MAGIC-LANTERN CARTOONS TRAIN ARMY MECHANICS (May, 1941)
MAGIC-LANTERN CARTOONS TRAIN ARMY MECHANICS
Magic lanterns have joined the Army.
Projectors that are direct descendants of the parlor lanterns of a generation ago are now being used to train rookies in the mechanics of modern motor vehicles.
They are used with what are known as “educational reading slidefilms,” because this has been found to be the speediest and most effective means of training mechanics. And speed is necessary, because by this coming June the Army expects to have 190,000 motor vehicles.
The “textbooks” are 35-mm. films on which are recorded the intricate details of the anatomy of automobiles. The films are projected one frame at a time, and are moved through the projector manually by a knob on the side of the machine. Step by step they present all the theoretical information that an Army mechanic needs, starting with the reason for the existence of various parts, and ending with complete instructions on how they should operate and how to keep them operating that way. If the lighting conditions in the classroom are carefully controlled, there is sufficient illumination for the students to make notes and even copy the sketches and diagrams as they are projected on the screen.
The “Army kit,” which was made by the Jam Handy Organization, producer of industrial motion pictures, comprises 35 separate films, and to make them more than 3,000 drawings and a year’s work were required. This course, for specialized training, is divided into five smaller kits, covering internal-combustion engines, power transmission, factors of mobility, electrical systems, and general service and repair of automobiles.
Forty duplicate kits are now in use. They are in part responsible for the Army’s ability to turn out a trained mechanic in three months or less.