The CLEVELAND CINEMA CLUB was dedicated to raising the moral and artistic standards of the motion-picture industry. The first local organization of its kind in the country, the Cleveland Cinema Club was organized in 1917, mainly through the efforts of Bertelle M. Lyttle. Stimulus to organize such a club came from the "better films" movement then current in America. Although an independent organization, the CCC adopted many of the standards of the Natl. Board of Review. The club's primary objective was "to study the art of the motion picture and its educational and moral effect and to promote a better understanding of its problems." It occasionally tried to influence state and national legislation. Among the club's many activities, at the beginning of each school year it prepared a list of films suitable for children to watch during school lunch hour. In 1938 it started an annual film festival—one of the first clubs in the country to introduce such an event. The club also published a bulletin 4 times a year, listing ratings and recommendations of current films, which it distributed throughout the U.S. The Cleveland Cinema Club lasted until 1968. In its later years, much of its effort went toward the establishment of a film library in the CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY's fine arts department.
Finding aid for the Cleveland Cinema Club Records. WRHS.