Willard Beach Cook — Pioneer Distributor of Narrow-Gage Safety Films and Equipment

“Gold is where you find it.” The Historical and Museum Committee of our Society is seeking “gold” in the form of good historical papers either written by pioneers of our industry or by others who have specialized knowledge of important pioneering work. It is not an easy task to assemble the data for such papers because old photographs and records frequently are buried or lost. Memory of past events becomes dim with the passing of time. Long searches are necessary in museums or private collections to unearth pertinent facts. Interviews are sometimes necessary with persons who may have some knowledge of the event. When the data have been collected and organized, only then can the writing be done. — William F. Kruse here describes the contributions made by a Past-President of our Society, Willard B. Cook, to the early history of 28mm and 16mm film distribution for educational, industrial, governmental and home use. Emphasis is placed on the importance of using only “slow-burning” safety film for this purpose rather than the more hazardous, inflammable nitrate film then in common use in motion-picture theaters. Mr. Cook recognized these facts and, along with Alexander Victor (Jour. SMPTE 72 : 614-1327, August, 1963), took a strong stand in favor of restricting films for nontheatrical use to the safety acetate type.

Print ISSN

0361-4573

Published

1964-07

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J12076