980) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as a head coach at the United States Military Academy, Louisiana State University (LSU), ...
of West Point and H.E. Von Kersburg of Harvard. Dr. Carey Croneis supervised some geology subjects and also worked on the science pavilion at the
Century of Progress A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...
fair of 1933–34, which (in turn) inspired another newcomer, Edward Shumaker, to join the company and fine-tune the title logos. A renewed slogan read "ERPI Films bring the world to the classroom". In the spring of 1937, ERPI scored a surprise "blockbuster" with ''Adventures of Bunny Rabbit''. Its widespread appeal was partly due to narrator James Brill ending with a question directed towards the kindergarten and first grade students watching, one that was repeated by their teachers: "And now Bunny is once more with his mother. What do YOU think he is telling Mother Gray Rabbit – and what do YOU think Mother Rabbit is telling Bunny?" Animal pictures were among ERPI's (and later Britannica's) best sellers with popular late 30s and '40s titles as ''Three Little Kittens'', ''Snapping Turtle'' and a post-war dramatization of
Aesop Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales c ...
's ''The Hare and the Tortoise'' (later redone in animation). Geography was covered with a very relatable series called "Children of Many Lands", which compared the similarities and differences of daily life outside of the United States. A typical title like ''Children of Japan'' made sure children were seen in a classroom not unlike one at home. More exotic was
Attilio Gatti Attilio Gatti (Voghera ( Lombardy, Italy) 10 July 1896 - Derby Line (Vermont, USA) 1 July 1969) was an Italian-born explorer, author, and documentary filmmaker who traveled extensively in Africa in the first half of the 20th century. Expedition ...
's filming of the "Dark Continent" in ''Pygmies of Africa'' and Amos Burg's portrait of ''People of Western China'' shortly before the Japanese invasion. Unfortunately
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
curtailed international travel and the films of this type for a while. John Walker got his start with 1938's ''Navajo Indians'' and remained a prolific producer through the early 1970s, with a particular emphasis in his later decades with animal subjects and a late 1960 "Problems of Conservation" series. Back in 1932, heads Devereaux and Arnspiger had established a very close relationship with Beardsley Ruml and Robert Maynard Hutchins of the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, providing the films the extra prestige of scholarly credits. A promotional book ''The Educational Talking Picture'' was published by Devereaux through the University in 1933, followed four years later by Max Brunstetter's ''How to Use the Educational Sound Film''. The close relationship between ERPI and the university tightened considerably more after John Otterson had left the company to work for Paramount Pictures in 1935. When Hutchins appointed William B. Benton as the university's vice president, his involvement with the films was much like that of a production head. By this time, the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...
had started pressuring the parent company AT&T to divest its highly profitable subsidiary. After an attempt to get the Rockefeller Foundation to purchase ERPI, Benton made another unsuccessful effort with Henry Luce of ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' (although the magazine giant initially saw little future in educational films, Time-Life would belatedly enter the market in the 1960s).


Merging with Encyclopædia Britannica

William Benton and Robert Hutchins had established a successful relationship with chairman Colonel Robert E. Wood of the
Sears, Roebuck and Company Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began ...
. Over a lunch meeting held December 9, 1941, Benton managed to persuade Wood to donate Sears' profitable, but aging, subsidiary
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. is a British-American company known for publishing the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', the world's oldest continuously published encyclopaedia, as well as extensive digital efforts—including text and audiovisual†...
to the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
outright as a tax write-off. The process of this transaction took more than a year to complete, culminating on February 1, 1943. Benton also acquired the services of EB editor
Walter Yust Walter M. Yust (May 16, 1894 – February 29, 1960) was an American journalist and writer. Yust was the American editor-in-chief of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' from 1938 to 1960.
. (His son Larry would later become a top filmmaker for the company.) In a second move, Walter Page of AT&T and Kennedy Stevenson of Western Electric sold their interests in ERPI Classroom Films to Benton for $1 million, to be paid over the next decade. The University itself didn't own the company outright, but had the option to acquire half of Benton's stock (and soon decided not to). Benton changed the name over to Encyclopædia Britannica Films because he had once heard a school child call the films "burpy" on account of the rhyming. The first titles to sport the new name were released in November 1943. Later on, titles sported a simplified "EB Films" logo. After expanding the facilities with $1.5 million invested, William Benton temporarily left to become
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Assistant may refer to: * Assistant (by Speaktoit), a virtual assistant app for smartphones * Assistant (software), a software tool to assist in computer configuration * Google Assistant Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software applica ...
under President
Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
, then as a senator and arch adversary of Joseph McCarthy before returning in 1952. With Beardsley Ruml mostly in charge, a prestigious board of directors was set up. Operating as president for a time was the future Ford Fund for Adult Education head Cyril Scott Fletcher. Although production was curtailed during the war (with only two brand-new titles registered for copyright in the year 1945), profits increased dramatically as 150, 000 16mm projectors were in operation by 1946. During this mid-decade period, a great many previously released titles were successfully given new soundtracks in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and other languages for foreign export. Milan Herzog began a long association with EB in 1946 with ''The Mailman'' and other portraits of common occupations. He eventually became one of the most prolific producers. Popular titles later in the 1950s and 1960s include ''Tobacco and the Human Body'' and ''The Passenger Train (2nd edition)'', along with a series on the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
co-directed by Arnold Michaelis. In an effort to keep the films in line with their educational goals, music scores were rarely used prior to the late 1940s and then only selectively used with a greater focus on narration. While this occasionally made them seem a bit static and lecture-like, it also prevented them from aging fast on account of changing musical tastes (a problem with rival educational films of the period). Curiously the company was slow to make the transition to color, despite the
Kodachrome Kodachrome is the brand name for a color reversal film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. It was one of the first successful color materials and was used for both cinematography and still photography. For many years Kodachrome was widely used ...
16mm process being popular with rival companies like Bailey Films and
Coronet Films Coronet Films (also known as Coronet Instructional Media Inc.) was a leading producer and distributor of many American documentary shorts shown in public schools, mostly in the 16mm format, from the 1940s through the 1980s (when the videocasse ...
(starting before the war). The first color EB films were not made until 1946–47, covering painting lectures by Eliot O'Hara and scenic portraits of farm life (i.e. ''Spring on the Farm'' and ''Winter on the Farm''). As quoted in the silver jubilee anniversary title ''Making Films That Teach'', "Color is pretty but sometimes expensive for the teaching value you might get from it." Nonetheless, color soon became quite mainstream in the middle fifties, as EB was soon updating popular early titles with all-color remakes such as ''The Woodwind Choir'' and ''Spiders''. In cooperation with Emerson Films, a couple dramatic biographies on famous people were produced economically in Hollywood, marking the first time hired actors were used. For a brief period, it was decided to move forward in this route and a former movie director
Walter Colmes Walter Colmes (1917–1988) was an American film director and producer sometimes billed as Walter S. Colmes. He directed six films between 1945 and 1947, including ''The Woman Who Came Back'' starring Nancy Kelly, '' Accomplice'' with Veda Ann Bo ...
once affiliated with Republic Pictures headed the company for a two-year period before being succeeded by Maurice B. Mitchell who would bring EB Films into its most successful years. Although the overall quality of EB's product was already ahead of the competition, it had gained further esteem with the arrival of
John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to ce ...
, a veteran of CBS radio writing and some stage work. In 1951, Barnes collaborated with producer
Gordon Weisenborn Gordon Weisenborn (March 20, 1923 – October 4, 1987) was an American director, producer, writer, and cinematographer specializing in sponsored and educational films. His works express a style that blends naturalism and lyricism with modernist ab ...
in ''People Along the Mississippi'', one of the earliest school films to address the sticky topic of race relations. (One key scene shows a light-skinned Paul stop playing with his darker-skinned friend due to peer pressure.) Passionate about social rights, Barnes once personally protested the censorship of his biography ''Sir Francis Drake: The Rise of England Sea Power'' (featuring an interracial friendship) in Georgia schools. Before ''
Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...
'' (and even years after), many public schools in the United States were still segregated by race. Therefore, EB was initially reluctant to cover many social studies subjects for fear of offending top purchasers in southern U.S. states. As reported to historian Geoff Alexander, Thomas G. Smith stated as late as the 1960s: "if they were filming in a classroom and there were a couple black children in the room, they'd just frame the other way. If they had to choose several kids to be featured and the black kids were taller than the rest, they'd ask for the shorter children."


EB's Golden Age

With Maurice Mitchell leading as company supervisor (starting in 1953), business doubled to $4,500, 000 in a few short years.
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and Trans-Lux (which distributed some of the films on 35mm for theaters) made some of the company's catalog available to television stations for the first time. During this same period,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...
and other Hollywood studios utilized Britannica's subsidiary, Films Inc. (owned since 1951), to handle the 16mm educational distribution of their theatrical material. Adding to the fortunes of the educational film industry in general was the Cold War panic imposed by the Soviet launching of Sputnik, which prompted the U.S. government to spend more federal money on America's schools in an effort to keep the nation in fierce competition. In 1958, Mitchell held a special meeting in Washington D.C. with the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Affairs to include motion pictures and other visual media in federal budgets. (He is seen lecturing on the importance of cinematic education in the following year's ''The Unique Contribution''.) William Benton also campaigned passionately enough and helped get FCC chairman Newt Minnow, Anna Rosenberg Hoffman and
Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and diplomat who was twice the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. He was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson I, the 23rd vice president o ...
to pressure Congress to pass the National Defense Education Act. (Stevenson soon became a chairman with Encyclopædia Britannica Enterprises and not the only high profile politician to do so.
Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...
also joined after losing the
1968 United States presidential election The 1968 United States presidential election was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former vice president Richard Nixon, defeated the Democratic nominee, incumbent vice preside ...
.) One of John Barnes' 1953 contributions, '' The Living City'', earned an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination. The following year, he filmed a series of historical subjects in England, among them the socially conscious ''The Pilgrims'', ''Captain John Smith, Founder of Virginia'', and ''Roger Williams: Founder of Rhode Island''. Some of these gained praise even by mainstream theatrical film critics who traditionally ignored school films, like Howard Thompson of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' (July 3, 1955). In addition to many artistic subjects and some of the best school films covering ''The Renaissance: Its Beginnings'',
Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
and Michelangelo, he also spearheaded a "Humanities" series sponsored in part by the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
(which had previously back an equally ambitious, but less successful financially, ''Physics: The Complete Introductory Course'' that was co-scripted by future president Warren Everote). His coverage of Thorton Wilder's ''Our Town'',
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 â€“ 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
and ''Plato's Apology, the Life and Teachings of Socrates'' were all typical of Barnes' knack for making classics more entertaining to middle and high schools. Occasionally he would battle the front office for this reason, since sometimes "entertainment" was questioned in regards to "education". As Geoff Alexander profiled in a series of letters regarding his and director Douglas Campbell's treatment of '' Macbeth'', president Maurice Mitchell had plenty to say in a letter written June 24, 1964: Barnes successfully fought back. Ever the idealist, he once stated in a 1966 interview: "I have an idea—a faith, I suppose it really is—that some of my films—or a single film, or even a single sequence in a film or a shot in a film—will light up a young mind somewhere, light it up so that nothing—unsympathetic teachers, lack of a decent place to live or lack of love—can ever plunge it into darkness." Meanwhile, William's son Charles Benton had troubles of his own, often dealing with his cautious father. He had joined in 1953 as an assistant to top producer Milan Herzog (and later vice president in the mid-1960s), moving up through the ranks by organizing the company's mailing lists. As marketer for Films Inc. (a subsidiary of EB) and later president of filming, Charles was most enthusiastic in adding both profits and prestige by outsourcing major companies like
David L. Wolper David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as ''Roots'', '' The Thorn Birds'', and ''North and South'', and the theatrically-released films ''L.A. Confiden ...
and
National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, an ...
under the EB banner. Neither the senior Benton nor co-head Mitchell was particularly supportive. Father to son (in a January 7, 1966 letter): "As you know, I am exceedingly uneasy about your preoccupation with products which do not carry the EBF imprimatur. I have the feeling that you hope to get something for nothing." Charles left in 1967 (partly pressured out by the elder Benton and Mitchell) and soon convinced EB to split off Films Inc. as a separate company with him in charge. That same year saw two other upsets to the company hierarchy. Mitchell himself accepted a chancellor job with the University of Denver that summer and was replaced by the more disciplined (keeping films under budget) Warren Everote, a veteran at EB since 1946 and previously president for a short period earlier that decade. In July, William Deneen left to start up a rival company with
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
: the Learning Corporation of America would quickly become one of EB's biggest rivals in the 16mm field. During his past decade with EB, William Deneen's specialty was geography films, being owner of an independent film company since 1950 that was distributing through EB until they absorbed his company and made him vice president. Among his most famous in-depth looks of everyday life overseas were a series on Japan, ''Hungary and Communism'' and a trio shot on
Samuel Bronston Samuel Bronston (March 26, 1908 – January 12, 1994) was a Bessarabian-born American film producer, film director, and a nephew of socialist revolutionary figure, Leon Trotsky. He was also the petitioner in a U.S. Supreme Court case that set a ...
's sets of ''
Fall of the Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vas ...
'', including ''Claudius: Boy of Ancient Rome''. These were certainly the most expensive ''looking'' school films of the era, despite being made very economically. Despite dramatic changes in management, combined with some cost-cutting, the 1960s and early seventies produced many memorable classics. A
Bill of Rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pr ...
series both dramatized and explained major legal battles that school students often take for granted (examples include ''Freedom to Speak, People of New York Vs. Irving Feiner'' and ''Free Press Vs. Fair Trial By Jury- the Sheppard Case'', latter produced by Stanley Croner). John Barnes, who also contributed to some of these, tackled ''Shaw vs. Shakespeare'' on the historical accuracy and personality of
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...
; this was filmed in 1969 with the cast and sets of a failed British play ''Her First Roman''.
Larry Yust Walter M. Yust (May 16, 1894 – February 29, 1960) was an American journalist and writer. Yust was the American editor-in-chief of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' from 1938 to 1960.
and
Clifton Fadiman Clifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman (May 15, 1904 – June 20, 1999) was an American intellectual, author, editor, radio and television personality. He began his work with the radio, and switched to television later in his career. Background Born in Bro ...
adapted
Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Over the duration of her writing career, which spanned over two decades, she composed six novels, two me ...
's controversial short story ''The Lottery'' despite its shocking (for 1969 school students) ending. Didactic science films were not always successful in keeping bored students awake and alert, but EB fared better than much of the competition. Special praise goes to cinematographers such as the very prolific
Isidore Mankofsky Isidore Mankofsky (September 22, 1931 – March 11, 2021) was an American cinematographer, and was nominated for two Emmys. He is best known for his work on films such as ''The Muppet Movie'' (1979) and ''The Jazz Singer'' (1980). He shot more ...
, who could insert many close-ups of menacing hands zooming at the screen and low-angle shots of vacationers among the geological close-ups of the typical ''The Beach: A River of Sand''. Charles F. Finance (who carried on through the 1980s), Stanley Croner and Warren Brown were among those who contributed this and other popular favorites of the long running
American Geological Institute The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is a nonprofit federation of about 50 geoscientific and professional organizations that represents geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. The organization was founded in 1948. The name of ...
series. 8mm loops covering chemistry and medical topics were another market tapped into at this time for the serious science student to study subjects in more detail. In addition, throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, were a wide assortment of full color biology films covering everything from protozoa to hummingbirds to veracious
army ant The name army ant (or legionary ant or ''marabunta'') is applied to over 200 ant species in different lineages. Because of their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", a huge number of ants forage simultaneously over a limi ...
s on the hunt; many of these were produced by John Walker and Bert Van Bork. Also of particular interest was a 1971 ''Silent Safari'' series on African animals shot by Jane and Peter Chermayeff, but ignoring the usual narration so that viewers can make their own assessments of the animals' behavior. (A second series was released a dozen years later, including ostriches and wildebeest.) As the times changed, so did the popular subjects in demand. A large part of America's population and their history that had been overlooked before the
civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
finally got its due, such as
Henry McNeal Turner Henry McNeal Turner (February 1, 1834 – May 8, 1915) was an American minister, politician, and the 12th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). After the American Civil War, he worked to establish new A.M ...
in ''Bishop Turner: Black Nationalist'' and ''American Indian Speaks'', the latter produced by longtime veteran Thomas G. Smith. The impact of the sexual revolution on teenagers opened the market for provocative subjects like ''Venereal Disease: The Hidden Epidemic'', another Smith production and among the earliest to advocate condom use. This was another of EB's top sellers that the company had to keep pressing prints of, in part because of the uproar in the news media it caused with the more religious and conservative districts.


Post Benton Era: from 16mm movies to video to internet

With William Benton's death in March 1973 and ownership of Encyclopædia Britannica moving to the Benton Foundation the following year, EB's film department entered its last two "twilight" decades as the industry leader. The gradual decline of the films' market was not noticed at first since virtually every public school system was well stocked with 16mm projectors and both EB and its rivals (Coronet, Time-Life, Learning Corporation of America and others all in fierce competition) were busy keeping up with the demand. In fact, the seventies were probably the peak decade for 16mm classroom instruction, which made the rapid decline a decade later all the more surprising. VHS and Betamax video cassettes were merely a new mid-decade novelty that was only rarely used prior to the
Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
years. Although the federal government had gradually been decreasing the amount spent on education when
Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...
was president, it was the mid and late eighties that saw the most rapid decline as the Cold War drew to a close and the Soviet Union was no longer a threat. After two back-to-back and very brief tenures with Jim Parton (succeeding Warren Everote) and Jack Saunders, Ross Sackett took over the same year as Benton's death. Among the popular releases of the period included ''Energy: A Matter of Choices'' (one of many ephemerals of the decade covering that "hot topic", this one produced by Charles Finance), John Barnes profiling John Keats and ''The Bible As Literature'', a comedy pantomime series "Bip" featuring
Marcel Marceau Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French actor and mime artist most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", and he performed professionally worldw ...
and many
featurette In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film. Medium-length film ...
(25+ minutes) co-productions with Avatar Learning covering earthquakes, dinosaurs and sharks. Thomas G. Smith capped off a long career with EB with the 1976–77 production of ''The Solar System'' with special computer generated effects not unlike those being used in the early '' Star Wars'' films. Sackett was followed in 1977 as president by Ralph Wagner, who had married William Benton's daughter Louise. With a tighter eye on budgets, there were increasing clashes with the filmmakers. The star director, John Barnes, particularly didn't get along well with Wagner and left soon after completing one of his most popular films, a glossy adaptation of
Walter van Tilburg Clark Walter Van Tilburg Clark (August 3, 1909 – November 10, 1971) was an American novelist, short story writer, and educator. He ranks as one of Nevada's most distinguished literary figures of the 20th century, and was the first inductee into the ' ...
's apocalyptic sci fi tale told in flashbacks, ''The Portable Phonograph''. This last film of his was part of an ongoing series of short story adaptations featuring established actors (more familiar on TV and stage) and often released with an additional "part 2" reel that covered the director's commentary on the story in question. Others included ''The Hunt'' (adapted from ''
The Most Dangerous Game "The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in ''Collier's'' on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter ...
'' by
Richard Connell Richard Edward Connell Jr. (October 17, 1893 – November 22, 1949) was an American author and journalist. He is best remembered for his short story "The Most Dangerous Game" (1924). Connell was one of the most popular American short story wr ...
), J. M. Synge's ''Well of the Saints'' and
Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...
's ''La Paurure''. Unfortunately, these ambitious miniature dramas ultimately proved too expensive to survive into the next decade. By 1980, VHS videos were beginning to be marketed alongside the 16mm films and would quickly overtake the other. A new problem soon erupted: teachers copying films to video and impacting the company's income. On June 25, 1982, New York's Board of Cooperative Educational Services was prosecuted for doing this not only by EB, but also Time-Life and the Learning Corporation of America. Although the film companies won, historian Geoff Alexander points out that "perhaps the most disturbing element of the case was that, more than 15 years after the halcyon days of post-Sputnik government largesse, BOCES found it financially more viable to defend a costly lawsuit than to simply buy films and tapes from film companies as it once did."''Academic Films ... '', p. 194 Not that educational film making showed any decline in quality as the revenue dried up. There was little question that the product of this last great decade was slicker and more sophisticated in visual appeal than a great many films previously. Particularly popular throughout the eighties was
Bruce Hoffman Bruce Hoffman (born 1954) is an American political analyst specializing in the study of terrorism and counterterrorism, insurgency and counter-insurgency. Hoffman is a tenured professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Forei ...
's cluster of "inside the human body" titles that benefited greatly from the ever advancing developments in microphotography combined with expert animation by David Alexovich. Later that decade, the Benson Foundation donated all Britannica properties to the University of Chicago. Ralph Wagner left the presidency at the end of 1987, with an ex-
Coronet Films Coronet Films (also known as Coronet Instructional Media Inc.) was a leading producer and distributor of many American documentary shorts shown in public schools, mostly in the 16mm format, from the 1940s through the 1980s (when the videocasse ...
Joe Elliott now taking over. By this time, 16mm films had pretty much been replaced by video cassettes although a few (mostly foreign language versions of older titles) films continued to be distributed to libraries and schools as late as 1991. Longtime vice president assistant Philip Stockton remained as vice president of film/video production under Elliott until 1994 (being succeeded by William Bowe) and kept an ongoing, if declining, annual output that included a multi-part short subject series ''Science Essentials'' (written by Gary W. Lopez, a few produced by Stockton and many featuring animation by Steve Boyer), ''Viruses: What They Are And How They Work'' (a latter day production from veteran Bert Van Bork, written by Gary Lopez, with animation by Bill Gudmundson), 'Problems of Conversation Series' (written and produced by Gary Lopez), Judith Conaway's ''For Your Baby'' (which continued a tradition going back the early ERPI era with
Arnold Gesell Arnold Lucius Gesell (21 June 1880 – 29 May 1961) was an American psychologist, pediatrician and professor at Yale University known for his research and contributions to the fields of child hygiene and child development.Harris, B. (2011). Arn ...
), David Wood and Scott Shearer's ''Mathsense'' series and, co-produced with York Films, ''A Galactic Encyclopedia'' The shrinking market for educational media eventually hit the company hard and production came to a halt in 1995. The University of Chicago sold its financially struggling EB properties in January 1996 to
Jacqui Safra Jacqui (Jacob) Eli Safra (born c. 1940) is a billionaire investor from Geneva. He is a descendant of the Syrian Lebanese- Swiss Jewish Safra banking family. Biography Jacqui Eli Safra is the son of Elie Safra (1922–1993) and Yvette Dabbah ( ...
for $135 million. CEO Don Yannias, appointed the following year, refocused attention to CD-ROM and the
internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
(with limited
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
attention). This officially ended an era.


Renewed interest

In recent years, the higher-than-average quality of EB films have enjoyed renewed interest as some titles gradually fell into public domain and are easily viewed on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
and the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
. Because the company made comparatively fewer social guidance films than rivals like McGraw-Hill and Coronet (the type that are often ridiculed today with the changing social customs) and the producers were very cautious in their choices of narration and music, many of these films tend to be viewed as less "dated" today than other non-theatrical ephemerals.


Alphabetic listing of titles


DVD compilations

* ''Our Living Earth Volume 1'' UPC 798936839312: Volcano Birth of a Mountain (1977) / Fossils Exploring the Past (1978) * ''Our Living Earth Volume 2'' UPC 798936839329: Evolution of Landscapes (1986) / Life in the Grasslands (1978) / Aging of Lakes (1971) / The Everglades (1987) * ''The Biology of Plants and Flowers'' UPC 798936840585: Plant Physiology (1995) / Photosynthesis (1981) / Plant Reproduction (1995) * ''Animals and Insects'' UPC 798936840530: How Nature Protects Animals (1958) / Some Friendly Insects (1971) / Problems of Conservation: Wildlife (1970) / Animals in the City (1978) * ''Wildlife Worlds'' UPC 798936839343: What is Ecology? (1977) / The Everglades (1987) / The Desert (1988) / Life in the Grasslands (1978) / Programs of Conservation: Wildlife (1970) * ''The Amazing Human Body Volume 1'' UPC 798936840561: The Human Brain (1983) / Your Eyes (1989) / Your Ears (1989) / The Skin: Its Structure and Function (1983) * ''The Amazing Human Body Volume 2'' UPC 798936840578: Muscles: Their Structure and Function (1986) / The Respiratory System (1987) / Work of the Heart (1987) / Genetic Fingerprinting (1992) / The Ears of King Midas (1977) * ''Time Will Tell The Sun and the Moon'' UPC 798936839336: Reflections on Time (1970) / Eclipses of the Sun and the Moon (1989) / The Moon: A Giant Step in Geology (1975) * ''Habitat Earth Landscape and Life'' UPC 798936839305: Evolution of Landscapes (1986) / Life in the Grasslands (1978) / Aging of Lakes (1971) / The Everglades (1987) * ''H2O The Water Cycle'' UPC 798936839299: The Water Cycle (1979) / What Makes Clouds? (1965) / The Aging of Lakes (1971) * ''Great Americans: U.S. Presidents'' UPC 798936840547: George Washington (1980) / Thomas Jefferson (1980) / Abraham Lincoln (1982) * ''Medieval and Renaissance Europe'' UPC 798936840554: The Medieval Manor (1956) / Chaucer's England (1956) / Martin Luther: Beginning of Reformation (1973) / Hamlet: The Age of Elizabeth (1959) * ''The Constitution of the United States'' UPC 798936840592: The Constitution of the United States (1982) / Thomas Paine (1975) / George Washington (1980) / Thomas Jefferson (1980)


See also

*''
Britannica's Tales Around the World ''Britannica's Tales Around the World'' (also referred to as ''Britannica's Fairy Tales from Around the World'' and ''Familiar Tales Around the World'') is a direct-to-video animated educational series that was released in 1990. Premise ''Br ...
'' *''
Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
'' *
Educational Film An educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods. History Determining which videos should count as the first educational fil ...
* Social guidance film *
Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or tourist attractions without recommending particular package deals or tour operators. A travelogue film is an early type of travel ...


Notes


References

* * *Devin Orgeron, Marsha Orgeron, and Dan Streible (eds.), ''Learning with the Lights Off: Educational Film in the United States.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. * * ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series Volume 24, Parts 12-13, Number 1: Motion Pictures and Filmstrips'' 1970 Library of Congres

* ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series Volume 25, Parts 12–13, Number 1: Motion Pictures and Filmstrips'' 1971 Library of Congres

* ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series Volume 27, Parts 12–13, Number 1: Motion Pictures'' 1973 Library of Congres

* ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series Volume 28, Parts 12–13, Number 1: Motion Pictures'' 1974 Library of Congres

* ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series Volume 29, Parts 12–13, Number 1: Motion Pictures'' 1975 Library of Congres

* ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series Volume 30, Parts 12–13, Number 1: Motion Pictures'' 1976 Library of Congres

* ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series Volume 31, Parts 12–13, Number 1: Motion Pictures'' 1977 Library of Congres

* ''Catalog of Copyright Entries: Fourth Series Volume 31, Part 4: Motion Pictures & Filmstrips'' 1980 Library of Congres

* ''Educational Film Guide'' 1947 H. W. Wilson Compan

* ''Educational Film Guide 1959 Annual Supplement'' 1959 H. W. Wilson Compan

* ''Motion Pictures 1912–1939 Catalog of Copyright Entries'' 1951 Library of Congres

* ''Motion Pictures 1940–1949 Catalog of Copyright Entries'' 1953 Library of Congres

* ''Motion Pictures 1950–1959 Catalog of Copyright Entries'' 1960 Library of Congres

* ''Motion Pictures 1960–1969 Catalog of Copyright Entries'' 1971 Library of Congres


External links


40th anniversary thesis by Kenneth KayeBritannica site (with many vintage films available)
*
OCLC WorldCat search for Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corporation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Encyclopaedia Britannica Films American film studios Documentary film production companies Non-theatrical film production companies Educational films Encyclopædia Britannica