Vintage Bible Teaching Tools: Canon Bible Programs/Double Sixteen Company

Double-Sixteen or "DOSIX" was an educational A/V company based in Wheaton, IL that was founded as early as 1957 and incorporated in 1960 by brothers James Canon and Thomas W. Canon. They developed Bible story films strips known as the "Canon Bible Programs" around 1966. Available as classroom 35mm filmstrips and for the General Electric Show N’ Tell Phono-Viewers, the Canon Bible kit reportedly sold over 2 million copies from 1966 to 1981. The company was later renamed Canon Publishing LTD. I have been fortunate to acquire 6 of the Canon Instructional Modules that include filmstrips, booklets, with audio-cassettes.

From WorldCat.org here is list of 49 known titles:

Zacchaeus meets Jesus.
The Walls of Jericho fall.
Jesus stills the storm.
Jesus is alive again.
Boy Jesus visits the temple.
The Last Supper.
Joseph has strange dreams.
Jesus raises Lazarus to life.
Naaman's leprosy is healed.
Noah builds an ark.
Elisha helps a poor widow.
Paul is shipwrecked.
Jesus feeds 5,000 people.
Israel crosses the Red Sea.
A Samaritan helps a traveler.
Samuel lives in God's house.
God made the first family.
Timothy learns to serve God.
The Lost lamb.
Jesus blesses the children.
Paul and Silas sing in jail.
The People build a Tabernacle.
Baby Moses is kept safe.
Ezra teaches God's word.
Joseph is kind to his brothers.
God creates living creatures.
Jesus chooses helpers.
Jesus ascends to heaven.
Jesus visits Mary and Martha.
Saul sees a great light.
David spares Saul's life.
Rebekah is a willing helper.
David is chosen to be King.
The Prodigal son returns.
Peter meets Cornelius.
Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem.
Joseph is sold by his brothers.
Abraham lets Lot choose first.
Dorcas helps others.
Peter walks on the sea.
Elijah meets Baal's priests.
The Unforgiving servant.
David meets Goliath.
God sends plagues to Egypt.
David is a shepherd boy.
Jesus heals Jairus's daughter.
Friends bring a sick man to Jesus.
God creates land, water and plants.
Jesus goes to Calvary.

For more information on the Double-Sixteen, Canon Bible Programs:

WorldCat listing of Double-Sixteen, Canon Bible Programs (they seem to be unavailable at most libraries) - https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/archivebuilder/lists/3883604

Obituary for Thomas William Canon - Hultgren Funeral Home
https://www.hultgrenfh.com/obituaries/print?o_id=2518619

""Moganga" Wins Award At Missionary Film Festival". Business Screen Magazine Vol. 6, No. 18, 1957 that mentions James Canon of Double-Sixteen as a film judge.
http://www.archive.org/stream/business1957screenmav18rich#page/n572/mode/1up

Vintage Bible Teaching Tools: Broadman Films "The Easter Story"

An amazing find for my growing Bible audio-visual collection is a number of classroom filmstrips and cassettes from the 1960s and 1970s. One of these sets was found just in time for this Easter or Resurrection Sunday. 

Broadman Films was the A/V division of Broadman Publsihing, today known as Broadman-Holman Publishing. Scores of filmstrips and audio materials were produced for home, church and classroom use by Broadman. 

The complete film strip "The Easter Story" from 1966 has a remarkable amount of its original color illustrations by Ralph McDonald intact. The instructors books overviews story with black & white copies of the images, and gives lines for the narration, anthems, cantatas, hymns, and songs to used to present the story of Easter.

Classic Jack Hamm Cartoon: Grave Torn Asunder

This Jack Hamm illustration was published Sunday, April 18, 1954, 65 years ago. The scripture used is John 11, verses 25-26 (KJV), words Jesus spoke to Martha the sister of Lazarus shortly before raising him from the dead:

"...I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

Vintage Bible Teaching Tools: New Testament Scripture Box

This interesting wooden box was found in a thrift store over a year ago. It is hard to say when it was made and no manufacturer's name was found within. The front featured a very cracked and faded image of Christ in the Garden of Gesethamine.  

About 20 1" X 2" inch scripture cards with New King James Version translated text were located inside. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time - Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)

I hope to learn more about this box and how it was made, and also hope that sharing these images has been inspirational to someone. 

Vintage Bible Teaching Tools: Scripture Stamps

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." - John 3:7.

It has been a while since my last post, but I have no plans of closing shop. In my research on Bible-based drama across various audio-visual media I run into fun examples of Sunday School tools and instructional media from the past.

Cover for a "Scripture Stamps" booklet. Date unknown. Warner Press. Anderson, Indiana. 

"Scripture Stamps" were a product of the Warner Press company that were distributed as early as the 1930s. This booklet in my collection may be from the 1960s or 1970s. The ideas was to attach these one inch scriptures with your cards, letters, and packages in the hopes that they would "produce eternal revenue through the silent effective preaching of the Gospel."

The original size of each of these stamps is about 1.25" inch by 12/16" inch.
"The Father sent the Sone to be Saviour of the World" - 1 John 4:14

I think materials like these stamps are still every effective (think about all the memes and other Gospel spreading graphics used in social media today). Stamps can still be used when sending out your cards, invitations, care packages and other materials in the mail or in person. Today there are rubber stamps and scrapbooking products similar to these stamps, but I am not aware of anything close to the original "Scripture Stamps" on the market today. These could be made today by a church ministry using desktop publishing and/or illustration software when making care packages.

A set of green and red "Scripture Stamps". 

This last group of stamps may not have belonged to the "Scripture Stamps" series and were found in the back of the booklet. However I can think of no better image or question to end this post. 

If anyone recalls using the "Scripture Stamps" please leave a comment with this article.

Christmas With Mary Alice Jones

Dr. Mary Alice Jones (June 23, 1898 - September 23, 1980) was a lecturer, teacher, and the author of dozens of books for children about the Bible, Jesus Christ, prayer, God...and Christmas which sold over 20 million copies and were translated into multiple languages. She held masters' and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University and Yale University and was a widely respected consultant for Christian children's education.

"Stories of The Christ Child" by Mary Alice Jones. Illustrations by Eleanor Corwin.
Published by Rand McNally & Co., 1953

Some of Dr. Jones' credentials that were usually published on the back covers of her books. 

She is best remembered today for her "Tell Me About..." series which began in 1943 while she was the children's religious editor for Rand McNally beginning in 1945. Many online sources do not have a complete biography of Miss Jones and creating one has been a goal of mine for some time. This year would have been her 120th birthday, and the 75th anniversary of her first children's book Tell Me About God, so now may be a special time to reintroduce her work online.

To research the life of Mary Alice Jones, I have built a small but growing collection of her works.
Some of Jones' books were made into audio-visual aids for school, home and church use. I was fortunate to have purchased a super-rare A/V filmstrip & LP record version of her book "Tell Me About Christmas".

Very rare cover box for the filmstrip and 33 R.P.M record for Mary Alice Jones' "Tell Me About Christmas". 

I am interested in learning more about Jones' work in radio and instructional technology, (a woman as educated as her has to have an archival collection out there) and there will be more writings about her to come.

Welcome to the Christmas Library 2018!

"Jack and Judy in Bibleland", December 24, 1948. Nationally published comic strip by Robert Acomb

About five years ago I read an interesting news article from 1994 about an all too obvious truth about broadcast media during the Christmas season. That scarcely any of the many Christmas specials on television acknowledge the birth of Christ as central to the meaning of Christmas. So with that in mind, I began researching radio and TV specials that focus on the Birth of Christ, compiling a list of media from television, radio, home video and even exciting programs from the Golden Age of Radio.

To find wonderful radio and TV special the acknowledge Jesus and the reason for the season, please visit the updated Christmas Library Guide, for the best in radio, television and film. This page will be updated daily.

Every December I have tried to post fun research finds related under the banner of the "Christmas Library" and hope to be more fruitful in December 2018. There will be posts on comic strips, music, instructional technology, radio and television ministries, and so much more to show many ways to tell the tidings of great joy of the birth Jesus Christ.

In the meantime, to find wonderful stories that give the reason for the season, please check out the revised Christmas Library Guide, and recheck it often for updates.