Full text of "Moving image review"

See other formats

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

=LM

Moving image Review

ISSN 0897-0769

Winter 1988 - winter 2007

Karan Sheldon
6 Frothingham Street
Milton, MA 02 186
207 266-0477

Northeast Historic F i { m

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

A Personal Welcome
To Our Readers.

Moving Image Review, published twice a
year, will provide news and information
about projects and ideas designed to
preserve northern New England cultural
heritage on film and videotape. We hope
you will enjoy the newsletter, will con-
tribute to it, and join in Northeast Historic
Film's mission of learning and preserving.

Working with NHF in the past year as
President of the Board, I have been visited
by some welcome ghosts from my Maine
childhood. During the winters of 1945 and
1946, 1 harvested ice on Lake Pen-
neseewassee in Norway, Maine. A recent
donation to NHF of an ice harvesting film
shows the viewer that other world, those
other times. I found I could recite the
names of the tools, and probably could
even do the work again. But then I
remembered the temperature and the
wind.

Recently, we have been looking at some
wonderful footage shot in Cherryfield in
1938. One by one, individuals face the
camera, some bold, some shy. The people
are backed by the town's gas station, its
grocery store, houses, schools and vehicles.
At first, the film evokes an album of still
photos, then as the images build with
unexpected intensity, they involve you
with the town's heroes and its hopes for the
future.

In the six minutes of this film there is
an immense amount of information about
the life of a small Maine town. Why the
film was made is not yet known, but we
hope to learn more about it and to locate
other similar films worthy of study and
contemplation.

My role as President of the Board of
NHF is a gratifying one for me. I'm pleased

at the chance to participate in preserving
our past and bringing back to life moving
images that would otherwise be lost and
forgotten. I welcome you as a friend of
NHF, and hope that your involvement
with our organization will be equally
rewarding for you.

David C. Smith

David C. Smith is Professor of History and
Cooperating Professor of Quaternary Studies
at the University of Maine, Orono. Dr. Smith
is a Maine native whose recent work includes
the Yale Univ. Press biography of H.G.
Wells, Desperately Mortal, a book in pro-
gress on World War II letters and in 1988, a
project on Rudy Vallee.

Dedicated to the Preservation of
'Northern New England
Motion Picture

Winter 1988

Local TV Collections Go National p. 2

Passamaquoddy Tribe Sees Long-Lost Film. p. 3
Executive Director's Report p. 4

IRS awards tax-exempt status to NHF
Maine State Museum's New Video
Installation p. 5

A talk with museum director Paul Eivard
Arts Commission Awards Grant p. 6

Funds for conservation of a film collection
Silent Film Fills "The Grand" p. 8

Reconstructed Way Down East premieres

in New England

Moving Image Review is a semiannual
publication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill
Falls, Maine 04615. David S. Weiss, executive
director, Karan Sheldon, editor.

photo: WAB1

Election Night at WABI in 1962: First an NBC
and now a CBS affiliate, WAEl has seen
continuous ownership by the Hildreth family;
it's now a member of the Diversified Com-
munications Group. The general manager is
George Gonyar.

Two Decades Of
TV Film To Be Preserved:

Maine's largest and oldest broadcast
collection.

WABI-TV, the Bangor Historical Society
and NHF are cooperating to save and
make accessible to the public an estimated
300 hours (roughly 650,000 feet) of uni-
que 16mm film containing news, sports
and commercials. The film was shot by
Maine's first TV broadcaster, WABI-TV in
Bangor, between 1953 and 1974.

The footage had not been seen since it
was put onto reels after airing on nightly
news broadcasts. It has recently been

(continued on pg. 2)
Page 1

National Conference

Held for
Local Television
News Archives.

The American Film Institute's National
Center for Film and Video Preservation
in October, 1987, sponsored the first
national conference on local television
news. It was attended by representatives
from more than 50 archives, historical
societies and television stations.

The conference was hosted by the
State Historical Society of Wisconsin
and funded by the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission.

David Weiss, executive director of
Northeast Historic Film, represented
NHF's Bangor Historical Society/
WABI-TV Collection. Other New
England archives present were WGBH-
TV Boston, Boston University and the
Christian Science Monitor.

The conference was organized
around the concepts of the ideal and
the real. Presenters proposed ideals for
preservation and cataloguing. Par-
ticipants countered with their ex-
perience in the real world. Sessions
were oriented toward practical matters
such as film and videotape preserva-
tion, newsgathering technologies,
copyright and inventory control.

The value of archival TV. George
Talbot, director of the State Historical
Society of Wisconsin, stated in the con-
ference's keynote speech that "local
television is a vast mass of ordinariness.
Therein lies the biggest threat to its
preservation, and the most important
reason why it must be preserved." Local
TV portrays an accurate picture and
valuable record of the ordinary texture
of life in our society.

The October conference marked a
beginning in more clearly defining an
archival field. Now, fundamental ques-
tions must be answered such as how
much television material exists and how
to encourage preservation of today's
broadcasts. H

(WABl-TVcontinued 'from pg. 1)

transferred to NHF's temperature and
humidity controlled vault, and is the sub-
ject of a preservation effort with major
materials costs and countless hours of
detailed cataloguing.

Widespread public use expected. The
potential for enjoyment, educational and
even commercial use of this resource is
enormous. Towle Tompkins, WABI-TV
program manager, predicts: "\bu'll find
University of Maine students utilizing the
collection for projects, and not just jour-
nalism or broadcasting students." He ex-
pects commercial use of film footage as
well, for example, inclusion in documen-
taries and corporate productions.

photo: V'ABI

Cultural significance cited. Robert
Croul, president of the Bangor Historical
Society, stresses the cultural significance
of the film. He presided at a gala event
sponsored by the Society in November,
"Memories Made in Maine," highlighting
the post-war years. NHF's 15 -minute
compilation of television clips from the
50s fascinated viewers who watched Presi-
dent Eisenhower receive a Penobscot
salmon, the WABI-TV studios 30 years
ago, jets at the now closed Dow Air Force
Base, and commercials, one of them
advertising blouses for $2.99!

WABI-TV donates video transfers.
WABI-TV has generously committed
staff and technical services for the
transfer of the film footage to videotape.
Towle Tompkins stated that the station is
pleased to donate its resources. "As
television stations become more aware of
the history of their medium, they will
try to preserve it and educate audiences
about it," he commented. H

NHF Conducts Search EDI
Maine-Made Motion Pictures.

Northeast Historic Film is undertaking
the first comprehensive survey of profes-
sional and significant amateur film and
videotape shot in Maine. We are collect-
ing information on all works known to
have been filmed or taped in the state,
whether or not they physically exist today.
This information will be made available
to researchers, educators and filmmakers,
and will result in a significant gain in
knowledge, and awareness, ultimately
leading to further preservation.

The earliest known surviving Maine
motion picture film shows 15 seconds of
a man standing in a dory pulling lobsters
out of a trap. It was made in 1902 by the
American Mutoscope and Biograph
Company, and is preserved at the Library
of Congress.

From the time this fragment of mo-

Page 2

tion picture history was shot to tonight's
television news, thousands of film and
videotape records by and /or about
Maine people have been made in the
state, and are of interest to the region.
Dramatic, industrial, informational and
amateur, they are stored in libraries,
closets, attics, garages, barns and
basements. Some are available for ex-
hibition, most are long forgotten.

By gathering information about film
and videotape, NHF can begin to piece
together the moving image history of this
region, and make strides in ensuring the
preservation and physical accessibility of
footage that still exists.

If you have information about film or
videotape that you believe should be in-
cluded in our survey, please return the
form on page 7, or call NHF at (207)
374-2736. H

NHF Gratefully
Acknowledges Support.

Two executives with a personal interest in
New England and regional film preserva-
tion have taken the lead in supporting
NHF.

Paul Gelardi, president of Shape
Video Inc. , Biddeford, Maine, one of the
country's largest producers of injection
molded products and videocassettes,
donated videotape stock. NHF uses the
tape for reference copies.

Rick Nopper of Beckett Corporation,
Lionville, Pennsylvania, donated im-
printed archival labels for film cans and
videotape boxes. Beckett's archival labels
are used by, among others, the Library of
Congress and the Smithsonian Institu-
tion's Human Studies Film Archives.

In addition to these donations in
kind, many hundreds of individuals
made financial contributions at NHF
summer 1987 screenings. We would like

to thank all those who helped us get off
to such a great start, and special thanks

to:

The celebration of Maine's centennial in 1920 in Deering Oaks Park, Portland, was covered by
an as yet unknown cinematographer, and also in this photograph from the collections of the
Maine Historical Society.

Maine Arts Commission

Maine Humanities Council
Corporate donors

Bar Harbor Banking and Trust
Company

Boston Light & Sound, Inc.

M.A. Clark Florist

The Knowles Company
and to:

The Ellsworth Historical Society

Marilyn Gass

Mrs. Phyllis Hodgkinson

Robert L. Jordan

Ed and Sally Lupfer

Dr. and Mrs. Ned Kendall

Mr. and Mrs. PH. Sellers.

Passamaquoddy Tribe Sees
Long-Lost Film.

Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Indians
dance in traditional dress in a unique,
high quality 1920 film recently returned
to Maine.

Wayne Newell, a planner with the
Passamaquoddy tribal government, says
that the film is a very valuable record of
activities and artifacts of more than 60
years ago.

Newell is undertaking the task of an-
notating the film with information
gathered from area residents. Besides the
interest of today's costume makers, "the
children are fascinated by it," he
discovered. His own teenagers, all of
whom are dancers and participate in
traditional dances, were very interested to
see the 1920 event. "They've never seen
anything that old," said Newell, "not
about us, anyway."

A single nitrate print of the film was
discovered in storage at John E. Allen,
Inc. , in New Jersey. In order to preserve
the film during the summer of 1987,
Northeast Historic Film made ar-
rangements to transfer the film to safety
stock and return a copy to Maine in time
for a screening at Portland's Maine
Festival in August. H

Pag

Executive Director's Report.

IRS awards NHF tax-exempt status.

During 1987, the Internal Revenue Ser-
vice declared NHF a non-profit
organization serving the public welfare
with its mission of preserving and mak-
ing available northern New England
film and video. The continuation of this
tax-exempt status, however, and thus the
continuation of NHF itself, depends on
NHF's ability to demonstrate that it is a
"publicly supported organization." This
means that at least one third of our
operating budget must come from in-
dividual contributions.

The exemption from Federal income
tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Inter-
nal Revenue Code makes NHF eligible
to apply for grants from charitable
foundations.

In addition, individuals and cor-
porations are notified that, in the
unmistakable prose of the IRS: "Donors
may deduct contributions as provided in
section 170 of die Code. Bequests,
legacies, devises, transfers or gifts are
deductible for Federal estate and gift tax
purposes if they meet the applicable pro-
visions of sections 2055, 2106, and 2522
of the Code."

Because we do not have a develop-
ment office, NHF is unable to make ex-
tensive calls or send out mass mailings
requesting support. We depend on our
Moving Image Review readers to con-
tribute generously and to pass the word
along to interested friends and
acquaintances.

David S. Weiss
II

This r:

identif

repress

tio:»a'.

authoi

issued

gat ion

ternat

porati

J INTE;

Not Gc od UnlrAB

photo: Daniel M. Maher, Jr.

The young Daniel Maher, Sr.'s, International
Newsreel I. D. card, 1924. Maher covered
events for various newsreel companies all over
Maine and eastern Canada.

Mary Astor in her second film, a Holman Day production. From outtakes in the Everett Foster collects

NHF Collections Grow
Steadily During 1987.

Increasing awareness of NHF goals and
efforts resulted in a gratifying flow of
motion picture contributions. Through-
out 1987, materials came in by the single
can and by the diousands of feet.

Major donations include the Everett
Foster Collection, with two 1920-21 two-
reelers made in Maine by novelist and
filmmaker Holman Day, as well as
Foster's own productions made over a 15
year period in die state. NHF also re-
ceived the nitrate film of Mr. and Mrs.
Daniel Maher, Jr. , produced by Daniel
Maker, Sr., one of Maine's newsreel
pioneers between 1919 and 1933.

A sampling of other additions to our
archives includes:

16mm family films from Philip J.
Abbott oi Eastport, Maine, which in-
clude summer colony life in Harpswell
(1926-28).

The Robert M. Hume, Sr., Memorial
Collection, 23 reels of 16mm film from
1930 to 1950, was donated by James B.
(Ben) Hume of Dover-Foxcroft. Hume
was superintendent of the Great North-
ern Paper Co. mill, and his footage
depicts early logging technology.

A film of Cherryfield in 1938 came
from the Cherryfield-Narraguagus
Historical Society. NHF is preserving the
original 16mm footage, and has made
copies of this local record available for
Cherryfield residents to study and enjoy.

Everett Johnson of South Pordand
contributed his 16mm b&w film, Cut-
ting Ice, which shows ice harvesting in
what is now an urban area adjacent to
Rte. 295 in Pordand.

A rare 1915 Hearst-Selig newsreel
story, which shows a saboteur's attempt
to blow up the Vanceboro bridge con-
necting die U.S. and Canada, was
donated by Elizabeth low. Cooperative
preservation is taking place with the
University of California, Los Angeles.

Constance Seavey donated film of
Mt. Desert Island activities, winter and
summer 1926, and other film from her
father's collection. Her father ran several
theaters on Mt. Desert in the 1920s. •

Page 4

1916 Bluebird Film
Found in Barn

The Musem of Modern Art Department
of Film, New York, recently received the
only surviving copy of the 1916 Bluebird
feature, The End of the Rainbow,
directed by Lynn Reynolds, who later
directed Tom Mix films.

Alice Witham Boothby of Sebago
Lake, Maine, discovered the five reels in
her house's corn chamber— an attached
barn— while preparing the property for
sale.

Boothby 's father, Harold G.
Witham, an inventor and electrical
engineer, owned and operated theaters
in Sebago Lake Village, Steep Falls,
Hiram, and East Sebago between 1915
and 1929.

NHF, as part of its effort to assist in
preservation of film in the region,
handled the Maine appraisal of the film
and delivered the nitrate to New York for
preservation in October, 1987.

Eileen Bowser, curator of the MOMA
Department of Film, noted the impor-
tance of inter-institutional cooperation
and suggested that Maine audiences
might enjoy seeing the film once the
safety copy was made.

Mrs. Boothby 's recollections of her
father's business were useful to NHF, as
we seek information on film exhibitors
from relatives, collectors and anti-
quarians who can shed light on film
distribution and audiences in the region.
Written records are of particular interest.

Further Reading

p. 2
p. 2

p. 3

p. 4
p. 5

p. 6
p. 7

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill
Falls, Maine 04615. David S. Weiss, executive
director, Karan Sheldon, editor.
ISSN 0897-0769

and this film collection is the largest
known surviving in Maine.

To fund the project, $175,000 will
need to be raised over three years. The
project has received $63,380, including
$33,720 in donated and pledged services
and products. Major gifts came from
Sawyer Management Services, $10,000;
Diversified Communications, $5,000;
the Maine State Library, $5,000;
N.H. Bragg & Sons, $3,000; Amoskeag
Co., $900; Bangor & Aroostook RR,
$900; Prentiss & Carlisle, $750; the
Bangor Daily News, $500; and from
individual contributors.

To complete the project, Northeast
Historic Film must raise $111,620 from
corporate and individual donors,
government and private foundations.
Members of the advisory board would
be happy to talk with anyone interested
in further information. Call David
Weiss, executive director of Northeast
Historic Film, 207 374-2109. •

Pag

Executive Director's Report
NHF Welcomes Members

The board of directors voted in August to
open membership in Northeast Historic
Film to the public. Since founding in
1986, NHF has both served and been
supported by the public. Now, by becom-
ing a full-fledged membership organiza-
tion, we believe we are opening the door
to further participation by supporters,
colleagues, and individuals with an inter-
est in New England culture.

In the earliest days of NHF, as the
founders tested what seemed a radical
new concept for an organization — an
archives dedicated to northern New
England moving images — the possibi-
lity seemed remote that members would
be found in quantity. Now, however, the
many people who have responded to
NHF programs, who have sought out
NHF and used its services, and who sup-
port cultural preservation suggest that pub-
lic membership is an appropriate step.

There are six categories of member-
ship, each designed to suit a particular
constituency of NHF and to support the
mission of the organization:

Regular Members, $25 per year, will
receive a subscription to Moving Image
Review, notice of screenings and events, a
special telephone number for access to
the moving image databases, and discount
on purchase and rental of materials dis-
tributed by NHF.

Educator/Student Members, $15 per
year, receive all regular membership bene-

Fairgoers stop by the NHF booth at the Maine Festival, Portland in July, 1988.

fits. This category is open to those in-
volved in teaching or enrolled in school at
any level. One of NHF's chief goals is to
encourage the use of moving image mate-
rials in teaching, and to support students
interested in film and videotape in many
areas of study.

Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per year,
will receive all regular benefits of mem-
bership, plus additional copies of Moving
Image Review on request, and reduced
rates for consultation and professional
services.

Friends of NHF, $250 per year, will
receive all benefits of regular member-
ship and, in addition, a privilege card
which will admit two people to any NHF-
sponsored screening or event, plus listing
in the roster of friends.

Corporate Members, $100 per year, will
receive the benefits of regular members

and, in addition, will receive a business
listing in Moving Image Review and in all
programs.

Founding Member, the premiere cate-
gory of membership, is $1,000. Founding
Members share our belief that moving
images of northern New England are a
valuable resource. They are willing to
make a major commitment to help NHF
ensure the preservation and use of this
resource. This inner circle of supporters
of the organization receives all benefits of
regular membership, and is invited to
special previews.

Membership at any level is an oppor-
tunity to become involved with the pres-
ervation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage. I encourage you to join us
by filling out the enrollment form at the
end of this issue. H

Grants In Action

In the second half of 1988, NHF re-
ceived two grants, including NHF's first
American Film Institute/National
Endowment for the Arts preservation
program grant.

The AFI/NEA grant for 1989 in
the amount of $1,000 will go toward
transfer of nitrate film shot around
Maine by newsreel photographer
Daniel Maher in the early 1920s and
1930s. Included is footage of a 1933
Bangor, Maine, National Recovery Act
parade. It represents a visual census of
area businesses, as proprietors and their

employees pass in review carrying signs
identifying shops, restaurants, groceries,
insurance companies, clubs, along with
decorated floats, one of which carries
Mr. Depression and Miss Prosperity.
Also to be preserved is a 1920 aerial
survey of Portland, Maine's largest city,
and its environs; Maine Catholics
(1924); Lucerne winter and summer
(1928); and Gordon Silver Black Fox
Ranches (1924).

The second grant NHF received
was from the Maine Community
Foundation's Maine Expansion Arts

Fund. The award of $3,000 will go
toward a project called "The Movie
Queen: The Art of Community
Expression in Film." The project will
focus on two films made in 1936 with
the identical title: The Movie Queen.
Both were made in coastal Maine: one
in Lubec, the other in Bar Harbor. Both
versions of The Movie Queen have the
same plot: a young woman arrives by
boat, tours the town and receives gifts,
is the subject of kidnap attempts and is
eventually rescued. The roles are all
played by local people. For this project,
NHF will obtain oral histories of
participants, as well as preserve the
films and carry out screenings in the
respective communities. H

Page

One Hundred Years Ago
The Moving Image

by Stephani Boyd, Archives Manager

Northeast Historic Film
How did motion picture come to be?
What kind of entertainment did it
replace? In celebration of the centennial
of the projected motion picture, Moving
Image Review will regularly offer a look
at film technology and the regional con-
text of popular culture a century ago.

The last five generations grew up
with the motion picture — actuality, doc-
umentary, short subject and home
movie. At Northeast Historic Film, we
believe that the familiarity and accessi-
bility of film conspired to let the pres-
ent generations take the medium for
granted. In fact, one hundred years of
motion picture history could be entirely
lost without the preservation field's
archivists and activists, who in turn
depend on an interested and involved
public.

The year is 1889, and Rochester
inventor George Eastman announces

The Houlton Opera House in the 1890s.

photo: Frank Dunn

HAYMARKET THEATRE

let WC*T MADISON Sr

CHICAGO

photo: Franklyn Lenthtll, Boothbay Theatre Museum

]ames O'Neill appeared on stage in Portland in
The Count of Monte Cristo in 1889. His perfor-
mance in the play was captured by Edwin S. Porter
in 1912 and that film can be found in the Paper
Print Collection at the Library of Congress.

that the roll film he's worked on for five
years is available for sale.

In Menlo Park, New Jersey, photo-
grapher William Kennedy Laurie Dick-
son convinces his boss Thomas Edison
to place his first order for Eastman film.

Dickson works on film projection
and sound synchronization experiments
while Edison vacations over the
summer. In October, Dickson presents
"The Wizard" Edison with a sound-
synchronized film projected on a screen.
Edison will ultimately abandon Dick-
son's Kinetophonograph system, dis-
missing sound and projection as frills.

While projected film is said to have
been born in 1889, its exact birthdate,
birthplace and parentage are actually
uncertain. Much of Edison's claim to
fathering the form must be shared with
Dickson and many others throughout
the world whose work with moving
images was advancing during the same
years.

Thomas Armat of the United States
and the Lumiere brothers of France are
just a few of the others film historians
will honor as originators of the motion
picture. Likewise, scholars continue to
debate which year deserves to be called

the 100th birthday of the motion
picture.

Meanwhile . . .

in Northern New England
Cut to Maine in 1889. Here, as else-
where, vaudevillians and variety acts are
making the rounds of community halls
and opera houses. The Bangor Opera
House season includes acts such as
General Tom Thumb and the Royal
Alhambra Variety Company. The
McGibeny Family of Portland, Oregon
perform music and character sketches in
Maine halls including the Portland
Theater and the Alameda in Bath.

American and British road compa-
nies bring stage plays such as Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde. It plays at the Houlton
Opera House and is "not liked" by the
Aroostook Times. A production of
Uncle Tom's Cabin plays to good
reviews at Norombega Hall in Bangor.
According to a newspaper advertise-
ment, its attractions include,
"Moving Steamers from the Mississippi
River," "Cotton Picking Scenes," "A
Pack of Bloodhounds," and "A Trick
Donkey."

(continued on pg. 7)

Page 3

Our Collection Grows

Hundreds of hours of film and video-
tape, plus dozens of equipment dona-
tions arrived at NHF in the last half-
year. Many thanks to the more than 40
individuals, organizations and families
who furthered the cause of moving
image preservation with donations, de-
posits and loans.

Here are some samples:

From the Bangor & Aroostook
Railroad: a 1956 film in 16mm,
Assignment in Aroostook, which was
coproduced with the Limestone Air
Force Base, showing the life of a family
transferred there. This look at
Limestone was particularly interesting
given the concern this fall that the base
might face closure as part of the
national cutbacks. The B&A collection
includes preprint materials and copies
of other locomotive footage: Big Muscle
and Giants of the Roundhouse.

From Tom Nelson at Prentiss &
Carlisle: Modern Logging Operations at
Tombegan Forest, (1958) in 8mm.

From Robert Chaffee, stepson of
Westbrook Van Voorhis (the voice of
The March of Time): 16mm prints of a
number of March of Time titles,
significant to NHF because producer
Louis de Rochemont was a New
England native.

From the Instructional Systems
Center, University of Maine: a number
of Maine-related films not otherwise
held in the collection, including River
Run, Maine's Harvesters of the Sea,
Maine at the Big E, It's the Maine
Sardine.

From Henry Barendse and the
family of Meyer Davis: a significant
home-movie collection on deposit.
Meyer Davis, the well-known band-
leader, was active with his camera
from 1926 to 1974. The family is
shown in Bar Harbor, Newport, Lake
Placid and Jamestown. Perhaps most
interesting are the scripted and inter-
titled amateur dramas. They document
a type of recreation that preceded the
motion picture culture as sometimes
elaborate amateur theatricals and
tableaux.

From the National Film Archives
at the British Film Institute: new
35mm prints of two Holman Day

two-reelers, My Lady O' the Pines and
Brother of the Bear (both featuring
the young Mary Astor), along with a
1909 Vitagraph one-reel film, starring
Jean the Vitagraph Dog, The Sailor's
Sacrifice. Ours are the only copies of
these works on this side of the
Atlantic.

From the independent filmmaker
Abbott Meader: samples of his work
from the 1970s and 1980s, including
prints of Spem in Alium, Stretching
Out, Portrait of Harriet Matthews,
and Deep Trout.

From Maine's Washington County:
16mm film shot by Dr. Howard Kane
between 1929 and 1945, on deposit
from James Marsh of Prout's Neck.

Also from Washington County:
1930s 16mm home movies from
Joanne Willey of Cherryfield.

From Earle Fenderson, projection-
ist and retired film directo at Port-
land, Maine TV station WGAN: sev-
eral 16mm films of Portland and a
35mm nitrate film of a football game

between the University of Maine and
Bowdoin College produced by the Port-
land Evening Express.

Fenderson donated equipment, as
did Howard Peabody, the School for
International Training, and Tony
Jonaitis.

NHF was able to assist two fellow
archival organizations by passing on
film finds that did not conform to
NHF collection criteria. With the help
of Susan Dalton of the American Film
Institute, a number of boxes were sent
to the Archives of the Factual Film in
Ames, Iowa.

And staffer Tony Jonaitis located
two unique, unpreserved films, The
Romany Rye, written and produced by
Stanner Taylor, and In the King's Ser-
vice (1915), written by Conyers Con-
verse, produced by the Selig Polyscope
Co., with Thomas Santschi. These two
films were received for preservation
by curator Eileen Bowser of the
Museum of Modern Art, New York. H

Jean the Vitagraph Dog stars in the The Sailor's Sacrifice, directed by Lawrence Trimble in 1909.
This film was shot on the Maine coast and is remarkable because (a) it is the earliest drama made
in Maine in our collection, and (b) the dog digs clams.

Page 4

The Strand,
East Corinth, Maine

Valerie Felt McClead's grandparents ran
the Strand Theatre in East Corinth,
Maine, from 1916 to 1932. In 1974,
with the help of her grandmother, Ida
Adair McGraw, who became the
Strand's pianist when she married John
McGraw in 1920, Ms. McClead wrote a
history of the town and the theatre.
McClead's sources included more than
30 people who had attended the
Strand (in three successive buildings),
the business records of her grandfather,
and her grandmother's letters and
memoirs. What follows are excerpts
from "A History of The Strand Theatre
in East Corinth, Maine 1916-1932,"
M.A. Thesis, University of Maine,
Orono, copyright Valerie Felt McClead.

East Corinth, a farming community,
was relatively self-sufficient during the
early 1900s due in part to geographical
remoteness and limited methods of
transportation. For the most part,
recreation was membership-oriented in
such organizations as the Grange, Odd
Fellows, Masons, Rebeccas, Epworth
League and Ladies' Social Circle.

The structured discipline of the
churches in East Corinth, through the
years, had solidified a unification of atti-
tudes and beliefs that were handed
down from one generation to the next.
Pearl Buswell: "Churches didn't
approve of silent movies. Probably
attributed to the fact that their parents
didn't attend the movies, and therefore
they didn't. The movies were
condemned."

When the United States entered
World War I in 1914, lifestyles of many
American families were altered consid-
erably because of financial hardships.

John H. McGraw, who was to
become the manager of the Strand
Theatre, carefully weighed both the pos-
itive and negative aspects of entering
the movie exhibition business. On Janu-
ary 13, 1916, it was reported, "H.B.
Morison has leased his building known
as the Free Baptist Church to the
McGraw Bros., who will open a moving
picture house the last of the month. The
pictures will be held twice a week."

The success of the regular shows
hinged on the punctuality of the
Penobscot Central Railroad. If the trol-

BOOKD

KfHOPKAN \NI> AMl;mrA> AT I'HAl: I II INS

Sret 0tatf Amusement

ENTtRPRISES
EXCLUSIVE STATE RIGHT KKA I

B BU1LDINC;. PORTI.AM

pholoi: Vtlerie Fell McClead

Ida Adair McGraw andjohn McGraw,
around 1916, and business corres-
pondence from a supplier to the
Strand, East Corinth, Maine.

Portland, Lt«. Apr. 23rd. 1J17.

*r««,

Ba»t Corlnu ,
Dear Sir:-

We are In receipt of your Aheft* for amount $125.00 (One Hundred
and Twenty-fire Dollar*) a» part payment on #5A Power's Moving
Flctuee Inrlune (new).

Your WA Bashine will ^o forward then.Truetlns e-rorythlns will be

ley was late, the movies were not
shown, for generally the exchange
shipped the films to East Corinth on
the day they were to be exhibited.

By 1925, the Strand was in a build-
ing built expressly for showing films,
complete with projection booth, balcony,
a furnace in the cellar, 260 folding theatre
chairs, one Powers 6A moving picture
machine, and an upright piano. Ben-
jamin McGraw operated a single lane
bowling alley in the basement of this
theatre and a candy concession in the
lobby opposite Fred Clement's barber
shop, also in the same building. In the
event the films did not arrive as adver-
tised for a particular evening, dances or
boxing and wrestling matches were
organized as substitute forms of
entertainment.

From 1916 to 1924 a significant
change occurred in the variety and types
of films exhibited at the Strand. The
management became more eager to
contract the costlier, higher quality
popular films, and also films of an edu-
cational nature. With the addition of
weekly newsreels, a visual and descrip-
tive up-to-date commentary was shown
on world and national events.

Ida McGraw. "People learned from
the movies because they saw how other
people lived and that is always educa-
tional. The newsreels gave them news
about different parts of the country.

"Many of the films of from 1916 to
the 1920s gave the people, especially the
younger group, a desire for better
things. An urge to make something of
their lives, as they saw the results of
some of the mistakes made by others.

"In the films shown there was as a
rule the good side of the story as well as
the bad side, and the results. Seeing is
believing . . ."

Almost forty years after the theater
closed, a regular moviegoer spoke to Ms.
McClead about the way in which the
outside world was brought to East
Corinth.

Ivan Willett: "They had pictures of the
jungle and war pictures. I remember see-
ing one picture on the war in the Philip-
pines, and the first machine gun that
they ever had. . . They had a few pictures
on the African pygmies. . . they visited
the headhunters in some of the films;
of course, they were the headhunters
that had reformed.

(continued on pg. 6)

Pag

Exhibition Report

Northeast Historic Film's mission to
promote broad public exposure to the
many kinds of film and videotape made
in northern New England puts NHF
staff members in a variety of exhibition
settings. Throughout the summer of
1988 David Weiss, Karan Sheldon and
Tony Jonaitis held screenings at Rotary
meetings, workshops, historical society
gatherings, arts and agricultural fairs,
. . . and even in cinemas.

For the second year, NHF was
invited to participate in the Maine
Festival in Portland, where, despite
record-breaking heat, the NHF booth
gained exposure to an estimated 5,000
people over a three-day period. A
Holmes projector and Pathe camera
from the Daniel Maher collection, and a
tripod on loan from Mrs. Thomas
Clements attracted visitors. Many stayed
to watch selections from the archives
and talk about regional moving image.

The newly renovated Midcoast Arts
and Media Center, in Waldoboro,
Maine, was the site of two screenings.
In July, NHF ran a program of 16mm
industrial and documentary films called
Working Down East. And in August,
Henry King's 1921 feature, The Seventh
Day, premiered with English intertitles
translated from the Czechoslovakian
and piano accompaniment by Karen
Dickes of Ellsworth.

The Seventh Day is a drama
about New York City flappers who
come to Maine on a steam yacht. The
only surviving copy had the original
English intertitles translated into Czech.
In a project with the Museum of
Modern Art Department of Film, with
funding from the Maine Arts
Commission and the Knowles
Companies, NHF translated the
intertitles back into English.

A 16mm workprint was shown for
the first time in July at the East Bluehill
home of Mrs. Frederic E. Camp, who
hosted the preview for friends. The
score was performed by Fritz Jahoda
and compiled by the Bagaduce Music
Lending Library of Blue Hill from their
extensive collection of silent film music,
the Maine music collection, parlor music
and popular song.

Temperature extremes seemed to be
the norm in 1988, and in October, NHF

staff endured icy blasts at the Fryeburg
Fair on the Maine-New Hampshire
border. This is one of the largest
agricultural fairs in New England.
Enthusiastic, if chilly, visitors stopped
by NHF's semi-open space adjacent to
the fair's museum to watch material
ranging from 1920s industrials to works
in progress. Especially popular were:
1906 Trout Fishing, Rangeley Lakes
from the Paper Print Collection, Library
of Congress, several ice cutting films
from Maine donors, and From Stump to
Ship: A 1930 Logging Film.

In October, Railroad Square
Cinema in Waterville, Maine, hosted
two nights of silent Maine films which
included the first public screening of
Holman Day's My Lady O' the Pines
and The Sailor's Sacrifice. The feature
was The Seventh Day, accompanied by
Mary Cheyney Gould, Bagaduce Music
Lending Library founder and music

director.

Each event provided an opportunity
for NHF staff to meet the public, and tc
collect information for an ongoing
research project on Maine theaters.
Many people annotated a list of cinemas
in Maine, from Addison to York. The
list now identifies over 300 cinemas
known to have operated in the state.
The database is being compiled from
many sources: business registers, direc-
tories, photos and postcards.

NHF is grateful to Franklyn Len-
thall of the Boothbay Theatre Museum
for his generous loan of images. The
accuracy of the theater database depends
on such help. NHF welcomes personal
recollections of the cinema experience
as well as business records, programs,
posters and flyers. We are particularly
interested in information from family
members of theater owners and
managers. M

THE STRAND (continued from pg. 5)

"In the war films people learned
something of what war was like. Some
of the pictures of the Civil War and the
Spanish War we'd get a glimpse of
what they were like and from reading
. . . had a pretty good idea of what war
was like.

"There was a lot of loose living
shown in the movies after the war but
the idea was to educate the people to
what was going on ... ."

As he draws the Civil War and the
Spanish American War together in a

single sentence, Willett seems to indi-
cate that film — whether drama, docu-
mentary or newsreel — was most signifi-
cant in its ability to bring home issues
and situations foreign to the everyday
life of East Corinth.

In exploring the role of the theater
in the community and the meaning of
motion picture to the people in and
around a small town, Valerie McClead
extends our appreciation of the medium.
Too few such studies have been
undertaken. H

Page 6

100 YEARS (continued from pg. ))

Yankee theater, which focused on
regional character, has flourished since
the Civil War. Lewiston Music Hall
presents a "New Comedy Drama of
Realistic Yankee Life Down East." The
play, Old Jed Prouty, revolves around
the colorful title character who hails
from Bucksport, Maine.

Just as so-called Yankee theater is
popular in the south, Civil War plays
emphasizing the Old South are popular
in the Northern states. An advertise-
ment in the Aroostook Times warns,
"Do Not Be Misled. Watch and Wait

NHF Gratefully
Acknowledges Support

Thanks for financial support from:

American Film Institute/ National
Endowment for the Arts

Maine Community Foundation/
Maine Expansion Arts Fund

Corporate Sponsors:
Amoskeag Co.
Bangor & Aroostook RR
Bangor Daily News
N.H. Bragg & Sons
The Knowles Companies
Prentiss & Carlisle
Sawyer Management Services

and to:

Ted Bermingham

Dorothy Bromage

Mrs. Frederic E. Camp

William Cross

Mrs. German H. H. Emory

Mr. and Mrs. William G. Foulke

Nina Gormley

Robert Jordan

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Lupfer

Mary Martin

Robert Mclntire

Howard Peabody

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rabineau

Christopher R.P. Rodgers

Mr. and Mrs. P.M. Sellers

Richard Shaw

Dr. and Mrs. David C. Smith

Wayne Travis

jack Wiggins

Patricia Winter

for the Supremely Big Show. The Only
Colored Dramatic Company in Exis-
tence! Fresh from their Halifax and St.
John Triumphs. The Hyers Sisters
Comedy Company in their Successful
Moral Comedy, Out of Bondage. Not-
withstanding the Extraordinary expense
incurred for this engagement, prices will
be 25, 35 and 50 cents."

Tickets for these types of live shows
generally range from 35 to 70 cents.

Fast Forward

Penny Peep Shows and Nickelodeons
The first films will cost from a penny

to a nickel in Maine and throughout
the country. This will be far cheaper
than live entertainment, and images
such as dancing girls and battling box-
ers can be seen again and again.

The proliferation of nickelodeons
in 1910 will overlap with the decline
of live entertainment, especially
vaudeville. In fact, some penny arcades
featuring entertainment will become
known as "Automatic Vaudeville."

The Bangor Opera House has been
showing motion pictures since 1899.
The city's first movie theater, The

(continued on pg. 8)

Further Reading
Entertainment and Early Film

Before Hollywood: Turn-of-the-Century
American Film, edited and published by
John Anbinder, texts by John L Fell and
others. New York: Hudson Hills Press
in Association with the American Fed-
eration of Arts, 1987. The book includes
a variety of essays and programs from
an exhibition curated by Jay Leyda and
Charles Musser.

The Movies Begin: Making Movies in
New Jersey, 1887-1920, Paul Spehr,

Newark: Newark Museum, 1977. A his-
tory of early filmmaking, focusing on
the work of Edison and others in New
Jersey.

Film History: Theory and Practice,
Robert C. Allen and Douglas Gomery,
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985.
Pages 193-212 cover local film history
with an emphasis on community
resources for research. •

Are you a member of Northeast Historic Film?

We invite you to join! This is your last issue of
Moving Image Review unless we hear from you.

I would like to continue receiving Moving Image Review. Please enroll me as a member
I would like to give a gift membership at the _ level.

D
D

I Please write "gift" and the recipient's name and address.!

Annual Dues

D Regular Member $25 D Corporate Member $100

D Educator/Student $15 D Friend of NHF $250

D Nonprofit Institution $35 D Founding Member $1000

AfUiiMi

City

Stf»»

7ip

Phone

Please make check payable to:

Northeast Historic Film and send check to:

Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, Maine USA 04615

D Please check if this issue was incorrectly addressed, and fill in correct address above.

NHF ts a tax-exempt 507 Icl <3> organization; dues and contributions are deductible to the extent aUotttd kj lair.

P * g* 7

photo: Maine Historic Preservation Commission

The Gaiety, Vaudeville and Motion Pictures, Bangor, Maine, ca. 1909.

NORTHEAST HISTORIC FILM

[ BLUE HILL FALLS. MAINE. USA 04615 (207) 374-2736 |

NONPROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE PAID
Blue Hill Falls, Maine
04615
Permit *2

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

100 YEARS (continued from pg. 7)

Nickel, will be built and opened in
1906. The Gaiety Theatre in Bangor
will combine live vaudeville with short
films, as will theaters throughout the
nation. In 1911, the Bangor fire will
destroy these two theaters, but three
others — the Graphic, the Gem and
the Union — will take their place.

Films are shown in northern New
England by the turn of the century,
and producers send crews here to
shoot feature films. But it will be
many more years before any motion
picture production company, most of
which are centered in the New York
area, will trickle down east and make
Maine home base. By the early 1920s,
more films will be made and shown
here, and some of the halls which
have only occasionally shown films
will be converted to movie theaters.

Vaudevillians and variety per-
formers will try to make the change
into motion pictures. Although few
ultimately succeed, the early forms of
popular entertainment will contribute
talent and narrative material to the
fledgling film industry.

Maine will serve as a location for
North Woods films, a genre of lum-
berjacks, hunting guides, Canadian
mounties and Yukon miners, borrow-
ing heavily from two of the stage's
most popular dramatic forms: melo-
drama and farce. The Edison Company
and others such as Pine Tree Pictures,
the Holman Day Company and Dirigo
Pictures reenact the old forms in
scenic Maine locations to create short
films and features that are distributed
worldwide.

In 1989, with film's beginnings
100 years behind us, Maine remains
the setting for a variety of motion pic-
ture projects. However, the northern
New England community audience, once
brought together in storefront theaters,
is now for the most part dispersed. H

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Maine's TV Time Machine

Executive Director's Report p. 2

Louis de Rochemont p. 3

by James Petrie
100 Years Ago: Vermont p. 4

by Stephani Boyd

Paul Atwood p. 5

Fast Rewind Conference p. 5

Exhibition Calendar p. 6

Membership and Order Information p. 7

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue
Hill Falls, Maine 04615. David S. Weiss,
executive director, Karan Sheldon, editor.
ISSN 0897-0769

A sample from the Bangor Historical
Society /WABI television preservation
project is now available on VHS video-
tape. The tape, called Maine's TV Time
Machine, offers a glimpse of Maine life
from 1953, when TV first came to the
state, through the early 1960s.

Overview of the collection

Designed to introduce the collec-
tion to the public, the tape contains
segments from local programs, inter-
views, news stories, sports and com-
mercials. It includes such notables as
Senator Edmund Muskie, President
Eisenhower receiving the first Penob-
scot River salmon of the 1953 season,
and Richard Nixon campaigning in
Maine.

Fascinating local footage

There is footage of a soap box
derby, dancing at a pre-dawn hunter's
breakfast, and civil defense drills.

Commercials for Life Pack survival
rations for the family bomb shelter, the
Kelvinator Food-a-Rama and the
Gadget Master salesman recorded live
in the WABI-TV studio in 1955 will
beguile you.

"The collection is an important
resource for both the serious historian
and the resident of the region with an
interest in the development of the
community," says Robert Croul,
president of the Bangor Historical

fbolo: WABI-TV

Do you remember TV in the 1950s? Relive the 1950s and early 60s with the WABI Television
Preservation Project. Order your videocassette copy of the first compilation now — for just $24.95.
Or, call to arrange a presentation and have the behind-the-scenes story of the preservation project
related by a member of the NHF staff. 207374-2736.

Society, which will also be distributing
the tape. "These films are a vital supple-
ment to the artifacts and documents at
the Bangor Historical Society."

Proceeds from the sale of the half-
hour tape will support the preservation
of the original 16mm television film.
To order, see page 7. •

Executive Director's Report

NHF Distribution News

NHF Gratefully Acknowledges Support
Join this illustrious group — Become a Member of NHF!

This summer's issue of Moving Image
Review brings news of significance to
Northeast Historic Film, and — we
hope — to you. For the first time, we are
putting major resources into the distri-
bution of northern New England
material on videocassette.

Why? Because NHF is a small or-
ganization with a large mission, not just
to collect and preserve moving images
of the region, but also to make our
collections available to you. You've told
us you want New England videotapes
you can enjoy at home. "May I have a
copy of your catalog? What else do you
have available?" are the questions we
hear most often in person, by letter and
on the phone.

Region Needs Outreach

We feel that a grassroots distribu-
tion approach is needed in northern
New England — one that makes viewing
possible in homes, schools, museums
and historical societies. The region is
too vast and sparsely populated to
attract huge audiences to public show-
ings. One option for increasing out-
reach is to take advantage of videotape
technology. Creators of the material
will benefit from increased awareness of
their work, and so will our users.

Distribution Just Starting

At present, the list of programs
NHF distributes is short. With your
support, the list will grow. Your con-
tributions will help us locate, and make
available, films and videotapes that
would otherwise be impossible to
obtain.

This effort won't happen overnight.
To duplicate and package even one title
takes capital, and NHF, a two-year-old
nonprofit organization, doesn't have a
lot of that.

Northeast Historic Film is not a
production house. We're not a video
store or a circulating film library. Think
of us as an "activist archives." We
provide preservation services, and then
make the results of our work available
to you — to be seen, enjoyed and used.

Stay in Touch, Join NHF

We hope to hear from you. And if
you haven't already, do join NHF now.

Corporate/Associate Members

Astro Electric Co., Roy Gauthier
Ernest and Kathryn Gross
Max Media, Orono, ME,

Robert Mclntire
Virginia Morgan
Howard B. Peabody
Resolution Video, Audio & Film

Production, Burlington, VT,

William Schubart
VPFilm & Tape, Portland, ME,

Dan Osgood

Dr. and Mrs. Stewart Wolff
WoodenBoat Magazine, Brooklin, ME,

Jon Wilson

Regular Members

Linda J. Albert

Joan Amory

Jean Barrett

Deirdre Barton

Henry Becton, Jr.

Curtis Beach

Lynne Blair

Michel Chalufour

Valerie Cunningham

Eric Flower

Richard A. Hamilton

Margery J affray

Jeffjaner

Robert L. Jordan

Dr. Susan. A. Kaplan

John J. Karol, Jr.

Stephen Lindsay

Betty Ann and Donald Lockhart

Michael Mathiesen

Valerie Felt McClead

Mr. and Mrs. Russell C. McGregor

Bruce Meulendyke

John O'Brien

James A. Phillips

Sally Regan

One of the many benefits of member-
ship is a 15% discount on purchases.
Another benefit is the knowledge that
you are contributing directly to the
development of NHF cultural
preservation activities.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

Dr. and Mrs. Edward Kendall

Bernard F. Roscetti

Mr. and Mrs. P.M. Sellers

Shan V. Sayles

Jennifer Sheldon and Ian Gersten

Mr. and Mrs. Julian Stein

Robert and Kathryn Suminsby

Philip Veilleux

Vern and Jackie Weiss

Virginia W. Whitaker

Wendy Wincote

Betty Winterhalder

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbe Museum

Bangor Historical Society

Cherry field-Narraguagus Historical

Society

Cole Family Foundation
Alicia Condon and Bill Gross
Indiana Historical Society
Maine Film Commission
Maine Medical Center
Maine State Library
New Hampshire Historical Society
Prime Resource Center

Educator/Student

Daisy Kelley
Sanford Phippen
Susan Stires
Joan Sullivan
Virginia W. Whitaker

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to preserve, and make avail-
able to the public, film/videotape of
the northern New England region.
This purpose will be carried out by
activities including, but not limited
to, a comprehensive survey of
moving image resources of interest to
the people of northern New Eng-
land; the preservation of film/tape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
vault storage; a touring program to
bring materials to audiences through-
out the area; and the establishment of
a study center, including resource
materials and reference copies of
motion picture films and videotapes.

Louis de Rochemont
in New England

by James Petrie

James Petrie, who first worked for Louis
de Rochemont in 1947, donated equip-
ment to NHF which was used by the de
Rochemont and Petrie production
companies, including a "bug-eye"
Moviola editor and a Moviola UD 20
CS. NHF commends Petrie for the
scrupulous manner in which he main-
tained the equipment, and for his
kindness in donating and documenting
the equipment. Here are some excerpts
from his narrative.

James Petrie:

The unprecedented format of The
March of Time, in which "reenact-
ments" of news events were used, is
said to have originated in Portland,
Maine, in 1915, when the young self-
appointed newsreel cameraman, Louis
de Rochemont, persuaded a U.S.
Marshal to reenact the recent jailing of a
German saboteur. This unique film
footage was sought after by the major
newsreel companies and thus launched
Louis de Rochemont into the business
of filmmaking.

NHFs Copy of 1915 FUm

In 1987, Elizabeth Low gave NHF the
only known surviving copy of any film
of the German saboteur, including the

railroad bridge he attempted to destroy
in Vanceboro, Maine. From here, our
interest in de Rochemont took off. It is
not known whether the Low version
was shot by de Rochemont or a camera-
man from a rival newsreel company.

de Rochemont's Feature Films

In later years, de Rochemont made a
number of feature films, some of which
could be described as didactic real-life
fiction. He used New Hampshire set-
tings because, he said, they gave credi-
bility to his stories. Lost Boundaries
(1949) introduced race issues in the story
of a black doctor who passed as white.
Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951) is a tale
about union and management in a
small-town plastics factory.

James Petrie:

The bug-eye and the UD 20 CS editing
machines were used during the de
Rochemont years of film-making, quite
a number of which pertained to New
England itself.

The bug-eye was from LdeR's base-
ment workroom at Blueberry Bank,
Newington, New Hampshire. This
machine and its accessories came to
light when it was offered to me for the
assembling of workprint footage filmed
in Portland in 1953. This machine had
been previously used by LdeR for
working on dailies and picture assem-
blies long before my time with de
Rochemont.

It was not until LdeR formed his
East Coast production organization,
Louis de Rochemont Associates, in

This Moviola donated by
James Petrie is in excellent working condition.
An electric motor and leather belts power the
35mm tabletop machine.

New York City in 1947, that I became
affiliated with him, being taken into the
fold as locations scout for the making of
The New England Story.

Although I did not have occasion to
witness his use of the bug-eye during
this time, I am sure he may have done
so, for he was known to have kept an
open eye on the doings and perform-
ances of his cohorts in the field.
Whether he supervised from Newing-
ton or New York City, one was quite
aware that whatever had been done
would be seen through the Moviola
viewing glass.

This would also be true pertaining
to the series of 36 geography films, The
(continued on page 5)

Further Reading

Louis de Rochemont and non-fiction film

photo: Virginia de Rochemont

Louis de Rochemont ca. 1914 in Winchester,
Mass.

The March of Time, 1935-1951,
Raymond Fielding, New York: Oxford
University Press, 1978. Background to
de Rochemont's career, with useful
bibliography, filmography and index.

The American Newsreel, 1911-1967,
Raymond Fielding, Norman: Univer-
sity of Oklahoma Press, 1972. Over-
view of newsreels, including an account
of the de Rochemont Vanceboro bridge

exploit.

The Historian and Film, edited by Paul
Smith, King's College, London,
Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1976. Essays on film, including
William Hughes on "The evaluation of
film as evidence," and Jerry Kuehl with
a producer's point of view on historians
and documentary. •

Page 3

One Hundred Years Ago
The Moving Image in Vermont

by Stephani Boyd, Archives Manager,
Northeast Historic Film

How did motion picture come to be?
What kind of entertainment did it
replace? In celebration of the centennial
of the projected motion picture, Moving
Image Review regularly looks at film
technology and the regional context of
popular culture a century ago.

In 1889, a few months after Thomas
Edison and his assistant William
Dickson were experimenting with pro-
jected images, the residents of Burling-
ton, Vermont crowded into the Opera
House to watch projected still images of
Pennsylvania's Johnstown flood.

This vivid advertisement in the
Burlington Free Press suggests the
audience's anticipation:

100 Realistic Dissolving Views or
SIGHTS AND SCENES in this Valley of
Death and Destruction illustrating better
than tongue or pen can describe the ruin
and desolation the like of which is unpar-
alleled in history since the destruction of
Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Remember these pictures are not the
work of imagination, but actual photo-
graphs taken on the spot, before during
and since the flood, and are shown by a
2000 Candle Power Light, through a
double oxyhydrogen stereopticon upon a
screen 20 feet square.

A graphic and thrilling description will
be given by A RESIDENT who will tell
his thrilling story in his own way.

Full orchestra will be in attendance to
enliven the entertainment.

Ticket prices were 15, 25, and 35 cents. A
review of the event the next day said "a
number of our citizens" had attended,
and that the entertainment was a "very
interesting" one.

By 1 897, some presentations at the
Howard Opera House were accompa-
nied by Edison Vitascope short films
such as Runaway in Park, Tribulations
of Love, and Bathing at Rockaway
Beach. Tickets were 10, 20 and 30
cents — cheaper than play tickets.

The road show and the projected
image were again combined in Stereop-
ticon shows such as the one by Profes-
sor Henry P. Van Liew, Pd. M., called

"Flashlight Revelations" in Burlington #*«*• ws»» a*** (MM*

in 1900. Segments included Slums of Interior of the Howard Opera House, Burlington, Vermont, circa 1890.

New York by Flashlight, "a chaste,
thrilling, realistic presentation of all-
night slum rescue work" that "could
not be described on paper."

The moving image's appearance in
Vermont, as elsewhere, was foreshad-
owed by theatre productions which
were made into films a few years after
the technology became available. Uncle
Tom's Cabin, a book and play includ-
ing a Vermont setting, was made into a
film in 1903. Its author, Harriet Beecher
Stowe, lived in Vermont in her later
years.

From Plays to Movies

Popular productions of plays helped
"set the stage" for presentations of
movies in the theaters that- had once
been for live entertainment exclusively.
Many early films were adaptations of
stage plays, and proprietors hoped that
fans would go to the filmed versions.

Movies were shown at the Barre
Opera House, the Harte Theatre in
Bennington, the Chandler Music Hall
in Randolph and others.

Vermont Film Production

Although little research on the first
Vermont films is available, and we
suspect there were far earlier produc-
tions, we know that there was activity
by at least 1916 when the Progressive
Party in Vermont produced A Vermont

Romance with local actors as a way to
raise funds.

The film was shot in Burlington by a
New York cameraman, Ernest Powell.
Actors hailed from Waterbury, Middle-
bury, Manchester, Lyndonville, Ben-
nington, Richford, Burlington, Hard-
wick and Barton. The film premiered at
Burlington's Majestic Theater.

Moving Image Studies

Regional film history is significant
for understanding the role of moving
images as the most powerful media of
our century. Film history is not just
New York or Hollywood. It is in every
town and state that movies touched,
whether through production or exhibi-
tion.

Much of New England's rich
cultural heritage has been captured by
film, video and broadcast television.
And much is known about the develop-
ment of media technology. But there
are "miles to go" and years of research
are needed before the field can claim
knowledge of moving image history, or
of entertainment and the audience — in
New England or in America as a whole.

Thanks to:

Q. David Bowers, Wolfeboro, New

Hampshire
Professor George Bryan, Royall Tyler

Theatre, University of Vermont
Franklyn Lenthall, Boothbay Theatre

Museum, Boothbay, Maine
Michael Sherman and Peggy Abbott,

Vermont Historical Society
Nadia Smith, Special Collections,

Bailey-Howe Library, University

of Vermont. •

Paul Atwood: Fiddling
for The Birth of a Nation

Paul Atwood of Brewer, Maine, barn-
stormed with The Birth of a Nation in

( 1918-19. "We played all over the state,"
he recalls, "including Orono, Houlton
and Augusta." The other orchestra
members are all gone now, but included
Francis Shaw on drums, Knute Ring-
wold on piano, and Fred Bowman on
clarinet.

"In the 1920s our orchestra opened
the new Bangor Opera House, and
played there the first two weeks. We
were in the pit and there were five acts
of vaudeville plus three reels of moving
pictures."

Atwood's memory of films in
Bangor goes way back. "The first pic-
ture I saw that had music was George
Washington 's Minstrels. It was a movie
with a talking machine mounted behind

. the screen."

The musician's union, he said, was
against canned music, and against
Victrola parties, but what could you
do? "We didn't think too much about
it, it was just a way of life. I played six

. nights a week for dances and social
gatherings.

"Around 1917, the manager of
Bangor's Bijou, Stephen Bogrett, had a
wife who was a soprano. She came out
on stage between reels after the an-

. nouncement, 'One minute please for a
change of reels.' People used to go
down just to hear her sing."

Recalling playing for The Birth of a
Nation, Atwood says the scores were
complicated. "A great many of them

"Fast Rewind"
Conference

were presented in script. The scenes
were numbered with cues, and it was
quite a job to keep an eye on the screen
and watch the conductor.

"The drummer in particular had a
tough job," he stated, "with all the
battlefield music and guns firing." Nev-
ertheless, everyone was paid the
same — a fixed union rate, plus expenses.

Some of the theaters Atwood played
were as memorable as The Birth of a
Nation, which, according to Atwood,
"filled the house every night." Atwood
remembers, "That theater in Presque
Isle was named after a horse. The
Braden was named after John R.
Braden, a famous race horse. I went up
there in 1923-24, and they brought the
horse right out on stage that night." •

LOUIS DE ROCHEMONT (continued from pg. 3)

Earth and Its Peoples, two of which
were filmed in the local New England
environs: Maine Harbor Town, in

' Camden, Maine, and A US. Com-
munity and its Citizens, Milford,
Connecticut.

There were eight March of Time
stories made in New England, including
Summer Theatres, Skowhegan, Maine,

' October 18, 1935; Fisheries, March 13,
1936; Passamaquoddy, September 2,
1936; and New England's Eight Million
Yankees, Exeter, New Hampshire, July
1941.

James Petrie's Work

Petrie's career with Louis de Rochemont
included screen credits on Lost Bounda-
ries, Whistle at Eaton Falls, Walk East
on Beacon, Windjammer and other
films. He was a partner in the produc-
tion company Potter, Orchard & Petrie,
Inc. Petrie's filmmaking career began in
the U.S. Navy. He went on to become
director of photography, editor, director
and producer. •

Academics and archivists gathered in
Rochester, New York, for a conference
called "Fast Rewind: the Archaeology
of Moving Images," May 4-7, 1989.

Organized by Bruce A. Austin,
Wm. Kern Professor in Communica-
tions at Rochester Institute of Technol-
ogy, the conference covered technol-
ogy, preservation and the use of moving
images from the points of view of
teachers, researchers, producers and
archivists.

Northeast Historic Film cofounder
Karan Sheldon and Stephani Boyd,
archives manager, attended.

Importance of Amateur Film

Sheldon participated in a panel
called "The Family Movie," with Brian
Lewis of the CBC, Jeffrey Ruoff,
University of Iowa, Robert Wagner,
Ohio State and filmmaker Alan Berliner
of New York. Sheldon explained NHF
collection criteria for amateur film. The
NHF collection contains amateur
material from 1916 on, with particular
strength in 16mm b&w film from the
1930s.

Inside View of Our Culture

Home movies by northern New
England creators, she said, can reveal an
otherwise elusive "inside" view of the
culture over time.

NHF Seeks Amateur Film

NHF seeks donations of northern
New England material with the
following characteristics:

• A single creator covering a long span of
time with surviving annotation such as
the Meyer Davis Collection (1926-1974).

• A single community filmed by multiple
creators offering a varied perspective,
such as the various portraits of
Cherryfield (pop. 986).

• Rare ethnic or cultural coverage.

• Business, crafts or professions covered in
depth.

• The work of an individual whose home
movies can be annotated, and whose
moving image work would not otherwise
be archived.

Call or write NHF for information on
preserving amateur film and videotape.

Exhibition Calendar

T*1

NHF Presents:

Woodsmen and River Drivers

Premiere, with discussion.

Saturday, June 10.

Kimball Hall

Univ. of Maine, Machias

Showings on the hour, 2-5 p.m.

The Seventh Day

A presentation in honor of moviegoers, projectionists and accompanists. Danny
Patt, who first accompanied silent films here in 1922, will play the Bagaduce Music
Lending Library score.

Wednesday, August 2, 7:30 p.m.

Town Hall

Union, Maine.

Selections from the Archives

August 12-14

Maine Festival

Deering Oaks Park

Portland, Maine.

Way Down East

D.W. Griffith's 1920 masterpiece. Reconstructed by the Museum of Modern Art
with live musical accompaniment. For tickets in advance call 207 667-8919 or
207 374-2736.

Sunday, August 20, 7:30 p.m.

The Criterion Theater

Bar Harbor, Maine.

Archiving Workshop

September 8
Catamount Arts Center
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Call Deborah Sessions, 802 223-8742

Selections from the Archives

September 22-24
Common Ground Fair
Windsor Fairgrounds
Windsor, Maine

Selections from the Archives

October 1-8

Fryeburg Fair

Fryeburg, Maine

photo: American Heritage Center,
University of Wyoming

Miss Lillian Gish in Way Down East

The purpose of NHF is to preserve,
and make available to the public,
moving images of the northern New
England region.

All But Forgotten:

Holman Francis Day, Filmmaker

Chronicles career of 1920s Maine author
and film producer Day, whose credits
include
Northwoods
dramas such
as My Lady
of the Pines
with Mary
Astor. Pro-
duced in 1977
by Everett
Foster under
a Maine Arts
Commission grant; won a silver medal at the
International Film & TV Festival of NY and
aired on the PBS system. Narrated by film
historian James Card. 30 minutes.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95.

The How and Why of Spuds

A detailed look at 1920 potato farming in
Aroostook County, Maine, when the pri-
mary power was horses. Produced by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
10 minutes.

$20/NHF members $17.

From Stump to Ship:
A 1930 Logging Film

The most complete look at the long-log
industry includes felling trees in winter with
cross-cut saws, the spring river drive, and
work in a steam-powered mill. Original
1930 script spoken by humorist Tim
Sample. Project won the American Associa-
tion for State and Local History award of
merit. 28 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

Page 6

ieocassettes Now Available

Researchers, teachers and students
are invited to request reference
copies, .uul to visit NHI; to work
with hundreds of hours of film,
videotape .uid associated materials.

NHF reaches many people through
public presentations. And now, our
outreach includes New England
moving images on videotape for
home and school use.

Cberryfield, 1938

Springtime views of a small Washington
County (Maine) community. A short, but
complete and affecting view which includes
the businesses, the school, and many

:cics such as cutting wood,
training oxen. 6 minutes.

$20/NHF members $17.

Woodsmen and River Drivers

'Another day, another era. "

WABI-TV

STUDIOS

Unforgettable individuals who worked for
the Machias Lumber Company before 1930
share their recollections of a hard life.
Completed in 1989, a project of Northeast
Archives of Folklore and Oral History with
funding from the Maine Humanities
Council and Champion International.
30 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

Earliest Maine Films
Drawing a Lobtter Pot ( 1 901 ) is the

earliest surviving moving image known to
have been shot in Maine.
Logging in Maine ( 1 906) shows men
working to prevent a logjam on a river.

Trout Fishing, Rangeley Laket (1906)
shows arrival by train and steamer and
guests in three-piece suit* catching trout,
minutes total.

$20/NHF members $17.

IT
Sh

Maine's TV Time Machine

A compilation, just completed, from the
Bangor Historical Society /WABI collection from Maine's oldest TV station. Sample* from
the 1950s and early 1960s: television news, sports and local commercial*. Narrated by
veteran radio and TV journalist George Hale. 34 minutes.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

All But Forgotten

24.95

19.95

The How and Why of Spuds

20.00

17.00

From Stump to Ship

29.95

24.95

Cherryficld, 1938

20.00

17.00

Woodsmen and River Drivers

29.95

24.95

Earliest Maine Films

20.00

17.00

Maine's TV Time Machine

24.95

19.95

Merchandise total
•Check method of shipment

Dc . . _ , _. Tax: ME residents add 5%
Special Fourth Cuss mail: no charge

D First Class Mail: add $2.40 per tape Shipping and handling'
1 — 1 Overnight: add $12.50 per tape Videotape Total

Videotape Order Form

Item name

Regular prift each Member'} price each Qty. Tout

Are you a Member of Northeast Historic Film? Please join us.
Receive the benefits of membership including Moving Image Review,
discounts on purchases and presentations, and notice of screening and events.

LJ Yes! Please enroll me as a member. LJ Please note my order above.

Annual Due*

D Regular Member $25 Q Corporate/ Associate Member $100

D Educator/Student $15 D Friend of NHF $250

D Nonprofit Institution $35 Q Founding Member $1000

D I would like to give a gift membership at the

level.

(Please write 'gift * and the recipient 's name and address in the blank space belov. )

Name _
Address

City

Phone _

State

Zip

Please tout videotape order, membership and gift (as applicable). Make check payable to:
Northeast His tone Film and tend check to:
Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, Maine USA 04615

NHF it a tax-exrmpi Ml (t) ()) orfamj triem Dmes a*4 (MfrifcrtMi art JffuctM* to ikt

P * g e 7

photo: Tom Stewart

Newell Beam: *l am proud I'm a woodsman. Yes, I know what to do in the woods. '

NORTHEAST HISTORIC FILM

1 BLUE HII.L FALLS. MAINE. I'SA 0461 5 (207) 374-3736

NONPROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE PAID
Blue Hill Falls, Maine
04615
Permit *2

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Woodsmen and River Drivers
"Another day, another era."

"When I first went into the woods up
Machias River, I was 1$. Oh, that's 65
years ago when I was up there. First
year I didn 't know too much about the
logging woods. I soon learned. "

The intensity of life working in the
Maine woods before 1930 is shared by
Newell Beam and other veterans of the
Machias Lumber Company. They are
the last of many generations of New
England woods workers who used
hand tools, horses and water power to
turn trees into lumber — often sent to
New York and other urban areas. Beam
and his colleagues appear in Woodsmen
and River Drivers, a documentary
presented by Northeast Historic Film.

The woodsmen are vivid communi-
cators, conveying the viewer into a van-
ished way of life. Consider spending
the winter with 30 men in a remote
woods camp with no electricity, work-
ing from pre-dawn until after dark, six
days a week.

The program grew from a recon-
struction of a 1930 amateur film by the
president of the Machias Lumber
Company, who spent a year recording
his business.

The reconstruction, From Stump to
Ship: A 1930 Logging Film, was quickly
accepted as a part of the Maine history
curriculum from elementary school to
university level. The film has been dis-
tributed widely and won the award of
merit from the American Association
for State and Local History.

To add to the original resource, Dr.
Edward (Sandy) Ives, director of the
Northeast Archives of Folklore and
Oral History, gathered the recollections
of more than 25 woodsmen and river
drivers. The stories of selected individu-
als are told in Woodsmen and River
Drivers.

A project of Northeast Archives of
Folklore and Oral History, Dept. of
Anthropology, Univ. of Maine, funded
by the Maine Humanities Council and
Champion International Corp., Woods-
men and River Drivers is available on
videocassette from Northeast Historic
Film (see page 7). Call 207 374-2736 for
information on a presentation for your
historical society or other organization.

I Northeast Historic I i I m

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Winter 1990

Executive Director'* Report .
History and Home Movies,

Patricia Zimmcrmann...™™.
100 Yean Ago: New Hampshire

by Strpham Boyd

Summer Events

Grant* in Action

The Movie Queen _.— ——____.

p.2

P3
P<

,p.5
,p.6

,p.8

Archiving Home Movies

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Him, Blue
Hill Falls, Maine 0461 S. David S. Weiss,
executive director, Karan Sheldon, editor.
ISSN 0897-0769

A regional archives collects and pre-
serves material that is significant to its
geographical area. From the start,
Northeast Historic Film has taken on
the task of preserving amateur films and
videotapes that record the life of the
Northeast in detail and from
perspectives nowhere else available.

A New Field

Amateur moving image material has
not been widely collected in the U.S., so
there arc few people curating it. No
wonder it presents many diffi-
culties to the intrepid curator.
Physical preservation is difficult,
because many film and tape for-
mats arc obsolete and laboratory
facilities are scarce and expensive.

Direct to Computer

NHF in 1990 will become one of the
first film archives to catalog directly
onto computer, generating paper rec-
ords from printouts. There arc no field-
wide standards for describing home
movies. We describe film by geograph-
ical location and visual content with a
growing list of terms including children,
boats and boating, logging, dancing,
religion, agriculture and holidays. The
terms come from Library of Congress
subject headings with some regional
adaptations, for example, addition of
the term "maritime."

Fascinating Content

NHF has been able to find and safe-
guard a significant amount of amateur
film, going back to the early teens.
There's wide variety, from plays, pic-
nics and outings to records of passenger
rail, steamships, fishing (seining, dip-
ping, hand lining, fly casting), and
family and institutional activities grand
and humble.

The Public as Source

Not surprisingly, the public has not
thought much about the value of home
movies, and individuals usually haven't
regarded their own films as of potential
interest outside the immediate family.
Increasingly, they arc, and NHF en-
courages the submission of amateur
material for evaluation. •

.•\mtttnr film
trnvet At \ortbeAU
Hulonc Film in
gAft>Agt cjnt Jtnd tagtr
CAnnttn. thopping fart, four* of All
kindt, *nd bAtitrti The (Urn thtt Arm-et
in these conuinen it Aging, fragile And
ituuiUy *npro/ettjl>lr Such film it nnuiUy
HnttfHt »nd frrterved novhrrr rlsf U> think the
many people tt-fco *ndrn:*nd it) tmporuncr And
donAtt film And funds for in prttervAnon.

Executive Director's Report

Join These New Members of NHF!
See Page 6 for Details.

Management Study
Over the summer, the University of
Maine's Bureau of Public Administra-
tion undertook a detailed evaluation of
NHF's management and planning. We
are grateful for their expertise. The
study is part of our strategic planning
process, and has proved both reinforc-
ing of past decisions and helpful in
defining tomorrow's goals.

As we look to the future we see
further building of the collections,
continued interaction with educators,
preservation professionals, producers
and others and more participation by
volunteers. We will continue to work to
safeguard our moving image heritage
and make it available, not just for future
generations, but for you.

Volunteer Program

One way to make preservation work
for you is to become a volunteer. The
program is designed to encourage parti-
cipation, even by those who can't come
to Blue Hill. There are openings for
volunteers to:

Q Review tapes and films and help
catalog them.

3 Assist planning and preparation

for public events.
Q Record recollections on audiotape

and/or transcribe audio into type.

Q Help care for NHF's growing
equipment collection.

Q Use computer skills for word
processing and data entry.

For more information on how you can
get involved, call 207 374-2736.

Our Third Anniversary

With this issue of Moving Image
Review we mark the third anniversary
of Northeast Historic Film. We wel-
come a seventh board member to
Northeast Historic Film, Lynda Tyson,
of Northeast Harbor and Tyson &
Partners of Bangor. Charlie Tyson, her
husband and partner, joins the program
committee. His able hand has helped
guide Moving Image Review since its
first issue.

Thanks to the many members who
joined in 1989, our first membership
year. In 1990 we are offering a selection

Founding Members

Paul & Deborah Gelardi
Karan Sheldon & David Weiss

Friends of NHF

Milbridge Theatre, David & Sue Parsons
Ed Pert

Corporate/Associate Members
Hammond Lumber Company,

Donald C. Hammond
Tyson & Partners, Lynda & Charles Tyson
Mrs. Joanne Van Namee
Allene& Joel White

Regular Members

Peter Anderson

James E. Austin

Paul & Mollie Birdsall

Richard Bock

Bob & Dot Broadbent

Lynn Cadwallader

Mrs. Frederic E. Camp

Robert Carnie

Gary Cobb

Art Collier

Celeste DeRoche

Clarence R. DeRochemont

Ann-Marie Duguay

Carroll Faulkner

John Gfroerer

Jim Goff

Nancy Gray

Charles Hesse

Stanley Howe

Douglas H/Ilsely

Thomas F. Joyce

Ernest Knight

Rep. Theone Look

Lily Marston

William Materne

Andrew Mazer

Francis S. Moulton, Jr.

Lee Murch

Richard Obrey

Guy & Dianne Poirier

Robert Porter

Charles Pritham

of NHF postcards to all new and
renewing members. They're an ideal
way to stay in touch with friends while
helping spread the word about NHF.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

M. Prittie

Karen Rhine

Chris Roy

Nancy Sheldon

Sally Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Thompson

Mrs. Henry Walter

Seth Washburn

Robert Whitney

Carter Wintle

Frank A. Wood, PhD

Karen Wyatt

Harry Zinn

Nonprofit Organizations

Calais Free Library, Marilyn Diffm
City Theater Associates, Keith Peeler
Curtis Memorial Library
George Stevens Academy, Bonnie Copper
Harvard Film Archive, Vlada Petric
Mantor Library, David Olsen
University of Maine, Augusta, Library

Educator/Student Members

Miss Rosemary Anthony

Phil Gonyar

Cora Greer

Kevin Hagopian

Scott Herring

Dr. T. Johnson

Sharon Merrill, Guy E. Rowe School

Alan Morse

Dr. David Richard

Paige Roberts

William Taylor

Carla Turner, Windham Real School

Dr. Richard E.G. White

Carolyn Wiley I

NHF Statement of Purpose

Page

History and Home Movies:
An Interview with Patricia Zimmermann

Patricia Zimmermann is associate
professor of cinema and photography,
Roy H. Park School of
Communications, Ithaca College,
Ithaca, New York.

Zimmermann: The history of home
movies is a history of technological
diffusion from a very specialized mar-
ket in the early part of the century,
widening over the decades to a more
consumer-oriented family market.

Who made home movies?

Z People who had expendable
income, with access to equipment
and processing. The largest concentra-
tion has been in urban areas, partic-
ularly in the Northeast. People got
information about home movies from
camera stores in the downtown urban
areas in the 1920s and '30s. And from
The New York Times, where home
movies were written about in the
society pages.

What is the relationship of home
movie-making to travel?

^ Generally speaking there are two
« principal uses of amateur film:
Amateur photography increases with
the birth of a child, and the other usage
is travel. There is a long tradition of
using photography and film to record
travel to other places. You'll see lots of
shots taken from cars, pans of the ocean
or the mountains, and there's a real
sense of collecting images as though
they're souvenirs — as though the
camera can get more of it than you
could.

Travel film coincides with the rise of
the automobile, and the two technolo-
gies mix together: The automobile gave
people mobility and increased
vacationing.

People tend to film what I call "the
exotic other." For example, I would
guess in Maine people filmed lobster
traps and lobstermen from a distance.
"The exotic" is an indicator that you
were somewhere and life was different.

Who is preserving amateur film, and
what are they collecting?

ZLast year I was a research fellow at
the Smithsonian Institution in the
Human Studies Film Archives. They
archive ethnographic film and amateur
film of places that have changed — for
example, home movies shot in Cam-
bodia, evidence of people and places
you couldn't see any longer. Their
collection spans 1900 to the present.

That archives collection is an
incredible record of the third world,
and the way first world people of
certain wealth and power image the
third world.

Who else is archiving amateur
material?

I've done research at George
Eastman House. They have an
enormous document archives, including
amateur and trade magazines. Eastman
House in the last few years has in-
creased its interest in saving travelogues,
and when amateur material comes their
way they attempt to keep it.

The Bishop Museum in Hawaii has
apparently initiated a campaign to get
more amateur film because there was
quite a lot shot there during World War
II. They're trying to document
Hawaiian life.

What's sad, I believe, is that more
archives aren't involved, because this
material will just be lost. Most archives
have limited space and they have other
priorities.

What do you think of regional
archiving?

Much of it has to be regional
because I think that what is inter-
esting about amateur photography and
film is how regionally based it is. It's
about people in a particular time and
socioeconomic place.

Where do you think film scholarship
is going?

The range of people interested in
media is bigger than anyone ever

Pl«» Print Plainl,

16mm film boxes like this one were sent for
processing and returned to home movie-makers
all over America. Where are your family films?

imagined. People are studying industrial
films, as well as amateur production and
all the regional film production that no
one knew about.

There is a movement among cultural
historians to look at history from
below. This has meant looking at the
history of women and labor unions and
farmers. And there's been a move
toward regional history.

People Making History

In film history there's been a similar
shift toward examination of American
media culture beyond the dominance of
TV and Hollywood film. Study of
home movies is an aspect of this, look-
ing at the way normal everyday people
who aren't trained make their own
history. Home movies are powerful
documents of the way people lived at a
certain point in history.

Consider women's history and
questions like, "What were women's
lives like in the 18th and 19th centu-
ries?" To answer, historians went to
archives and looked at letters.

Equivalent of Diaries

The 20th-century equivalent is
home movies. I think of them as private
family documents. They are the visual
equivalent of diaries, and that's one
reason I think they need to be
preserved.

Further Reading

Reel Families: A Social History of the
Discourse on Amateur Film, 1897-1962.
Patricia R. Zimmermann. In press. H

Pag

One Hundred Years Ago:
The Moving Image in New Hampshire

by Stephani Boyd, Archives Manager,
Northeast Historic Film

One hundred years ago, an arguably
short-sighted decision by Thomas
Edison resulted in the temporary
primacy of coin-operated peep shows
over movies projected onto screens.
Eighteen-ninety was the year between
the first known projection of film onto
a screen by Edison's assistant William
Dickson, and Edison's patents applica-
tions for his Kinetograph camera and
Kinetoscope peephole viewer in 1891.

Edison decided that small, individu-
ally operated viewers provided greater
image clarity than did projection onto
large screens, one reason for the estab-
lishment of coin-operated viewing
machines throughout the United States
in the 1890s.

Whereas in 1990 we have "home
entertainment centers" complete with
our own machines for movie viewing
and music listening, in the 1890s and
early 1900s people had to go out to
view moving images. Thus the creation
of arcades in commercial areas and
transportation hubs.

Automatic Vaudeville

One example of this phenomenon
was Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New
Hampshire. It was built in 1902 by the
Massachusetts North East Railway Co.
to encourage the public to use its street-
cars on weekends. The development
included an "Automatic Vaudeville"
building, which probably contained
peep show machines.

Among the peep show machines the
park still owns and runs is the Muto-
scope, a machine that competed with
Edison's Kinetoscope. The machine has
a hand-cranked rotating drum with
photo cards mounted on it that flip in
sequence, providing the illusion of a
moving image.

Women and Snakes

Park marketing director Wayne
Ulaky says sequences available for
viewing in 1990 include a beautiful
woman sashaying through a room, and
a snake eating a rodent.

Jim Blanco, manager of the loka
Theatre in Exeter, New Hampshire, has
seen the machines in action. "You used
to put pennies in them, and now you
put in dimes," he said. "Even teenagers
who listen to AC/DC like them."

By 1915, many coin-operated
moving image machines were replaced
by chairs when entrepreneurs realized
they could make more money by
operating only one machine at a time
for a roomful of paying customers. So
much for Edison's 1890 assumptions.

From Mutoscopes to Multiplexes

In 1990, Mutoscopes are still being
built and operated as novelties, but
movie theaters are endangered as
resources are directed toward the
production and distribution of home
videotapes and VCRs. Movie theaters
are being demolished, converted or
replaced by new theaters devoid of
ornament or character.

Images in use throughout the 100
years of motion picture history are
being lost as is their context, i.e., the

ftrcade

-•

environments in which they were seen.

Going, Going, Gone

According to Jim Blanco, four New
Hampshire theaters were lost in the last
year or so: the Amherst Street and
Vitaphone theaters in Manchester and
part of the Colonial in Portsmouth
became parking lots, and the Latchis in
Keene was gutted for condominiums.

Exeter's loka Theatre, which Blanco
manages, was built in 1915 as a movie
and vaudeville house. It is scheduled to
close soon, largely because film dis-
tributors would rather book multiple
films into multiscreen theaters than one
film into an independent theater.
Package booking practices make it
harder for small theaters to get popular
films, and therefore, large audiences.

A group from local Phillips Exeter
Academy has tried to rally support for
the theater, but no adequate solution
has yet been found.

Blanco believes that much more
than architecture is lost when a theater
is destroyed. "Anyone who has seen
Ben-Hur only on television has seen
about 40 percent of it," he said. "It's
like looking at the world through a
window from 20 paces back."

In 100 years, has the art of
moviegoing come and gone?
Thanks to:

Jim Blanco, Exeter, NH
Q. David Bowers, Wolfeboro, NH
David Cook, Games Manager, Canobie Lake

Park, Salem, NH

Wayne Ulaky, Marketing Director, Canobie
Lake Park, Salem, NH •

photo: Q. David Bovert,

Canobie Lake Park exhibition hall, ca. 1902.

Page 4

Summer Events * 1989

Silent Film
Returns to Union

The Union Historical Society hosted
screenings of Henry King's 1921 feature
The Seventh Day in the old town hall in
Union, Maine, on August 2, 1989.

In the afternoon Dr. Richard Kahn,
a member of the Maine Humanities
Council, chaired a retrospective session
with members of the Union community
who had participated in the showing of
silent films in the hall. Danny Patt, who
grew up in Union, shared his recollec-
tions along with Ross Howes, projec-
tionist, and more than half a dozen

Danny Patt, pianist,
began hii career in the
early 1920s accom-
panying silent film.

1 \-

individuals who remembered attending
the films with family and friends.

Community at the Movies

The discussion gathered valuable
information on the community's rela-
tionship to film. Movie-going was
regular and important in Union, almost
to the exclusion of other group activi-
ties, including church. Isabel Abbott
recalled having to act ill to get out of
going to a film showing one Christmas
Eve so that she could stay home and
play with a new doll.

Accompanist Danny Patt

In the evening, Patt played the piano
for two screenings of The Seventh Day,
with selected Pathe newsreel stories.
The house was full for both shows.

In 1924, at the age of 12, Patt had
taken the job of accompanist for the
weekly films. He also played once a
week in Warren and Thomaston,
Maine.

The 1989 audience was diverse and
enthusiastic. Many young people had

Projectionist Ross Howes and moviegoer Jesse
Hilt meet by the original Powers projector at
Union town hall for The Seventh Day, a
presentation in honor of moviegoers,
projectionists and accompanists.

never before seen a silent film, and
some of their elders remembered having
fun pelting Danny Patt with peanuts
before the sound era put the town hall
movie show out of business.

The Historical Society was an excel-
lent and well-organized host, supported
by many local sponsors and the Maine
Humanities Council.

Dr. Edward Ives, internationally known
oral historian, (left) greets woodsman
Newell Beam on June 10 at the University of
Maine, Machias premiere of Woodsmen
and River Drivers. The 1989 documentary,
produced and distributed by NHF, was
introduced by project director Ives.

The NHF booth at the Maine Festival For k
the third straight (and rainiest) year, NHF W
appeared at this popular arts event.

Way Down East, reconstructed by the Museum of Modern Art, was shown to a
crowd of over iOO on August 20 at The Criterion Theater in Bar Harbor, Maine.
The event was sponsoredby the Bar Harbor Banking and Trust Company. NHF
board member Pam Wintle talks with pianist Glenn Jenks ofCamden, who is in
a dramatic mode following his performance of the score.

At the Great Cranberry
Library, filmmaker David
Westphal (left) speaks with
Robert Browning. Westphal
organized the August
screening of a 1930s home
movie. The detailed look at
island life, starring Mr.
Browning, was warmly
received by a full house.

(conttmttd on page 6)
Page }

Summer Events

(continued from pg. 5)

Archival to Agricultural

NHF gave an archiving workshop
for the Vermont Historical Records
Advisory Board with funds from
NHPRC at Catamount Arts Center, St.
Johnsbury, Vermont in September.
From October 1-10 staff occupied ex-
hibit space close to two oxen at the
Fryeburg Fair in Fryeburg, Maine,
showing videotapes in the Farm Mu-
seum to several thousand visitors to the
largest agricultural fair in Maine.

Other events: in July, screenings of
Woodsmen in Blue Hill and Rockport,
Maine, and a preview from the Maher
Collection in Lucerne, Maine; Septem-
ber, presentations in Kennebunkport
and Bangor; October, events at the
Abnaki Ski & Outing Club in
Augusta, the Women's Literary
Union, Portland, and at Bates College,
a screening of The Seventh Day with
accompaniment by Danny Patt. •

At the Common Ground Fair in Windsor,
Maine, the NHF booth occupied a space in the
exhibition hall and was awarded a blue ribbon
for most educational exhibit by a jovial
gentleman in a top hat. We appreciated the
award and the friendly crowds.

Grants in Action

NHF is grateful to these public and
private granters in the state who make
our work possible:

The Maine State Library's incen-
tive matching grant program for preser-
vation of unique state historical and
library research material donated $5,000
for continued preservation work on the
Bangor Historical Society /WABI
project. The television film preservation
project has raised $92,000 to date, and is
gaining visibility with educators,
business people, producers and archi-
vists. Revenue from the introductory
videotape, Maine's TV Time Machine,
supports the project. The tape, available
by mail from NHF, is selling well at
area retailers including Mr. Paperback
and Shop 'N Save stores.

The Joan Whitney and Charles
Shipman Payson Charitable Founda-
tion, in its first year of operation, gave
$2,000 to NHF toward the preservation
of maritime-related material in the
BHS/WABI collection.

The Maine Arts Commission
Regional Arts Program gave $250
toward the exhibition of Way Down
East at the Criterion.

The Maine Community Founda-
tion's Maine Expansion Arts Fund

awarded $3,000 for the planning phase
of Ralph Stanley, A Reverence for
Wood, a film to be produced by David
Westphal and Gunnar Hansen. Further
funding is needed in preparation for
their film on the work of the Southwest
Harbor wooden-boat builder.

Final reports have been submitted or
are in progress for these 1988/89 grants:
the Maine Arts Commission-funded
preservation and outreach work on The
Seventh Day; the Expansion Arts-
funded project The Movie Queen (see
page 8); and the American Film Insti-
tute/National Endowment for the
Arts preservation grant for work on the
Daniel Maher collection. H

Join
Northeast Historic Film

New in 1990! A gift packet of postcards
for all new members and renewals. It
contains striking images from regional
motion pictures: 1920 Maine Centen-
nial, The Seventh Day, The Rider of
the King Log and Bozo! Eight post-
cards, two of each.

Q Regular members, $25 per year,
receive a subscription to Moving
Image Review, notice of screen-
ings and events, and discounts on
materials distributed by NHF.

Q Educator/Student Members,
$15 per year, receive all regular
membership benefits. This cate-
gory is for teachers and students at
any level.

Q Nonprofit Organizations, $35
per year, receive all regular bene-
fits of membership, plus additional
copies of Moving Image Review
on request and reduced rates for
consultation, presentations and
professional services.

Q Associates (Individuals) and
Corporate Members, $100 per
year, receive the benefits of
regular members, and in addition,
special recognition in Moving
Image Review and programs.

Q Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership
and, in addition, a privilege card
which will admit two people to
any NHF-sponsored screening or
event, plus listing in the roster of
Friends.

Q Founding Members, $1,000 per
year, the premier category of
membership. These members are
making a major commitment to
ensure the preservation and use of
the NHF resource, and receive all
benefits of regular membership
and invitations to special previews.

Look for announcement of special
items in 1990, including new T-shirts
and videotapes. Membership at any
level is an opportunity to become
involved with the preservation and
enjoyment of our moving image
heritage. •

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent
allowed by law.

Page 6

Videotapes of New England Life

The purpose of NHF is to preserve, and make available to the public, moving
images of the northern New England region. NHF reaches many people
through public presentations. Researchers use database information and ref-
erence copies of film and tapes in our growing collection of unedited material.
And now, we offer New England videotapes for home and school use.

All But Forgotten:

Holman Francis Day, Filmmaker.

Career of 1920s Maine author and film producer
Day, whose work included Northwoods drama
My Lady of the Pines with Mary Astor. 30
minutes.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95.

Around Cape Horn

Capt. Irving Johnson aboard the Peking in 1929.
37 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

Cherryfield, 1938

Springtime views of a small Washington County
(Maine) community. A short, but complete and
affecting view. 6 minutes.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95.

Earliest Maine Films
Drawing a Lobster Pot (1901)
Logging in Maine (1906)
Trout Fishing, Rangeley Lakes (1906)
Total 22 minutes.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95.

From Stump to Ship:
A 1930 Logging Film

The most complete look at the long-log industry.
28 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

The How and Why of Spuds

A detailed look at 1920 potato farming in
Aroostook County, Maine. 10 minutes.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95.

Legends of American Skiing
1849-1940

Archival footage and modern interviews com-
prehensively define the sport. 78 minutes.

$39.95/NHF members $34.95.

Maine's TV Time Machine

A compilation of TV from the 1950s and early
60s from the Bangor Historical Society /WABI
collection. 34 minutes.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95.

Mt. Washington 1852-1908,
Among the Clouds

Life at the top: the hotels, newspaper and
building of the cog railway. 30 minutes.

$24.95/Sorry, no member discount.

An Oral Historian's Work
with Dr. Edward Ives

Skills and techniques of a successful oral history
project demonstrated by a world's authority. 30
minutes.

$60/NHF members $47.50.

Ride the Sandy River Railroad

Newly transferred, silent (with titles) from early
1930s two-foot-gauge railroad. 30 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

The Ways at Wallace and Sons
and The Bank Dory

Coasting schooner/o^n F. Leavitt and her New
England shipbuilders. The Bank Dory docu-
ments the building of a Nova Scotia dory. Total
58 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

Woodsmen and River Drivers,
"Another day, another era"

Unforgettable individuals who worked for the
Machias Lumber Company before 1930 share
their recollections of a hard life. 30 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

Yachting in the 30s

Weetamoe, a 1930 film of the Herreshoff-built J
boat in the 1931 transatlantic and Fastnet races
and other short films. Total 45 minutes.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95.

Membership and Order Form

Ordered by

Name

Address

City

State _

Ship to (if different from above)

Zip

Name

Address

City

State _

Zip

Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, ME 04615 USA

Videotape name

Price

Qty.

Total

D Special Fourth Class mail: no charge Videotape subtotal

D First Class Mail: add $2.40 Tax. M£ residents add 5%
plus $1 each additional tape
O Overnight: add $12.50 Shipping and handling

plus $3 each additional tape

Payment Method
\ — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film

D Visa D MasterCard Credit card tt

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeier at (207) 374-2736

Membership/ Specify level, please:

TOTAL

\ Institutional purchase order tt
Expiration date

Credit card signature

Page

The Movie Queen of Lubec, Maine, and the hero were reunited for an evening of film and
recollection in September 1989 through a project underwritten by the Expansion Arts Fund of the
Maine Community Foundation. Thanks to coordinator Helen Burns, shown here between heroine
Evangeline Morrison and hero Jimmy Simmonds. Inset: The Orange River Jazz Band.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

BLUE HILL FALLS • MAINE
USA 0461 5 • (207)374-2736

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

The Movie Queen

Community Art/

Group Memory

In August 1936 twenty-year-old
Evangeline Morrison played the role of
a young woman returning from Holly-
wood to her coastal Maine hometown.
Her performance was captured in The
Movie Queen, Lubec.

Fifty-three years later, Morrison's
recollections prompted a Lubec
audience to talk about the old Eagle
Theatre, "dish night," and actresses
who stashed silver dollars in their
stockings. Such recollection was further
evoked by the screening and by the
music performed by the Orange River
Jazz Band.

Itinerant Director

Mrs. Morrison and Jimmy Sim-
monds, the hero, often participated in
community theatricals and were happy
to be selected by an itinerant director,
Miss Margaret Cram of Boston. Cram
visited Bar Harbor, Eastport and Lubec
in the summer of 1936, in each town
staging a musical and shooting a short
film of local merchants — and a comic
kidnapping story.

Social History Value

Although the technical quality of
The Movie Queen, twenty minutes of
16mm film, makes widespread distri-
bution unlikely, the Lubec and Bar
Harbor films are important visual
records for those interested in social
and economic change. Unfortunately,
the Eastport film is still lost.

The project, formally subtitled "The
Art of Community Expression in
Film," fit NHF's archiving and research
missions well, incorporating physical
preservation of unique 16mm films with
oral histories focusing on entertain-
ment, community discussion and public
exhibition. Preservation work was done
by John E. Allen, Inc., Park Ridge, NJ.

The Lubec audience was enthusias-
tic about the screening and discussion,
reinforcing our belief at NHF that film
is one of the best mechanisms for look-
ing at a community and promoting
discussion of the past and present. •

ft Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Summer 1990

Executive Director's Report p.2

The Film Foundation:

Interview with Robert Rosen p.3

100 Years Ago p.4

The Collections p.5

Our Lives in Our Hands p. 8

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue
Hill Falls, Maine 04615. David S. Weiss,
executive director, Karan Sheldon, editor.
ISSN 0897-0769

Going to the Movies

Going to the Movies is a project of
Northeast Historic Film which begins
in the summer of 1990. It focuses on
how films were seen in Maine in the
silent era, before 1930. It is the first
project to engage a broad public aud-
ience— statewide — in the experience,
research and analysis of the social
history of motion pictures.

National Film Scholarship

In August, NHF, with nationally
known film scholars, will open a series
of silent film screenings accompanied
by live music in places where silent
films were shown in Maine. Advance
tickets are suggested for all events — call
(207) 374-2736.

August Events

The City Theater in Biddeford on
August 3 is the first stop. Tom Gun-
ning, whose award-winning PhD dis-
sertation was on Biograph films, will
introduce and moderate the program,
which will include a cartoon, newsreel,
and Henry King's Maine-made 1921
feature, The Seventh Day.

On August 4, there will be two one-
hour shows at the Maine Festival,
Cumberland Fairgrounds, emulating
the earliest itinerant exhibitors.

Film & History

Professor Douglas Gomery of the
University of Maryland will present the
program on August 16 at the Camden

Opera House and on August 18 at the
Lincoln Theatre, Damariscotta. Gom-
ery's book, Film History: Theory and
Practice, provided a basis for construct-
ing this project around the role of
movies in communities. He says,
"Going to the Movies offers a wonder-
ful blend of historical analysis and audi-
ence participation, and will foster a
greater understanding of the humanities
through film and history."

continued on page 3

Acme Theatre and Pavilion. Wimhrop. Me.

Going to the Movies: A Social History of
Motion Pictures in Maine Communities,

funded by the Maine Humanities Council,
grew out of the Union Historical Society
screenings and community oral histories
and from the reconstruction and scoring of
The Seventh Day with support from the
Museum of Modern Art and the Maine
Arts Commission.

Sponsors: The Knowles Companies,
Resolution, Inc., The Bangor Daily News.

fholo: Lcnthall Collection, NHF

"Going to the movies was more than simply watching films. The movie theater was a social center
that provided a unique, often neighborhood, atmosphere. This is an aspect of film history that has
only begun to penetrate the history hooks. " -Tom Gunning, film historian

Page 1

New President Elected

NHF Members

At the April annual meeting Dr. David
C. Smith, Bird & Bird Professor of His-
tory, University of Maine, was warmly
thanked for his service as founding
president from 1986 to 1990. NHF's
newly elected president is Paul Gelardi,
president of E Media, Kennebunk. "I
accept the appointment with pleasure,"
says Gelardi. "My two years as a board
member have been rewarding and fun.
My whole family has enjoyed it as they
have become involved in the fruits of
NHF's labor.

"I applaud the current efforts of
Hollywood to preserve feature films,"
he continues. "However, unless we
want to be defined purely by what is
expressed in features, we must commit
to preserving images and sound of real
life — captured by amateurs, independ-
ent artists, educators and the television
camera." •

Executive Director's Report

There are many people to thank for the
continued existence of NHF, especially
these volunteers: Judy McGeorge, who
assisted with Franklyn Lenthall's book
collection and with various software
quandaries; Keith Goodrich, who is
graduating from College of the Atlantic
and saw us through another busy
summer; Lucille MacQuinn, computer
whiz; and Tony Jonaitis, long-distance
volunteer. Special thanks to past and
present staff members Stephany Boyd,
Mark Austin and Libby Rosemeier.

Members Count

Since the beginning of the year,
members of NHF have been sending in
their renewals, and I'm pleased to re-
port a high rate of renewal, along with
much-appreciated words of
encouragement.

Among our new members
we note geographical breadth and a
growing number of educators and
libraries. The interest of archivists,
educational media specialists and
librarians is essential as we plan pro-
grams and distribution.

All our members help the continued
growth of NHF. We look forward to

As an independent nonprofit organiza-
tion, NHF depends on its members.
You help us set priorities, you pass the
word about the significance of cultural
preservation, and your dues help keep
us operating. Please join and renew!

Founding Members
Deborah 8c Paul Gelardi
Karan Sheldon & David Weiss

Friends of NHF

Robert A. Mclntire, MaxMedia
David & Sue Parsons
Ed Pert
Robert Saudek

Corporate/ Associate Members

Ernest & Kathryn Gross

Donald C. Hammond, Hammond Lumber

Company
Virginia Morgan
Mr. & Mrs. Howard Peabody
Peter & Ann Sheldon
Dr. David C. Smith
Thomas Hammond & Son
Lynda 6c Charles Tyson
Mrs. Joanne J. Van Namee
WCVB Creative Services
Joel & Allene White
Pamela Wintle
Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Regular Members

Philip J.Abbott

Joan Amory

Peter Anderson

Larry Audet

James E. Austin

Jean Barrett

Deirdre Barton, Weatherbird

Rev. & Mrs. Curtis Beach

James Bezanson

Paul & Mollie Birdsall

Lynne K. Blair

Richard Bock

Richard Bradley

Bob & Dot Broadbent

Frederick E. Bryan III

Raymond Burnham

Lynn Cadwallader

Mrs. Frederic E. Camp

providing the programs you want and
need: regional moving images that
teach, entertain and inspire.

Robert J. Carnie

Michel Chalufour

Gay Cobb

Art Collier

Cecil Crosse

Clarence R. deRochemont

Peg Dice

Ann-Marie Duguay

Carroll Faulkner

Joseph Filtz

Roy Gauthier, Astro Electric Company

Ian Gersten & Jennifer Sheldon

John Gfroerer

Jim Goff

Nancy Gray, Harraseeket Inn

Charles Hall

Susan Henry, Resolution Video

Charles Hesse, College of the Atlantic

C.A. Porter Hopkins

Stanley Howe

Douglas Ilsely

Margaret L. Jaffray

Hillary Stowell James

Jeffjaner

Robert Jordan

Thomas F. Joyce

Dr. Susan A. Kaplan, The Peary-MacMillan

Arctic Museum
John J. Karol, Jr., Apertura
Ernest Knight, Raymond Casco Historical

Society

Stephen Lindsay
Betty Ann & Donald Lockhart, Perceptions,

Inc.

Rep. Theone Look
Valerie Felt McClead
Lily Marston
William M. Maternc

Member list continues on page 6

NHF Statement of Purpose

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

Page 2

The Film Foundation:
An Interview with Robert Rosen

by Jean T. Barrett
a Los Angeles-based free-lance writer and NHF member

Robert Rosen is Director of the UCLA
Film and Television Archive in Los
Angeles. This year, he was named Chair
of the Archivists Advisory Council to
the Film Foundation. The Film Founda-
tion is an alliance of eight filmmakers —
President Martin Scorsese and members
Woody Allen, Francis Coppola, Stanley
Kubrick, George Lucas, Sydney Pollack,
Robert Redford and Steven Spielberg —
united to further the cause of film
preservation.

What is the state of moving image
preservation as we enter the 90s?
ID osen: There's good news and
-*-V. there's bad news. The bad news is
that there's a crisis, if you look at the
scope of the preservation task, with
more than one hundred million feet of
unique nitrate film in the vaults of
archives, plus materials that are being
held by production companies. We also
have vast problems to confront with
film color fading, video preservation,
television news preservation, as well as
local materials.

The good news is the producers
have become increasingly conscious of
the importance of preservation, because
they've come to realize that their film
vaults hold corporate assets, of use in a
whole array of ancillary markets.

Moreover, with the public, the word
"preservation" has become much more
favorably viewed, as a result of the
high-profile restorations of such films
as Napoleon, Becky Sharp and
Intolerance.

A third reason for optimism is the
creation of the Film Foundation — the
creative community taking a much
more active, militant role on behalf of
preserving the moving image heritage.

Tell us about the Film Foundation.

The goals of the Film Foundation
are several. One is to serve as an
intermediary between the major nitrate-
holding archives and the media indus-
try, in order to get preservation work
done, and in order to find the financial
support for that partnership. Secondly,
it will deal with general preservation
issues, including color film restoration,

independently produced film, and
others. The Foundation also has an
interest in helping to dramatize the im-
portance of preservation by supporting
high-profile public events that celebrate
the completion of preservation work.

What are the most urgent tasks of the
Film Foundation right now?

• J The initial thrust is around the
•A^. area of commercially produced
feature films. However, the Film
Foundation's members are enthusiastic
supporters of all areas of preservation,
including television and local archives,
and hope to work in a coordinated way
with those in the field involved in many
areas of preservation.

How does the Film Foundation set
priorities?

1) The Board of Directors members
-»^. are activists; they're not just
names on a letterhead. But they also
know that they have to take their lead
from the field. In establishing priorities,
in deciding how the work will be
accomplished and what standards of
preservation are appropriate, they are
looking toward the Archivists Advisory
Council, which consists of admini-
strators from the five major nitrate-
preserving archives.

How will the Film Foundation be
funded?

Initially, much of the funding will
come from the commercial film
studios. But we are here to help the
preservation field, not to compete with
the field in looking for money. We're
not out to pre-empt already existing
activities, but to complement them.

Do you see encouraging signs for the
future of moving image preservation?

TJ I am very encouraged by the
J^. springing up, all across the
country, of specialized archives reflect-
ing the region, and reflecting special
kinds of audiovisual materials, such as
local television news. I'm also encour-
aged by their desire to work together,
as reflected by the amazing growth of
the Film and Television Archives

Advisory Committee. What was a
handful of institutions only a few years
ago, now is nearly 100 entities that
gather together for conferences.
When people ask if there's an
American national archive, like the
Swedish Archive in Stockholm or the
Soviet Archive in Moscow, the answer
is that the American national archive is
not in one place. It consists of a plural-
ity of geographically dispersed and
philosophically diverse organizations
that work in concert and cooperation
with one another. The American
production of moving images is so vast
that it's only by all of these organiza-
tions finding their appropriate role and
working together that it will be saved.

What can NHF members do to
support moving image preservation?

~n The members can do the most for
J^^. preservation by taking on the
preservation of the products made in
their region, because if they don't, no
one else will! •

Qoing to the Movies

continued from page 1
Gomery and Gunning are joined by
project scholars Robert Branham, who
teaches film at Bates College; Kevin
Hagopian, University of Wisconsin
PhD candidate in film and history; Juris
Ubans, professor of art at the Univer-
sity of Southern Maine; and Glenn
Uminowicz, executive director of the
Victoria Society of Maine.

Free Audience Guide

An audience guide including essays
by the scholars and by accompanist
Danny Patt will be distributed free of
charge at the screenings. •

Page 3

One Hundred Years Ago: The Vitascope in Maine

This article appeared in the Bangor
Daily Commercial, Monday, September
21, 1896. The Vitascope was used in
Portland, Maine, in June 1 896 — just
two months after the much-publicized
showing at Koster & BiaPs vaudeville
hall in New York.

The column reprinted here demon-
strates the interaction between print
and motion picture from the earliest
days; promoters understood the power
of newspaper coverage. What happened
to the Phantascope, advertised but not
reviewed the week before?

The young woman's role is of great
interest — her presence signified the
appropriateness of the entertainment

for women. Did she have a future as a
motion picture exhibitor?

And the details of the seven-film
program are important, as is the report-
er's emphasis. One film, The Irwin-
Rice Kiss, is well known even today. A
barroom fight in Portland, Maine, is

QUICKER THAN SIGHT.

The Vitascope Beats the Eye and Doesn't

Half Try — Manager Richardson Shows

the Machine to Newspaper Writers.

"You think you've got a pretty good eye,
don't you," asked Manager Richardson of
the vitascope, on Sunday night, as he in-
troduced a Commercial man to the great
machine with pride in his face.

The reporter modestly allowed that he
had that reputation around this part of
creation.

"Well," replied the manager with more
pride, "You may have; but I've got something
here that can beat you all to pieces. That's
the vitascope."

This is truth. The vitascope is a good deal
swifter than the human eye. It beats sight on
a kiteshaped track. It knocks vision out be-
hind the distance flag. It is quicker than
sight.

On Sunday night a party of Bangor news-
paper men went to the opera house on invi-
tation of Manager Owen of that popular es-
tablishment, and saw the vitascope. The
"thing" stood up in the balcony to the rear of
the rows of empty seats that looked lone-
some in the half-light that fell from the one
solitary jet in the ceiling; Manager Richard-
son was there, in the little coop of boards
that sheltered the machine and kept the
powerful light from breaking out into the
audience and spoiling the effect of his pic-
tures. His wife and daughter were there too;
the latter is his assistant and she knows more
about electrical appliances than a good
many men who advertise to know a lot. . . .

When you look at the vitascope all you see
is an iron frame supporting a set of wheels
like those upon which a typewriter ribbon
runs. ... A great lens, as big as your head,

now the earliest film known to have
been shot in Maine; however, one
should exercise scepticism, as the piece
could have been a barroom fight any-
where. Perhaps Richardson felt Bangor
audiences would enjoy the imputations
against the southerly city. •

Opera House, Upper Main Street. Bangor. Maine.

The Opera House, Bangor

collects the particles of light from the lamp
and concentrates them upon a little metal
frame in front; in front of this frame again is
the muzzle of the machine and excepting a
small battery underneath that runs the
mechanism, that's all there is to it.

"Now get out a picture," said Mr.
Richardson to his charming daughter, who
presently produced a long thing that looked
like a starched grey ribbon, with a satiny
finish. This was the spool of picture. It was
one long celluloid strip, an inch and a quar-
ter wide and many feet long. On the cellu-
loid was the gelatine which had been used to
take the picture. The celluloid had been
passed through a camera at tremendous
speed, and a little shutter working like mad
as it passed had taken a photograph on every
inch of it. Thus when the strip was applied to
the vitascope and again spun before the eye,
the eye saw it go. . . .

On Sunday night Manager Richardson
showed seven pictures to the newspaper
men who had been invited to see the won-
derful invention. There was a picture of a

Photo: Richard Shaw

bucking broncho, with cowboy rider and a
cheering crowd in the background, a dance
by Loie Fuller with delicious glimpses of La
Loie through the fleecy folds of her many-
colored wings, a scene from Charlie Hoyt's
"A Milk White Flag," a dance by a couple of
agile and trim-limbed young women, a very
moving sort of a kiss between the famous
May Irwin and Actor John Rice, a bar-room
fight in Portland, Maine, and a sea scene,
with big white and blue breakers smashing
out onto the beach. This last scene was fairly
wet. It was the crowning triumph of the
night. Mr. Richardson has many other
scenes and he will show them this week at the
opera house. Every night until Saturday and
every afternoon after Monday the vitascope
will show its wonders and as the admission
has been placed at 25 and 35 cents owing to
the brevity of the perfomance compared
with the average theatrical presentation.

The vitascope is wonderful and should be
seen.

It cannot be described.

Source: Bangor Public Library, Reference.

The Collections

The vault is bulging with donations and
deposits of film and videotape. Many
thanks to the individuals, organizations
and families who furthered the cause of
moving image preservation with
donations, deposits and loans.

Thanks also to the donors of intan-
gibles; live broadcasting left many
memories with the audience — and no
recorded programs for future genera-
tions. NHF has begun to interview
some of New England's pioneers of live
broadcasting and thanks the first gen-
erous subjects: Dave Astor, who orig-
inated the Dave Astor Show, which
showcased student talent in Portland
and Bangor until 1971, and Mike
Dolley, who played Bozo on WABI in
Bangor between 1961 and 1968.

Broadcast Collections

A television collection, thought lost,
surfaced in two gifts: the John White
Collection of 16mm film from WGAN,
now WGME Portland, Maine, consists
of news, commercials
and interviews from
the late 1950s to the
early 1970s; and the
Andy Graham Collec-
tion, also WGAN
16mm, is primarily
commercials.

Also received were:
Q Clif Reynolds's
WCSH Portland
feature series
People, Places and
Things, 3/4" mas-
ters from 1970s and
80s; and the J. Don
MacWilliams Col-
lection of sports
films and scripts
from WCSH.

Q From the Maine
Public Broadcasting
Network, 16mm, 2"
and 3/4" masters of
programs not other-
wise preserved,
including Reflets et
Lumiere, Franco-
American culture
series produced by
John Greenman
(1979-1981).

Institutional Collections

NHF is working with the film of
Central Maine Power, the utility that
owns railroads, dams and numerous
electric installations around the state.
CMP archivist Judy Franke has been an
excellent contact.

Thanks to Mary Anne Wallace of
Westbrook College for 3/4" videotapes,
including a number of unique copies of
Portland-produced public affairs
programs from the 1970s and 1980s.

Home Movies

Amateur film and videotape came
from many sources, including Mrs.
Thomas Clements and Mrs. Frederic
Camp of Blue Hill, Robert Taylor of
Hanover, NH, and James Marsh of
Prout's Neck, ME.

Q Joan Branch of Caratunk, Maine,
donated film of Pleasant Pond and
Bingham. The creator, Forrest
Colby, was Maine Forest

Commissioner for many years; he
recorded woods operations in the
years 1929- 1938.

Q Sheila Denny-Brown donated 3/4"
master copies of Hancock, Maine,
films from the late 1920s showing
excellent summer views of the Mt.
Desert ferry and the Bar Harbor
express train.

Q Priscilla Osgood of Bangor, Maine,
donated 16mm film from her
father's guiding business in Brown-
ville, including a client's amateur
story film of a young girl's sporting
day titled The Little Log Cabin in
the Northern Woods (1929).

Factual Film & Documentaries

Q Huey, Portland independent film-
maker, donated reference copies of
his film Grace: A Portrait of Grace
de Carlton Ross (1983), the story of
a dancer and silent movie actress.

Q From the Museum of Modern Art, a
^^^KB^HM 16mm copy of a 1906
American Mutoscope
and Biograph film,
Canoeing in Maine.
Q Robert Saudek
donated a reference
copy of A Maine
Lobsterman, written
and narrated by E.B.
White, from the 1954
Omnibus television
series.

Equipment & Books

Thanks to donors of
equipment used to
document moving
image technology: The
Maine Medical Center,
Elaine Solesky; Maine
Public Broadcasting
Network; and WGME.
Franklyn Lenthall, a
Boothbay Harbor
friend, donated his film
book collection and
valuable images of
Maine's theaters. •

The John White Collection, WGAN, arrives in unlabeled boxes, representing hundreds
of hours of cleaning, repair and cataloguing.

Pag

Grants in Action & Awards

Please Join

The National Alliance of Media Arts
Centers gave a $3,780 grant from their
NEA-funded Management Assistance
Program. Under this grant, develop-
ment professional Denis Thoet of Bath,
Maine, is working with the NHF board
and a corps of volunteers. The program,
based on the extensive strategic plan-
ning of NHF, will assist in communi-
cating the goals of the organization to
funders and board prospects.

The Maine State Library's
incentive matching grant program for
preservation of unique state historical
and library research material donated
$5,000 to the Bangor Historical
Society/WABI project. The support is
for the third of three years of core
preservation work.

The Maine Humanities Council
gave a major grant, $17,600, for the
program Going to the Movies.

The videotape Woodsmen and River
Drivers won a gold medal at the Inter-
national Film & TV Festival of New
York in January. Woodsmen, which
uses archival footage and present-day
interviews, was produced by David
Weiss and Karan Sheldon for Northeast
Archives of Folklore and Oral History,
Dept. of Anthropology, University of
Maine, under a grant from the Maine
Humanities Council and Champion
International. In May the program won
a certificate of merit for cinematic
excellence from the Movies on a
Shoestring festival, Rochester, NY.

More NHF Members

Regular Members (cont'd from p. 2)
Andrew Mazer
AlanJ McClelland
Franklin & Phyllis Mellen
Bruce Meulendyke
Irvine H. Millgace
Betty & Hugh Montgomery
Francis S Moulton Jr.
Lee Murch
John A. O'Brien
George R. O'Neill
Richard Obrey, Three East Video
Dan Osgood, VP Film and Tape, Inc.
James A. Phillips
Guy and Dianne Poirier
Robert Porter
Charles H. Pritham
M.A. Prittie
Sally Regan

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Rendall
Karen Rhine
Michael Roy
Shan Sayles

Mr. & Mrs. P.H. Sellers
Nancy Sheldon
Sally Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Julian Stein
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Taylor
Robert & Julia Walkling
Mary Anne Wallace
Mrs. Henry Walter
Seth H. Washburn
Vern& Jackie Weiss
Robert H. Whitney
Wendy Wincote
Carter Wintle

Karen Wyatt, Karen Wyatt Film & Picture
Research

Mr. & Mrs. Harry Zinn

Nonprofit Organizations

D.B. Averill, Instructional Resource

Center

Barbara Austen, New Hampshire Historical

Society

Bagaduce Music Lending Library
Blue Hill Historical Society
Jack Boynton, Maine State Library
Mrs. Margery Brown, Cherryfield
Narraguagus Historical Society
Marianne Buehler, Jackson Memorial Library
Bonnie Copper, George Stevens Academy
Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick
Marilyn Diffin, Calais Free Library
Stephen Fletcher, Indiana Historical Society
Lea Girardin, Maine Film Commission
Bill & Alicia Gross
Diane Kopec, Abbe Museum
Keith E. Leavitt, Prime Resource Center
Kathleen Lignell, Sea Grant Communications
J. Gary Nichols, Maine State Library
David Olsen, University of Maine,

Farmington

Keith Peeler, City Theater Associates
Vlada P. Petric, Harvard Film Archive
Bernard F. Roscetti, MPBN
Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College
Elaine Solesky, Maine Medical Center
University of Maine, Augusta, Library
Diane Vatne, Bangor Historical Society

Educator/Student Members

Miss Rosemary Anthony

Alvina Cyr, Dr. Lewis S. Libby School

Charles Ellis

Bernadette Friel, Schenk High School

Phil Gonyar, Waterville High School

All new members and renewing mem-
bers receive a gift packet of eight post-
cards with striking images from
regional moving pictures: 1920 Maine
Centennial, The Seventh Day, The
Rider of the King Log and Bozol

NHF has a new t-shirt! It's got eye-
catching color graphics and the NHF
logo on the front, and on the back,
complete date code symbols from 1916
to 1993. Associate, corporate, friends
and founding members receive one shirt
free of charge. All members may pur-
chase t-shirts for $10 each.

Q Regular members, $25 per year,
receive a subscription to Moving
Image Review, notice of screenings
and events, and discounts on materi-
als distributed by NHF.

Q Educator/Student Members, $15
per year, receive all regular member-
ship benefits. This category is for
teachers and students at any level.

Q Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per
year, receive all regular benefits of
membership, plus additional copies
of Moving Image Review on request
and reduced rates for consultation,
presentations and professional
services.

Cora Greer

Kevin Hagopian

Scott Herring

Dr. T.B. Johnson

Richard Judd, University of Maine

Daisy Kelley, Adirondack Museum

Susan Kirlin, Pemetic School

Dean Lyons

Sharon L. Merrill, Guy E. Rowe School

Al Morrison

Alan Morse

Tim O'Keefe

Sanford Phippen

Dr. David Richard, Rollins College

Paige W. Roberts

Susan Stires

Joan Sullivan, The Brick Store Museum

William Taylor, Plymouth State College

Daniel Towner, Johnson State College

John Ware, Jr.

Dr. Richard E.G. White, Queens College

Steve & Peggy Wight

Caroline Wiley

Pag

Northeast Historic Film

Q Associates (Individuals) and
Corporate Members, $100 per year,
receive the benefits of regular
members, and in addition, special
recognition in Moving Image
Review and in programs.

Q Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership and,
in addition, a privilege card which
will admit two people to any NHF-
sponsored screening or event, plus
listing in the roster of Friends.

Q Founding Members, $1,000 per
year, the premier category of mem-
bership. These members are making
a major commitment to ensure the
preservation and use of the NHF
resource, and receive all benefits of
regular membership and invitations
to special previews.

Membership at any level is an oppor-
tunity to become involved with the
preservation and enjoyment of our
moving image heritage.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent
allowed by law.

Videotapes of New England Life

NEW LOW PRICES— CALL OR WRITE FOR FULL CATALOG

A Century of Summers

A portrait of the residents and summer people of

Hancock, Maine. 43 minutes.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Albert Collins of South Blue Hill

Lobsterman, craftsman, painter, fiddler, poet.

60 minutes. $24.95/NHF members $ 1 9.95

Ride the Sandy River Railroad

Comprehensive silent (with titles) from early 1930s
two-foot-gauge railroad. 30 minutes.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

Earliest Maine Films
Drawing a Lobster Pot (1901); Logging in
Maine (1906); Trout Fishing, Rangeley Lakes
(1906). Total 22 minutes.

$16.95/NHF members $14.95.

Gold Medal Winner!
Woodsmen and River Drivers,
"Another day, another era"

Maine woodsworkers active before 1930 share
recollections. 30 minutes.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95.

Our Lives in Our Hands

The story of the Micmac Indian basketry coopera-
tive. 40 minutes. $29.95/NHF members $24.95
Note: This videotape is available from NHF for
home use only. Schools and libraries please
contact DER at (617) 926-0491.

Norumhega: Maine in the Age of
Exploration and Settlement

A fast-paced introduction to early Maine history.
14 minutes. $24.95/NHF members $19.95

Maine's TV Time Machine

A compilation of TV from the 1950s and early 60s
from the Bangor Historical Society /WABI
collection. 34 minutes.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95.

The Ways at Wallace and Sons
and The Bank Dory

Schooner John F. Leavitt and her New England
shipbuilders; and building a dory. Total 58 minutes.
$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

Award-winning project!

From Stump to Ship:

A 1930 Logging Film

The most complete look at the long-log industry. 28

minutes. $24.95/NHF members $19.95.

Membership and Order Form

Ordered by

Name

Address
City __
State _

Ship to (if different from above)
Name

Zip

Address
City_
State

Zip

Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, ME 04615 USA
Videotape name

Price

Qty.

Total

Members' t-shirt Qs DM QL DxL

$10 ea.

fj Special Fourth Class mail: add $1.50 Subtotal
plus $1 each additional tape „ ..

i— i c- <~i \t -i jj *•, tn Tax: ME residents add 5%
J First Class Mail: add $2.40

plus $1 each additional tape Shipping and handling
Q Overnight: add $12.50
plus $3 each additional tape

I Membership/ Specify level, please:

TOTAL

Payment Method

I — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film
D Visa D MasterCard Credit card*

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeier at (207) 374-2736

I I Institutional purchase order #

Expiration date

Credit card signature .

Page

photo: 7 odd Hoffnuui

To order Our Lives in Our Hands, call Libby Rosemeierat (207) 374-2736. Schools and Libraries,
please contact Documentary Educational Resources, 101 Morse St., Watertown, MA 02172
(617) 926-0491.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

=LM

MAINE

USA(M< '.74-27%

ADDRESS CORRECT/ON REQUESTED

Our Lives in Our Hands

The life of Micmac Indian baskctmakcrs
in Maine was recorded in a film by
Harald Prins and Karen Carter. Our
Lives in Our Hands shows the persis-
tence of a traditional native craft in the
Canadian-American border region, and
illuminates an off-reservation commun-
ity of artisans and seasonal laborers
facing the challenges of a changing
world.

National Screenings

The film premiered at the Native
American Film and Video Festival at
the American Museum of Natural
History and has been shown widely at
festivals including the Festival of Amer-
ican Folklife at the Smithsonian. Harald
Prins, an anthropologist and filmmaker
who has taught at Colby College and
Bowdoin, toured the film in Maine, and
it was broadcast on the public broad-
casting system. However, it has not
been widely available for home viewing.

Now on Home Video

Our Lives in Our Hands is now

available to individuals on VHS video-
tape from Northeast Historic Film as
part of an effort to locate and make
available material relating to regional
culture.

With limited resources, NHF is try-
ing to add titles such as this one to its
catalog, and make them known to its
members and friends.

The filmmakers and the original
distributor, Documentary Educational
Resources, understood NHF's goals
and entered an agreement permitting
the nonprofit to distribute to the public.
DER retains exclusive rights to
distribute to institutions.

Distribution Changes

The National Alliance of Media Arts
Center's annual meeting in Boston in
May addressed the distribution of film
and videotape. There are no easy an-
swers for compensating artists, reaching
the public with an unfamiliar product,
and staying ahead of falling prices.

NHF wants to meet these distribu-
tion challenges. Let us know what you
think. •

m Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Winter 1991

Executive Director's Report p. 2

Archival Notes p. 3

100 Years Ago p. 4

Interview: David Bowers p. 6

Small Town Movies p. 7

Fryeburg Fair „ p. 12

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue
Hill Falls, Maine 04615. David S. Weiss,
executive director, Karan Sheldon, editor.
ISSN 0897-0769

New England
Broadcast Histories

The History of Broadcasting in Maine:
The First Fifty Years, recently published
by the Maine Association of Broadcast-
ers, tells the story of the corporations
and individuals — often several genera-
tions of families — who ran the state's
broadcasting enterprises.

Fred Thompson, president of
WCSH-TV Portland and WLBZ-TV
Bangor, introduces the book in his role
as chair of the Maine Association of
Broadcasters' history committee. Of
the radio and television pioneers de-
scribed in the book, he says, "Their
story is full of tremendous foresight and
horrible decisions, humor and tragedy,
brilliance and dumb luck."

The Maine book describes the pio-
neers of local programming and is illus-
trated with evocative photographs. Fred
Thompson says that the discovery of
photos spurred the publication of the
book. He wrote the book's coda on
Thompson Guernsey, a Maine inventor
who established experimental station
WIXG-TV in Boston, which broadcast
an hour every day between 1940 and
1945. The Tremont Street viewing room
beckoning "See the Tellies" and "Dem-
onstration Inside" suggests just how far
the medium has come.

Ellie Thompson (no relation to Fred
Thompson) wrote the Maine history
following her 1989 Voices from the
Hills: 70 Years of Vermont Broad-
casting.

The Vermont book is available for
$10 from the Vermont Association of
Broadcasters, Box 4489, Burlington,
Vermont 05406. The History of Broad-

casting in Maine is available in many
Maine bookstores and can be ordered
through Northeast Historic Film. •

photo: Maine Association of Broadcast t-

WIXG-TV Boston viewing room in the early 1940s.

Executive Director's Report

NHF is a Member, Too.

We take pride in our association with
other organizations. I felt it would be
worthwhile to reflect on how our
relationships help us in our mission of
moving image preservation.

Through the Maine Historical
Society, New Hampshire Historical
Society, and the American Association
for State and Local History, NHF
learns how to integrate moving image
history into the broader historical
picture of the region and to advocate
the importance of moving images.

The Boston Film/Video Foundation
(BF/VF) and the National Alliance of
Media Arts Centers (NAMAC) allow
us to share experiences in media pro-
gramming and to improve our ability to
assist independent media producers.

The new Maine Association of
Museums, the Society of Maine Archi-
vists, New England Archivists and the
Maine Library Association connect us
with regional cultural organizations.

Nationally, the Association of
Moving Image Archivists, AMIA
(which until October 1990 was called
F/TAAC), is polling its constituents on
whether and how to organize. I hope
that we will next convene as a formal
organization. This is an important de-
velopment for moving image preserva-
tion across the country. AMIA can be
an effective advocate, directing atten-
tion and resources to the organizations
caring for moving images.

Being a responsible member takes
time and commitment, but the returns
are significant. The organizations that
NHF supports through membership
and participation have enlightened and
strengthened us.

Join These
NHF Members!

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

As an independent nonprofit
organization, NHF depends on its
members. You help us set priorities,
you pass the word about the
significance of cultural preservation,
and your dues help keep us operating.
Please join and renew!

Founding Members

Paul & Deborah Gelardi
Karan Sheldon & David Weiss

Friends of NHF

Robert Mclntire, MaxMedia
David & Sue Parsons
Ed Pert
Robert Saudek

Corporate/ Associate Members

Marcia Fenn

Ernest & Kathryn Gross

Donald Hammond, Hammond Lumber

Company

Thomas Hammond & Son
Edgar & Sally Lupfer
Virginia Morgan
Mr. & Mrs. Howard Peabody
Peter & Ann Sheldon
Dr. David Smith, History Dept., UM
Lynda & Charles Tyson
Mrs. Joanne Van Namee
WCVB Creative Services
WLBZ

Joel & Allene White
Pamela Wintle
Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Educator/Student Members

Miss Rosemary Anthony

Michelle Branigan

Carol Bryan

Richard Burns, Ocean Park Association

Alvina Cyr, Dr. Lewis S. Libby School

Rudolph Deetjen, Jr.

Charles Ellis

Bernadette Friel, Schenk High School

Phil Gonyar, Waterville High School

Joe Gray

Cora Greer

Kevin Hagopian

Scott Herring

Dr. T. Johnson, Johnson Associates

Richard Judd

Janice Kasper, Penobscot Marine Museum

Daisy Kelley, Adirondack Museum

Susan Kirlin, Pemetic School

Robbie Lewis

Library, Stonington Elementary School

Dean Lyons

Sharon Merrill, Guy E. Rowe School

Al Morrison, SUNY

Alan Morse

Tim O'Keefe

Sanford Phippen

Dr. David Richard

Ms. Paige Roberts

Debbie Rollins, Fogler Library, UM

Mrs. Rowell, Fogler Library, UM

Susan Stires

Joan Sullivan, The Brick Store Museum

William Taylor, Plymouth State College

Daniel Towner

Carla Turner, Windham Real School

John Ware, Jr.

Dr. Richard E.G. White, Queens College

Steve & Peggy Wight, Sunday River Inn

Caroline Wiley

Wendy Wincote

Regular Members

Philip Abbott

Joan Amory

Peter Anderson

Tom Armstrong

David Astor

Larry Audet

James Austin

Jean Barrett

Deirdre Barton, Weatherbird

Rev. & Mrs. Curtis Beach

James Bezanson

Paul & Mollie Birdsall

Lynne Blair

Richard Bock, WGBH

Nat Bowditch

Donna Boyles, Pownal Scenic & Historical

Soc.
Richard Bradley

More members, page 9

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to preserve, and make avail-
able to the public, film/videotape of
the northern New England region.
This purpose will be carried out by
activities including, but not limited
to, a comprehensive survey of
moving image resources of interest
to the people of northern New Eng-
land; the preservation of film/tape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
vault storage; a touring program to
bring materials to audiences through-
out the area; and the establishment of
a study center, including resource
materials and reference copies of
motion picture films and videotapes.

Pave 2

Archival Notes:
Vinegar Syndrome

The purpose of an archives is to pre-
serve material for the future. Herein lies
the archivist's great challenge: it is not
possible to know what physical changes
will take place in the collections over
time.

Until now, film archives have tried
to duplicate 35mm nitrate materials
first, since it was believed that nitrate
was subject to instability and deteriora-
tion far exceeding other film stocks.

But emerging information leads
archivists to question the longevity of
"safety" stock.

At the Film and Television Archives
Advisory Committee annual conference
in November 1990, a presentation
chaired by Bill Murphy, Chief of the
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video
Branch of the the National Archives,
clearly outlined the chemical prognosis.
Moving image archives of all sizes are
facing the deterioration of acetate film
decades or even centuries before it was
expected. Bill Murphy:

Many of us are familiar with the
process of deterioration of cellulose
nitrate motion picture film, the
staple of the film industry from the
1890s until 1951 when Eastman
Kodak stopped manufacturing it.

Long known for its chemical insta-
bility and high degree of flammabil-
ity, nitrate film is typically given the
very highest priority for conversion
in film archives.

This has given rise to a certain
amount of complacency about the
longevity of cellulose acetate or
safety film, which generally receives
a much lower priority for preserva-
tion and restoration. However, this
complacency is not justified.

Murphy outlined the results of
studies undertaken in the U.S. and
overseas between 1987 and 1990, which
concluded that the longevity of acetate
film is seriously compromised by
humidity, metal cans and lack of air
circulation. Acetic acid, the source of
the "vinegar" smell, is a product of the
film's degradation, and once produced
promotes further deterioration, particu-
larly in a humid environment and in the
presence of iron in metal containers or

"Vinegar" odor, extreme curl and acetic acid crystals indicate deteriorating 16mm film that must
be isolated from the rest of the collection.

from the oxides in magnetic-stripe
sound film. Bill Murphy again:

There are some measures that
archivists can take to minimize the
loss of archival images that may be
in danger of chemical deterioration.

Acetate collections, like nitrate
collections, must be inspected from
time to time. Films emitting strong
odors or showing crystalline deposits
should be isolated from the collec-
tion and scheduled for copying.

Polyester film, used currently for
projection prints, may have a more
optimistic archival life. It is not, how-
ever, without liabilities, e.g., splices
must be tape or ultrasonic. Murphy
says, "Some have questioned the
permanence of the adhesion of emul-
sion to base," an ominous situation.

As a regional archives, Northeast
Historic Film collects moving images of
interest to the people of northern New
England, across all genres from home
movies to industrials, features to
television commercials. The sources are
equally diverse: material shot in Maine,
New Hampshire and Vermont is

dispersed worldwide. While some
incoming collections have had climate-
controlled lives, a portion has been in
tropical garages, urban attics and moldy
basements.

Videotape is short-lived, and diace-
tate film (the stock used for NHF's
earliest home movie collections) is often
brittle and shrunken. NHF, like many
other archives, is now faced with a
growing collection on threatened
triacetate stock.

What can be done? The first lines of
defense are inert containers and tem-
perature and humidity control, along
with inspection for incipient deteriora-
tion. Although the news presented in
this paper was not encouraging, it is
important to share. The fall conference
is one of the few ways North American
moving image archives of all sizes can
exchange information important to
daily life in the archives and to the
survival of the visual history of the 20th
century. |

Excerpts from William T. Murphy, "The
Vinegar Syndrome: An Archival Response
to the Deterioration of Cellulose Triacetate
Motion Picture Film. "

One Hundred Years Ago:
The Development of Yankee Comedy

by Richard Sweterlitsch
Assistant Professor of Folklore and English, University of Vermont

In 1912 the Philadelphia-based film studio, the Lubin Manu-
facturing Company, sent a crew to Maine. Motion Picture
World, a trade paper, reported that 31 people from Lubin
spent 14 weeks in a fishing village near Portland, Maine.
Because a 1914 fire destroyed the company's earliest work,

Northeast Historic Film never expected to see the results of
this 1912 visit. However, a 16mm copy of one of the films did
turn up and was donated to the archives. The one-reel
comedy, Just Maine Folks, provides information on the comic
use of Yankee stereotypes.

The plot oijust Maine Folks
revolves around two older male
figures competing for two women, a
neighbor widow and a hearing-impaired
spinster, while a younger couple tries to
court. The setting is in the country, and
the story unfolds in a single 24-hour
period.

The phrase "Just Plain Folks" means
simple, rural people — salt of the earth.
In this film, it has a ribald connotation.

Courting in the Hay

The rural scene is essential to the
flavor of the film and to its comedy.
Setting the action in a hayfield con-
veys the rural nature of the piece and
allows the couples to interact. Hay-
time was traditionally a time for
romance. The scene evolves from
"sparking" to physical humor: the
young woman hides flirtatiously,
is chased by her counterpart, and
then the other characters are
drawn into a slapstick hay-pitching
fight.

The intertitle that follows indi-
cates a corn-husking bee. Although
this scene is missing, husking was
another traditional time for court-
ship, an important social event in
the 19th and beginning of the 20th
century.

Roots of the Comic Yankee

Courting an old deaf woman is a
motif that occurs in Yankee humor, al-
though its presentation in a silent drama
is somewhat peculiar and might indicate
non-film origins.

Comic courtship was a common
theme in Yankee drama, going back to
Royall Tyler's play, The Contrast
(1787). Jonathan, the backwoods
Yankee, is a servant who mirrors his
master's courtship.

It's an important theatrical conven-

tion— masters and servants in romantic
situations, as in Shakespeare's comedies.
In a sense we get that in Just Maine
Folks with the noble, youthful couple
doing what young couples ought to
do — taking advantage of the husking
bee. Their appropriate behavior is set
against the farce of the older people
acting out of place.

Dress & Action: Familiar Types

The older male characters in Just
Maine Folks are broadly drawn, rotund
country bumpkins. One is Squire Lang,
a landholder. "Squire" as a title occurs
frequently in traditional New England
drama, as with Squire Bartlett in Way
Down East. Lang's rival, Bart Collum,
would be below him on the social
ladder. Their status is reinforced by
costuming: the squire's citified belt,
Collum's down-home suspenders.

The young hero has a stalk of grass

hanging from his mouth, denoting a
"hayseed" character. The women wear
what would have been typical haying
costumes, long aprons, partially open in
the back, over cotton dresses.

The physical actions include classic
stage bits, part of the actor's standard
repertory. To indicate his pleasure as he
leaves the porch of the widow, Collum
does a little dance, clicking his heels,
then leaping up in the air.

Rural and City

Rural people seeing such broad
gestures might respond, "We don't act
like that. They dress like us, maybe, but
their actions are exaggerated." Urban
people might have believed in the
stereotype.

The Newhart show on television
indicates the same phenomenon:
Vermonters could look at Larry,
Darryl and Darryl and say, "That's
not us." The character George
represents Just Plain Folk; he is
exaggerated enough that Ver-
monters can laugh at him while
city folk think that's what Ver-
monters are like.

Background to the Yankee Figure

By 1912, when Just Maine Folks
was made, a strong stereotype had
evolved around the Yankee. Popu-
lar notions of the comic Yankee and
Down East figures were based upon
costume and to a great extent on
dialect. Stage predecessors advanced
and solidified the portrayal of comic
Yankee figures. Many of these plays
became movies:

Qln the 19th century, George H.
Hill's famous Yankee accent was
heard in The Green Mountain Boy
(1833).

Q The Old Homestead (1886) takes
place around Keene, New Hamp-

n -

Winter-Spring Calendar

Winter tour of Northeast Historic
Film's Going to the Movies series,
silent films with live piano accompani-
ment by Danny Patt. Series funded by
the Maine Humanities Council and
Expansion Arts, Maine Community
Foundation.

January 25, Biddeford City Theatre,
show starts at 8 pm. The Iron Horse
(1924), directed by Portland-born John
Ford. One of the greatest westerns, an
epic story of the railroad. Part of the City
Theatre's Winter Festival.

January 27, Farmington, Univ. of Maine
Lincoln Auditorium (Room C-131) 2 pm.
Timothy's Quest (1922), a charming story

by Kate Douglas Wiggin, filmed in Maine.
Sponsored by the Farmington Historical
Society.

January 29, Caribou, VFW Hall, 7 pm
Timothy's Quest. Sponsored by the
Caribou Historical Society.

February 3, Rumford, Acadia Theatre,
(VFW, Waldo Street) 2 pm. The Seventh
Day (1921), a made-in-Maine feature
starring Richard Barthelmess. Sponsored
by the Acadian Society and the Rumford
Historical Society.

February 10, Lincoln, Lincoln Theatre,
1:30 pm. The Iron Horse. Sponsored by
the Lincoln Historical Society.

photo: Tom Stewart

Danny Patt, silent film accompanist, began his career in 1924 in Union, Maine.

Dyer Library, Saco, Maine, lunchtime
video series of Maine subjects:

January 15, Joyce Butler's The 1947 Fires.

January 29, Sins of Our Mothers, directed

by Matthew Collins.

February 12, Claws, featuring Maine

humorist Tim Sample.

February 26, Mysteries of the Red Paint

People, an archaeological exploration of

Maine and the circumpolar region.

March 12, Jane Morrison's Master Smart

Woman and A White Heron.

March 26, Woodsmen and River Drivers,

lives of Maine woodsworkers.
Dyer Library, 207 283-3861.

March 3 at 2 pm the Portland Museum
of Art, Congress Square, will present
Way Down East in 16mm with accom-
paniment by Danny Patt. The film is
being offered in conjunction with an
exhibition of Southern photographs by
Walker Evans and William Christen-
berry focusing on a sense of place.
Portland Museum of Art, 207 775-6148.

March 9 at the University of New
Hampshire in Durham, Rick Sowash of
Gambier, Ohio, will play the piano for
Buster Keaton's The General.

March 23 at 8 pm at the Great Falls
School, Auburn, Maine, the Androscog-
gin Valley Community Orchestra will
accompany Buster Keaton's The Boat
and D.W. Griffith's Orphans of the
Storm. For more information call Greg
Boardman 207 777-5320. •

shire; Denman Thompson spent
many years on stage as the central
character, Uncle Josh. There were
numerous film versions, including
one directed by James Cruze.
"Uncle Josh" was widely franchised,
showing up in Edwin S. Porter films
in 1900-02.

Acres (1892) was set in La-
moine, Maine, with land speculation
as the plot device. The play was by
James A. Herne, who also played
"Uncle Nat Berry" for a number of

years. Rex Ingram directed a 1920
film.

Q David Harum (1900), a play about a
small-town banker, was produced
by Charles W. Frohman. James
Cruze, again, directed a 1934
feature.

LlHome Folks (1904) opened in New
York starring William S. Hart. Al-
though set in the Midwest, the play
contains much hayseed business — a
squire — and other details fitting the
New England stereotypes. H

•

Figures

Further Reading

Yankee & Down East Comic Figures
"The Question of Folklore in a New
Nation," American Folklore and the
Historian, Richard Dorson, Chicago,
1971, pp 94-107.

American in Legend, Richard Dorson,
Pantheon, 1973.

The Small Town in American Drama,
Ima Honaker Herron, Dallas, Southern
Methodist University Press, 1969.
American Humor, Constance Rourke,
New York, 1931.

Pag

The Collector:
An Interview with Q. David Bowers

David Bowers lives in Wolfehoro,
New Hampshire. He is author of
Nickelodeon Theaters and their
Music and over three dozen other
books on various subjects.

Bowers: My interest in historical
motion pictures emerged in 1957
when I was a teenager. In Philadelphia,
on Pine Street, I bought for $5 each a
bunch of one-sheet silent film posters
discarded by Harvard University.
Among these I bought a Mary Pickford
poster, which I still have.

Why do you collect film posters?

BI enjoy researching something
that has not been done in depth
before— film, the two decades from
1895 to 1915, has been described by one
researcher as the archaeological era of
filmmaking. There is little documenta-
tion of this period in standard reference
books.

As I collect posters, trade magazines
and film fan magazines of this era I am
able to piece together the progress of a
studio, how it developed, what it did,
what were the joys and sorrows and
successes and failures of the time.

Have you anything in your collection
relating to northern New England?

Bin the autumn of 1910 a tent
show exhibiting motion pictures
travelled through New England.
Apparently, it met its demise in Bethle-
hem, New Hampshire, in late 1910. I'm
sure they experienced financial rever-
sals. This show had been travelling
through New England under a canvas
with organizers setting up chairs and a
projector. It was a popular method of
exhibition in those days. About 20
posters mounted on cardboard were left
to a person in Bethlehem and went
through a succession of hands. I ac-
quired them from an antique dealer
there about 10 years ago.

There were Thanhouser posters, a
number of Independent Moving Picture
of America posters (that was Carl
Laemmle, who later founded
Universal), and some from lesser-
known studios, including Yankee.

Poster display ca. 1916.

What do posters tell you about the
film business?

BA film company called Monopol
put out a version of Carmen
based on the opera. Around 1912 they
hired Marion Leonard at a salary of
$1,000 a week, they claimed in their
ads. They had nationwide publicity
saying that Marion Leonard was the
highest-paid movie actress in the world.
In 1991, who has heard of Monopol or
Marion Leonard? My poster of Carmen
serves as a link with this forgotten era.

Carmen was filmed because it was a
familiar story?

BFrom 1908 through 1912 many
different studios were being
formed. Companies were looking for
subjects, and it was logical to use ones
the public already knew: operas, the
novels of Charles Dickens, Shake-
speare's plays.

How was a well-known subject like
Carmen promoted?

B Before 1915 posters usually gave
just the name of the film and the
producing company. They were very
colorful, and the illustration alone had
to draw the person in. Artistically, they
were better than later posters.

They very rarely mention the actor
even if he or she might have been well
known. Early posters of Mary Pickford,

photo: Q. David /tai

of which I have a number, do not men-
tion her.

Today a typical movie poster men-
tions the name of the studio, the actors
in careful order (in an arrangement
managed by their publicity directors
and their attorneys), the author of the
screenplay and the book. Looking at a
movie poster today is like looking at a
legal notice.

How were the posters distributed and
used?

B Posters were given away by the
film distributors or studios, or in
some instances were loaned — stamped
on the back "property of so-and-so and
must be returned."

A typical poster was one sheet in
size (27 x 41"), vertical, and was dis-
played in front of a theater, either on an
easel, or tacked on the walls of the
entryway, right by the ticket booth. It
was common to see posters on tele-
phone poles or on the walls of buildings
as you approached the theater.

Posters were very ephemeral: dam-
aged by rain, torn, clipped, posted,
tacked and pasted — very few of them
survived. Once a film was shown, a
typical poster got thrown in the waste-
basket, to be replaced, if the film was
ever shown again, with a new poster.

I have a lot of posters in my collec-

n -

tion that I've never seen elsewhere.
That doesn't mean they're valuable. The]
typical motion picture poster in my col-
lection from 1908 to 1915 probably cost
me about $100 to $200.

The lobby card came into use
around 1914, and typically was issued in
sets of 6 or 8 cards showing scenes from
the film.

Some of the studios, Biograph,
Lubin, Solax and others, issued what
could be called bulletins, which were
black and white, and a little larger than
a sheet of typewriter paper. They
included a scene from the film, the title,
and a paragraph on the plot.

You have written a book about the
Thanhouser Company?

Bit's a series of three volumes,
entitled ThanhoHser Films: An
Encyclopedia and History, to be pub-
lished by the Vestal Press. The first
volume will be a narrative history of the
Thanhouser Company, which was
active from 1910 through 1917, with a
studio in New Rochelle, New York.
The second volume will be a filmogra-
phy listing every Thanhouser film and
plot, the cast, and contemporary
reviews. The third volume will contain )
detailed biographies of approximately
1,000 people associated with Than-
houser Company.

In June 1991 at the Wolfeboro Public
Library, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, I
will be mounting an exhibition of silent film
posters. It will run all month. There. will be
Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, other
well-known and lesser-known names, all
with accompanying historical descriptions.
Wednesday, June 19, and Wednesday, June
25, we will present a program of silent films ':
free of charge at the library. For tickets or
information, write to Louise Gehman at the |
Wolfeboro Public Library, Wolfeboro,
New Hampshire 03894. Telephone
603569-2428. •

NHF is collecting information on
moviegoing before 1930, using a
survey workbook, available free of
charge. The completed workbooks
will be archived at NHF. Valeric Felt
McClead at University College,
Bangor, and Robert Branham, Bates
College, Lewiston, are involving
their students in the interview
process. Educators at all levels are
invited to join the project.

>mall Town Movies

Going to the Movies, NHF's social
history project with funding from the
Maine Humanities Council and Expan-
sion Arts, Maine Community Founda-
tion, is touring five Maine communities
with silent films accompanied by live
music in January and February 1991.

The program includes The Iron
Horse (1924), John Ford's epic western.
Ford, horn in Portland, Maine, was an
experienced director at 29 when this
film was made. Timothy's Quest
(1922) is a feature based on an 1890
story by Kate Douglas Wiggin, author
of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. It was

There was plenty of entertainment
in that little town, population
1,200, when everyone was awake. The
social life was family-oriented — people
would play the piano and sing. Outside
the home, it was centered around
existing organizations such as the
Grange, church-affiliated organizations
and school functions.

We had silent movies once a week in
the grange hall during the fall, winter
and spring. They ceased in the summer
because it was a farming community
and there was plenty to do during the
summer and not much energy left.
Movies were held in the grange hall
upstairs with seats for 200-300 people.

photo: Matnf Women Wnrrrj Collection,
Urs/tvooX1 College

Kate Douglas Wiggin, author of Timothy's
Quest (1922), with the film's child stars.

directed in Hollis and Bridgton, Maine,
by Sidney Olcutt, whose career went
back to a 1907 one-reel version o/Ben
Hur.

Since the project began in June,
NHF has heard from individuals -who
attended silent films in more than 30
communities in Maine, and the database
of places that regularly showed movies
has grown to over 600 sites.

Neil Sawyer shared his childhood
memories of Easton, in Aroostook
County. His interview illustrates that
motion picture attendance was part of
the fabric of small-town society.

I was born in 1916, so my early
recollections about the movies would
be 1921—22. It was a successful proposi-
tion at that time. There was a projection
booth, which was asbestos-protected
because they were using nitrate film.
There was one projector — the old
carbon arc manually adjusted type. I re-
member the machine because I wanted
to get up in the booth and see it work
and have the man explain it to me.
Eventually I got to turn the crank.

Etta Corey played the piano for
every show. She did a wonderful job. I
still remember the melody hne of the
music she played for chase scenes.

During the week we played cow-
boys and Indians. I sent to Sears
Roebuck or Montgomery Ward to get
an Indian costume with colored feath-
ers. I was absolutely thrilled with it. I
also got a cowboy outfit with a funny
hat and chaps, and a fireman's costume.

In silent movies they spent quite a
bit of time showing firemen in action
and disasters and policemen clubbing
people or pursuing people.

I don't remember before Prohibi-
tion. I remember hearing my folks talk
about rumrunners. Liquor was forbid-
den in the household. The town was
absolutely dry. But there were several
drunks in town — they were easily iden-
tified. Some would come to the movies
with a bottle of vanilla. I remember one
individual in particular, a leathery old
guy whose trade was making snow-
shoes. He would come in and we could
and then look for him.

Grants in Action

Join
Northeast Historic Film

The Maine Community Foundation,
Expansion Arts Program (National
Endowment for the Arts funds), gave
$5,000 toward the touring program of
Going to the Monies. With these funds
the series is able to reach northern and
western Maine communities in January
and February 1991.

The Maine Arts Commission's
Touring Artists program, which helps
arts programmers by contributing one-
third of artists' fees, selected Danny
Patt, silent film accompanist, and
Northeast Historic Film as touring
artists for the 1991 season.

The National Alliance of Media
Arts Center's $3,780 grant from the
NEA-Fundcd Management Assistance
Program has resulted in consultancy
with Denis Thoct of Bath, Maine, over
the summer of 1990, completion of a
development publication, and drafting
of a guide for board members and
volunteers. •

High Water Video

Howard Frank Mosher's short story
High Water is about a Vermont family
in 1959. A teen-aged boy, his sister and
father live on a farm. The boy has a race
car. The story begins with his truck,
carrying the race car, falling through
the farm's bridge while the creek waters
rise.

Catamount Arts Center, St. Johns-
bury, Vermont, made the story into a
16mm film in 1988. Jay Craven, direc-
tor, and Bess O'Brien, producer, have
toured Vermont with the film — pre-
senting it to 50 schools and community
halls.

Now a videotape of High Water is
available in a package with a half-hour
documentary on the making of the in-
dependent drama, and a 65-page study
guide. The guide contains the full text
of the short story (5 pages), the screen-
play (20 pages), and questions intended
to stimulate discussion about the film.
Also included is a great deal of material
on the nuts and bolts of producing the
film, including the seven-day shooting
schedule and a diary of that experience.

All new members and renewing mem-
bers receive a gift packet of eight
postcards with striking images from
regional moving pictures: 1920 Maine
Centennial, The Seventh Day, The
Rider of the King Log and Bozo!

NHF sold out the first run of t-shirts!
You, too, will be proud to have one. It's
got eye-catching color graphics and the
NHF logo on the front, and on the
back, complete date code symbols from
1916 to 1993. $12 each, $10 for mem-
bers. Associate, corporate, friends and
founding members receive one shirt
free of charge.

Q Regular members, $25 per year,
will receive a subscription to Mov-
ing Image Review, notice of
screenings and events, and discounts
on materials distributed by NHF.

3 Educator/Student Members, $15
per year, receive all regular member-
ship benefits. This category is for
teachers and students at any level.

Q Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per
year, receive all regular benefits of
membership, plus additional copies
of Moving Image Review on
request and reduced rates for

consultation, presentations and
professional services.

Q Associates (Individuals) and
Corporate Members, $100 per year,
receive the benefits of regular
members, and in addition, special
recognition in Moving Image
Review and in programs.

Q Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership and,
in addition, a privilege card which
will admit two people to any NHF-
sponsored screening or event, plus
listing in the roster of Friends.

Membership at any level is an oppor-
tunity to become involved with the
preservation and enjoyment of our
moving image heritage. •

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent
allowed by law.

photo: Catamount Arts

For more information on the pack-
age, contact Bess O'Brien, Catamount

Arts, P.O. Box 324, St. Johnsbury, VT
058 1 9. Telephone 802 748-2600. 1

P a P c

More Members (continued from page 2)

Bob & Dot Broadbent

Frederick Bryan III

Raymond Burnham

Lynn Cadwallader

Mrs. Frederic Camp

Mary Grace Canfield

Robert Carnie

Michel Chalufour

Martha Chandler
} Gary Cobb

Art Collier

Cecil Crosse

Wallace Cunningham

Darwin Davidson

John Davis

Peter DeAngelis
' Clarence deRochemont

Peg Dice, Bodacious Films

Ann-Marie Duguay

Holly Hock Dumaine

John Ellingwood

Carroll Faulkner
) Joseph Filtz

Robert Foster

Peter Gammons, Jr.

Roy Gauthier, Astro Electric Company

John Gfroerer, Creativideo, Inc.

Jim Goff, WPBC-FM

Douglas Gomery
9 Henry Grandgent

Nancy Gray, Harraseeket Inn

Rynard Gundrum

Charles Hall

Pat Harcourt

Mark Henderson, VP Film & Tape
I Eric Herndon, Granite Hall Store

Charles Hesse

Wendell Hodgkins

C. A. Porter Hopkins

John Howard

Stanley Howe

David Huntley
I Douglas Ilsely

Margaret Jaffray

Hillary Stowell James

Jeff Janer

Shirley Johnson

Robert Jordan
» Thomas Joyce

Dr. Susan Kaplan, The Peary-MacMillan
Arctic Museum

John Karol Jr., Apertura

Donald King

James King

Ernest Knight, Raymond-Casco
I Historical Soc.

Diane Lee

Stephen Lindsay

Betty Ann & Donald Lockhart, Perceptions,
Inc.

Rep. Theone Look
Lily Marston
William Materne
Wendy Matthews
Andrew Mazer
Valerie Felt McClead

Alan McClelland, Owls Head Transportation
Museum

MANY
YEARS

Have you ordered your shirt?

' ,/•

Judith McGeorge

Patricia McGeorge

Carl McGraw

Charles Ray McKay

Franklin & Phyllis Mellen

Bruce Meulendyke

Irvine Millgate

Betty & Hugh Montgomery

Francis Moulton Jr.

Lee Murch

John O'Brien

George O'Neill

Richard Obrey, Three East Video

Dan Osgood, VP Film and Tape, Inc.

Tom Pears

James Phillips

Guy and Dianne Poirier

Robert Porter

Charles Pritham

M. Prittie

Sally Regan

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Rendall

Karen Rhine

Michael Roy

Charles Ryan

Dewitt Sage

Shan Sayles

Bill Schubart, Resolution Video

Mr. & Mrs. P.H. Sellers

Jennifer Sheldon & Ian Gersten

Nancy Sheldon

Gail Shelton

Ms. Pat Sherman

Sally Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Julian Stein

Lynda Sudlow

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Taylor

Dawn Thibodeau

Denis Thoet

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Thompson

Amy Turim

Robert & Julia Walkling

Mary Anne Wallace

Mrs. Henry Walter

Seth Washburn

Vern & Jackie Weiss

Robert Whitney

Bonnie Wilson, Minnesota Historical Society

Jon Wilson & Sherry Streeter, Woodenboat

Carter Wintle

Brian Wood

Cynthia Wood

Karen Wyatt

Mr. & Mrs. Harry Zinn

Nonprofit Organizations

Barbara Austen, New Hampshire Historical

Soc.

D. Averill, Instructional Resource Center
Blue Hill Historical Society
Jack Boynton, Maine State Library
Mrs. Margery Brown, Cherryfield

Narraguagus Historical Society
Marianne Buehler, Jackson Memorial Library
Bonnie Copper, George Stevens Academy
Curtis Memorial Library
Jacques Cyr, JC Roofing and Chimney Co.
David De Turk, Maine Osteopathic Ed Fdn.
Marilyn Diffin, Calais Free Library
Stephen Fletcher, Indiana Historical Society
Lea Girardin, Maine Film Commission
Mrs. Mary Cheyney Gould, Bagaduce Music

Lending Library
Bill & Alicia Gross
Diane Kopec, Abbe Museum
Keith Leavitt, Prime Resource Center
Kathleen Lignell, Sea Grant Communications
J. Gary Nichols, Maine State Library
David Olsen, Mantor Library
Keith Peeler, City Theater Associates, Inc.
Vlada Petric, Harvard Film Archive
Bernard Roscetti, MPBN
Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe
Elaine Solesky, Maine Medical Center
Diane Vatne, Bangor Historical Society
University of Maine at Augusta Library
Waldo Theatre Inc.

Pag

Videotapes of New England Life

Each is carefully selected because it portrays an aspect of
New England culture. All tapes guaranteed. Some b&w,
some silent, something of value for everyone. If any tape is
not what you expected, it's returnable for refund.

From Stump to Ship:
A 1930 Logging Film

The most complete look at the long-log industry includes
felling trees in winter with cross-cut saws, the spring river
drive and work in a steam-powered mill. 28 minutes, b&w,
sound. $24.95/NHF members $19.95

Ride the Sandy River Railroad

From the 1870s to 1935, the Sandy River Railroad was one of
the best two-foot-gauge railroads in the U.S. Very clear and
complete views of the Sandy River Line with engines,
railbuses and snowplows. 30 minutes, b&w, silent with titles.

From the original 16mm made in the early 1930s by railroad enthusiasts Linwood
Moody and Newell Martin.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95

Earliest Maine Films

Logging in Maine (1906) shows men working to prevent a
logjam on a river. 13 minutes.

Drawing a Lobster Pot (1901) is the earliest surviving film
known to have been shot in Maine. 15 seconds.
Trout Fishing, Rangeley Lakes (1906) shows sports
arriving by train and steamer, a typical Rangeley camp and
guests in three-piece suits catching trout from Rangeley
boats. 9 minutes. All b&w, silent.

$16.95/NHF members $14.95

Norumbega:

Maine in the Age of Exploration and Settlement

The history of the region
called Norumbega, from the
first voyages of European ex-
ploration in the late 1400s to
the establishment of the state
of Maine in 1820. Originally a
multi-image slide show used
in statewide public programs,
this video is a fast-paced in-
troduction to early Maine
history. 16 minutes, color,
sound.

Woodsmen and River Drivers:
"Another day, another era"

Unforgettable individuals
who worked for the Machias
Lumber Company before
1930 share their recollections
of a hard life. 30 minutes,
color and b&w, sound.

A project of Northeast Archives of
Folklore and Oral History with
funding from the Maine Humanities
Council and Champion International.

$24.957
NHF members $19.95

The How and Why of Spuds

A detailed look at 1920 potato
farming in Aroostook County,
Maine, when the primary
power was horses. Includes a
variety of farm machinery and
techniques. 13 minutes, b&w,
silent with titles.

$16.95/NHF members $14.95

Maine's TV Time Machine

A compilation from the Bangor Historical Society /WABI
collection from Maine's oldest TV station, WABI-TV. The
1950s and early 1960s: television news, sports and local com-
mercials. A view of regional culture in the Cold War period
never before possible. Includes 12-page booklet identifying
each story. Lesson plans also available. 34 minutes, b&w,
sound. $19.95/NHF members $16.95

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Videos from Mystic Seaport

Around Cape Horn

Capt. Irving Johnson's 1929 voyage aboard the massive
bark Peking. 37 min, b&w, sound.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95

The Ways at Wallace and Sons and The Bank Dory

The building of the John F. Leavitt and of a Nova Scotia
dory. 58 min, color, sound. $29.95/NHF members $24.95

Yachting in the 30s

Weetamoe, a 1930 film of the Herreshoff-built J-boat and
other short films. 45 min, color and b&w, sound.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

P a

A Century of Summers

The impact of a summer colony on a small Maine commu-
nity. 45 minutes, b&w and color, sound.

This production was sponsored by the Historical Society of the town of Hancock,
Maine, and made possible by a major grant from the Maine Humanities Council.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Our Lives in Our Hands

The story of the Micmac Indian basketry cooperative. Facing
vanishing demand, members of the Aroostook band of
Micmac Indians
have formed a co-
operative to find
wider markets for
their native craft. A
compelling docu-
mentary of life in
Aroostook
County. 50 min-
utes, color, sound.

Note: This videotape is available from NHF for home use only. Schools and
libraries please contact DER at (617) 926-0491.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95

Additional Titles Available
All But Forgotten

Career of 1920s Maine author and film producer Holman
Francis Day. 30 min, color and b&w, sound.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95

Hap Collins of South Blue Hill

An informal visit with the lobsterman, painter and poet by
Jeff Todd Titon. 56 min, color, sound.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Legends of American Skiing

Archival footage and modern interviews comprehensively
define the sport. 78 min, color, sound.

$39.95/NHF members $34.95

Mount Washington 1852-1908

Life at the top: the hotels, newspaper and building of the cog

railway. 30 min, color, sound.

$24.95/Sorry, no members discount

An Oral Historian's Work with Dr. Edward Ives
Skills and techniques needed for an oral history project
demonstrated by a world's authority. 30 min, color, sound.

$59.95/NHF members $47.50

Books

Our Lives in Our Hands, by Bunny McBride and Donald The History of Broadcasting in Maine, by Ellie Thompson,

$10.95 published by the Maine Association of Broadcasters, paper-
back. $15.95

Sanipass, paperback.

Membership and Order Form Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, ME 04615 USA

Ordered by

Name

Address

City

State _

Ship to (if different from above)
Name

Zip

Address

City

State _

Zip

Videotape/ Book name

Price

Qty.

Total

T-shirt D S DM D L D XL

$12/$10mem.

Q Special Fourth Class mail: add $1.50 Subtotal
plus $1 each additional item _, ..

DC- /-i \t -i jj *•> en lax: Mh residents add 5%
First Class Mail: add $3.50

plus $1 each additional item Shipping and handling
Q UPS: add $3.50 plus $1 each
additional item

Membership /Specify level, please:

TOTAL

Payment Method

l_l Check or money order— make check payable to Northeast Historic Film
D Visa D MasterCard Credit card #

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeier at (207) 374-2736

I I Institutional purchase order #

Expiration date

Credit card signature .

Page 11

Fryeburg Fair

Friendly oxen share space at the Farm Museum with Northeast Historic Film.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

=LM

PLU; HILL HALLS -MAINE
USA 0401 i • (207) 374-2730

ADDRESS CORRECT/ON REQUESTED

The Fryeburg Fair takes place the first
week in October. It is an enormous
agricultural fair that has run for 141
years near the Maine-New Hampshire
border on the edge of the White Moun-
tains.

Fryeburg is shooting distance from
Conway, New Hampshire, known
widely for its outlet shopping. During
the Fair, however, the crowds are all on
the midway, in the exhibition halls and
around the track.

For the last three years, Northeast
Historic Film has had an exhibit at the
Fryeburg Fair's Farm Museum. Tucked
between two friendly oxen and the
Greene family's woodstove cookery,
NHF staff spends 10 days — 9 am to 9
pm — talking with thousands of fairgo-
ers about traditional New England
culture.

Operating on an "interactive" basis,
NHF programs videotapes according to
the desires of the crowd. Sometimes
individuals stay for two or three hours,
a long time considering the area is
unheated and snow usually falls at least
once during the fair.

NHF thanks the fair officials,
especially Phil Andrews, the Eaton
family and the volunteers of the Farm
Museum, Mrs. Hardcastle, board
member Pam Wintle and volunteers
Judy McGeorge and David Williams.

Thanks also to the many individuals
who take time to stop and share recol-
lections that enrich the moving image
record-. Fairgoers have added dozens of
notes to the database of Maine theaters,
and added to understanding of many
things: Mt. Washington, skunk trap-
ping, the Sandy River Railroad and
cutting ice.

In 1991 look for the NHF booth at
these other Maine fairs: Full Circle Fair,
Blue Hill; the Maine Festival; and the
Common Ground Fair, Windsor. •

Northeast Historic F i I

MOVING

IMAGE

' REVIEW

Reference By Mail

Northeast Historic Film is pleased to
announce a new service: Reference by
Mail. Members can now borrow from a
list of VHS videotapes.

"It's our hope that this will
provide a way to
make more of the
collections acces-
sible," says David
S. Weiss, NHF
executive director.
"It's an important
addition to the
services already
offered to our mem-
bers."

Access to Collections

NHF has more than 100 named
collections ranging in size from
a single title to thousands of
individual news stories.
These films and videotapes
describe northern New
England life in detail with
images and sound of rural
and urban environments.
"NHF preserves and
makes accessible a record
which defines and interprets the en-
during and endangered characteristics
of northern New England life," says
David Weiss. "We've developed pro-
grams to reach public halls, schools and
fairs, and distributed thousands of
videotapes to people in North America
and a dozen other countries.

"But most of our materials didn't fit
these programs. For example, nobody
had a chance to see Margaret Chase

Smith announce for
the presidency or
a drama about a
lobster coopera-
tive. We wanted
to make more of
this diversity
known to more
people."

Easy
Borrowing

Members of
Northeast Historic
Film can now borrow from a
list of 30 titles including 24
Hours, a professional dramati-
zation of firefighting in Port-
land, Maine; and John F.
Kennedy's October 1963 visit
to Orono, Maine.
There will be tapes
on subjects including
woods work, Franco-
American culture and
fisheries. The list will
be added to regularly.
Please see page 6 for the current circu-
lating reference tape list and how you
can participate.

Thanks to NHF board president
Paul Gelardi and E Media for making
this project possible. •

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Summer 1991

Executive Director's Report ..„....„..,.. p. 2

Archival Notes p. 3

Motion Picture Chums p. 4

Interview: Margaret Byrne p. 5

Tales of Wood and Water p. 8

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue
Hill Falls, Maine 04615. David S.Weiss,
executive director, Karan Sheldon, edi
ISSN 0897-0769

Stump T-shirt

From Stump to Ship: A 1930 Logging
Film is a 16mm introduction to long-
log lumbering in Maine.

Perhaps because it succinctly sum-
marizes an era that is long gone, From
Stump to Ship has been popular not
only in Maine but with people around
the world interested in North American
forests and worklife.

Fans of Stump can help support
further moving image preservation by
covering their chests with a brand-new
T-shirt sporting the original From
Stump to Ship art. •

The reconstruction of From Stump to Ship was
a project of The University of Maine, Orono,
and Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral
History, with funding from the Maine
Humanities Council and Champion Inter-
national. Drawing by Mike Mardosa.

Executive Director's Report

Phone Log

The phone rings all day with requests
from researchers. We found Penobscot
River life for a class of fourth-graders;
supplied footage of a set of triplets;
located Bowdoin College in the 1930s;
and came up with a Moosehead Lake
steamer.

But sometimes, it's just not possible
to help — yet. I confess that recently we
failed to come up with pre-1918 circus
footage and color film of out-of-shape
football players.

On Stage

The winter 1991 Moving Image Review
mentioned a play called Shore Acres, a
Yankee comedy. NHF received a call
from New York City for footage to be
used in connection with development of
an updated production of Shore Acres.
The Everett Foster Collection con-
tained suitable scenes of the Maine
coast.

Fish Stories

Oregon Public Broadcasting completed
a one-hour production for Frontline,
the public broadcasting service's public
affairs series, which includes shots of
Maine fisheries.

Fuji-Sanke Communications in Japan
requested early lobstering footage.

Home and Away

A history of Portland, Maine's "Million
Dollar Bridge" got 1920 aerial footage.
A videotape of Ed Sullivan Show
excerpts called for home movies of
Christmas to serve as an opener.
A new United Airlines national adver-
tisement includes a single shot of potato
harvesting in Aroostook County,
Maine.

Ken Burns's Florentine Films is looking
for baseballs in action.
Academic and commercial use of archi-
val footage — judging from the calls —
seems to be growing. A wider audience
will help foster awareness of the cul-
tural and historical value of the material

we preserve

Summer/Fall Calendar

NHF will be at the Ocean Park Asso-
ciation in Ocean Park, Maine (near
Saco) on Wednesday, June 26, at 7 p.m.
with Danny Patt on the piano accompa-
nying the silent film The Seventh Day.
Henry King directed the 1921 feature
about New Yorkers in the fishing
village of New Harbor. It stars Richard
Barthelmess and costars a 190-ft. steam
yacht and a Portland-built fishing
schooner. The Seventh Day will be
shown in The Temple, where the asso-
ciation has shown movies since 1919.

Look for Northeast Historic Film at
the WERU Full Circle Fair in Blue
Hill, Maine, at the fairgrounds on
Sunday, July 14.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

NHF distribution coordinator Libby Rosemeier
at the Full Circle Fair.

On Thursday, August 22 at 7 p.m.
Danny Patt will play the piano for the
Maine-made silent film Timothy's
Quest at Ocean Park in the Temple.
The event coincides with the Maine
Writers Conference meeting at Ocean
Park. The film is from a story by Kate
Douglas Wiggin; Patt has created an
excellent score of period music. For
more information contact Dick Burns,
program superintendent, 207 934-5034.

photo: Ocean Park Assoc.

The Temple, Ocean Park

From Sunday, September 29 to Sun-
day, October 6, Northeast Historic
Film will be at the Farm Museum,
Fryeburg Fair, in Fryeburg, Maine.

On Tuesday, October 8 at 7 p.m. the
Old Town Public Library will host "A
Century of Maine Movies," a program
prepared by NHF of film and videotape
made in Maine. The Old Town Public
Library has just opened a new building;
the event is being hosted by the Friends
of the Library. For more information
contact Valerie A. Osborne, Library
Director, 207 872-3972. •

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to preserve, and make avail-
able to the public, film/videotape of
the northern New England region.
This purpose will be carried out by
activities including, but not limited
to, a comprehensive survey of mov-
ing image resources of interest to the
people of northern New England;
the preservation of film/tape through
restoration, duplication, providing of
technical guidance and vault storage;
a touring program to bring materials
to audiences throughout the area;
and the establishment of a study
center, including resource materials
and reference copies of motion
picture films and videotapes.

Grants in Action

Muskie Archives

The final report was submitted to the
Maine Humanities Council for Going

I to the Movies, a project on the social
context of movie exhibition in Maine.
Accompanist Danny Patt prepared
musical scores for a program of silent
films; there were ten screenings from
Biddeford to Caribou, Maine, with

) introductions and public discussion.
More than 175 pre-1930s movie-
goers' surveys were completed with the
assistance of students from elementary
school through college. The project
published an audience guide with essays

> and held additional screenings for more
than 1000 elementary-school students.

The National Alliance of Media
Arts Centers received NHF's final
report for the $3,780 grant from the
NEA-funded Management Assistance
\ Program. I

Archival Notes:
New England Archivists

1 ~

New England Archivists, the regional
organization for archival professionals,
held its annual meeting in Boston at the
Massachusetts Archives on April 26.
Jim Farrington, Wesleyan Univer-

> sity music librarian, led off an opening
workshop titled "Light and Sound: The
Preservation of Films, Videotapes, and
Sound Recordings" with an introduc-
tion to the many kinds of sound record-
ing media.

Moving Image Issues

Northeast Historic Film staff followed
Farrington with a presentation of issues
in physical safeguarding, appraisal and
outreach of moving images.

I The session was attended by 40

archivists from institutions such as
Boston University, the Archdiocese of
Boston, and the Sheldon Museum in
Middlebury, Vermont.

The people attending the workshop

H were concerned about vinegar syn-
drome, the rapid deterioration of cellu-
lose acetate. They also raised questions
on the lifespan of videotape and on the
establishment of guidelines for access
and fees for use. •

Northeast Historic Film is completing a
project for the Edmund S. Muskie
Archives at Bates College, Lewiston,
Maine.

The Archives hold the personal and
office papers, audiovisual materials and
memorabilia of Muskie and are one of
the largest non-presidential political
collections in the nation.

Ed Muskie grew up in Rumford,
Maine, and practiced law in Waterville.
He was governor of Maine (1955-59),
U.S. senator (1959-80), and secretary of
state (May 1980-January 1981). The
Archives also document his 1968 vice-
presidential race and bid for the 1972
Democratic nomination.

Almost 200 cans of film made their

way to the archives from his offices and
home. NHF cleaned, repaired and
transferred the film to 3/4-inch video-
tape. Reference VHS tapes were made
for the Muskie Archives with duplicate
copies to serve Northeast Historic
Film's researchers.

In addition to the films, the Muskie
Archives sound recording collection
contains over 400 cassettes and 600
reel-to-reel tapes of speeches, inter-
views and campaign commercials.

For more information on the
Muskie Archives, contact the director,
Christopher M. Beam, Muskie Archives,
Bates College, Lewiston, Maine 04240.
207 786-6354. •

Machias High School Projects

Students of Machias High School in
Washington County, Maine, created a
videotape called The Batteau Machias.
Batteaus were used on the Machias
River to help move the logs that had
been cut in the woods down to the mill.
Members of the river-driving crew
traveled in them with their food and
supplies.

Students studied and measured
examples, helped cut huge planks at a
local mill and became boatwrights in
their shop class with instructors Karl
Kurz and Chris Wright. "At first the
project wasn't very exciting . . . but
then as the boat started getting built up
everyone started getting more excited.
When we finally got to see our finished
product we were really pleased," re-
ports a student.

With the help of independent film-
maker Huey, the tape was planned,
shot, written and edited by students.
The narration is by Charlie Koch;
editing by Cathy Tower. Advisor Cora
Greer assisted with locating archival
footage through research at Northeast
Historic Film. Footage of batteaus in
the 1920s and 1930s is included in The
Batteau Machias, an outstanding ex-
ample of a student video.

Baseball, Too

Machias students also undertook a
videotape
oral history
interview
with Carlton
Willey of
Cherryfield,
Maine, a
professional
baseball
player who
was 1958
rookie of the
year. These
videotapes

are being archived at Northeast His-
toric Film and are available through
Reference by Mail. •

One Hundred Years: Motion Picture Chums

Youth genre fiction like the Rover Boys
and the Tom Swift adventure series
includes two moving-image—related
series, The Moving Picture Boys, adven-
tures of young men who make movies
(in the jungle, in earthquake land) and
The Motion Picture Chums, about
setting up photoplay houses.

The series were the work of the
pseudonymous Victor Appleton,

'CT A 7 hat do you say to starting a motion

V V picture show?"

The effect of Frank Dunham's an-
nouncement on Pep Smith was electrical.
The latter sprang to his feet, his face beam-
ing with excitement.

"Say, that's a great idea!" he cried,
enthusiastically. "You mean a moving pic-
ture show right here in Fairlands?"

'Just that," replied Frank. "Will it go?"

"Go? When whole crowds take the
trolley down to Chester just to see the
movies? "

At the Pioneer Film Exchange:
"Because a motion picture show makes you
think of gilt fronts and flaring lithographs
and piano music, you mustn't think it's an
easy and interesting pathway to fortune.
The business is by no means 'soft,' and a
show doesn't operate itself. It's not all rose-
hued. You want to go into it just as you
would if you were dealing in groceries or
dry goods."

that's just what Frank has told us,"
vouchsafed the irrepressible Pep.

"To succeed in a motion picture show,"
resumed the man, "you must have capable,
intelligent, alert management. You must
have the glitter to attract trade, but above
all you must have the right class of films. It's
studying what kind just suits your patrons
that pays. You want to advertise, and you
want to learn just how to go about it. In the
small one-show town like Fairlands, with
over a thousand inhabitants, the business
can be made to pay if it is conducted on the
right basis."

They set up the theater:

Frank hadjust completed gilding the mold-
ing running around the sides of the room.
The boys had been most fortunate in se-
curing a vacant store. . . .

The landlord had plastered up the
breaks in the wall and had the room nicely
kalsomined. Outside of that, he had re-
fused to make any repairs. The boys had
scrubbed up the floors until they shone.

created by the Edward Stratemeyer
syndicate, which plotted and assigned
the writing of hundreds of books.

NHF's interest in the moviegoing
experience led us to The Motion Picture
Chums' First Venture, published in
1913 by Grosset & Dunlap. Within the
boys' adventure formula, the book
gives a detailed contemporary account
of establishing a theater in a rural area.

Then each set to work to do his share
towards beautifying the place. . . .

The front of the new Wonderland burst
into a dazzling flood of radiance.The big-
gest and best electric sign in Fairlands
presented its face of fire to the public,
glowed, was blank, flashed up again, and
began its mission of inviting and guiding
the public to the motion picture show. . . .

MOTION PICTURECHOMS
FIRST VENTURE

The fictional Wonderland Theater's
Maine counterparts, 1913 storefront
theaters in towns of 2,000 or less, can
be found in the Pastime Theaters of
Northeast Harbor, Boothbay and
Brownville. For the record, Maine had
four Wonderlands: Houlton, Keegan,
Old Orchard and Rockland. •

Fairlands had never had a motion pic-
ture show before, and the town board had
never made any restrictions as to over-
crowding and the like. Frank, however,
had gone to one of the selectmen the week
previous. He had shown him the usual
rules adopted in city photoplay houses.
The official had agreed with Frank that
some system as to sanitation and safety
should be enforced. . . .

Frank had selected only first-class films
for the opening night. . . . Most fortunately,

the motion picture chums had been able
to secure a film showing the mishaps of a
city chap. He had wandered from the sum-
mer resort he was visiting, among the sur-
rounding farm community.

The funny things that happened to
him were very comical. They brought in a
milking scene, a haymow, the farmer's
dogs, a mad bull, a runaway horse, and a
dive into a duck pond. The film reeled off
not only striking scenes, but action, spice
and variety. Nearly a dozen rural families
were represented in the audience. It did
Pep's heart good to hear the bluff "haw-
haws" of the old farmers, and note their
wives laugh till the tears ran down their
cheeks. . . .

"Won-won-Wonderland! The place for you!
Wonderland, great and grand! Rah! rah! rah!

And thus we leave the three motion picture
chums, happy, prosperous and successful,
to tell about their further trials and tri-
umphs in the photoplay house line in the
second volume of this series, to be entitled,
"The Motion Picture Chums at Seaside
Park; or, the Rival Photo Theaters of the
Boardwalk."

Further Reading

The Motion Picture Chums at Seaside Park;
or, the Rival Photo Theatres of the Board-
walk, 1913.

The Motion Picture Chums on Broadway;
or, the Mystery of the Missing Cash Box,
1914.

The Motion Picture Chums' Outdoor
Exhibition; or, the Film That Solved a
Mystery, 1914.

The Motion Picture Chums' New Idea; or,
the First Educational Photo Playhouse,
1914.

The Motion Picture Chums at the Fair; or,
the Greatest Film Ever Exhibited, 1915.
The Motion Picture Chums' War Spectacle;
or, The Film That Won the Prize, 1916.

Pave

The National Moving Image Database:
An Interview with Margaret Byrne

The National Moving Image Database
(NAMID), a project of the National
Center for Film and Video Preservation
at the American Film Institute, is di-
rected by Margaret Byrne. She received
her PhD in film studies from the Uni-
versity of Southern California and has
served as a research and strategic plan-
ning consultant to both international
and U.S. media clients, including many
of the major Hollywood studios. NHF
caught up with Margaret when she and
colleague Henry Mattoon were in New
York to work with NAMID participants.

What is NAMID?

Byrne: NAMID is a project to build a
national database of moving im-
ages: film, television, video, kinescopes.
We've identified certain streams: fea-
ture fiction films, shorts, television,
independent film and video, news.
Initially, we'll be working with a con-
stellation of databases which eventually
will be combined.

Who will use the NAMID database?

BOne of our mandates is to serve
preservation experts so they can
make informed decisions. To preserve
a film you need to find the highest
quality original materials. It is a night-
mare job to try to piece together the
highest-quality fragments from various
locations. So NAMID will provide a
centralized database with the locations
of physical holdings as well as film-

ographic information to facilitate their
work.

Who else does NAMID serve?

BOur second mandate is to serve
cataloguing experts. Through
coordination and centralization we
hope to reduce duplication of catalogu-
ers' efforts. Many archives hold the
same titles, although not necessarily the
same physical elements. We also have a
third mandate to be a resource for
scholarly research.

What does a NAMID record look like?

BThe record structure is broken
into four parts: the filmographic
data (title, cast and credits, summary,
etc.); the location (where materials are
housed); the physical elements (descrip-
tive information on printing elements
such as negatives and fine grains); and
the actual condition of the materials, for
example, whether they're pristine or
hockey pucks.

The first tier, filmographic or video-
graphic, should be identical for all
institutions holding that title. The last
two tiers are proprietary and security
coded.

If NAMID can accomplish that first
level of cataloguing and then distribute
it to participating archives we can free
up cataloguers' time to focus on de-
scription of the physical elements.

That sounds like a lot to accomplish.
What are your resources?

B Right now we are a small office
of just three people. We all an-

swer the phone and do our own photo-
copying. Someday we will be able to
pull together enough unique materials
of public interest that we will be able to
serve more than just the specialists.

What does NAMID mean for the public?

B Imagine if in 100 years our
children's children could not see
the first walk on the moon, or Martin
Luther King's delivery of those inspir-
ing dreams, or Disney classics? If his-
tory is this great net of human culture,
imagine huge tears in the net if moving
images are lost; holes in our sense of
cultural identity.

I personally believe the moving
image is the most important communi-
cation art form of this century. To lose
these images from our cultural memory
is to lose an essential part of ourselves.
We have to preserve them. I

: Mrs. H.G. Howe

In the Moosehead Lake area around 1920: Harris B. Coe at mealtime
in the woods (third from left) with his friends and Akeley camera.

Harrie B. Coe worked for the Maine Publicity Bureau
producing motion pictures in the 1920s and 1930s. Recently, a
fragment of his work in the form of a 16mm reduction print of
two state promotional films came to NHF.

Coe produced, wrote and edited short segments on Maine
life: blueberries, sheep farming, Portland, Rangeley resorts.

His intertitles add an odd personal style to the promotion:
"Where the subways got the idea of packing 'em in" leads off a
shot of a hand holding a can of sardines, concluding an excel-
lent sequence of dories filled to the gunwales with fish.

Coe's concept of touristic interest is likewise idiosyncratic:
he leads with a Rockland lime quarry, which is of spectacular
depth but could hardly be considered a first-rank attraction
compared with the salmon fishing later in the reel. •

P a

S e

Reference by Mail Collection

Members of Northeast Historic Film
may borrow from the newly established
circulating reference collection of VHS
videotapes.

Each member is invited to borrow
one tape free of charge. Associate and
Corporate members can borrow five
tapes at no charge; Friends of NHF can
borrow ten tapes at no charge. For all

members additional tapes are just $4.00
per tape.

The borrower is responsible for
return postage to NHF via First Class
mail or UPS. Tapes must be in the mail
on their way back to NHF five days
after they are received.

Videotapes listed here are offered as
a reference service.Where possible,

public performance rights are included.
Please be sure to check each tape's
status.

Note: PERF means public performance
rights are included. Where there is no
PERF, the tape is for home use only
and may not be shown to a group.

City Life

24 Hours, a profes-
sional dramatization
with music and
narration of fire
fighting in Portland,
Maine. 1963. 27 mins.,
b&w, sd. PERF

Country Life

The Batteau Machias, a student project depicting
construction of a traditional river-driving boat.
1990. 22 mins., col., sd. PERF

A Century of Summers, the impact of a summer
colony on a small Maine coastal community.
1987. 45 mins., b&w and col., sd. PERF

Cherryfield, 1938, a home movie about rural
spring. 6 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Ice Harvesting, a compilation of newsreel and
home movies demonstrating human-, horse- and
gasoline-powered ice gathering. 20 mins., b&w,
si. PERF

The Movie Queen,
Lubec, a pretend
movie queen visits her
home town in down
east Maine. 1936. 28
mins., b&w, si.

Early Film

All But Forgotten, documentary on silent film-
making by the Holman Day film company in
Maine. 1978. 30 mins., col. and b&w, sd. PERF

Cupid, Registered Guide, a silly rwo-reeler set on
a Maine lake by Holman Day. 1921. 20 mins.,
b&w, si. PERF

Earliest Maine Films, lobstering, trout fishing,
logging, canoeing in Moosehead Lake and potato
growing, from 1901 to 1920. 44 mins., b&w, si.

PERF

Just Maine Folks, a bawdy hayseed one-reeler.
Poor image quality. 1913. 8 mins., b&w, si. PERF

The Knight of the Pines, another North Woods
adventure by Holman Day. 1920. 20 mins., b&w,
si. PERF

To Purchase

Videotapes of New England Life
Call or Write for Catalog

Tales of Wood and Water, a 1991
documentary on wooden-boat build-
ing and sailing on the coast of Maine
(60 mins.) is $29.95, or $24.95 for
NHF members. Purchase only.

For additional maritime titles and
other videotapes for sale including
the gold-medal-winning Woodsmen
and River Drivers, please call Libby
Rosemeier at 207 374-2736.

Fisheries

Basic Net Mending, how to repair fish nets. 1951,
16 mins., col.', sd. PERF

Maine's Harvesters of the Sea, fisheries including
shrimp, cod and lobster. 1968. 28 mins., col., sd.

PERF

Turn of the Tide, drama about formation of a
lobster cooperative; from the Vinalhaven Histori-
cal Society. 1943. 48 mins., col., sd.

Franco- American Life

Reflets et Lumiere: Porte Ouverte sur les Arts, a
program on the arts from an MPBN television
series on Franco-American culture in Maine.
1982. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF

Reflets et Lumiere: Porte Ouverte sur I'Assim-
ilation, a program on Franco-American accul-
turation in New England. 1982. 30 mins., col., sd.

PERF

There are more titles in this series. Please ask.

Geography

Assignment in Aroostook, life at Loring Air Force
Base: the woman at home, the sergeant at work,
the family at play in northern Maine. 1956. 27
mins., col., sd. PERF

Norumbega: Maine in the Age of Exploration
and Settlement, an introduction to early Maine
history, based on maps. 1989. 16 mins., col., sd.

PERF

Winter Sports in the White Mountain National
Forest, skiing, sledding and snowshoeing in New
Hampshire. 1934. 28 mins. b&w, si. PERF

Oral History

Hap Collins of South Blue Hill, Jeff Titon's oral
history interview with some in-the- field footage
of a lobsterman, painter and poet. 1989. 56 mins.,
col., sd. PERF

An Oral Historian's
Work with Dr.
Edward Ives, a "how
to" illustrating a
successful oral history
project by a world's
authority. 1987. 30
mins., col., sd. PERF

Carlton Willey, major-league baseball pitcher,
1958 rookie of the year, interviewed in a high
school project. Unedited interview from VHS
master. 1990. 39 mins., col., sd. PERF

Performing Arts

Grace: A Portrait of Grace DeCarlton Ross,
independent filmmaker Huey traces Ross' silent
film and dance careers. 1983. 50 mins.,' col., sd.

PERF

Political Discourse

Margaret Chase Smith
Speech, declaration of
intention to run for
President, includes
Q&A. 17 mins. 1964,
b&w, sd. PERF

John F. Kennedy Speech on the anniversary of the
Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1963 at Univ. of
Maine homecoming. 30 mins., b&w., sd. PERF
Sent with full transcript of speech.

Television

Maine's TV Time Machine, the 1950s and early
60s in news, sports and local commercials from
the Bangor Historical Society /WAB I collection.
1989. 34 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

NHF Membership

Woods

In the Public Interest: The Civilian Conservation
Corps in Maine, the federal work program from
Acadia National Park to Cape Elizabeth. 1987. 58
mins., col. and b&w, sd. PERF

From Stump to Ship, complete look at long-log
industry from forest to shipboard. 1930. 28 mins.,
b&w, sd. PERF

King Spruce, harvesting pulpwood, includes
horses and mechanical log haulers, ca. 1940. 23
mins., col., sd.

Little Log Cabin in the Northern Woods, ama-
teur film of a young woman's hunting trip near
Brownville, Maine, with a professional guide, ca.
1930. 13 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Woodsmen and River Drivers, "Another day,

another era," unforgettable

individuals who worked for

the Machias Lumber

Company before 1930.

1989. 30 mins., col.

and b&w, id. PERF

Photos:

Mike Daicy, Portland

Fire Dept.

Lubec Historical Society

Margaret Chase Smith Library Center

Newell Beam by Tom Stewart

Q Regular Members, $25 per year,
receive a subscription to Moving
Image Review, notice of screenings
and events, loan of one reference
tape at no charge, and discounts on
materials distributed by NHF.

Q Educator/Student Members, $15

per year, receive all regular member-
ship benefits.This category is for
teachers and students at any level.

Q Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per
year, receive all regular benefits of
membership, including loan of one
reference tape at no charge, plus
additional copies of Moving Image
Review on request and reduced
rates for consultation, presentations
and professional services.

Q Associates (Individuals) and Cor-
porate Members, $100 per year,
receive the benefits of regular mem-
bers and loan of five reference tapes
at no charge.

Q Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership and,
in addition, loan of ten reference
tapes at no charge.

Membership at any level is an opportu-
nity to become involved with the pres-
ervation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage. •

Your dues are tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law.

Membership and Order Form Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, ME 04615 USA

Ordered by

Name

Address

City

State

Ship to (if different from above)

Name

Address

City

State

Zip

[H Please send a free catalog!

Purchase

Qty,

Total

Tales of Wood & Water, $29.95/24.95 mem.

T-shirts From Stump to Ship D
$12/10 mem. NHF D

s a
s a

M D L D XL

Q Special Fourth Class mail: add $1.50
plus $1 each additional item
Q First Class Mail: add $3.50
plus $1 each additional item
Q UPS: add $3.50 plus $1 each
additional item

Subtotal

Tax: ME residents add 5%

Shipping and handling

Reference by Mail/Members

ONLY

Titles):

$4 each.

Please see top of

page 6 tor number
of tapes you may

borrow at no charge.

Payment Method
I — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film LJ Institutional purchase order #

I — I Visa \ — I MasterCard Credit card # Expiration date

Membership/Specify level, please:

TOTAL

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeier at (207) 374-2736

Credit card signature .

Page 7

photo: Robert White Collection, frame blowup by John E, Allen, Inc.

The Doris Hamlin, Harrington, Maine, 1919.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

BLUE HILL FALLS • MAINE
USA 0461 5 • (207) 374-2736

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Tales of Wood and Water

Wooden-boat building and sailing have
many devotees on the coast of Maine.
In 1991 David Clark completed a one-
hour documentary on Maine's wooden
boat culture.

The film visits boatyards large and
small, as well as allied businesses such
as WoodenBoat magazine and two boat-
building schools. A student remarks,
"Boatbuilding is like house building,
only rounder and upside down."

Elements of wooden-boat culture —
all portrayed in the film — include
yacht design, sailmaking, half-model
building and old and new construction
techniques.

A fleet of windjammers gathers in
Eggemoggin Reach, and Clark visits
them by water and air, going aboard
Doug and Linda Lee's Heritage. Chil-
dren are brought up on the water: the
Lee's 7- and 9-year-old daughters have
been sailors all their lives.

A man and woman who offer day
sails in their Friendship sloop chat in
their cockpit; Andy Chase, captain of
the schooner Bowdoin, travels to La-
brador and meets Inuit elders who had
come aboard half a century earlier when
the Bowdoin was under the command
of Donald MacMillan.

Modern cold-molding techniques
for constructing a mahogany speedboat
and an elegant yacht contrast with 1919
footage from Northeast Historic Film's
Robert White Collection, the launching
of the four-masted schooner Doris
Hamlin in Harrington, Maine. After
the boat hits the water, Miss Hamlin of
Boston beams at the camera while
grasping a huge bouquet.

NHF is very pleased to distribute
Tales of Wood and Water. •

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Moviegoers/ME, NH, VT

Northeast Historic Film received a
$15,700 grant from the National En-
dowment for the Humanities Division
of Public Programs to plan a traveling
exhibition entitled "Going to the Mov-
ies: 100 years of Motion Pictures in
Northern New England."

The purpose of the exhibition is to
use moviegoing as a way to understand
the twentieth-century history of the
northeast United States, the states of
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
The project's focus is the concept of
community and an examination of
cultural values and activities enforced
and changed by movies.

Ten scholars of New England his-
tory, North American social history,
music and popular culture and cinema
studies are participating, along with
exhibition professionals. These men and
women are based in New York, Wash-
ington, Toronto, Montreal and around
New England.

The project builds on the 1990-91
Maine Humanities Council-funded
silent film tour and gathering of pre-
1930 audience oral histories.

Why an Exhibition?

The format of an exhibition of three-
dimensional artifacts (rather than a film
or lecture series) was chosen in order to
present historical evidence in the form
of technological and architectural arti-

facts, manuscripts, advertising, photo-
graphs, moving images and sound.

Research has taken NHF staff and
scholars through the three states, dis-
covering traces of more than 1,100
places where movies were seen.

Readers are invited to share infor-
mation and artifacts that might be rel-
evant to preparation of the exhibition.

Who is the Audience?
"Going to the Movies" seeks a diverse
audience. The movie spectator is in
large part the topic of the exhibition,
and visitor input — as past and present
moviegoers — is actively sought.

The show should illuminate aspects
of regional life, such as its strong Franco-
American culture, that differentiate it
from the rest of the nation. H

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

'inter 1992

Executive Director's Report p. 2

Itinerant Movie Exhibitors

by Kathryn H. Fuller p. 4

Interview: James Henderson p. 5

Dead River Rough Cut p. 8

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue
Hill Falls, Maine 04615. David S.Weiss,
executive director, Karan Sheldon, editor.
ISSN 0897-0769

Posters, Postcards & Books
Given to NHF

Posters for D.W. Griffith's The Battle
(1911) and AMobawk's Way (1910)
along with three other original litho-
graphed movie one-sheets were grate-
fully received by Northeast Historic
Film in a 1991 gift from Q. David
Bowers of Wolfeboro, NH.

Reference books, including Erno
Rapee's 1924 Motion Picture Moods for
Pianists and Organists and the 1911
two-volume Cyclopedia of Motion-
Picture Work, are part of the gift, along
with over 100 postcards of Maine and
New Hampshire movie theaters. They
are a much-valued resource for the
"Going to the Movies" project. H

The Bristol Theatre, Bristol, NH, was a center
of community life in the 1940s and 1950s.

photo: QDB/NHF Collection

Executive Director's Report

Collections Descriptions
In 1991 we made major strides in de-
scribing Northeast Historic Film indi-
vidual collections in a sharable form.

Graduate Student Intern

Crystal D. Hall, a student in the gradu-
ate program in Library and Information
Science at Florida State University in
Tallahassee, devoted herself to this
project from May to December 1991.

NHF has 130 named collections,
now described in our ProCite computer

Association of Moving
Image Archivists

The first annual meeting of the Associa-
tion of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA)
was held in New York from November
5-9. A total of 140 people attended the
conference with a full agenda including
sessions on news archiving, responsible
use of archival materials, vinegar syn-
drome, videotape restoration, screen-
ings and visits to facilities in the area.

NHF Represented

Northeast Historic Film staff was
represented by David Weiss, Crystal
Hall and Karan Sheldon,
who is serving a two-year
term as treasurer on
AMIA's executive board,
along with president Wil-
liam Murphy of the Na-
tional Archives; vice
president Jan-Christopher
Horak, George Eastman
House; and secretary Gre-
gory Lukow, National
Center for Film and Video
Preservation.

Join These

Home Movies Panel

NHF helped organize a
catalog. Each record provides physical panel, "Home Movies and Amateur

AMIA conference, NY.

and content descriptions, based on
MARC (machine-readable cataloguing)
fields such as title statement, terms
governing use, and provenance.

New Cataloguing Tools
Crystal also compiled and put into use
cataloguing tools including a list of
genre terms used by the archives — such
as educational/cultural works and home
movies — to describe collections.

Genre terms, geographical terms,
and summary notes about the contents
of the collections will make the work of
staff and researchers much easier.

Without Crystal Hall and technical
support for her from the staff of the
National Moving Image Database this
progress wouldn't have been possible.
We wish Crystal well as she goes back
to Florida for her final semester of
graduate work, and look forward to her
return to Maine.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

Footage," with a presentation by NHF
board member Pamela Wintle of the
Human Studies Film Archives, Smith-
sonian Institution. Karan Sheldon began
the session with an introduction from
film scholar Patricia Zimmermann,
Ithaca College.

Stephen Gong, Pacific Film Archives;
Karen Ishizuka, Japanese American
National Museum; and Micheline
Morisset, National Archives of Canada,
showed excellent footage from their
archives, and provided analysis and
suggestions to the field.

To Join AMIA

AMIA is a professional association estab-
lished for individuals concerned with
the collection, preservation, exhibition
and use of moving image materials.
To become a charter member of
AMIA, to receive the AMIA newsletter
and the proceedings of the November
meeting, contact Greg Lukow at the
National Center for Film and Video
Preservation, 213 856-7637; fax 213
467-4578. •

Founding Members

Paul & Deborah Gelardi

Del Keppelman & Skip Sheldon

Karan Sheldon & David Weiss

Friends of NHF

Robert Mclntire, MaxMedia

David & Sue Parsons, Milbridge Theatre

Ed Pert

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Saudek

Dr. David C. Smith

Sylvia Smith

Lynda & Charles Tyson

Corporate/ Associate Members

John Bragg, N. H. Bragg & Sons

Dr. Constance Carlson

Darwin Davidson

Marcia Fenn

Ernest & Kathryn Gross

Donald C. Hammond, Hammond Lumber Co.

James Henderson, Maine State Archives

Franklyn Lenthall

Edgar & Sally Lupfer

Patricia McGeorge

Virginia Morgan

Henry H. Moulton

John Mucci, GTE Service Corp.

Richard Obrey, Three East Video

Mr. & Mrs. Howard Peabody

Peter & Ann Sheldon

Mrs. Joanne Van Namee

Eric von Hippel

Joel & Allene White

Pamela Wintle

Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbe Museum

Bangor Historical Society

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to preserve, and make avail-
able to the public, film/videotape of
the northern New England region.
This purpose will be carried out by
activities including, but not limited
to, a comprehensive survey of mov-
ing image resources of interest to the
people of northern New England;
the preservation of film/tape through
restoration, duplication, providing of
technical guidance and vault storage;
a touring program to bring materials
to audiences throughout the area;
and the establishment of a study
center, including resource materials
and reference copies of motion
picture films and videotapes.

Page 2

NHF Members!

Blue Hill Historical Society

Calais Free Library

Cherryfield Narraguagus Historical Society

City Theater Associates, Inc.

College of the Atlantic Library

George Stevens Academy

Bill & Alicia Gross

Historic Preservation Program, Univ. of

Vermont

Indiana Historical Society
Instructional Resource Center, Bangor Schools
JC Roofing and Chimney Co.
Jackson Memorial Library
MPBN

Maine Film Commission
Maine Medical Center
Maine Osteopathic Education Fdn.
Maine State Library
New Hampshire Historical Society
Northeast Harbor Library
Prime Resource Center
Sea Grant Communications, Univ. of Maine
Simmons College Library
Sultan Technikon Library
Union Historical Society

Regular Members

Philip Abbott
Sieglinde Alexander
Joan Amory
Tom Armstrong
David Astor
James Austin
Jean Barrett
Deirdre Barton
Helen Beach
Rev. Curtis Beach
Henry Becton, Jr.
Paul & Mollie Birdsall
Lynne Blair
Richard Bock
Deborah Boldt
Nat Bowditch
Q. David Bowers
Donna Boyles
Richard Bradley
Ben & Joan Branch
John M. R. Bruner, M.D.
Raymond Burnham
Lynn Cadwallader
Mrs. Frederic Camp
Mary Grace Canfield
Robert Carnie
Michel Chalufour
Martha Chandler
Wallace Cunningham
John Davis
Peter DeAngelis
Clarence deRochemont
Josephine H. Detmer
Peg Dice
JeffDobbs

Broadcast Notes

A half-hour program on Maine's Mt.
Katahdin and Baxter State Park pro-
duced by Art Donahue aired on
Chronicle, WCVB TV Boston. It was the
highest-rated show for the November
ratings period. The program contained
footage from Northeast Historic Film
of Governor Percival Baxter in 1920 in
his state house office, and views of
typical fishing camps. •

Earliest Maine Films
Erratum

Thank you to the rail fans who pointed
out that the jacket of a collection of
short Maine films transferred to video
contains an error. The train in Trout
Fishing, Rangeley Lakes (1905) arriving
in Bemis, Maine, is not narrow gauge.
The tender of the locomotive is lettered
"Portland and Rumford Falls," a stan-
dard-gauge line. H

Members, Your renewal date appears on the mailing label.
Not yet a Member? Please use form on page 7!

Robert Eggleston
John Ellingwood
Mrs. Anna Mary Elskus
Carroll Faulkner
Joseph Filtz
Janet Forbes
Joseph Foster
Robert Foster
Eugene Fuller
Kathy Fuller
Peter Gammons, Jr.
Roy Gauthier
Christopher Glass
Jim Goff
Douglas Gomery
Henry Grandgent
Terry Grant
Nancy Gray
Rynard Gundrum
Jim Hamlin
Pat Harcourt
Mark Henderson
Eric Herndon
Charles Hesse
Wendell Hodgkins
C. A. Porter Hopkins
John Howard
Stanley Howe
David Huntley
Douglas Ilsley
Ann Ivins
Margaret Jaffray
Jeff Janer
Shirley Johnson
Robert Jordan
Thomas Joyce
Dr. Susan Kaplan

John Karol, Jr.

Richard Kimball

Donald King

James King

Diane Lee

Stephen Lindsay

Bill Lippincott

Betty Ann & Donald Lockhart

Howard Lowell

Mrs. Russell MacGregor

Lily Marston

Wendy Matthews

Valerie Felt McClead

Alan McClelland

Judith McGeorge

Carl McGraw

Charles Ray McKay

Franklyn & Phyllis Mellen

Bruce Meulendyke

Hillery Mongelli

Betty & Hugh Montgomery

Francis Moulton, Jr.

John O'Brien

George O'Neill

Kathryn J. Olmstead

Dan Osgood

Tom Pears

William Petrie

James Phillips

Guy & Dianne Poirier

Robert Porter

Sandra Pottle

Charles Pritham

Elvie Ramsdell

Sally Regan

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Rendall

More members on page 6

Page 3

One Hundred Years: The Cook and Harris High-Class Moving Picture Company,

Itinerant Exhibitors in New England

by Kathryn H. Fuller,
PhD candidate, History, The Johns Hopkins University

Before the nickelodeon era, small
northern New England communi-
ties got their movie entertainment from
itinerant exhibitors like the Cook and
Harris High-Class Moving Picture
Company. B. Albert "Bert" Cook and
his wife, Fannie, of Cooperstown, NY,
travelled between villages in upstate
New York, Vermont, New Hampshire,
Maine and Quebec from 1904 to 1911
with a variety show format, featuring a
mix of brief films, music, sound effects
and song.

Bert Cook was a talented singer and
phonograph and magic lantern opera-
tor. Like other mechanically inclined
young entrepreneurs at the turn of the
century, he entered show business
through this new entertainment ma-
chinery. Fannie Shaw Cook was a
pianist and aspiring actress who was
willing to trade middle-class respect-
ability for the excitement of show
business.

By the fall of 1904, Bert and Fannie
saved enough money from performing
with other groups to purchase a Powers
film projector and "a nice lot of films."
They formed the Cook and Harris
High-Class Moving Picture Company,
with Bert as manager and projectionist;
Fannie as musical director, ticket seller
and treasurer; her brother George Shaw
as assistant projectionist and behind-
thc-screen sound effects creator; a
pianist; and an advance agent.

In 1905 their two-hour program
consisted of as many as 25 brief films,
such as Indians and Cowboys, Drama
in Mid- Air, Water Falls of the Rhine,
The Lost Child, Burglars at Work and
Fireworks in Color. Bert performed
songs "illustrated" with lantern slides at
intervals to break what they called "The
Monotony of a Whole Evening of
Motion Pictures." Ticket prices were 35
and 25 cents, with 10 cent admission for
children at matinees.

The advance agent travelled ahead
of the company to secure show dates
along the routes of railroad lines. The
agent approached each small town's
lodges, school- and church-groups to

sponsor the movie show, so as to win
the Cook and Harris Company local
acceptance. In return the supporting
organization could keep 30 to 50 per-
cent of the show's proceeds. As many
as half of the performances gained such
genteel sponsorship.

TO-NIGHT

HIGH CLASS EXHIBITION

HE HIGHEST GRADE EXHIBITION OF MOVING
PICTURES EVER PRESENTED.

photo: Library, New York Slate Historical Association,
Cooptrstown, NY

The Cook and Harris show was
primarily a family-oriented program for
conservative towns. When some prize-
fight films requested by a lodge in
Attica, NY, failed to materialize, the
organizer wrote, "We are just as well
satisfied as there would no doubt be
some objections in as small a town as
this to an exhibition of this kind and as
you know our Order will not stand for
anything that is not strictly O.K."

In six weeks of a typical winter tour,
the company played at opera houses or
lodge halls in 35 towns in Vermont and
New Hampshire. Local sponsors in
Vermont included Fairhaven's high
school seniors who were raising money
for a class trip to Washington, DC;

Proctor's baseball team; and the Ver-
mont National Guard.

The itinerant business was not easy.
Timid advance agents took "no" for an
answer too often from skeptical spon-
sors or opera house managers. They
faced competition from at least half a
dozen other itinerant showmen, and
Bert's expensive-to-purchase films
became outdated rapidly. An advance
agent complained to Bert from Middle-
bury, VT, in 1907, "I have no paper
[posters] to show the society and the
minute they see the San Francisco Fire
they give me a wise look, put their
tongue in their cheek and say no I guess
not. I lost Vergennes on account of not
having paper and the "S.F. Fire" [film
released May, 1906] has been there by
both [rival exhibitors] Howe and Fos-
ter."

On a personal level, the itinerant life
for Bert and Fannie Cook meant leaving
their young daughter with her grand-
mother in Cooperstown, living from
hand to mouth between profitable play
dates, and being labeled "show people"
by polite society. But the Cooks thrived
on their varied experiences, making
many friends along the way.

A family friend from Groveton, NH,
anticipated the future of film exhibition
in a note to Fannie after a 1907 appear-
ance, "Please tell Mr. Cook that I hear
nothing but words of praise for the
entertainment. One young man said, 'I
would go every night if it was here.' *

By 1910 itinerant show people in
New England villages of even 500 to
1,000 people faced competition from
local movie shows. Like most other
traveling exhibitors, Bert and Fannie
Cook in 1911 retired from the road and
operated nickelodeons in the Coopers-
town, NY, area until 1917. They re-
mained in the movie business into the
1940s.

The itinerant movie show of 1900 to
1910 represents a link between 19th-
century traveling entertainments and
the ubiquitous movie theater. Its legacy
in northern New England was the
establishment of an enthusiastic audi-

/> .r

The Maine State Archivist:
An Interview with James Henderson

Jim Henderson beads the Maine State
Archives, a bureau within the Depart-
ment of Secretary of State. He chairs the

' Maine Historical Records Advisory
Board and the Local Government
Records Board. A Ph.D. in political
science, he has been a professor at the
University of Maine and a member of
the Maine Legislature. He currently

) chairs the Steering Committee of the
State Historical Records Coordinators
for the United States.

What is a public archives?

Henderson: It's the place where the
permanently valuable records of
the government are kept, to document
how that government has executed its
public trust and to guarantee access by
the people to those documents.

fc What's the function of the Maine
State Archivist?

HThe State Archivist has the
responsibility for determining
which official State records are perma-
nently valuable, insuring that those
I records are not destroyed, preserving
those deposited in the State Archives,
and assuring public access to such
records.

Are there misconceptions about what
a historical record is?

I T T Yes! There are confusions about
JL JL media and time. The usual image

ence for the hundreds of nickelodeons
that dotted Vermont, New Hampshire
and Maine from 1910 to 1930. •

Further Readin

"Shadowland: Middle Class Audiences and
the American Movie-Going Experience,
1900-1930," Kathryn H. Fuller, PhD disser-
tation, Johns Hopkins University, 1992.

"The Cook and Harris High-Class Moving
Picture Company," Courtney Burns, M.A.
thesis, SUNY Oneonta, Cooperstown Pro-
gram, 1988.

"Edwin J. Hadley, Traveling Film Exhibitor,"
Edward Lowry in John Fell, ed., Film Before
Griffith, 1983.

High-Class Moving Pictures: Lyman H.
Howe and the Forgotten Era of Traveling
Exhibition, 1880-1920, Charles Musser in
collaboration with Carol Nelson, 1991.

is the old paper document or book.
Some might concede photographs. But
all documentary material must be
considered: motion picture film, micro-
film, audio and videotape, laser disks,
computer tapes and disks.

A "historical record" is one that is
"permanently valuable" because of its
informational content. The computer-
ized court docket updated today is
already a historical record since it
contains permanently valuable informa-
tion not readily available elsewhere.

What is the significance of electronic
records and image media, and what
preservation problems do they pose?

H Electronic records are totally
dependent on the technology
with which they are associated.

Given the continuing changes in
technology, archivists are beginning to
concentrate on "migrating" the infor-
mation to new media, thereby preserv-
ing the information with less emphasis
on preserving the media.

What statewide activities have you
been involved with?

HThe State Archivist should, I
believe, support efforts involving
historical records in the broader
community. During the past several years,
the Archives have taken a leading role
in establishing the Society of Maine
Archivists, conducting the Maine His-
torical Records Assessment Project, and
coordinating the Statewide Preservation
Planning Project funded by the NEH.

What is the 1991 Historical Records
Assessment Report?

HThe Report, funded by the Na-
tional Historical Publications
and Records Commission (NHPRC),
documents the condition of historical
records in Maine, based on survey
responses from over 200 historical
societies, libraries, museums and local
governments and an assessment of State
government records.

Essentially, it concludes that records
held by small organizations and gov-
ernments are frequently stored in con-
ditions with little fire protection or
physical security. While most of the
custodians are highly motivated, they

are hampered by
other duties, lack
of resources and
little training.

A few larger
organizations
have a substantial
portion of all the
state's historical
records. While
they have professional staff and better
physical conditions, they are often
overwhelmed by demands of research-
ers and by the sheer volume of material.

The reports also focus attention on
new media. The preservation of elec-
tronic records, especially computer
records, is, in my opinion, an emerging
crisis.

What resources are available for
individual preservation projects?

HThe NHPRC funded the assess-
ment to provide a basis for award-
ing grants for the preservation and
archival management of historical
records in Maine.

The keys to a good proposal include
documenting the historical importance
of the records; assessing their condition;
and employing archival expertise in the
development of the project.

The report and guidelines for apply-
ing for NHPRC grants are available from
the State Archives, Cultural Building,
Station 84, Augusta, ME 04333.

What statewide actions would you
like to see in the near future?

HThe NEH-funded planning proj-
ect, in conjunction with statewide
associations of archivists, museums,
librarians and others, can provide the
basis for coordinated activities.

The current economic climate has
been very difficult for the cultural
community. Advocacy for restored
funding for preservation will be essen-
tial during 1992 so that in the future, as
funds are returned to various programs,
preservation requirements will not be
overlooked. H

Reference by Mail Collection

Members of Northeast Historic Film
are invited to borrow from the circulat-
ing reference collection of VHS video-
tapes.

New titles are being added all the
time. Call or write for an updated list!
Here are samples from the more than
40 titles available.

Note: PERF means public performance
rights are included. Where there is no
PERF, the tape is for home use only
and may not be shown to a group.

City Life

24 Hours, a professional dramatization with
music and narration of fire fighting in Port-
land, Maine. 1963. 27 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Country Life

Ice Harvesting Sampler, five short silent
films showing a near-forgotten New England
industry. 26 mins., b&w, si. with titles. PERF

The Movie Queen, Lubec, a pretend movie
queen visits her home town in down east
Maine. 1936. 28 mins., b&w, si.

Early Film

All But Forgotten, documentary on the
Holman Day silent film company in Maine.
1978. 30 mins., col. and b&w, sd. PERF

Cupid, Registered Guide, a silly two-reeler
by Holman Day. 1921. 20 mins., b&w, si.
PERF

Fisheries

It's the Maine Sardine, catching, packing and
eating Eastport fish. 1949. 16 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Turn of the Tide, drama about a lobster
cooperative; from the Vinalhaven Historical
Society. 1943. 48 mins., col., sd.

Franco* American Life

Reflets et Lumiere: Pone Ouverte sur les
Arts, a program on the arts from an MPBN
television series on Franco- American culture
in Maine. 1982. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF
There are more than a dozen titles available
in this series.

Geography

Assignment in Aroostook, Loring Air Force
Base in northern Maine will close in 1994.
This orientation film shows the woman at
home, the sergeant at work, the family at
play. 1956. 27 mins., col., sd. PERF

Political Discourse

Margaret Chase Smith Speech, declaration of
intention to run for President. 1964. 17 mins.,
b&w, sd. PERF

John F. Kennedy Speech on the anniversary of
the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1963 at

Univ. of Maine. 30 mins., b&w, sd. PERF
Sent with full transcript of speech.

Television

The Cold War; Transportation; TV Commer-
cials, three compilation tapes of stories from
the Bangor Historical Society/WABI collec-
tion. 40 to 50 mins. each; b&w, si. and sd.
PERF

Maine's TV Time Machine, the 1950s and
early 60s in news, sports and local commer-
cials from the Bangor Historical Society/
WABI collection. 1989. 34 mins., b&w, sd.
PERF

Woods

In the Public Interest: The Civilian Conser-
vation Corps in Maine, the federal work
program from Acadia National Park to Cape
Elizabeth. 1987. 58 mins., col. and b&w, sd.

Little Log Cabin in the Northern Pines,
amateur film of a young woman's hunting
trip near Brownville, Maine, with a profes-
sional guide, ca. 1930. 13 mins., b&w, si.
PERF

More NHF Members

Windsor Robinson

Charles Ryan

DeWitt Sage

Shan Saylcs

Ronald Schliessman

Mr. & Mrs. P. H. Sellers

Jennifer Sheldon

Nancy Sheldon

Gail Shelton

Ms. Pat Sherman

Harold Si Janet Simmons

Benjamin Bigelow Snow

Betty Stookey

Noel Stookey

Lynda Sudlow

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Taylor

William Taylor

Dawn Thibodeau

Denis Thoet

Mr. &: Mrs. Charles Thompson

Amy Turim

Robert Tyler

Robert &: Julia Walkling

Mary Anne Wallace
Peter Wappler
Seth Washburn
Vern & Jackie Weiss
Bonnie Wilson
Jon Wilson
Carter Wintle
Brian Wood
Cynthia Wood
Bob Woodbury
Waldo Theatre, Inc.

Educator/Student Members

Albert Belanger
Jon Bragdon
Michelle Branigan
The Brick Store Museum
Carol Bryan
Prof. William Burgess
Richard Burns, Ocean Park Assoc.
Robin Clay

Carnegie Library, Good Will-
Hinckley

Dr. Richard Condon, Univ. of

Maine, Farmington
Joseph Conforti, Univ. of Southern

Maine
Alvina Cyr, Dr. Lewis S. Libby

School

Rudolph Deetjen, Jr.
Charles Ellis
Bernadette Friel, Schenk High

School
Phil Gonyar, Waterville High

School
Joe Gray
Cora Greer
Hanna Griff
Kevin Hagopian
Scott Herring
Thomas Wayne Johnson, Chico

Folklore Archive
Richard Judd
Janice Kasper, Penobscot Marine

Museum
Robbie Lewis

Dean Lyons

Sharon Merrill, Guy E. Rowe

School
Tim O'Keefe
Sanford Phippen
Harald Prins
Jo Radner
Paige Roberts
Mrs. Rowell, Fogler Library, Univ.

of Maine
Linda Seavey
Stonington Elementary School

Library
Juris Ubans
Dr. Richard E. C. White, Queens

College
Steve & Peggy Wight, Sunday

River Inn
Wendy Wincote •

Page 6

NHF Membership

As an independent nonprofit organiza-
tion, NHF depends on its members. You
help us set priorities, you pass the word
about the significance of cultural pres-
ervation, and your dues help keep us
operating. Please join and renew!
Q Regular members, $25 per year,
receive a subscription to Moving
Image Review, notice of events,
loan of one reference tape at no
charge, and discounts on materials
distributed by NHF.
Q Educator/Student Members, $15
per year, receive all regular member-
ship benefits. This category is for
teachers and students at any level.

Q Associates (Individuals) and Cor-

porate Members, $100 per year,
receive the benefits of regular mem-
bers, special recognition in Moving
Image Review, and loan of five
reference tapes at no charge.

Q Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership and,
in addition, loan of ten reference
tapes at no charge.

Membership at any level is an opportu-
nity to become involved with the pres-
ervation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage.

Your dues are tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law.

To Purchase

Videotapes of New England Life
Call or Write for Catalog

Dead River Rough Cut, shot in
the backwoods of Maine with two
woodsmen-trappers. Described on
page 8. (55 mins.) $29.95/NHF
members $24.95.

Tales of Wood and Water, an out-
standing new documentary on
wooden-boat building and sailing
on the coast of Maine (60 mins.)
$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

To learn about other videotapes
available for purchase — Huey's
Bonsoir Mes Amis on two Franco-
American musicians; Ice Harvesting
Sampler; the new edition of Earliest
Maine Films; and King Spruce, a
1940 pulpwood harvesting
documentary — please call Libby
Rosemeier at 207 374-2736.

Membership and Order Form Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, ME 04615 USA

Ordered by

Name

Address

City

State _

Ship to (if different from above)

Name

Zip

Address

City .
State

Zip

CH Please send a free catalog of
additional tapes available!

Payment Method
\ — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film

D Visa D MasterCard Credit card #

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeier at (207)374-2736

Purchase

Qty.

Total

Q Special Fourth Class mail: add $2.00
plus $1 each additional item
Q Priority Mail: add $3.50
plus $1 each additional item
Q UPS: add $3.50 plus $1 each
additional item

Subtotal
Tax: ME residents add 6%
Shipping and handling

Reference by Moil/Members

ONLY

Titles):

$4 each.

Please see "NHF

number of tapes you may

borrow at no charge.

\ I Institutional purchase order #

Expiration date

Membership/ Specify level, please:

TOTAL

Credit card signature .

Page 7

NORTHEAST
HISTORIC

=11 M

ME 04*1*

41MUJ

•

Dead River Rough Cut

"Look How Bcavemh that Water
Looks Down in There"

"We lived nut like everybody else . . .
He just got plain skk of it and I did, of
the way people do things, that's all *

At first. Bob Wagg and Walter
u.:

and would visit each other, drink a b*er
and shoot the breese. As winter settled
in. they became inseparable compan-
iciu in a partnership full at hard work,

Since Nonhcast Historic Film's

^ ^ fouixling in 1986 DC*/ /truer /tog*
•^ CM has been the most requested — and

most eusive — title. Now it is available
on videotape.

Work of Maine Independent*
It is an important example of work by
regional independent filmmakers Rich-
ard Searis and Stu Silverstetn.

To nuke what they call "A Woods
Film" they joined the men as they
shouldered pack baskets, took up nflcs
and trap* to travel the Maine landscape
on MOW shoes, snowmobiles, and

Wagg and Lane demonstrate con-
ventional and unlikely woods skills of
trappers: setting and emptying traps,
feeding wild birds, getting water, build-
ing a portable fire on the back of a
snowmobile.

Life and Death

The trappers share trenchant commen-
taries on life and death. This story is
told with scruffy poignancy: "I had a
dream the other night about these

beaver Here I had two of these

great big beaver I'd caught out of a
(towage and one little kitten. There was
two or three more in the flowagc and
they looked at me and they was all
pointing at me 'He's the one, he's the
one that caught our Mama and Daddy
and our little brother. He's the one!'
Oh. it made me fed so bad I woke up
and said I'd not trap any more beaver."
Dt*JRn*r Ro*gb Caf is a valuable
observation of rough backwoods life,
full of visual and verbal poetry — and
some actual verse, too, in the form of a
recitation of The Cremation of Sam

0 Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

' REVIEW

The Alamo

Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900, Main St.
Bucksport, ME 04416

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Summer 1992

Executive Director's Report p. 2

Archival Notes: Accessions p. 2

Summer/Fall Calendar p. 4

One Hundred Years: Seaside Idyls .... p. 4
The Movie Queen, Middlebury p. 8

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue
Hill Falls, Maine 04615. David S. Weiss,
executive director, Karan Sheldon, editor.
ISSN 0897-0769

The Alamo Theatre in Bucksport is one

~ of Maine's oldest standing structures
built as a cinema. At NHF's annual
meeting on May 2, board members
discussed the building's potential as a
headquarters for the archives.

Executive director David Weiss sum-

~ marizes, "NHF has reached the point
where a larger, integrated facility is
necessary. The Alamo has many of the
characteristics we seek: fireproof con-
struction, size and public accessibility."
The theater building is just off

_ coastal Route 1 on the Penobscot River
20 miles south of Bangor.

In May 1916, O. J. Hussey bought
land on the corner of Main and Elm
Streets. He and May Hussey erected a
90-foot-long brick building and called it

~ the Alamo Theatre.

What Kind of Name is That?
The original Alamo, a mission in San
Antonio, Texas, has popular culture
resonance beyond its religious and mili-
tary history. There have been many

) movies about the 1836 battle at the
garrison, one of which, The Immortal
Alamo (1911), was made in Texas by
the Melies Company. "It would be a
stolid audience indeed that failed to
respond to the thrilling scene inside

I the Alamo" (June 1911 review,
Motography).

There were Alamo Theaters in
Illinois, Georgia and Washington DC,
where, says the Theatre Historical

Society of
America, a 230-
seat Alamo
built in 1911
lasted until
1964.

Cinema
Heyday

In 1924 Arthur

Rosie bought

the Bucksport

Alamo and

continued to

run it with his

family as a

movie theater.

Bob Rosie,

Arthur's son,

was four when

his father moved

the family into the theater. He took

over the business after his father's

retirement.

Bob Rosie and his wife, newly mar-
ried in 1945, lived for six months in the
second-floor offices facing Main Street.
"We had matinees for kids with 14-cent
tickets," he recalls. "Fifteen-cent tickets
had a tax on them. The last movie we
showed was Godzilla in May 1956."

The auditorium had a floor that could
be angled for movies and cranked down
flat for dances. Bea Spurling of Castine
played the piano. "I played for dances
on that big floor. Afterward we'd go
across the street and have ice cream."

In the years since, the Alamo was by
turns a grocery store, fitness center, bar
and videotape store.

Bucksport Today

Now, its facade unchanged, the Alamo
— gutted and silent — faces the Penob-
scot River awaiting a new life. As Bob
Rosie says, "I think it would be fun if
somebody did something with it."

It is 20 miles from NHF's present
location, and for several years staff has
had an interest in the building and its
history. The property is scheduled for a
bank foreclosure auction on June 1 1 . •

Executive Director's Report

A curatorial manual for the administra-
tion of television newsfilm and video-
tape collections is being edited by Steve
Davidson of the Louis Wolfson II Media
History Center, Miami, and Larry
Viskochil of the Chicago Historical
Society.

The manual will be written by
archivists from the field including Alan
Lewis, National Archives, on a history
of news-gathering formats, processes
and technologies; and Helene Whitson,
San Francisco State University, on
the arrangement and description of
collections.

Northeast Historic Film is contrib-
uting a section on outreach, which will
explore the philosophy and practice of
making collections known to various
publics.

The handbook has been made pos-
sible by a grant from the National
Historical Periodicals and Records
Commission.

Recent Users

The Nickelodeon cable service used
Bangor Historical Society/WABI foot-
age to promote a kids' time capsule
project. Country Kitchen, the Lewiston
bakery, ran a New England bread
commercial using footage from the
same collection.

The Chronicle series at WCVB TV
Boston produced a program on the
grange movement in Maine. NHF sup-
plied agricultural footage for Art
Donahue's excellent piece about the
programs and buildings of the grange,
which drew on a photography and
history project by Rose Marasco and
Elspcth Brown.

Computers

NHF is microcomputer dependent,
using word-searchable descriptions of
the collections that allow us to find
"time capsules" and other terms. Until
now we've existed solely in the DOS
world.

We're about to enter the world of
Macintosh computing, converting the
Bangor Historical Society/WABI data to
ProCitc for Mac files, which will be
available at the Bangor Historical Soci-
ety, providing further access and added
flexibility for users.

Archival Notes:
Accessions

This is a small selection of the film and
videotape that has recently come to the
archives.

The Maine Department of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife donated 16 mm.
film from the 1960s and 1970s. Subjects
include the Allagash River, Narraguagus
salmon, waterfowl and large mammal
conservation.

More outdoor footage came in a
collection of sports and hunting films,
Outdoors with Bob Edge, which in-
cludes a moose hunt. A delightful piece
of unrelated ephemera accompanied
this collection — a 1928 demonstration
of The Automatic Hamburger Machine.

NHF members John and Betty
Howard donated 1930s home movies of
summer on Lake Winnepesaukee, New
Hampshire, Camp Bonheurand Camp
Bonte.

The Knox County Camera Club
amplified the collection of 16 mm. film
with original notes from the production
of Knox County on Parade. This color
portrait of the Maine county was made
in and around Rockland in 1940 and
exhibited that year. It's an outstanding

Happy Birthday,
Danny Patt

Proud to be an octogenarian! Danny,
who began his career as a silent film
accompanist in 1924, has been selected
by the Maine Arts Commission for
their Touring Artists program, which
subsidizes performances for Maine
nonprofit arts presenters. Contact the
Maine Arts Commission, State House
Station 25, Augusta, ME 04333 for the
new Touring Artists directory. •

In addition, a soon-to-be-acquired
laptop will help us bring our data on the
road for school and library research and
demonstrations^

amateur work including interiors and
people at work in the bank, newspaper
office and police station, as well as
excellent aerial views, street scenes and
railway-station footage.

In a 90-minute videotape transfer and
compilation, Bill Cross, Bob Monroe
and Jim Moore of the Knox County
Camera Club, with producer Peter Piik

KNOX* corny

DOCKLAND. MAINE

^-Orp

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

organized and narrated the material
so that it can be enjoyed by today's
audience. H

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to preserve, and make avail-
able to the public, film/videotape of
the northern New England region.
This purpose will be carried out by
activities including, but not limited
to, a comprehensive survey of mov-
ing image resources of interest to the
people of northern New England;
the preservation of film/tape through
restoration, duplication, providing of
technical guidance and vault storage;
a touring program to bring materials
to audiences throughout the area;
and the establishment of a study
center, including resource materials
and reference copies of motion
picture films and videotapes.

Pag

Music to Everyone's Ears

Making moving images accessible to the
public is one of Northeast Historic
Film's responsibilities and greatest joys.
Videotape distribution is an important
source of revenue for the organization.

Video Advisory Board

NHF has an active video advisory board,
helping to select material to distribute.
The board looks for quality, relevance
to NHF's mission, and for content and
creators not otherwise covered in NHF's
list.

We're offered productions that are
really exciting. The board has reviewed
and selected videotapes like BonsoirMes
Amis by Huey, about two Maine musi-
cians, Our Lives in Our Hands by Karen
Carter and Harald Prins, and Tales of
Wood and Water by David Clark.

Music Woes

Our video advisory committee has
encountered difficulties on occasion —
and has had to turn away tapes — when

an otherwise worthy work about north-
ern New England life contains music
that the producer did not obtain the
rights to use.

If the producer "borrows" music
from records, tapes and CDs or re-
records songs without permission from
the publisher, the advisory board must
turn down the work.

Get Permission, Please . . .

So, if you're a producer or compiler
(amateur or professional) and intend to
distribute your work, it's imperative to
have permission to reuse music that has
been previously recorded. And if you
decide to record any piece of music not
in the public domain you must seek
permission from the composer and/or
the music publisher.

In the May 1992 issue of The Inde-
pendent, attorney Robert L. Seigel
outlines basic music rights and how to
go about obtaining them: synchroniza-
tion rights for adding music to your

piece; and performance rights for the
right to use it before an audience.

. . . Or Else

If your budget does not allow paying
for music licensing, consider alterna-
tives such as commissioning original
music from a composer; obtaining
easily licensed music from recording
studios which usually maintain libraries
of such recordings; or using environ-
mental sounds or silence.

ding

The Independent is a publication of the
Foundation for Independent Video and
Film, Inc., 625 Broadway, New York, NY
10012. 212 473-3400. Single issues may be
purchased for $3.50 plus postage.

This Business of Music, Sidney Shemel and
M. William Krasilovsky, Billboard Publica-
tions, Inc., 1985.

Media Law for Producers, Philip Miller,
Knowledge Industry Publications, Inc., 1990.

Broadcast Series
Wide Angle: Maine Film and Videc

A series of programs by Maine produc-
ers is airing weekly May 9 through June
27 on WCBB Lewiston.

WCBB staff producer Mark Ireland
put the series together — for its second
year — motivated by a recognition that
there were many different kinds of
work being done in the state that could
receive a wider audience.

To be selected, programs must fit
into a half-hour format. Some produc-
ers have chosen to present selection
from longer works, while short films
are often combined with other work,
sometimes by another producer. The
pieces are tied together by field wrap-
arounds with host Martin Andrucki.

Students and Others

The 1992 season opened with Women,
Children and AIDS by Tim Sorel, de-
picting rural women at risk for con-
tracting HIV.

Peg Dice, an independent filmmaker

from Brunswick who began her career
in film when she was in her 50s, pro-
duced Fence in the Water.

Rudy Burckhardt, a still photogra-
pher, artist and filmmaker now living in
New York, contributed Slipperella, a
fairytale of moccasins that journey to
Maine. Independents Yvonne Hanne-
mann and Don Moore are represented
with ethnographic work and a piece
about Maine
ghosts.

Students
are featured as
subjects and
producers:
The Univer-
sity of Maine
made avail-
able three
stories about
students and
alumni/ae;
character-

Peg Dice, independent
filmmaker

driven pieces about Maine artists were
produced by students at the Rockport
International Film and Television
Workshops.

The series will conclude with the
work of Bates College students Fawn
Johnson and Julie Morrison and profes-
sor Robert Branham — Ella Knowles: A
Dangerous Woman, about a Bates
graduate, leading nineteenth-century
activist for women's suffrage, who was
the first woman lawyer in Montana.

WCBB-MPBN Merger
On July 1, 1992, WCBB in Lewiston
will merge with MPBN Bangor, the
state's other PBS affiliate. The combined
entity, MPBC (Maine Public Broadcast-
ing Corporation), will provide a state-
wide audience for next year's Wide
Angle: Maine Film and Video. Work
to submit for the 1993 season? Call
Mark Ireland at 207 783-9101. •

Pas.

One Hundred Years: Seaside Idyls

"Let's go to Beach Plum Point. "

"Where is that?" asked Helen.

"It is down in Maine. Beyond Port-
land. And Mr. Hammond and his com-
pany are there making my Seaside Idyl.

"Oh, bully!" cried Helen, repeating
one of her brother's favorite phrases, and
now quite as excited over the idea as he.
"I do so love to act in movies. Is there a
part in that Idyl story for me?"

The Summer 1991 Moving Image
Review contained a "One Hundred
Years" column about the Motion Picture
Chums. The chums are male. Gregory
Sanford of the Vermont State Archives
in Montpelier called us to task for not
mentioning the Motion Picture Girls.

RUTH FIELDING
DOWN EAST

Well, indeed he's
right. There is a Motion
Picture Girls series,
published by the same
Edward Stratemeyer
syndicate. And there's
Ruth Fielding Down
East, too, in the Ruth
Fielding series from
which the quote above is
taken. In this 1920
novel, brought to our
attention by Kathy
Fuller, we read about
the theft of the youthful
screenwriter's scenario.

Summer Filming

Come summer, many
production companies head for seaside
spots. In Maine, cameras rolled in recent
years for Pet Sematary in Hancock; Bed
and Breakfast in Cape Neddick; Signs
of Life around Stonington and Blue
Hill; and Whales of August on Cliff
Island.

An earlier seaside idyl was Queen of
the Sea, a 1918 Fox Special starring
Annette Kellerman as a Little Mermaid
type offered mortal form if she rescues
four humans including Prince Hero.
Kellerman rehearsed daring aquatic
feats near Bar Harbor, thrilling the Mt.
Desert Island population. Directed by
John Adolfi, no copies of the film are
now known to exist.

The Motion Picture World reported
in 1912 that the Lubin Company sent
31 people for 14 weeks (summer, nat-
urally) to a fishing village . . . Cape
Elizabeth, near Portland.

Earlier still the Vitagraph Company

The Sailor's Sacrifice

led by director Lawrence Trimble pro-
duced a number of short films in 1909
and 1910 starring Jean the Vitagraph
Dog at Cape Shore, near Portland. One
of these, The Sailor's Sacrifice (1909),
leaves traces of what may have been
an off-camera summer idyl for the
players — but on screen they suffered
the indignity of flying buckets of water
representing a rudimentary storm at
sea.

Summer Reading

NHF is always happy to receive dona-
tions of books and periodicals relating
to moving image media. Thanks for
recent gifts to John Stilgoe, Kathy
Fuller, Douglas Gomery and Q. David
Bowers.

We're particularly interested in
receiving fan magazines, scrap books,
clippings and other printed material
relating to movie exhibition. B

Summer/Fall Calendar

June 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Saco River
Grange Hall, Bar Mills, Maine: Timothy's
Quest (1922), directed by Sidney Olcutt
from a story by Kate Douglas Wiggin.
With piano accompaniment by Danny
Patt. The hall was once the Riverside
Theater. Renovated by Patricia Packard,
it contains a 40-foot painted advertising
curtain, which is itself worth the trip.
Call 207 929-6472.

July 8 at the Weld Historical Society,
Weld Maine: 16 mm. screening of From
Stump to Ship: A 1930 Logging Film.

July 23 at 8:30 p.m. at the Claremont
Hotel, Southwest Harbor, Maine: The
Seventh Day (1921), directed by Henry
King, starring Richard Barthelmess.
With piano accompaniment by Danny
Patt. Call 207 244-5036.

August 6-9 at the Maine Festival,
Thomas Point Beach, Brunswick. Look
for us in the Maine Enterprise tent.

September 25-27 at the Common
Ground Fair, Windsor, Maine. Archives
selections will be shown in the annex,
next to the biggest pumpkin exhibit.

October 3-10 at the Farm Museum,
Fryeburg Fair. B

The Maine Folklife Center:
An Interview with Mary O'Meara

A native of Ellsworth, Maine, O'Meara
became associate director of the Northeast
Archives of Folklore and Oral History,
University of Maine, in the fall of 1990
and has been working with its director,
Dr. Sandy Ives, in developing the Archives
as the Maine Folklife Center. She received
her M.Phil, from Columbia University,
where she is completing a doctorate in the
Department of Anthropology. Her field-
work experience includes work with refu-
gees and also the basketmaking traditions of
Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Indians.
O'Meara chairs the Traditional Arts Panel
of the Maine Arts Commission.

What is the Maine Folklife Center?

O'Meara: It represents a merger of
two of Maine's oldest and most
prominent folklife organizations, the
Northeast Archives of Folklore and
Oral History, and the Northeast Folk-
lore Society, both founded in the 1950s
by Dr. Edward D. "Sandy" Ives at the
University of Maine.

Like Northeast Historic Film, the
Maine Folklife Center collects, pre-
serves and has a public service mission.

What is folklore?

O Folklore and folklife encompass a
very broad range of expressive
phenomena that have to do with tradi-
tionality. The making of folklore is an
ongoing creative process that counters
a popular conception of folklore, that
it is concerned only with the study of
disappearing traditions and passing
ways of life. In Maine we have strong
oral and artistic traditions associated
with Native peoples, descendants of
Colonial and immigrant populations,
and newcomers from such places as
Southeast Asia.

Maine's distinctive occupational
and regional traditions contribute to
our wealth of folklife. At the Maine
Folklife Center we hope to make the
public aware of the diversity of folklife
traditions which shape the collective
identities of Maine people today.

What media do you preserve?

We archive one of the largest and
most comprehensive assemblages
of regional folklife in North America:
tape recordings, transcripts of tapes,
manuscripts and photographs. The col-

lections are based on the tape-recorded
interview — the primary means of record-
ing oral history — and the documentary
photograph.

What do they contain?

OThe accessions comprise a wide
range of historical and cultural
subject matter relevant to Maine and
the Maritime Provinces of Canada.
Special collections include folk songs,
traditions of the Maine lumberwoods,
Native American legends and beliefs,
traditional medicine, women in the
Depression and World War II, labor
history, vernacular architecture, coastal
and maritime occupations and tradi-
tional arts and artists.

Students and other researchers par-
ticipate, and you collect and preserve.
How do you benefit the public?

OOur public programming wing
provides numerous opportunities
for making the archival materials acces-
sible to a broad public audience in
Maine and beyond through exhibits,
lectures, workshops, video and audio
tapes and festivals.

We hope to play a more active role
in focusing public attention on the
plurality of expressive traditions that
exist within Maine's borders and adja-
cent regions. Our recent radio series
on Maine's diverse musical traditions
and our approaching exhibit of Maine
women textile artists and folk art forms
reflect this priority.

A three-year National Endowment
for the Arts grant allowed us to hire
Teresa Hollingsworth as a Folklife
Coordinator. We have been able to
expand our instructional, reference and
consultancy services to the public and
are particularly interested in increasing
our resources to schools, libraries,
historical societies and other local
organizations in Maine.

What about publications?

OOur journal, Northeast Folklore,
is now in its 29th volume. Our
quarterly newsletter's next edition in
August will be the first to come out
under its new name, Maine Folklife
Center Newsletter.

Are there

similar

organizations?

We are

very

fortunate to
have close ties
with a number
of folklife pro-
grams else-
where in Maine. We enjoy a close
partnership with the Traditional Arts
Program of the Maine Arts Commission
under state folklorist Kathleen Mundell.
Our statewide folk arts survey is being
conducted under the NEA grant.

The recent establishment of the
Acadian Archives/archives acadiennes
at the University of Maine, Fort Kent,
has already begun to have a profound
impact on the celebration and study of
Maine's French heritage.

This summer we will sponsor a Folk
Arts Tent at the Maine Festival.

Our cosponsorship of the film From
Stump to Ship launched our movement
into public programming in 1985, and
we feel privileged to carry on our rela-
tionship with the staff of Northeast
Historic Film through the continuing
popularity of Stump and the other
folklife videos distributed by NHF.

How can people join the Folklife
Center?

UFor information about member-
ship, call or write. The Maine
Folklife Center is largely a self-support-
ing unit within the University. One of
the most important sources for generat-
ing operating revenues is through the
support of our members.

All current members of the former
Northeast Folklore Society will auto-
matically become members of the Maine
Folklife Center. Members receive our
annual journal; the quarterly newsletter
that focuses on folklife activities in
Maine, the Maritimes and elsewhere in
New England; invitations to events; and
discounts on some of our audio and
videotapes. B

The Maine Folklife Center, S. Stevens
Hall, University of Maine, Orono ME
04469.207581-1891.

Reference by Mail Collection

Members of Northeast Historic Film
are invited to borrow from the circulat-
ing reference collection of VHS video-
tapes. Here is a sample of the titles
available. For the full list of over 40

videotapes, please call or write.
Note: PERF means public performance
rights are included. Where there is no
PERF, the tape is for home use only
and may not be shown to a group.

Country Life

A Century of Summers, the impact of a
summer colony on a small Maine coastal
community. 1987, 45 mins., b&w and col.,
sd. PERF

The Movie Queen, Lubec, a pretend movie
queen visits her home town in down east
Maine. 1936, 28 mins., b&w, si.

Early Film

Earliest Maine Films, logging, lobstering,
canoeing and more. 1901-1920, 44 mins.,
b&w, si. PERF

Knight of the Pines, a North Woods Adven-
ture by Holman Day. 1921, 20 mins., b&w,
si. PERF

Fisheries

Turn of the Tide, drama about formation of a
lobster cooperative, from the Vinalhaven
Historical Society. 1943, 48 mins., col., sd.

Maine's Harvesters of the Sea, fisheries
including shrimp, cod and lobster. 1968,
28 mins., col., sd. PERF

Franco- American Life

Reflets et Lumiere: Porte Ouverte sur les

Arts, a program on the arts from an MPBN
television series on Franco-American culture
in Maine. 1982, 30 mins., col., sd. PERF
There are more than a dozen titles available
in this series.

Television

Maine's TV Time Machine, the 1950s and
early 60s in news, sports and local
commercials from the Bangor"
Historical Society /WABI collection.
1989, 34 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Margaret Chase Smith Speech,
declaration of intention to run for Presi-
dent. 1964, 17 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Woods

From Stump to Ship, a complete look
at the long-log industry from forest to
shipboard. 1930, 28 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

King Spruce, harvesting pulpwood, includes
horses and mechanical log haulers. Ca. 1940.
23 mins. col., sd.

To Purchase

Videotapes of New England Life
Call or Write for Catalog

Tales of Wood and Water, an out-
standing documentary on wooden-
boat building and sailing on the coast
of Maine (60 mins.) $29.95/NHF
members $24.95.

Dead River Rough Cut, shot in the
backwoods of Maine with two
woodsmen-trappers. (55 mins.)
$29.95/NHF members $24.95.

illustration: Rob Groves

Welcome, New Members!

Maine Historical:
Punchy Lunch Events

This winter the Maine Historical Society
in Portland took advantage of NHF's
Reference by Mail'service to run a
February lunchtime screening series in
the library.

Cindy Murphy, the society's mem-
bership secretary, reports, "It went very
well. We sent out a mailing to members
and about twenty people came for each
session. They especially enjoyed Maine's
TV Time Machine. It was a blast from
the past, and something they could
relate to."

Winter was a good time to do the
series, she felt. "It was a fun activity at
lunch time." B

Nonprofit Organizations
Border Historical Society
United Methodist Men

Regular Members
Kathleen Bean
Daniel Donovan
W. Fowler
Randal Grant
Sherman Howe, Jr.
John D. Lewis
John Mcllwaine
Alphonse Martin
Betsy Montandon
Robert Schyberg
Waldo J. Williams, Sr.
Edith Wolff

Educators/Student Members

George Sarns
Todd Mclntosh
James Morris •

NHF Membership

Q Associates (Individuals) and Cor-
porate Members, $100 per year,
receive the benefits of regular
members, special recognition in
Moving Image Review, and loan of
five reference tapes at no charge.

Q Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership and,
in addition, loan of ten reference
tapes at no charge.

Membership at any level is an opportu-
nity to become involved with the pres-
ervation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage.

Your dues are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

From Stump
to Ship T-shirt

Small Number Available

100% cotton
$11.95/NHF members $9.95

Membership and Order Form Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, ME 04615 USA

Ordered by

Name

Address

City

State _

Zip

I Ship to (if different from above)
Name

Address

City

State _

CU Please send a free catalog of
additional tapes for sale!

CD Please send Reference by Mail
list!

Payment Method

I — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film
D Visa D MasterCard Credit card #

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeier at (207) 374-2736

Purchase

Qty.

Total

] Special Fourth Class mail: add $2.00
plus $1 each additional item
Q Priority Mail: add $3.50
plus $1 each additional item
Q UPS: add $3.50 plus $1 each
additional item

Subtotal
Tax: ME residents add 6%
Shipping and handling

Reference by Mail/Members

ONLY

TirleOV

$4 each.

Please see "NHF

Membership" above for
number of tapes you may

borrow at no charge.

I Institutional purchase order #
Expiration date

Membership/ Specify level, please:

TOTAL

Credit card signature .

Page

pholo: Thr SktUon M*K»m

Middlebury, Vermont

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

:ILM

fU.UH HILL KALIS • MAINE
USA 04615 • C07) 574-27)6

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

The Movie Queen,
Middlebury

Yet another film entitled The Movie
Queen has been found! Polly C. Darnell
at The Sheldon Museum in Middlebury,
Vermont, contacted Northeast Historic
Film recently with news of a 16 mm.
film with that title.

Shot in the fall of 1939 to be shown
with a three-act play and sponsored by
the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce,
the film captures many of the local
citizens and activities of the town,
including a roster of churches.

Like the Movie Queen films made in
coastal Maine, it is a combination of a
tour of the town, followed by a kidnap-
ping plot, all starring local people.

We do not yet know whether this
film was made by the same itinerant
filmmaker, Margaret Cram, who came
to Lubec, Eastport and Bar Harbor,
Maine, in 1936.

Female Villain

While similarly constructed, this film
concentrates more on close-ups of
people and offers a new twist — the
villain of the kidnapping plot is a woman,
"Marlena Slarbo," a jealous movie star
who leads a crowd of local businessmen
intent on removing the hometown
Movie Queen. Unlike the Maine films,
this one has campy intertitles, including
Slarbo's "Ha! Ha! Proud Beauty, you
are in my power."

Home Town Highlights

Featured are the Middlebury train sta-
tion (where the Movie Queen descends
from train with press agent in white silk
scarf and monocle); interiors of local
businesses including demonstrations of
a refrigerator and high-tech ice cube
tray; the College Restaurant, where a
waitress in wire rim spectacles takes
orders; and a Middlebury-Norwich
collegiate football game with a superb
white-sweatered male cheerleader
dwarfed by his megaphone.

Embedded in the film are indica-
tions that the Movie Queen is coming
home to the land of milk and honey: a
truck full of milk cans heads up Main
Street, and the Mraz apiary vehicle's
parade banner declares "She's Our
Honey." •

Northeast Historic F i I

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Members Buy Historic Building
for Archives

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Winter 1993

Executive Director's Report p. 2

One Hundred Years: Island Music p.4

Archival Notes p. 5

Winter Calendar p. 7

Videos of New England Life
Catalog p.9

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, P.O.
Box 900, Bucksport, Maine 04416. David S.
Weiss, executive director, Karan Sheldon,
editor. ISSN 0897-0769.

Responding to an urgent appeal, more
than 85 members and friends of North-
east Historic Film helped buy the
moving image archives its own building.
The Bucksport, Maine structure, built
as The Alamo Theatre in 1916, was
purchased at a foreclosure auction in
June, 1992.

The archives' successful bid of
$37,500 for its first bricks and mortar
won about 150,000 bricks, enclosing
10,000 square feet of space. As one
member said, "$37K looks like an
incredible buy for anything today."

Moving Day

The departure from Noel Paul Stookey's
Henhouse in South Blue Hill marked
six years' growth from a lO-ft.-square
office to two rooms with an unbeatable
view of Blue Hill Bay, now occupied by
WERU community radio staff.

It was not easy for NHF to say
goodbye to friends in the building at
River Music, Neworld and WERU, and
to possibly the world's best post office,
captained by Dolly Robertson.

But the frontier called, and the last
week of September saw George Rolles-
ton and Bob Rosie heaving file cabinets
up and down stairs.

Here We Are

Northeast Historic Film is on Main
Street, Bucksport, just off route 1. It is
about 20 miles from the airport in

Bangor, from Ellsworth and from
Belfast.

Bucksport is 120 miles north of
Portland, Maine. The post office is next
door; Federal Express and UPS come
every day.

Plans for the Building

Phased renovation will convert the 1916
cinema building into a home for the
collections and programs of northern
New England's only moving image
archives.

While the auditorium was gutted in
1956 to make room for an A&P, the
fa§ade is intact, as are the original
manager's offices, the fly space and
projection room.

Archival storage for the growing
collections occupies a portion of the
first floor, while administrative func-
tions take place upstairs.

Plans include public screening
facilities with 16 mm. and video in a
temporary space this winter. I

Executive Director's Report

The purchase of the Alamo Theatre
building is perhaps Northeast Historic
Film's biggest step since founding in
1986. A culmination of growth and
development to date, it's also a new
beginning.

Gifts Are Crucial

I am tremendously grateful that our
membership responded to the purchase
opportunity. The $30,000 given or
pledged virtually overnight made the
acquisition possible in two ways:

1) NHF could not afford to take on
debt to buy the building without
donations and pledges.

2) Gifts from more than 85 members
and friends are a vote of confidence,
saying that NHF is worth support-
ing and its mission deserves to be
realized.

Three- Year Debt

To supplement the $30,000 in donations,
the board authorized me to borrow an
additional $25,000 from the Union
Trust Bank in a three-year loan. This
allowed us to pay the winning bid of
$37,500, meet closing costs of $2,500,
and budget $15,000 for immediate
repairs — including a new roof. The
board is confident that the extra $25,000
can be raised. The first principal pay-
ment of $10,000 is due in July 1993.

Next on the List

We have heat, lights, a new film vault,
and a roof guaranteed for 20 years. But
there's a staggering amount left to do:
interior walls, exterior masonry, and
painting must be tackled soon.

Tons of film, video, books and equip-
ment need to be placed on scores of
shelving units — which we don't have.

Our collections of film, videotape,
books and artifacts continue to grow.
If you doubt the urgent need for our
services, look at recent accessions. Before
we were officially moved in, NHF
received two new major collections.
We'll report on these and other devel-
opments in the next Moving Image
Review.

A Chance for the Future

NHF took a chance at the auction. We
stretched because real estate seemed at

Grants in Action

The Betterment Fund, created by the
will of William Bingham 2nd, has made a
grant of $5,000 toward the purchase of
equipment for the transfer of film to video-
tape. The Transfer Independence Project
helps NHF make 16 mm. film to 3/4-inch
and VHS videotape transfers at 15 frames
per second and add electronic titles.

This will permit creation and anno-
tation of reference copies of late 1920s
and 1930s home movies. The archives
holds more than 20 collections of home
movies of this era — camera original
film — containing important details of
home and work life.

A planning project for a traveling
exhibition, "Going to the Movies: 100
Years of Motion Pictures.in Northern
New England," submitted its final
report to the National Endowment for
the Humanities, public humanities
projects, in June.

Film scholar Tom Gunning com-
mented, "The project is on the cutting
edge of scholarly pursuits in film his-
tory and is not only educating the
public, but at the same time uncovering
new research materials."

The followup proposal for imple-
menting the exhibition, to interpret a
century of moviegoing from a social
history perspective, was rejected for
funding by the NEH in September.

Ten outstanding scholars partici-
pated in the planning process, demon-
strating notable commitment to the
scholarship, topic and form of "Going
to the Movies":

an all-time low. But to make the chance
pay off, we have to develop.

Our board needs to double; the level
of support from the board and mem-
bership must increase. Foundation and
corporate giving needs to accelerate,
along with earned income.

NHF has grown and won your sup-
port, yet all our efforts to date are small
compared to the real preservation and
public programming needs. Thank you
for the chance to pursue NHF's vision.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

Gillian Anderson, music, Library of

Congress

Jere Daniell, history, Dartmouth College
Yves Frenette, history, Glendon College,

York University
Kathryn Fuller, history, Hampshire

College
Andre Gaudreault, history of art,

Universite de Montreal
Douglas Gomery, film studies, University

of Maryland

Tom Gunning, film studies, SUNY Pur-
chase
Chester Liebs, history, University of

Vermont
John Stilgoe, visual and environmental

studies, Harvard
Ronald Walters, history,

The Johns Hopkins University

Tevere MacFadyen, Main Street Design
Duncan Smith, Duncan Smith Associates
Darwin Davidson, photography
Judy McGeorge, computer consultant

Karan Sheldon, project director

Products of the planning process in-
clude more than 1000 records relating
to places where movies were shown in
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont;
written testimony from more than 200
silent-era moviegoers; audiotapes, photo-
graphs and other artifacts relating to th<
changing social history of moviegoing
in northern New England communities,

The future of the project is under
consideration. I

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to preserve, and make avail-
able to the public, film/videotape of
the northern New England region.
This purpose will be carried out by
activities including, but not limited
to, a comprehensive survey of mov-
ing image resources of interest to the
people of northern New England;
the preservation of film/tape through
restoration, duplication, providing of
technical guidance and vault storage;
a touring program to bring materials
to audiences throughout the area;
and the establishment of a study
center, including resource materials
and reference copies of motion
picture films and videotapes.

The Auction Honor Roll

These members and friends gave
generously to the fund that allowed
I Northeast Historic Film to buy the
Alamo Theatre building at a fore-
closure auction on June 11, 1992.

Norris & Margaret Austin

John D. Bardwell
) Henry Barendse

Otis J. Bartlett

Lynne K. Blair

Q. David Bowers

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin C. Branch

Dr. & Mrs. John M. R. Bruner
' Mrs. Frederic C. Camp

Dr. Constance H. Carlson

Michel Chalufour

Bill Cross

Richard & Bonnie D'Abate
I Darwin & Jacqueline Davidson

Peter Davis

John & Peg Dice

Carroll & Ann Holland Faulkner

Kathryn H. Fuller

Peter T. Gammons, Jr.
) Deborah & Paul Gelardi

Faith Getchell & Glenn Jenks

D. Lea Girardin

Douglas Gomery

Green Hill Farm

Cora Coggins Greer

Jeanne H. & Randolph C. Harrison

Charles T. Hesse

Porter Hopkins

Stanley F. Howe

Edward D. & Barbara Ann Ives
I Robert L. Jordan

Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Judd

Del Keppelman & Skip Sheldon

Richard A. Kimball, Jr.

Diane Kopec

Franklyn Lenthall & James Wilmot
* Chester Liebs

Ed & Sally Lupfer

Valerie Felt McClead

Alan McClelland

Patricia F. McGeorge

John T. Mcllwaine

Maher's Oil Burner Service, Inc.

Maine Osteopathic Association

Joan F. Meserve

Elizabeth J. Miller

Elizabeth B. & Hugh Montgomery
Richard E. Nopper, Beckett

Corporation
John A. O'Brien
Kathryn J. Olmstead
Alice H. Palmer
David & Sue Parsons
Howard B. Peabody
Ed Pert
James Petrie in Memory of

Louis de Rochemont
James A. Phillips, Jr.
Sanford Phippen
Prelinger Associates
Joan Radner
Connie & Ned Rendall
Windsor C. Robinson
Richard & Anna Roelofs
Robert & Venetia Rosie
DeWitt Sage

Robert & Elizabeth Saudek
Pat & Tom Schroth
Elliott & Dorothy Schwartz
Wendy Wincote Schweikert
Peter & Ann Sheldon
Noel & Betty Stookey
Lynda L. Sudlow
Suzanne & Samuel Taylor
William L. Taylor

Amy Turim & Larry Hershman

Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Tyson, Jr.

Juris Ubans

Robert & Julia Walkling

Allene& Joel White

Drs. Sheila & Richard White

Steve & Peggy Wight

David S. Wildes

John Wilmerding

Pamela Wintle & Henry Griffin

Cynthia Wood

and Anonymous Givers

The urgent request for money to pur-
chase the building was answered within
days. Gifts ranged from $10 to $3,000
and came in the form of cash and three-
year pledges.

The auction of the building was
conducted on behalf of Casco Northern
Bank by the Keenan Auction Company
of Kingfield, Maine. NHF executive
director David Weiss noted, "The bank
understood the value of our nonprofit
cultural mission. Casco Northern
showed support for the community
and our goals, and they showed a
willingness to engage in a constructive
negotiation and guide us through the
process." B

Sold! Outdoor foreclosure auction.

Page 3

One Hundred Years: Island Movie Music

As part of our ongoing interest in how
movies were seen in northern New
England, we look at the history of
community interaction with motion
pictures, artistic participation by local
people, and the transportation that
made moviegoing possible.

Vinalhaven Island, Maine, (pop.
2,000) presents an outstanding example
of the significance of moviegoing to
community life. In the 1920s movies
were shown five days a week at Memo-
rial Hall. Fortunately for historians,
logbooks from 1914 to 1922 document-
ing the films shown and the theater
manager's accounts.

Island theaters were common in this
period, a time when steamers made
islands as accessible as mainland com-
munities. There were regular movies on
Peak's Island, Swans Island and
Islesboro. The Vinalhaven Historical
Society put Northeast Historic Film in
touch with Mr. Calderwood, now a
resident of Orinda, California.

Neil Calderwood in 1927.

You asked how I came to play for the
movies. The short answer is I was the
most versatile pianist available on the
island at that time.

Music Education

Vinalhaven was a very musical town
and had three piano teachers, all gradu-
ates of the New England Conservatory
of Music. I took lessons from Linda
Jones, who was also the town librarian.

by Neil M. Calderwood

I was schooled in the classics but also
played popular music, and had the
knack of improvising and playing by
ear. I started in 1918 when I was eight
and my grandfather paid Linda fifty
cents for the weekly lesson until 1922.
By that time I had accumulated an
extensive library of Etude music maga-
zines, sheet music, classical volumes,
hymns, but no specialized theater

music.

The Manager Comes Calling

Viv Drew, manager of the Memorial
Theatre, came up to the house one day
in 1922 and said that Arthur Brown, his
current pianist, was leaving town to
work at a bank in Boston; Would I be
interested in the job? The $7 a week
salary (later $9) was too good to turn
down and I accepted. I remember
playing "Song of India" and a Clementi
sonatina for him and then asking if they
would be suitable for the movies. He
agreed and I was hired at the ripe age
of 12 years.

A short time later I took the steamer
Gov. Bodwell to Rockland to buy some
music. Arthur Brown was aboard on
his way to Boston and I spent most of
the trip across Penobscot Bay quizzing
him on what to play. His advice was to
play something fast for the serials and
cowboys, something slow for the love
pictures, marches for the newsreels and
popular music for the comedies. This
was the extent of my training in theater
music.

The program at the Memorial
Theatre in those days was as follows:
Monday and Tuesday two reels of a
serial plus five or more reels of a fea-
ture. Wednesday and Thursday two
newsreels plus a feature. Friday and
Saturday two reels of comedies plus the
feature. The show started at 7 and
lasted somewhere between 8:30 and 9.
There were no matinees. Viv had only
one projector and there was a pause
when he changed reels.

Special Requests

For the first year or so I followed
Arthur's advice. It must have been
pretty awful, but there was no TV and

only crystal radio, and the customers
were hungry for any kind of music. I
can remember people stopping me on
the street and saying they were going to
the movies tonight and would I please
play "Till We Meet Again" or "Let the
Rest of the World Go By," or some
other current favorite.

One Tuesday night Viv came down
behind the screen shielding the piano
lamp from the audience and gave me
something called a cue sheet for the
feature the following evening. It con-
tained lines of script from the screen
followed by lines of music to set the
mood of the action. I had very little of
the music recommended, but plenty of
substitutes. Hence I was introduced to
the art of fitting the music to the action.
The problem was I could never depend
on having a cue sheet. Sometimes they
arrived a week after the feature had
been shown, occasionally a day ahead,
but much of the time not at all. This
forced me to memorize a vast reper-
toire of mood music which I could call

photo: VinaUjavfn Historical Society, Kim Smith

Memorial Hall, Vinalhaven

upon at a moment's notice as the action
changed.

Difficulties & Adventures
Sometimes the lack of a cue sheet was
embarrassing. I can remember in The
Covered Wagon a banjo player played
"Oh Susanna" many times. This was
one of the folk songs I did not know. I
improvised some banjo-sounding music

Page 4

and no one ever knew the difference as
far as I could tell.

Viv used to run the show rain or
shine as long as the boat brought the
film from Rockland. I can remember
one winter evening when a blizzard
piled the snow several feet high in the
streets. I made my way on snowshoes
through the drifts for the half mile or
so to the theatre and arrived on time.
Two hardy souls were in the audience
and the show went on amid the howling
gale.

Musical Influences

Sometime in the early 1920s vacuum
tube radios arrived on the island and I
invested in a Crosley 51, complete with
ear phones. I used to listen to the dinner
music from the Boston and New York
hotels just before I left for the movies,
and frequently I would hear a selection
being introduced which I could use in
the feature that night.

I recall hearing "In a Little Spanish
Town" introduced for the first time at
the Hotel Roosevelt in New York. The
feature that night was cast in Mexico
and I used the number as a love theme.
Thus the audience in Vinalhaven heard
the latest popular introduction on the
same evening as the New Yorkers.

Another recollection was the dilem-
ma of the Stars and Stripes waving in
the breeze which constantly occurred in
the newsreels of the day. The music
called for was obviously "The Star
Spangled Banner." If I played it the
audience was obliged to rise. Rather
than wearing them out getting up and
down I substituted "My Country 'Tis
of Thee."

Our Community Life

The movies were very well attended in
those days and the audiences were
well mannered. Much applause if they
liked the show but I never remember
hearing boos. Snacks were not sold in
the theatre, but several shops on Main
Street near the Memorial Hall sold
popcorn and candy bars which were
very popular.

During the summer several traveling
acting groups would visit the island to
sample the seafood and put on reper-
tory plays. I remember the Gladys
Clark group in particular. Some of the
dramas were excellent.

On special occasions the seats of
the main floor would be moved to the
side and dancing would take place after
the show to the tunes of the Orion
Orchestra.

Archival Notes

photo: Imai E. CtUtrwaod, The Saga of Hod

Horse and wagon, steamship convey film between theater and mainland.

The Movies

The Vinalhaven Historical Society is
recording interviews with other people
connected with film exhibition on the
island including Cleo Shields, daughter
of manager O. V. Drew, and accompa-
nists Leola Smith and Marguerite Adair.
The interviews will be recorded on audio-
tape and on 8 mm. videotape. Copies will
be donated to Northeast Historic Film. •

Here are a few movies that made a par-
ticular impression: The serials, Eddie Polo
in Lure of the Circus, The Mexicans,
Liberty, the Harold Lloyd and Charlie
Chaplin features, The Covered Wagon,
and many Douglas Fairbanks features.
The most boring one I remember was If
Winter Comes. It went on interminably
and never seemed to make its point.

Silent Speed

Member Bruce Meulendyke, a licensed
projectionist, attended the Saco River
Grange Hall screening of Timothy's
Quest, a silent film (projected at 16
frames per second), and offered to
write a primer for NHF members on
the differences between silent-speed
projection and sound-speed projection.
His letter is excerpted here.

We all know that moving pictures,
whether projected onto a screen or
seen on the picture tube of a televi-
sion set, are a succession of still
pictures. These are shown so rapidly
in sequence that action appears to be
moving. The eye is fooled.

As long as both the camera and
projector show these separate frames
at the same rate, the picture appears
normal. In the early days, this speed
was [often] 16 frames per second.
When sound pictures were introduced,
the camera and projector speeds were
increased to 24 frames per second.
So whenever silent films were shown
with a sound projector, the action
was speeded up. Any motion which
should take one minute now took
only 40 seconds, a very significant
difference.

When television came on the scene,
there was another change in film
speed. The projection speed for the
TV camera and receiving set was, in
effect, 30 frames per second. Again,
as long as the camera and TV set
were operating together, there was
no problem.

The Elmo 16mm-to-videotape transfer
system purchased under the Bingham
grant transfers silent film at 15 frames
per second (two video frames for each
film frame). This electronic projector
does a relatively inexpensive and —
compared with standard 24 fps machines
— relatively more accurate job of repre-
senting the action originally recorded
by silent-speed cameras. •

Page

Thank you, Current Members!

Check your mailing label. Your mem-
bership expiration date should appear
there. Save NHF a tedious and costly
mailing by sending your renewal check
now! Visa and Mastercard renewals are
welcome. If there's no date on the
address label, please turn to page 11
and join.

Friends

Ed Pert

Robert Saudek

Dr. David & Sylvia Smith

Lynda Tyson

Corporate and Associate Members

John Bragg, N. H. Bragg & Sons

Ben & Joan Branch

Darwin Davidson, Darwin K. Davidson, Ltd.

Marcia Fenn

Ernest & Kathryn Gross

Donald Hammond, Hammond Lumber

Company

Miriam Hansen, Univ. of Chicago
James Henderson, Maine State Archives
Franklyn Lenthall
Larry Lichty
Edgar & Sally Lupfer
Patricia McGeorge
Robert Mclntire, MaxMedia
Virginia Morgan
Charles & Charlotte Morrill
Henry Moulton
John Mucci, VisNet East, GTE
J. Gary Nichols, Maine State Library
Richard Obrey, three east communications,

inc.

Mr. & Mrs. Howard Peabody
Nancy Sheldon
Peter & Ann Sheldon
Eric von Hippel
Joel & Allene White
Pamela Wintle
Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbe Museum, Diane Kopec

Bangor Historical Society

Border Historical Society, Ruth Mclnnis

Calais Free Library, Marilyn Diffin

Cherryfield Narraguagus Historical Society,

Mrs. Margery Brown
City Theater Associates, Inc., Keith Peeler
College of the Atlantic, Marcia Dworak
George Stevens Academy, Bonnie Copper
Historic Preservation Program,

Univ. of Vermont, Chester Liebs
Indiana Historical Society, Stephen Fletcher
Instructional Resource Center, Bangor,

D. Averill

JC Roofing and Chimney Co., Jacques Cyr
MPBN, Bernard Roscetti
Maine Film Commission, Lea Girardin
Maine Historical Society, Elizabeth Miller
Maine Medical Center, Elaine Solesky
Maine Osteopathic Education Fdn.,

David & Kathryn De Turk
Maine State Library, Jack Boynton
New Hampshire Historical Society, Barbara

Austen

Northeast Harbor Library, Polly Cote
Prime Resource Center, Keith Leavitt
Simmons College Library, Periodicals
Sultan Technikon, Mr. A. Raju
Union Historical Society, Alison Metcalfe
United Methodist Men
Vinalhaven Historical Society

Regular Members

Philip Abbott

Sieglinde Alexander

Joan Amory

Tom Armstrong

James & Esther Austin

Jean Barrett

Deirdre Barton

Rev. & Mrs. Curtis Beach

Phyllis & Bob Beallor

Kathleen Bean

Henry Becton, Jr.

Paul & Mollie Birdsall

Esther J. Bissell

Lynne Blair

Richard Bock

Deborah Boldt

Nat Bowditch

Q. David Bowers

Donna Boyles

John M. R. Bruner, M.D.

Raymond Burnham

Lynn Cadwallader

Mrs. Frederic Camp

Mary Grace Canfield

Dr. Constance Carlson

Robert Carnie

Michel Chalufour

Alicia Condon & Bill Gross

Clarence deRochemont

Josephine Detmer

Peg Dice

JeffDobbs

Daniel Donovan

Bob Eggleston

John Ellingwood

Mrs. Anna Mary Elskus

Carroll Faulkner

Joseph Filtz

Kent & Janet Forbes

Joseph Foster

Robert Foster

W. Fowler

Eugene Fuller

Kathy Fuller

Peter Gammons, Jr.

Roy Gauthier

John Gfroerer

Christopher Glass

Jim Goff

Martha Goldner

Douglas Gomery

Henry & Gail Grandgent

Randal Grant

Terry Grant

Nancy Gray

Jim Hamlin

Pat Harcourt

Roy V. Heisler

Rand Herbert

Eric Herndon

Charles Hesse

C. A. Porter Hopkins

John Howard

Stanley Howe

Sherman Howe, Jr.

David Huntley

Douglas Ilsley

Ann Ivins

James Jaffray

Jeffjaner

Robert Jordan

Thomas Joyce

Dr. Susan Kaplan

John Karol, Jr.

Richard Kimball, Jr.

James King

Ernest Knight

John Lewis

Stephen Lindsay

Bill Lippincott

Betty Ann & Donald Lockhart

Howard Lowell

Alphonse Martin

Wendy Matthews

Valerie Felt McClead

Alan McClelland

Judith McGeorge

Carl McGraw

John Mcllwaine

Charles Ray McKay

Franklin & Phyllis Mellen

Bruce Meulendyke

Faith Moll

Hillery Mongelli

Betsy Montandon

Betty & Hugh Montgomery

Francis Moulton, Jr.

John O'Brien

George O'Neill

Kathryn Olmstead

Glenn & Joy Olson

More members on page 8

Honors and Awards

Winter Calendar

Folklorists Choose Program

The American Folklore Society selected
I Woodsmen and River Drivers: "Another
day, another era" for public screening
during the annual meeting of the soci-
ety in Jacksonville, Florida, October 15.

The half -hour program, distributed
by NHF, was written and produced by
I NHF staff for the Maine Folklife Center,
University of Maine. It was funded by
the Maine Humanities Council and
Champion International Corp.

PBS Air, Coast to Coast

The production was selected for air on

| more than 80 public television stations
nationwide beginning in May 1992.

Response to the program has come
from viewers far and wide, indicating
that the program has resonance for
people interested in forest heritage from

| one end of the country to the other.

One letter opened, "Greetings from
Spokane: Having experienced the thrills
and hardships of river driving and
having seen your superb video I am
desirous of obtaining a copy. . . . My

) river work was done in the state of
Washington, but what I saw in the
video convinced me that river driving is
much the same anywhere."

The letter went on, "Our local TV
station is again showing that great video

\ and I plan to watch it again. In it I can
see in my mind's eye, myself and my
father, who was a Wisconsin river driver
and woodsman." Walter A. Carriveau.

History Award

The New England Historical Association
' honored the program with its annual
Media Award, presented on October
17 at Rhode Island College. Susan D.
Pennybacker, department of history,
Trinity College, chaired die NEHA Media
Awards Committee.

I The award this year is shared with

The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry,
produced and directed by Jacqueline
Shearer for the WGBH TV series The
American Experience.

Producers of Woodsmen and River
> Drivers are honored to be selected for
recognition by the regional organiza-
tion of academics, teachers, students
and independent scholars whose work
lies in the discipline of history. •

November 7, Society of Maine Archi-
vists meeting at University of Maine,
Lewiston, 1:15 p.m. As part of a pro-
gram on documenting and preserving
Maine's ethnic heritage, NHF will
make a presentation on film and video
preservation. For more information,
Dianne M. Gutscher, curator of Special
Collections, Bowdoin College Library.
207 725-3288.

November 15, Loranger School, Old
Orchard Beach, 2 p.m. Organ recital
and film accompaniment by Danny
Part: newsreels and Cupid, Registered
Guide. Pine Tree Chapter, American
Theater Organ Society. Dorothy
Bromage, 19 Union St., Biddeford,
Maine 04005.

November 16, Yarmouth Historical
Society, 7:30 p.m. "A Century of Maine
Movies," a video summary of the state's
moving image history. Marilyn Hinkley,
Yarmouth Historical Society, Main
Street, PO Box 107, Yarmouth, Maine
04096. 207 846-6259.

January & February, Northeast
Historic Film, Main Street, Bucksport,
Maine, Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Pro-
gram themes will include the sea, for-
estry, comedy, serial adventures and
politics. Feed: A Comedy about Run-
ning for President (1992), Kevin
Rafferty & James Ridgeway's behind-
the-scenes look at the candidates in the
New Hampshire primaries, will be one
of the films in an informal screening
program. Thank you Kevin Rafferty
and Tom Prassis, Original Cinema for
helping us inaugurate our building. For
the full schedule, contact NHF.

January 14, Gould Academy, Bethel,
Maine, 7:30 p.m. Timothy's Quest
(1921), silent film made in Maine with
live accompaniment by Danny Part.
Gould Performing Arts Series, PO Box
860, Bethel, Maine 04217. 207 824-3575.

February 16, Maine State Museum,
Augusta, 7 p.m., "The Baxters of Maine,"
lecture by Neil Rolde will include
footage of Governor Percival Baxter
appearing in a 1920
dramatic film from
NHF's Everett Foster
Collection.

March 2, Maine
State Museum,
Augusta, 7 p.m. Way
Back Home (1932)
comedy with Bette
Davis. For more
information, Denis
Thoet, Maine State
Museum, Augusta,
Maine 04333.
207289-2301. •

photo: Everett Fatter Collection

Gov. Percival Baxter appears in a Holman Day production.

More NHF Members

continued from p. 6

Dan Osgood

Patricia Packard

Hilda Paul

William Petrie

James Phillips

Sandra Pottle

Charles Pritham

Elvie Ramsdell

Sally Regan

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Kendall

Windsor Robinson

George Rolleston

Charles Ryan

Dewitt Sage

Shan Sayles

Ronald Schliessman

Wendy Wincote Schweikert

Robert Schyberg

Mr. & Mrs. P. H. Sellers

Jennifer Sheldon

Gail Shelton

Harold & Janet Simmons

Benjamin Bigelow Snow

John S. Stillman

Betty & Noel Stookey

Lynda Sudlow

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Taylor

William Taylor

Denis Thoet

Cathy & Charles Thompson

Robert Tyler

Mrs. Joanne Van Namee

Waldo Theatre Inc.

Robert & Julia Walkling

Mary Anne Wallace

Peter Wappler

Seth Washburn

Vern& Jackie Weiss

Lisa Whitney

Mr. Waldo Williams, Sr.

Bonnie Wilson

Jon Wilson

Carter Wintle

Edith Wolff

Brian Wood

Cynthia Wood

Bob Woodbury

Educator/Student Members

Albert Belanger

Jon Bragdon

Michelle Branigan

The Brick Store Museum

Carol Bryan

Prof. William Burgess

Richard Burns, Ocean Park Association

Carnegie Library, Good Will-Hinckley

School

Gwendolyn Clancy
Robin Clay

People Who Helped

Amos Wilder, a student at New England Alamo building, and bartending for the

College, Henniker, NH, interned over
the summer,
assisting with
cataloguing,
cleanup at the

August 22 open house.

Denise Eames and Christy Seekins,
participants in Summer Youth Education
and Training, came to NHF through the
Training and Development Corporation
summer program. They waded into
renovation work through the rough-
est part of the debris removal.

Jim Austin, Mark Austin, Judy
McGeorge, David Williams, Bob
Rosie, Dana Leighton, Harold Gray
and many others helped get the
building ready for October 1 . •

Robert and Venetia Rosie, happy to
see NHF in the building they ran as
a theater.

Dr. Richard Condon, Univ. of Maine at

Farmington
Joseph Conforti, New England Studies,

Univ. of Southern Maine
Alvina Cyr, Dr. Lewis S. Libby School
Rudolph Deetjen, Jr.
Bernadette Friel, Schenk High School
Francis Frye '
Charles Ellis
Joe Gray

Gray-New Gloucester Middle School Library
Cora Greer
Hanna Griff
Thomas Wayne Johnson, Chico Folklore

Archive
Richard Judd

Janice Kasper, Penobscot Marine Museum
Jim Laukes
Robbie Lewis
Dean Lyons
Todd Mclntosh, Rockland District Middle

School

James Morris, Pocono Mountain High School
Tim O'Keefe
Sanford Phippen
Jo Radner
Ms. Paige Roberts

Mrs. Rowell, Fogler Library, Univ. of Maine
George Sarns, Traverse City Area Public

Schools
Linda Seavey
John Somerville
Juris Ubans

Dr. Richard E. C. White, Queens College
Steve & Peggy Wight, Sunday River Inn H

Like a library, Northeast Historic Film
cares for reference materials, primarily
films and videotapes, and makes them
available to the public.

Founded in 1986, NHF safeguards more
than 3 million feet of film and thousands
of hours of videotape.

Northeast Historic Film is a nonprofit
organization. It is supported by indi-
vidual and institutional members,
corporate donations, grants, and fees
for programs and services.

Individuals and organizations are in-
vited to join NHF to help support the
preservation of the region's culture and
history. •

Last year Mrs. James F. Jaffray of
Blue Hill gave a party — a dinner at
her house and a screening from
NHF collections — to introduce some
of her friends to Northeast Historic
Film. One of our first members, her
kindness and enthusiasm for NHF's
enterprise buoyed our efforts. Margie
Jaffray passed away in September and
will be much missed.

Page 8

Videos of New England Life

Railroads! Traditional Crafts! Sailing!
Lumbermen! Agriculture! Rural Life! Early TV!

Dead River Rough Cut

Shot in the backwoods of

Maine over the course of a

year, this film documents the

lives and harsh philosophies

of two woodsmen-trappers,

rough language and all. It

evokes the harmony between

their lifestyles and the natural

beauty of their surroundings. A film by Richard Searls and Stuart

Silverstein. 55 min., color, sound.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Woodsmen and River Drivers:
"Another day, another era"

Unforgettable individuals who
worked for the Machias Lumber
Company before 1930 share
their recollections of a hard life.
An intimate view of camp life
and the dangers and discomforts
of life in the woods and on the
rivers. Winner, International
Film & TV Festival gold medal
and New England Historical
Association Media Award. 30
min., color and b&w, sound.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95

Legends of American Skiing

This video is a documentary of ]
the history of North American
skiing, bringing together still
photos, period music, and film
dating back to 1916. Authentic
thrilling footage that preserves
the birth of one of America's
greatest sports. 80 min., color
and b&w, sound.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95

All But Forgotten

Career of 1920s Maine author and film producer Holman Francis
Day. 30 min., color and b&w, sound.

$14.95/NHF members $12.95

Tales of Wood & Water

Documentary on Maine's wooden boat culture visits boat yards
large and small.
Modern cold-molding
techniques for con-
structing a mahogany
speedboat and an
elegant yacht contrast
with 1919 footage of
the launching of the
four-masted schooner
Doris Hamlin in
Harrington, Maine.

60 min., color, sound.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95

Earliest Maine Films

Drawing a Lobster Pot

(1901) is the earliest surviving
film known to have been shot
in Maine. (15 sec.)
Trout Fishing, Rangeley Lakes (1906) shows sports arriving by
train and steamer, a typical Rangeley camp and guests in three-
piece suits catching trout. (9 min.)

Canoeing in Maine (1906) shows a Moosehead Lake canoe trip,
with steamboats, fishing, and lake and river canoeing. (9 min.)

Logging in Maine (1906) shows men working to prevent a
logjam on a river. (13 min.)

The How and Why of Spuds, techniques and equipment of
potato farming in Aroostook County in 1920. (13 min.)

Total length 44 min., b&w, silent with titles.

$16.95/NHF members $14.95

From Stump to Ship:
A 1930 Logging Film

The most complete look at the
long-log industry includes fell-
ing trees in winter with cross-cut saws, the spring river drive and
work in a steam-powered mill. Original 1930 script spoken by
humorist Tim Sample. Project won the American Association for
State and Local History award of merit. 28 min., b&w, sound.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95

An Oral Historian's Work with Dr. Edward Ives

Skills and techniques of an oral history project demonstrated by a
world's authority. 30 min., color, sound.

$39.95/NHF members $34.95

Page

Ride the Sandy River Railroad

From the 1870s to 1935 the
Sandy River Railroad in Maine
was one of the country's best
two-foot-gauge railroads. Very
clear and complete views of the
Sandy River Line with engines,
railbuses and snowplows.
30 min., b&w, silent with titles.
$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Around Cape Horn

In 1929 the last great days of
commercial sail were passing.
During that year Capt. Irving
Johnson sailed aboard the
massive bark Peking. He filmed
the crew's daily activities and
spectacular scenes from high
aloft during a storm rounding
Cape Horn, and narrated the
film. 37 min., b&w, sound.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Bonsoir Mes Amis

A video by Huey, this film is a portrait of the lives of two of
Maine's finest traditional Franco-American musicians, Ben
Guillemette and Lionel "Toots" Bouthot. 46 min., color, sound.

$29.95/NHF members $24.95

Our Lives in Our Hands

Micmac tribespeople in
Aroostook County have
relied on basketmaking and
migrant seasonal labor for
subsistence since the mid-
1800s. Members of the
Aroostook band of Micmac
Indians have formed a
cooperative to find wider
markets for their native
craft. 50 min., color, sound.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Note: This videotape is available from NHF for home use only. Schools and other
institutions needing public performance rights please contact DER at (617) 926-
0491.

Mount Washington
among the Clouds

An early history of Mt. Wash-
ington, 1852-1908. A portrayal
of life at the top: the hotels,
newspaper, and building of the
cog railway. 30 min., color,
sound.

$24.95/sorry, no member discount

Yachting in the 30s

Weetamoe, a 1930 film of the Herreshoff-built J-boat and other
short films. 45 min., color and b&w, sound.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95

King Spruce

A circa 1940 look at pulpwood harvesting and river driving.
23 min., color, sound.

$14.95/NHF members $12.95

A Century of Summers

Alternating between old footage and modern interviews, this
video explores the lives of both summer and native residents of
the town of Hancock. 45 min., color and b&w, sound.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95

The Ways at Wallace and Sons and The Bank Dory

The building of ihejohn F. Leavitt and of a Nova Scotia dory.
58 min., color, sound.

$24.95/NHF members $19.95

Ice Harvesting Sampler

Five short silent films from the 1920s-1940s showing a near-
forgotten New England industry. 26 min., b&w, silent with titles.

$14.95/NHF members $12.95

Norumbega: Maine in
the Age of Exploration
and Settlement

This videotape examines the
history of the region called
Norumbega, from the first
voyages of European exploration
in the late 1400s to the establish-
ment of the state of Maine in
1820. Originally a multi-image slide show used in statewide
public programs, this video is a fast-paced introduction to early
Maine history. 14 min., color, sound.

$19.95/NHF members $16.95

Maine's TV Time Machine

A compilation from
Maine's oldest TV
station, WABI-TV, in-
cluding television news,
sports and local com-
mercials from the 1950s
and early 1960s. A view
of regional culture in the
Cold War period never
before possible. Nar-
rated by veteran radio and TV journalist George Hale. Includes
12-page booklet identifying each story. Call for information on
lesson plans! 34 min., b&w, sound.

$14.95/NHF members $12.95

Page 10

The Essential Library of
Videos of New England Life

Nonprofits, build your collection. Buy 6 or more
tapes and get 50% off the regular price.

Choose from all 21 of NHF's titles. A sample
selection:

Q From Stump to Ship $9.98
Q Earliest Maine Films $8.48
Q Dead River Rough

Cut $14.98
Q Legends of American

Skiing $14.98
Q Woodsmen and River

Drivers $9.98
Q Around Cape Horn $12.48

Join Northeast Historic Film

as a nonprofit member for just $35.

Buy 6 tapes and save!

Your membership brings big
savings and

other benefits:

Q newsletters

a technical services
a Reference by Mail

NHF Membership

As an independent nonprofit
organization, NHF depends on its
members. You help us set priori-
ties, you pass the word about the
significance of cultural preserva-
tion, and your dues help keep us
operating. Please join and renew!

Regular members, $25 per year,
receive a subscription to Moving
Image Review, notice of screenings
and events, loan of one reference
tape at no charge, and discounts on
materials distributed by NHF.

Educator/Student Members, $15
per year, receive all regular member-

Offer good through M»rch 31, 1993

Reference by Mail

Members of Northeast Historic
Film are invited to borrow from
the circulating reference collec-
tion of Videos of New England
Life. For the list of over 40
videotapes, please call or write.
Many organizations — histor-
ical societies, libraries, schools —
use tapes from the Reference by
Mail collection for public
programs.

ship benefits. This category is for
teachers and students at any level.

Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per
year, receive all regular benefits of
membership, including loan of one
reference tape at no charge, plus
additional copies of Moving Image
Review on request and reduced rates
for consultation, presentations and
professional services. See offer at left
for big videotape savings.

Associates (Individuals) and Corpo-
rate Members, $100 per year, receive
the benefits of regular members,
special recognition in Moving Image
Review, and loan of five reference
tapes at no charge.

Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership and,
in addition, loan of ten reference
tapes at no charge.

Membership at any level is an
opportunity to become involved
with the preservation and enjoy-
ment of our moving image
heritage.

Your dues are tax deductible to the
extent allowed by law.

Membership and Order Form

Ordered by

Northeast Historic Film, P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, ME 04416 USA

Name

Address
City

State -

Ship to (if different from above)

Zip

Name

Address
City _
State _

Zip

Purchase

Qty.

Total

Q Special Fourth Class mail: add $2.00 Subtotal
plus $1 each additional item Tax; M£ residems ad(J 6%
Q] Priority Mail: add $3.50
plus $1 each additional item Shipping and handling

Q UPS: add $3.50 plus $1 each
additional item

Please send Reference by Mail
list!

Membership /Specify level, please:

TOTAL

Payment Method

I — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film

d Visa D MasterCard Credit card #

I — I Institutional purchase order #
Expiration date

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeierat (207) 469-0924

Credit card signature .

Page 11

From 1920s film in the Michael J. Bernard Collection

Potato Barrels Transported from Farm to Town in Presque Isle, Maine.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

-LM

BUCKSPORT, MAINE, USA
04416-0900 • (207) 469-0924

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Northern Maine Movies

Aside from a single title at the National
Archives, surviving film of northern
Maine's rural economy before 1930 has
been unknown.

In September, a Presque Isle, Maine
theater owner, Michael J. Bernard,
donated two reels of Aroostook County
agricultural life to Northeast Historic
Film.

Potato and Apple Harvest, and
Hunting contains horse-drawn carts
carrying potato barrels to in-town
storage, and fields under cultivation and
harvest. Intertitles increase the values of
the views by identifying places and
activities, e.g., "Riverside Farm, largest
seed farm in Maine, produces 50,000
bushels annually, Hoyt and Wheeler,
props."

Orchard footage of men and women
participating in the Aroostook County
apple harvest is followed by street
scenes in Presque Isle.

The reel concludes with promotion
for hunting lodges including the Daunt-
less and Shamrock Camps with guides,
sports and their dogs.

A second reel, Northern Maine Fair,
Presque Isle, 1928, was locally produced
by the Frontier Film Co., Fort Fairfield,
Maine, with photography by C. W.
Benjamin. The film features Governor
Brewster and fair exhibits. Automobile
transportation was a cause for pride, as
views of parked cars are marked by the
tide, "How's this for a parking ground?"
Nitrate deterioration has claimed por-
tions of the reel.

The 35 mm. films are slated for copy-
ing to safety stock. The lab work alone
will cost around $4,000. Funds in support
of this preservation work will be sought
from state and federal grant programs.
At least 50% in matching funds from
other sources will be required. •

I Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation of
Northern New England
Motion Picture

Summer 1993

Executive Director's Report -p. 2

Summer Calendar p. 3

One Hundred Years: The Concord

Theater, NH ..p. 4

New Reference by Mail Videos p. 6

Moving Image Review is a semiannual pub-
lication of Northeast Historic Film, P.O.
Box 900, Bucksport, Maine 04416. David S.
Weiss, executive director, Karan Sheldon,
editor. ISSN 0897-0769.

Film and Video Collections Update

Donations received in the last few
months ranged from two 1906—07
Pathe films, Aladdin and Sambo as
Footman, to a 1993 Hi-8 videotape of
Partridge Drug Store's last day.

The collections since the start of the
year represent 265,000 ft. of film and
220 hours of tape.

The Pathe tides, projected outdoors
in a Manchester, NH, neighborhood,
relate to NHF's community movie-
going research and will be preserved
by a major archives. The other acces-
sions are part of NHF's mission to
collect northern New England moving
images.

Known for Public Programs

To make these moving images accessible
many of the organization's resources go
toward public programs: community
screenings, and workshops, videotape
distribution (sales and loan to members
through Reference by Mail), and
research services.

Exciting New Building
Since July 1992, when NHF purchased
the 1916 Alamo Theatre building as a
headquarters, the board, staff, volun-
teers and members have been helping
plan the long-term future of the organi-
zation. The building was an abandoned
shell. Envisioning it as a lively regional
center for the century's media requires
imagination and a new level of strategies
and resources.

Collections, the Heart of NHF

While maintaining public programs
and upgrading the headquarters have
been recent priorities, NHF's film and
video collections — the heart of the
organization — are no less interesting
or demanding. Television film, home
movies and independent productions
reflecting the life of the region are
sheltered, organized and annotated
at the archives. Some of the newest
acquisitions:

i The WAGM-TV Collection, 100,000
ft. of 16 mm. film, all that is known
to survive of newsfilm from the
Presque Isle, Maine, station. The
texture of everyday life is a large
part of the WAGM-TV collection:
public affairs programs on such
topics as local construction of public
housing in the early 1970s including
interiors of housing deemed sub-
standard and duly demolished,

continued on p. 2

Respect for home movies and implication of their long-term value can be seen in the sturdy wood
case with leather comers and handle by Bell &• Howell. The case, containing 16 mm. amateur film
from the 1920s and early 1930s, was donated by Leon Tebbetts of Hallowell, Maine. Photo by
Darwin K. Davidson, Deer Isle, Maine.

Executive Director's Report

Collections

A year ago we pried the plywood off
the Alamo Theatre building and moved
in. We hoped the building would give
us space for growing collections and
activities and that it would be a base for
services to the community.

On our first anniversary I'm pleased
to report the building is living up to its
expectations. Office space is sufficient,
and storage spaces are shaping up. We're
testing a temperature- and humidity-
controlled vault more than twice as big
as the original vault in Blue Hill.

Architect Christian Fasoldt has
drawn up plans for renovations to the
building including sealing the basement
and creating exhibition space and a
public screening area.

We've submitted grants to obtain
funding for the next phase. With luck,
and $125,000, we can start construction
over the coming winter.

Community Activities

Right away we became involved with
the community by co-hosting a free
screening series with HOME Coop in
January and February, and holding
events for the Bucksport Historical
Society, Orland Historical Society, and
the Bucksport Senior Citizens group.
We helped high-school students with
access to video-editing equipment and
donated videotapes to the Buck Memo-
rial Library.

This summer Bucksport indepen-
dent filmmaker Diane Lee will produce
a short 35mm film, Who Will Say
Kaddish for Shapiro? out of the Alamo.
We're putting together, with help from
the Maine Humanities Council, an
exhibition and screening area for sum-
mertime visitors.

All these activities indicate a greater
interest and wider range of possibilities
than we had dared to hope for.

The local response has encouraged
us to expand the size and scope of
public performance and exhibition
space as well as research and study
center areas in the renovation plans.

New Board Members
I am excited to report the election of
two new members to Northeast His-
toric Film's board of directors:

Richard Rosen, 1977 University of
Maine graduate with a degree in busi-
ness finance, a life-long resident of
Bucksport, third-generation owner of
Rosen's Department Store, vice presi-
dent of the board of the Bucksport
Regional Health Center, co-founder
and past president of the Bucksport
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and
board member of the Private Industry
Council. We count on his sound advice
to give us a clear perspective on the
Bucksport area.

Alan McClelland lives in Camden and
first came to our attention in his role as
volunteer manager of the Owls Head
Transportation Museum archives. At
the NHF board meeting in May he
was elected Treasurer and named chair
of the Long Range Planning commit-
tee. Careful fiscal policy and a well-
conceived strategic plan are essential to
the organization at this time of chal-
lenging growth and change. We're
grateful that Alan has agreed to provide
leadership in these important areas.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to preserve, and make avail-
able to the public, film/videotape of
the northern New England region.
This purpose will be carried out by
activities including, but not limited
to, a comprehensive survey of mov-
ing image resources of interest to the
people of northern New England;
the preservation of film/tape through
restoration, duplication, providing of
technical guidance and vault storage;
a touring program to bring materials
to audiences throughout the area;
and the establishment of a study
center, including resource materials
and reference copies of motion
picture films and videotapes.

continued from p. 1

agriculture, the arrival of a fair,
which then included "red hot exotic
girls."

The 20-year mark invokes thoughts
of preservation to many moving-
image creators. 1970s donations:

• Maine Public Broadcasting, 150
hours of public affairs, music, com-
edy and outdoor life programs;

• Ben Levine's 70 hours of Maine arts
and culture including the first Com-
mon Ground Fairs;

• Stu Silverstein's documentary,
Donald Bakes Bread.

And more recent material:

• WCSH-TV, Portland, 46 videotapes
relating to Maine student Samantha
Smith, known worldwide for her
interest in world peace;

• WABI-TV, Bangor, hundreds of
political commercials of the 1992
campaigns.

Equipment

Besides the original Simplex projectors,
which left the Alamo Theatre in 1956
for the theater at the Bangor Mental
Health Institute and were returned to
their home this year, here is some of the
equipment NHF received: an RTI Cine-
scan and film chain from WPXT-TV;
three RCA quad videotape machines
from MPBN; a video camera and other
equipment donated by Earle Fenderson;
a video camera and tripods from Keith
Davison; a Powers Cameragraph pro-
jector and stand from the
Harrises family
of Manches-
ter, New
Hampshire,
thanks to a
referral by
the Manchester
Historic Asso-
ciation; 8mm
equipment from
John D. Knowlton;
and a camera and
projectors from Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin
Blodget of Bucksport. •

Grants in Action

Summer Calendar

The National Trust for Historic
Preservation made a grant of $1,500 to
help plan for the future of NHF's build-
ing, one of northern New England's
oldest structures built as a cinema.

Architect Christian H. Fasoldt of
Camden, Maine, was retained because
of experience on historic preservation
projects including the Belfast Opera
House and the Rockport Opera House.
With the National Trust funds, Fasoldt
produced a report, "Review and Analy-
sis of the Alamo Theatre Building," a
first step in planning renovations.
The Maine Humanities Council made
grants totaling $6,200 for "Preparing a
Strategy for Future Uses of 16 mm.
Film Circulating Collections," a project
to investigate the future of the Humani-
ties Resource Collection, once available
through the Maine State Library.

NHF hired film consultant Audrey
Kupferberg, who has worked at the
American Film Institute and directed the
Yale Film Study Center. She assessed
the existing collection and will partici-
pate in establishing a new circulating
film and video program to be adminis-
tered by NHF staff.

National Video Resources made a
grant of $14,750 for "Videos of New
England Life: A Regional Distribution
Initiative" to develop the identity, of
NHF's line of videotapes, upgrade
business procedures and place point-
of-purchase displays in retail locations.

The effort will realize the synergistic
benefits of a recognizable product line,
wider exposure and a base for expand-
ing the line.

David Weiss reports, "We're thrilled
at the support of National Video Re-
sources. This was a competitive process
with 50 applicants and only 1 8 grants
given. Revenues from video sales are
crucial to the archives' operating bud-
get. Regionally focused material has
great potential and we're pleased to be
developing an area that helps our bot-
tom line and benefits cultural awareness
and preservation."

The Grace Jones Richardson Founda-
tion gave $27,000 towards production
of Diane Lee's 35 mm. independent
film. •

EXHIBIT & SCREENING HOURS

NHF's open house hours during the
summer will be Monday, Wednesday
and Friday from 9 am to 3 pm.

ARTS & CULTURE

August 5-8 at the Maine Festival,
Thomas Point Beach, Brunswick.
Northeast Historic Film will be in the
Maine Enterprise tent and a presenter
in the new Arts & Community Organi-
zations program.

This is NHF's sixth year at the
Maine Festival, an event celebrating the
artistic and cultural traditions of Maine
at a beautiful waterfront park.

August 13 the Bethel Historical Soci-
ety, Bethel, Maine, will host Timothy's
Quest (1922), a made-in-Maine feature
film written by Kate Douglas Wiggin
and directed by Sidney Olcott.

With a piano score of period music
compiled and performed by Danny
Patt, whose career as a silent-film
accompanist began in 1924. Contact
Stanley Howe, director Bethel Histori-
cal Society, 824-2908.

August 17 the Vinalhaven Historical
Society will present Charlie Chaplin's
Tittie's Punctured Romance. Contact
Roy Heisler, 863-4318.

THE FAIR SEASON

September 3-6 NHF will have its own
tent on the fairgrounds at the Blue Hill
Fair, Blue Hill, Maine.

September 19 the NHF booth will try
the Farmington Fair in Farmington,
Maine.

September 24-26 a return engagement
at the Common Ground Fair, Windsor,
Maine, in the film building (turn left
inside the main gate). The screening
schedule is printed in the 1993 Fairbook.

September 29-October 6 the Farm
Museum at the Fryeburg Fair, one of
northern New England's largest agri-
cultural fairs, hosts NHF's booth.

NATIONAL CONFERENCES

The Fast Rewind III Conference in
Rochester, NY. July 24 Karan Sheldon
will participate in "Talking Histories:
Producers, Exhibitors and Audiences
Share their Perspectives."

In October, the Association of
Moving Image Archivists will meet
in Chicago, hosted by the Chicago
Historical Society.

In January 1994 David Weiss will
participate in a panel on the use of
archived materials when the American
Historical Association meets in San
Francisco. •

One Hundred Years: In New Hampshire,

As part of our interest in the century of
northern New England interaction with
motion pictures, we ask, Who runs the
theaters? Who goes to them?

Theresa Cantin operates the Con-
cord Theater on Main Street in New
Hampshire's state capital, Concord.

Cantin remembers Lottie Pierce
Merchant, owner and manager of
Manchester's Lyric Theater in the early
1920s. Mrs. Merchant, who took tickets
every day in her theater, was more
welcoming to children than other Man-
chester theater managers. She was said
to have $150,000 in the bank — collected
in change from young moviegoers.

Mrs. Merchant's audience is long
gone. Miss Cantin, 60 years after the
opening of her theater, keeps her doors
open two shows a night. She talked to
Eithne Johnson, past editor o/The
Velvet Light Trap and assistant editor
of the Journal of Film and Video, and
videographer Sanjeev Chatterjee. Pans
of the interview are reproduced here.

I started in 1933; my father was half-
owner with another man. I started
as the cashier and bookkeeper. We
were three sisters and we worked here
at the theater together from 1947.

Matinees

I had a lot of variety. Weekends we had
Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey, the Bowery
Boys, the Stooges, we used to have
standing room all the time. The chil-
dren were the afternoon. The second
show 200 more kids waiting to come in.
The Star Theater was the same way.
And the Capitol used to pack. I'm
telling you things have changed.

We had ushers. We were very strict
and the children behaved because the
ushers were right there in case of any
disturbances. We were babysitters.

Keeping the Peace

Everybody behaved very nicely here
because if they didn't behave we'd ask
them to leave and then not let them in
for six months to come. One of them
had brought a little liquor and had
indulged and we noticed it and we had
to put her out.

Concessions

I went to the bank and borrowed money
to put the concessions in in 1948. It is
the same popcorn machine now. We
did have to get a new kettle once upon
the time, along the way. Popcorn and
candy. Popcorn was a real good item,
five cent bag.

The Program

We used to change twice a week. The
good pictures would be on Sunday,
Monday, Tuesday.

The Star Theater
[around the corner] used
to change three times a
week. Then I decided that
I wanted to change three
times a week. Wednesday
and Thursday I repeated
after the Capitol, Betty
_ Grable and all those

strong pictures that they
used to play. Friday and
Saturday, two days only, were
my small pictures: Monogram,
Republic.

We had 500 seats and I
figured we could pack my
house just the same.

Double features on the

weekends. A western with

another variety like either an

action picture or a mystery or some-
thing different.

Short Subjects

We had the Three Stooges and all
kinds of small comedies, 15 minutes or
so. The Three Stooges were very pop-
ular with both [children and adults.]
The newsreels, cartoon, serials. When
we had a serial we would not play a
comedy. We'd have a serial and every
week we'd continue the serial. That
was very strong at the start. Then
when it faded away I started with the
comedies.

Amenities

We are air conditioned. I put it in my-
self along the way. Can't remember the
year. We need it.

Cinemascope was 1954, that's when
I put in the big screen. We used to have
such a small screen and except for the
Shea Circuit nobody else had it.

The people prefer the big screen.
Everywhere you go now it's all small
screens, except in Keene, the Colonial
has a huge screen, beautiful. It's a big
house.

Projection

We had union men [for projection]
when our partner was there. And then
when I took over it was still union. My
brother had gone to Boston to learn
how to become a projectionist because
the union here would never have shown
him how to run the machines. They
were protecting their jobs.

He taught my sister Laurie how to
run the machines and she ran the ma-
chines for almost 40 years. We've been
running without union for years and
years. Now we have a platter [projec-
tion system] installed two or three
years ago.

The Customers

It was always the same customers, they
just walked in. Years ago people didn't
care what you were playing, they just
walked in.

They used to go to the Capitol, they
used to come here and they used to go
to the Star. They used to go to all the
pictures in the city.

When we first opened it was 1 0
cents for the children, 20 cents in the

Theresa Cantin's Concord Theater

MADE !• AMERICA
WHOOP1 GOLDBERG

afternoon for the adults and I think it
was 25 cents or 30 cents at night.

Lawyers, doctors, white-collar
people, lower class, in between, all
mixed. Depending on the pictures.
Years ago it was always the same faces.
But today they come from all over.

Concord has not grown very much,
we're only 36,000 people. Depending
on the picture, if it's a teenage picture
you get the teenagers, if it's an art
picture you get the people that care for
the arts.

You don't see [older people] any
more. It's all a new generation.

A lot of young people come and say,
"My father and mother remember
you." They say they used to come here
all the time.

Drive-Ins

In 1951 the Star Theater closed. In 1952
the Concord Drive-In came in. So much
competition that it was very hard to
keep going.

We had pictures but the attendance
wasn't good. Everybody went to the
drive-ins. Even the Capitol was almost
knocked cold, and they had a big house.

The drive-ins were something new.
Drive in, sit in your car. People used to
bring lunches. They had a concession —
if you didn't have your lunch you could
go to the concession.

A lot of people used to bring their
own beer, their own liquor. In other
words they were having a fiesta at the
same time as watching the movies. The
mosquitoes would eat you alive.

Trade Meetings

I never bothered to mingle. I was a
woman. A lot of people used to go to
Boston to these meetings. They were
mostly men that were running the
movies, the exhibitors were mostly men
and I never bothered. Not the meetings.
I used to go for films.

We used to go to Boston every two
weeks or so. I used to go and see the

branch managers. After a while I knew
them all. I did some business and then
we'd take in a ballet or take in a movie
or opera.

Women Managers in Manchester
The Empire in Manchester once be-
longed to a woman. She took over and
she couldn't make a go of it.

She used to say to me, "Why don't
we go to Boston? Don't you want to
learn anything?" I don't think there was
anything to learn there. All you have to
learn is your pictures and what you put
on the screen. She had to close up in no
time.

A Mrs. Merchant on Hanover Street
in Manchester ran the Lyric for years
and years. She was very successful. She
only had 275 seats and she'd pack them
every night. The Shea Circuit would
play first runs, she'd play second runs
and the Rex Theater played third runs.
They all made money, and she made
really a lot of money.

She retired when she was very old,
never had any children but helped a lot
of college boys through school. Her
husband used to be very friendly with
the bankers but he didn't do much
work. He didn't have to — she was
making enough money.

Childhood

I belong to St. Anthony's parish in Man-
chester. I went to school there up to ten
years old. Then ten to fourteen years
old I was at the convent in Boscawen,
New Hampshire. I stayed there as a
boarder. I felt as if I was in jail. But
today I realize the good that it did me.

Audience Relations
I don't know how many people say, "Hi,
Theresa," "How are you, Theresa?" I
don't even know their names. But they
know mine.

Just a few months ago I did have a
woman who walked out with her hus-
band, the language was very bad. They
showed sexy scenes, you know. She
walked out. She said, "I didn't think
that they showed things like that on the
screen." And I looked at her and I felt
like saying, "Where do you come from?"
But I didn't. I said, "I'm so sorry, we
don't make them you know." •

Reference by Mail

Here are some of the newest additions
to Reference by Mail. The complete list
of VHS videotapes contains many more
titles and other topics including Woods
Work, Early Film, Franco-American
Life, Television and Oral History.

Return Instructions

The borrower is responsible for return
postage to NHF via First Class mail or
UPS. Tapes must be in the mail on their
way back to NHF five days after they
are received.

Public Performance

Videotapes listed here are offered as a
reference service. Where possible,
public performance rights are included.
Please be sure to check each tape's

Members of Northeast Historic Film
are invited to borrow from the circu-
lating reference collection of Videos of
New England Life. For the list of over
60 videotapes, please call or write.

See order form for details.

status: PERF means public performance
rights are included. If you have a par-
ticular date in mind, call ahead to en-
sure availability. Where there is no
PERF, the tape is for home use only
and may not be shown to a group.

Videos for Sale

Many of these tapes are available for
purchase through NHF; tapes that may
be bought are listed with a check mark.

City Life

Roughing the Uppers: The Great Shoe Strike

/of 1937, a documentary by Robert
Branham and students of Bates College
about the ClO-organized shoe strike in
Lewiston & Auburn, Maine. 1992. 55 mins.,
col., sd.

Country Life

Ben's Mill, a documentary about a Vermont

/water-powered mill. 60 mins. col., sd.
PERF

Dead River Rough Cut, the lives and philoso-

/phies of two woodsmen-trappers, rough
language and all. A film by Richard
Searls and Stuart Silverstein. 1976. 55 mins.
col., sd.

Down East Dairyman, produced by the Maine
Dept. of Agriculture to demonstrate work in
a dairy, including beginning a herd and
processing milk. 1972. 14 mins., col., sd. PERF

Sins of Our Mothers, presents the hearsay and

/legends of Fayette, Maine, as living
things. 60 mins. col., sd. PERF

Fisheries

The Maine Lobster, lobster fisheries and
consumption with unusual footage including
the assembly of frozen lobster TV dinners,
ca. 1955. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF

Tuna Fishing off Portland Harbor, Maine,
off-shore fishing with a Maine sea and shore
warden and intertitles, e.g., "Oh Boy! This is
a small one, but look what he did to the har-
poon iron!" ca. 1930. 10 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Geography

Mount Washington Among the Clouds, a

/history of the hotels, newspaper and cog
railway, 1852-1908. 30 mins., col., sd.

Mysteries of the Unknown: A Documentary
about our Community, an outstanding
student video about Bucksport, Maine, with
original music. 1990. 30 mins., col., sd.

Performing Arts

Bonsoir Mes Amis, a portrait of two of Maine's

/finest traditional Franco-American
musicians, Ben Guillemette and Lionel
"Toots" Bouthot. By Huey. 1990. 46 mins.,
col., sd.

Political Discourse

Jerry Brown Speaks in New Hampshire, from
the 1992 presidential campaign. 28 mins., col.,
sd. PERF

Ella Knowles: A Dangerous Woman, a video
documentary on a leading 19th-century
suffragist & Bates College graduate by
Robert Branham and students. 1991. 25 mins.,
col., sd.

Transportation

Around Cape Horn, Captain Irving Johnson

/aboard the bark Peking films everyday
activities and spectacular storms round-
ing the Horn. 1929. 37 mins., b&w, sd.

Ride the Sandy River Railroad, one of the

/country's best two-foot-gauge railroads.
1930. 30 min., b&w, si. with intertitles.

Welcome, New Members!

NHF is pleased to welcome 70 new
members. Thank you all for taking a
special interest in the work of the orga-
nization, and for helping us succeed.

Corporate and Associate Members
Lewis & Malm, Don Lewis
Modular Media
Clare Sheldon

Nonprofit Organizations

The American Experience, WGBH-TV,

Eileen Mulvey
Boothbay Railway Village,

Maureen Stormont
Coastside Parks & Recreation, Inc.,

Ken S. Lundie

Ellsworth Public Library, Patricia R. Foster
Essex Shipbuilding Museum,

Diana H. Stockton

Farmington Public Library, Jean Oplinger
Farnsworth Museum, Deborah Vendetti
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum,

Art Cohn
Margaret Chase Smith Library Center,

Gregory Gallant
Market Square Health Center
Pemetic Elementary School, Ellen Gilmore
Pittsfield Public Library
Reiche School, Judd Evans
Vassalboro Public Library, Betty Taylor
Vinalhaven Historical Society
Wiley House Treatment Center, John Waters
Wilton Historical Society
Yarmouth Historical Society,

Ms. Marilyn Hinkley

Regular Members

Herb Adams

Kathy Anderson

Esther Jones Bissell & Roy V. Heisler

Ben & Jeannette Blodget

Neal & Betty Butler

Charles S. Commiskey

David & Dani Danzig

Peter Dickey

Neal C. Dow

Calvin W. Dow

Lynn Farnell

Steven Feia

Ann & Everett Foster

Yves Frenette

Terry Hoffer

Ned Johnston

Audrey & Larry Kolloff

Mark Letizia

Roy Lockwood

Eugene Mawhinney

Lewis Nichols

Ruth & Bill Pfaffle

Annie Proulx

Ken Quimby, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Reid

Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Rosie

Dr. Marshall Smith

Pat & Roy Snell

Drs. L. & M. Temeles

Ethel B. Turner

Arthur C. Verow

Nola Wass

Tappy & Robin Wilder

Educator/Student Members

Mark L. Anderson

Scott Andrews, Chewonki Foundation

Thomas Boelz

Patricia Conant, Dirigo High School Library

Eithne Johnson & Eric Shaefer

Carol King, Wells Jr. High School Library

Jim Laukes

AJex Silverman

Michelle B. Stevens

Gifford Stevens, Hampden Academy

Richard & Laura Stubbs

D. Tibbetts, Lincoln Middle School

Seth Wigderson, Univ. of Maine, Augusta I

Available for Purchase
by Institutions Only

Ben 's Mill, a film by Michel C haluf our and John
Karol. In Barnet, Vermont, Ben Thresher runs a
waterpower mill, a link between the age of craft
and the industrial age. Using an amazing array of
tools, Ben makes a wooden tub for watering
cattle and a horse-drawn sled. Without Ben,
recycler and hoe-handle fixer, "there's going to
be a lot of people who'll say where they hell are
we going to get this work done?" 60 mins., col.,
sd. $59.95 includes public performance rights.

Sins of Our Mothers, written and directed by
Matthew Collins. "Every small town in Maine
has its legends, some of them true." This is the
story of Emeline, who went to the Lynn textile
mills at the age of thirteen — and suffered a
shocking fate. Her story, told only in whispers in
the tiny town of Fayette, is retold here by people
of the town and its landscape. It gives insight into
the taboos and punishments of women's lives in
the past. 60 mins., col, sd. $59.95 includes public
performance rights.

Other titles available for purchase by individuals
and groups. Call or write for complete list.

NHF Membership

As an independent nonprofit organiza-
tion, NHF depends on its members.
Please join and renew!

Regular members, $25 per year, receive a
subscription to Moving Image Review and
discounts on materials distributed by NHF.

Educator/Student Members, $15 per year,
receive all regular membership benefits.
This category is for teachers and students at
any level.

Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per year,
receive all regular benefits of membership,
additional copies of Moving Image Review
on request and reduced rates for consulta-
tion, presentations and professional ser-
vices.

Associates (Individuals) and Corporate
Members, $100 per year, receive the ben-
efits of regular members, special recogni-
tion in Moving Image Review.

Friends, $250 per year, receive all benefits
of regular membership and a hug. •

Membership and Order Form Northeast Historic Film, P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, ME 04416 USA
Free Reference by Mail!

Educator/Student Members, Regular Members and Nonprofit Orga-

nizations may borrow a total of THREE tapes (one shipment in any
one membership year) without any charge. Includes free shipping!

Associates (Individuals) and Corporate Members may borrow a total
of 15 tapes (five shipments of up to three tapes each) without charge.

Friends may borrow a total of 30 tapes (ten shipments of up to three
tapes each) without charge.

Tapes in addition to those allowed free with your annual membership
may be borrowed (up to three at a time) for a $5 shipping and han-
dling fee to cover each shipment.

Ordered by

Name

Address

Cay

State _

Ship to (if different from above)

Zip

Name

Address
City _
State _

Zip

Purchase or Reference by Mail

Qty.

Total

Purchases: Subtotal
"] Special Fourth Class mail: add $2.00
plus $1 each additional item Tax: ME residents add 6%

fj Priority Mail: add $3.50 Shipping and handling
plus $1 each additional item
n UPS: add $3.50 plus $1 each
additional item

CU Please send Video Sales Catalog!
O Please send Reference by Mail list!

Payment Method

\ — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film
I — I Visa I I MasterCard Credit card #

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeierat (207) 469-0924

Membership/Specify level, please:

TOTAL

LJ Institutional purchase order #
Expiration date

Credit card signature .

Members call toll free 800 639-1636 — Thanks to Long Distance North, Burlington, Vermont

Way Back Home

Phillips Lord plays the whiskered Seth Parker in Way Back Home. Thanks to Basil Seguin of Bryant
Pond, Dr. David A. Taylor of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, and James
Phillips and Michael Fiori of Bangor, Northeast Historic Film has opened a file on Phillips Lord.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

BUCKSPORT, MAINE, USA
0-1410-0900 • (207)469-0924

ADDRESS CORRECT/ON REQUESTED

Check your mailing label. Your membership
expiration date should appear there. Visa and
MasterCard renewals are welcome. If there's
no date on the address label, please turn to
page 7 and join.

In the 1920s Phillips Lord of Ellsworth,
Maine, left Bowdoin College and went
to New York where on NBC radio he
created a folksy Down East character,
Seth Parker, ostensibly drawn from his
experiences as a boy in rural Maine.

Lord's mission was to deliver "sto-
ries based on country life designed to
heal the jaded souls of New Yorkers."

Lord marketed spinoff books: the
Seth Parker Hymnal, the Seth Parker
Album, Seth Parker's Sunday Evening
Meeting and Uncle Hosey, the Yankee
Salesman, followed by phonograph
albums and a motion picture.

RKO Radio Pictures produced Way
Back Home (1931) starring Lord and
the ingenue Bette Davis.

Seth Parker, the radio sage, is shedding a
rather appealing sweetness and light. . . .
His Maine sketches, authentic and
amusing studies of the Down East
farmers, have made an original contribu-
tion to the entertainment of the air. . . .
The twangy speech, the homely wit, the
barn dances, taffy-pulling gatherings,
singing bees — all the real and mellow
phases of Yankee village life — are shown
humanly and without the elephantine
burlesque that might have killed the
illusion.

New York Times, 16 January 1932.

NHF Looks at Maine Myths
The archives asks whether Lord's
Maine sketches bear any relation to
Yankee village life.

Down East film comedy and its
reception deserve investigation. To our
eyes, "elephantine burlesque" is essen-
tial: spinster, bumpkin, lovable farm
boy. Griffith's Way Down East con-
tained the same elements with senti-
mental songs, a moral dilemma, and
uncouth farmyard comedy.

Way Back Home, and the City

Twentieth-century regional loyalty
(honored at a distance) and geographic
mobility are at play. Shuttling between
country and city, one can more readily
accept myths about "home." Many of
the players came and went from Maine,
trailing stories from their other lives:
Phillips Lord claimed a Maine heritage,
perhaps built primarily on years at a
prestigious private college. |

Northeast His tor it Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Deditated to the Preservation
of Northern New England
Motion Pictures

Winter 1994

Executive Director's Report p. 2

One Hundred Years: Illustrated

Lectures p.-*

Library of Congress Film Study p. 5

New at the Archives p. 11

All Our Members p. 12

Membership Info p.15

Moving Image Review ISSN 0897-0769 is a
semiannual publication of Northeast His-
toric Film, P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, Maine
04416. David S. Weiss, executive director,
Kara* Sheldon, editor. 207-469-0924

The Archives, Briefly

Northeast Historic Film is
a nonprofit organization
founded in 1986 for the
purposes of cultural pres-
ervation and education.
Like a library, Northeast
Historic Film cares for
research materials, prima-
rily films and videotapes,
and makes them available
to the public.

Moving Image Collections

NHF safeguards more
than 3 million feet of film
and thousands of hours
of videotape, a deep and
varied record of the
region's culture.

Paper Documents and
Other Materials
In addition to moving
images, the archives col-
lects information on film
and video, oral histories,
books and periodicals and
related documents.

Independent and Publicly
Supported

Northeast Historic Film is
supported by donations
from individual and insti-
tutional members, corpo-
rate donations, foundation
grants, and fees for services.

INSPIRATIOM PICTURES. IMC

Richard

Barthelmess

'/,

THE SEVENTH DAY

•v Ponren CMBBSOM •oowrse

DIRECTED BV WBNRV KIM»

Individuals and organiza-
tions are invited to join
NHF to help support the
preservation of the region's
culture and history.

This issue of Moving Image
Re-view is the longest ever.
It reflects increased activi-
ties both in Bucksport with
community involvement
planning and renovating
NHF's home in the Alamo
Theatre building, and in
the wider world, partici-
pating in the national film-
preservation plan and
regional arts and culture
initiatives. •

This one-sheet Poster was
acquired at the end of 1993, the
first poster for a Maine film in
the collections. Thank you, Q.
David Bowers and the Maine
Humanities Council Northeast
Historic Film is interested in
posters and lobby cards from
these films: Lost Boundaries,
Timothy's Quest, Way Down
East, Carousel, Peyton Place,
Deep Waters, Rider of the King
Log, Way Back Home, The
Whales of August and other
regional titles.

Executive Director's Report

A BIG Mess

Renovations to the Alamo Theatre
building are progressing well, as many
people saw at our holiday open house.
A "peanut gallery" window looked
over the back half of the building.
Visitors enjoying cider and cookies
looked into the auditorium space where
the first and second floors have been
mostly removed, revealing the dirt
basement that will be sealed in prepara-
tion for the new public space. We are
still on track to have the mess cleaned
up so that we can hold events in the
space this summer. What would you
like to see: film, video, music, dramatic
readings, vaudeville? Drop me a line,
call or try. . . .

Electronic Mail

NHF's e-mail address is

OLDFILM@aol.com
Our long-range planning committee is
grappling with defining what kinds of
services we will be able to provide as
new technologies arrive. A goal for the
not-so-distant future is to provide on-
line access to our databases. Eventually
we will be able to provide images. In
the meantime, if you have an e-mail
address, let us know.

What's With This Handle?

OLDFILM? There are a couple of
reasons. Northeast Historic Film is too
long, NHF is too opaque. We wanted
something that represented our mis-
sion. Film deserves the chance to be-
come old film. NHF is trying to make
this a reality for northern New England
by safeguarding surviving film that fits
our collections criteria. The alternative
is GONEFILM. See page 5 of this
issue, the Library of Congress Film
Preservation Survey, for a look at how
real that option is.

Bulletin Boards

The Maine State Archives has a com-
puter bulletin board called the Maine
Archives INformation Exchange (or

MAINE). To subscribe, use your mo-
dem to dial 207 287-5797. It's a 24-hour
free service. MAINE allows you access
to many of the Maine State Archives
databases including information on
6,000 photographs and 5,000 maps. You

can also get information and notices
from the Maine Society of Archivists,
the Maine Association of Museums, the
Cultural Resources Information Cen-
ter, and more. E-mail addressed to
Oldfilm will reach us.

The Celebration Shop bulletin
board (run from Noel Paul Stookey's
henhouse building, NHF's home until
1992), will have monthly reports from
the archives. To subscribe to Celebra-
tion Shop, call 207 374-5161. You can
explore it at no charge. If you sign up
the charges are very modest. E-mail to
Oldfilm reaches us there too.

Information on bulletin boards
related to independent media appears in
"The Art of the Internet" by Luke
Matthew Hones in the January /Febru-
ary issue of The Independent.

Newest Board Member

Shan Sayles is the newest member of
NHF's nine-member board of directors.
Shan is a resident of Carmel-by-the-
Sea, California, and Cape Rosier, Maine.
He has more than 40 years' experience
in the film-exhibition business.

Our long-range plan, with many
thanks to committee chair Alan
McClelland, directs the board to con-
tinue growing from 9 to 1 1 members
this year. I look forward to reporting
additions to the board in the next
Moving Image Review. And please, if
you have an interest in serving on the
long-range planning committee, on the
video advisory committee, or becoming
involved as a volunteer in another
capacity, we would be delighted to hear
from you.

Lost Friends

We mourn the recent deaths of mem-
bers, donors to the archives and friends
Earle Fenderson, Benjamin Bigelow
Snow, Otto Siebert and Reverend
Curtis Beach.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

Alamo Gatherings
for Volunteers and Friends

On the third Wednesday of every
month NHF will hold "Open Alamo"
evenings from 5:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M.
The public is invited.

Many Activities Offered

There will be screenings of recent
additions to the archives, tours of
changes to the building and discussion
of upcoming public programs. Dinner is
pot luck. Coffee and cider are provided
by NHF. Families are invited.

It will be a time for people of all
ages to talk with NHF staff about plans
and to share their own interests.

Opening the Doors

"Open Alamo" came about because of
the success of Wednesday-night com-
munity screenings in 1993. Even though
there is less space for public screenings,
the staff, board and community advi-
sors wanted to keep the doors open and
to involve more people in the archives'
activities.

Volunteer Sign-Up

People who are interested in volunteer-
ing at the archives can sign up for orien-
tation and training sessions in collections
care, office help and clean-up. •

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but are not
limited to a survey of moving pic-
tures of northern New England;
Preserving and safeguarding film
and videotape through restoration,
duplication, providing of technical
guidance and climate-controlled
storage; Creation of educational
programs through screenings and
exhibitions on-site and in touring
programs; Assistance to members of
the public, scholars and students at
all levels, and members of the film
and video production community,
through providing a study center,
technical services and facilities.

mty,

iter,

Grants in Action

W. K. Kellogg Foundation

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Battle
Creek, Michigan, made a grant of
$20,000 to assist in renovating the
Alamo Theatre building. "We are
pleased to be able to play a major part
in this important project," wrote Dr.
Joel J. Orosz, Coordinator, Philan-
thropy and Volunteerism. The Kellogg
support will help with the demolition,
basement preparation, concrete slab
and construction.

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation was
established in 1930 "to help people to
help themselves." As a private grant-
maker, it provides seed money to orga-
nizations that have identified problems
and designed action programs aimed at
solutions. Most foundation grants are
awarded in the areas of youth, leader-
ship, philanthropy and volunteerism
and rural development.

Davis Family Foundation

The Davis Family Foundation provided
$10,000 to help create a public-program
space in the first floor of the building.
} The project will help restore a signifi-
cant and centrally located structure to

use, creating a cultural focal point for
the area.

The Davis Family Foundation was
founded in 1986 by Mr. & Mrs. H.
Halsey Davis of Falmouth, Maine, to
support educational institutions, hospitals
and organizations promoting the arts.

Maine Arts Commission,
Rural Arts Initiative

$10,000 was received from the Advance-
ment Grant Program, Rural Arts Initia-
tive, of the Maine Arts Commission.
This amount, matched three to one, will
help establish a space for public events
beginning in the summer of 1994.

The grant was recommended by the
commission's interdisciplinary review
panel. The panel found that NHF had
shown steady growth, had widespread
membership and specifically articulates
its goals.

A grant of $1,500 was also awarded
by the Maine Arts Commission for
work with independent filmmaker
Gabriel Coakley in the production,
presentation and preservation of a
documentary film about Deer Isle
sculptor George Hardy.

American Film Institute/National
Endowment for the Arts film-preser-
vation program granted $2,900 for lab
work on 2,000 ft. of 35mm film discov-
ered at the Braden Theater in Presque
Isle, Maine, that conveys the social and
economic life of Maine in the early 20th
century. The film was donated by
Michael Bernard and contains Aroos-
took County agricultural activities.
Sequences were composed with
attention to the landscape and the
human figures. Presque Isle downtown
footage is the only coverage of any
town in this northernmost (and largest)
Maine county.

The National Trust for Historic
Preservation

A final report was submitted for the
grant of $1,500 to help plan for the
future of the Alamo building, one of
northern New England's oldest struc-
tures built as a cinema. Architect Chris-
tian H. Fasoldt of Camden, Maine,
wrote a report, "Review and Analysis
of the Alamo Theatre Building."

In-Kind Services

Long Distance North of Burlington,
Vermont, donated $1,200 in free long-
distance phone service. This company
provides a toll-free number used by
members and people ordering video-
tapes.

E-Media Manufacturing, Sanford,
Maine, donated 1,000 blank VHS video-
tapes thanks to NHF president Paul
Gelardi.

Matching Programs

Current employees and retirees can
make their gifts to NHF go further,
sometimes doubling or tripling the gift,
by using corporate matching-gift pro-
grams.

In 1993 NHF benefited from a num-
ber of corporate matching gifts thanks
to people who knew about and used
their company's programs. Cash matches
were received from IBM, New England
Electric Company, AT&T Foundation
and Time Warner. •

Renovations on the Alamo Theatre building are
bringing the ground floor back down to its
original level for a 120-seat auditorium. Photo:
Alan McClelland

One Hundred Years:
THE ORMAN B. HUMPHREY ILLUSTRATED LECTURES

Advertising slides once used by manager
Robert Rosie in the Alamo Theatre,
Northeast Historic Film's home, were
donated to the archives by Herbert
Silsby of Ellsworth, Maine. Glass slides
were part of the program in many
theaters, often used before shows and
between reels.

Slides were also used as entertain-
ment, to illustrate songs performed on
stage. NHF's friend Samuel Taylor of
East Blue Hill, Maine, remembers
helping sell sheet music as a child in San
Francisco. Attired in a tuxedo, he sang
along with "songslides," colored photo-
graphic illustrations alternating with
type verses.

Many rurn-of-the-century lecturers
used slides. The Orman B. Humphrey
Illustrated Lectures: Paris-Versailles,
India, Westminster Abbey and other
"speech support" slides were donated
to NHF by the Maher family.

The Orman Humphrey slides are a
type of informative entertainment
supplanted by motion pictures. The
lectures included the cultural highlights
suggested by the titles above, local
views, and dramatic colonial events:
Boers hurrying to the front, 1899; views
of the Philippines.

GOSSARD

june ^Beauty

\j4n exQuisitt princess
combination — of rose*
beige lace, satin taut
hand-loomed elastic

J/'ry Goods

Advertising slide used in the Alamo Theatre.

Humphrey's promotional literature
stressed "oriental splendors and reck-
less extravagance." One offering was
100 hand-colored views of Asia pro-
duced by Underwood & Underwood.

Along with about 800 slides, the
Maher family donated Lantern-slide

projection equipment including a Stereo-
motorgraph Model C made by the
Charles Beseler Corp., NY. These rare
examples of technology help demon-
strate the evolution of projected presen-
tations in the region. •

A White auto (191 1-1912); Main Street, Bangor. Photo: Maher Collection, "Paris, Horse Butcher Shop," T. H. MacAllister, NY. Photo: Maher
NHF. Collection, NHF.

Library of Congress Report on Film Preservation

Last summer the Librarian of Congress
submitted Film Preservation 1993, A

II Report on American Film Preservation
in the Film Industry and Public/Non-
profit Organizations as pan of the devel-
opment of a national film-preservation
program. The national program's goals
are to help coordinate public and private

U activities in the field, increase awareness
of the need to preserve motion pictures,
and promote accessibility of films for
educational purposes.

The multi-volume study contains a
summary report, transcriptions of

u National Film Preservation Board

hearings held in Washington, D.C., and
Los Angeles, and written submissions
from scores of individuals and institu-
tions around the country. For archivists
it provides insight into the expressed
priorities of many of their colleagues.
Note: This is a Film study — electronic
media are not included.

The report signals some directional
changes in the field since Northeast
Historic Film entered it seven years
ago. For example, film-storage condi-
tions are gaining importance, and the
impermanence of safety film stock is
causing more concern.

A reading of the report is recom-
mended for those interested in learning
more about the present state of film
preservation. From it one can learn some
of the thorny issues, and discover who
are individuals and institutions with
interesting perspectives on the problems
and possible solutions. It is available
from the U.S. Government Printing
Office for $47, order number 030-000-
0251-2. GPO Order Desk, 202 783-
3283 or FAX 202 5 12-2250.
Three excerpts follow.

Preservation is a Process

In practice and in casual language, preser-
vation has usually been synonymous
with duplication. The archival rallying
slogan for the last two decades has been
"Nitrate Won't Wait," and the primary
preservation task — still far from accom-
plished— has been to copy unstable,
nitrate-base film without significant loss
of quality onto more durable "safety"
stock. For a variety of reasons, this def-
inition of preservation is being rethought
and broadened to include the costly issue

of storage conditions, as well as the
apparently contradictory issue of public
access. Preservation is increasingly being
defined less as a one time "fix" (measur-
able in footage copied) than as an ongoing
process.

Storage Conditions are Crucial

Vinegar syndrome [a form of safety-film
deterioration], color fading, and the
retention of nitrate after copying — have
conspired to give a new prominence in
current preservation practice to storage
conditions. The combined effect of
lowered temperatures and lowered
relative humidity in retarding both
vinegar syndrome and color fading is
startling and increasingly well docu-
mented. The one encouraging finding
about these deterioration processes is
how significantly both can be slowed by
the right storage conditions.

Towards a National Program

As the over 100 submissions to this
study have made clear, motion pictures
have become popular memory, art form,
historical document, market commodity,
anthropological record, political force
and medium for disseminating American
culture around the world. A narrow
"entertainment" definition of film no
longer matches the diverse concerns of
scholars, students, advocacy groups,
social planners, ethnic communities, and

the broader American society. To best
serve the public interest, a national
program must recognize the evolving
applications for American film as well as
current needs of users, copyright hold-
ers, and the many types of institutions
throughout the United States that have
motion pictures of cultural and historical
significance. . . . The current level of
support — a patchwork of federal money,
foundation grants, and donations — only
chips away at the problem.

Task Forces

Between now and June, task forces
consisting of groups of individuals from
the film industry, archives and educa-
tion who participated in the film preser-
vation study, will work on a planning
document to be completed over the
summer and then made available for
public comment. These groups include
a special funding committee from the
National Film Preservation Board and
task forces on Redefining Preservation,
Public Access and Educational Use,
Public-Private Cooperation and Public
Awareness.

For more information on the task
forces contact Steve Leggett, National
Film Preservation Board Assistant, at
the Library of Congress, 202 707-5912;
FAX 202 707 2371. •

30%

o
O

25% -
20%
15%
10%

25%

22% 23%

17%

nm HIM
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

'14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24 '25 '26 '27 '28

Year of Release

Survival Rate of American Feature Films,

based on working lists of holdings in U.S. and foreign archives

Fewer than 20% of the feature films of the 1920s survive in complete form. This
graph from the report, Film Preservation 1 993, makes clear why it is not surprising
that Holman Day's Rider of the King Log (1921) and the Annette Kellerman
Queen of the Sea (1918) are not known to exist.

Northeast Historic Film's Collections Criteria

Technical Services

Excerpt from Northeast Historic Film's Operational Policies

with thanks to board member Pam Wintle of the Human Studies Film Archives.

Acquisition and accessioning of films, priority for acceptance; footage

videotapes and related materials into
Northeast Historic Film (NHF) shall
proceed according to criteria which
are intended to maximize usefulness
through preservation and for research
purposes. NHF does not as a point of
policy purchase film/ tape from orga-
nizations or individuals, recognizing
that such purchase would place the
archives in a position of assigning a
monetary value to unique historic and
cultural materials which would be
otherwise unavailable to the public.
Where possible as outlined below,
NHF will accept donation or deposit
of moving image and related material.

Criteria for Acceptance

of Films/Tapes

High priority will be given to film/

videotape having the characteristics

listed below, although these measures

answering few or none will have low
priority.

a. Related to the northern New En-
gland region through location,
subject, maker, source or other
connection.

b. Unique, or inaccessible to the
northern New England population.

c. Otherwise likely to be damaged or
lost.

d. As close to the original film or tape
generation as possible and is of
good picture quality.

e. Well-documented, and where
possible accompanied by related
non-motion-picture references
such as notes, still photographs,
audiotapes.

Low priority will be assigned to
widely distributed finished films/
tapes, to material preserved elsewhere

will not be mechanically applied in

determining whether or not to accept and to film/tape requiring donor

footage. Generally film/tape meeting copies and/or severely restrictive

many of these criteria will have high conditions.

Northeast Historic Film is interested in
moving-image documents that describe
people and their environment. NHF
archives dramatic film, newsreels,
works of independents, industrial films,
television material of all kinds, and
amateur footage.

If it was made in northern New
England, we'll consider it.

Amateur Footage: Elusive Perspectives

One area in which NHF has further
refined its collections criteria is amateur
footage.

Amateur creators record their envi-
ronment motivated by their own inter-
est, and therefore capture an otherwise
elusive personal view of our culture.
When a regional archives gathers ama-
teur material together, we begin to see a
source of valuable comparative data:
select an era, a socioeconomic group or
a particular location. Scholarship has
yet to catch up with the immense po-
tential of this primary source material.

Because of the latency of scholarly
interest in the material, NHF has set
some standards with consideration for
an unknown future. One of these stan-
dards is that where possible the goal is
to keep a home movie collection intact
as a whole document. Thus a collection
might include summer and winter homes,
travel, and other material that on its own
would not fit NHF's collections criteria.

Collections Characteristics

The NHF collections contain amateur
material from 1916 on with particular
strength in 16 mm. black and white film
from the 1930s. NHF seeks amateur
film with these characteristics:
1. A single creator covering a long span
of time, particularly if the material
has been or could be annotated by
the creator and/or close family
members. An example of this is the
Meyer Davis Collection, shot by
the band leader between 1926 and
1974; another example is the David

NHF will transfer 16 mm. film to video-
tape using Elmo equipment at 24 frames
per second or 1 5 frames per second.
Also available, 8 mm. and Super 8 mm.
transfers to videotape for reference;
evaluation of film's physical condition;
perforation repair and appraisal.

These services, using NHF staff's
expertise and on-site equiment, help
support the organization by providing a
revenue source. Some equipment acqui-
sition is the result of a generous gift
from the Betterment Fund. •

Soule Collection shot in Portland,
Maine, between 1938 and 1966.

2. A single community documented by
multiple creators offering a varied
perspective such as several portraits
of a town called Cherryfield.

3. Rare ethnic or cultural coverage.

4. Business, crafts or professions
covered in depth, and film that
reflects the creator's vocation.

5. The work of an individual with ties
to the region whose home movies
can be annotated and whose mov-
ing image work might not other-
wise by archived.

NHF is interested in safeguarding ama-
teur material because it is almost always
unique camera original, it is inaccessible
and unknown, and it's extremely likely
to be lost. The archives accepts motion
picture cameras and projectors when
they are offered and is interested in the
technology and how it was used. |

Community Advisory Group

A community advisory group has
convened to focus on plans for NHF's
role developing useful public space and
programs in Bucksport.

There were several meetings in early
November. Meetings began with a tour
of the back half of the building. Phil
Yates, in charge of the demolition,
confirmed that the previous construc-
tion had not been safe. Beams had not
been anchored, and the ceiling was
ready to fall. Yates and Jim Fletcher
removed the unsafe structures and were
beginning to reveal the theater's origi-
nal floor level.

Suggestions

Discussions determined that Bucksport
needs cultural activities and a place for
community meetings.

A regular music series would be
excellent for the community and could
draw from a number of towns. The
high school has no auditorium other
than the gym.

NHF can be responsive to people
who want to use the building and, with
their help, can develop a flexible space.

Everyone feels it is important to
keep the building open to the public
during the renovation period to allow
for maximum community involvement.

Santa at the Alamo

NHF held a holiday open house, coordi-
nated with the Bucksport Chamber of
Commerce.

Santa visited the Alamo on Decem-
ber 11. Parents went away with video-
tapes of their children talking with the
jolly fellow.

Many people helped with prepara-
tion, decorations and refreshments: Phil
Yates, Libby Rosemeier, Lynne Blair,
Esther Austin, Lisa Whitney, Jim
Fletcher, Judy McGeorge.

Alamo Gatherings

The third Wednesday of every month is
"Open Alamo" from 5:30 to 8:30 P.M.
This time is for people to stay abreast
of project development, archival acqui-
sitions, and see where they can lend a
hand.

Community Group Members
• Teeter Bibber, Alamo neighbor for 12
years. A parent of three school-age

Richard Rosen, Teeter Bibber, Phil Yates, David Weiss, Elsie Good, Judy McGeorge and George
MacLeod discuss the Alamo Theatre building's future.

children, she regards NHF's presence

as a cultural opportunity.
I Jim Campbell, board member of

WERU-FM community radio, is a

partner in Modular Media, across the

street from the Alamo.
I Elsie Good is the director of Senior

Citizens programs in town; many of

her clients came to see movies here
years ago.

I Bill Grady, public relations director,
Champion International Corporation
paper mill in Bucksport.

I Barbara Larson, a volunteer at
H.O.M.E. Coop in Orland, serving
low-income people in the area, helped
run H.O.M.E./NHF's screenings.

I Judy McGeorge, a board member of
WERU-FM community radio, a partner
in Modular Media, Bucksport.

I George MacLeod, owner of
MacLeod's Restaurant, Bucksport, is
involved in many business and civic
activities.

I Alan McClelland, treasurer of NHF, is
chairman of membership for the
Society of Maine Archivists and
active at the Owls Head Transporta-
tion Museum.

I Richard Rosen, third-generation
owner of Rosen's Department Store,
Bucksport. Parent of school-age
children, and a board member of
NHF.

i Denis Thoet, director of Friends of
the Maine State Museum, was once a
commercial fisherman in the area.

I Lisa Whitney, Bucksport town coun-
cil member and member of the
town's Economic Development
Committee. •

Planned Giving

The idea began with 1,000 feet of silent
film recording the last days of a Maine
lumber company. That film and its
original script were used to produce
From Stump to Ship in a University of
Maine-sponsored project. People were
fascinated by moving images of a life
that is gone.

Northeast Historic Film was
founded shortly after Stump to find,
preserve and distribute moving images.
In 1992, NHF acquired the Alamo, once
a movie theater. With your support,
this will be a unique facility: a small
theater, a museum, archival storage
space and a study center. It will be a
center for preservation and distribution
of our region's history as portrayed in
moving images.

People who care about preserving
what evidence remains of a unique
regional heritage have made significant
contributions to the work of NHF. Our
members' annual fees are indispensable,
as are the generous donations some of
you have made in response to specific
appeals.

Now, we are asking you to help
build our future in a new facility.

Ways to Give

Every contribution is an important one,

Penobscot River, Bucksport.
Photo: Gretchen Gaffney.

for we have a lot to accomplish. You
may want us to use your gift to support
the ongoing work of NHF; or you may
direct that it be used in the restoration
of the Alamo. Indeed, you may want to
underwrite a particular part of the
building, its furnishings or equipment,
which may then bear your name or that
of someone you wish to remember.

What to Give

Because NHF is a nonprofit organiza-
tion, a gift has important tax advan-
tages. When considering the tax and
estate-planning implications of a dona-
tion, it is always wise to consult your
lawyer or tax advisor.

Cash A check is a convenient and
useful way to contribute to NHF. A
cash gift qualifies as a charitable contri-
bution for federal income-tax purposes.

Securities Gifts of securities held
long-term (stocks, bonds and stocks in
closely-held companies) are an excel-
lent way to make a donation. NHF
maintains a brokerage account to
receive such gifts. By transferring the
securities to NHF you may avoid
capital-gains tax, while securing an
income-tax deduction for the full
current fair market value of the gifted

securities equaling up to 30% of ad-
justed gross income in the year of the
gift-
Real Estate As in a gift of securi-
ties, a gift of real estate whose value has
appreciated enables you to take a deduc-
tion for the full fair market value of the
property and avoid capital-gains tax.

Gifts to the Museum Collection

Some gifts of objects may have a mon-
etary value, and may thus qualify as a
charitable contribution for federal
income-tax purposes.

Bequests Remembering NHF in
your will with a gift of cash, securities,
real estate or artifacts of value to the
collection will help forward the work of
Northeast Historic Film in years to
come.

Matching Gifts Many companies
will match employee gifts to NHF. If
your company is one of them, please
take the necessary steps to get the match.

If you would like to discuss giving
strategies in detail, NHF's executive
director would be pleased to talk about
these and other options. •

Video Preservation

Things We Need

The longevity of videotape has been
receiving attention from mainstream
press and archival communicators. In
November the New York Times ran a
piece, "Memories Linger but the Tapes
Fade."

The article, datelined Redwood
City, California, home of Ampex
Recording Systems Corporation,
also featured Jim Lindner of Vidipax,
a New York company that does
videotape restoration and archival
consulting.

A six -step program for the videotape-
owning public outlined ways to get
longer life from videotapes, including:

1. Keep videotapes consistently cool
and dry and away from small chil-
dren and electromagnetic fields.

2. When taking tapes from a cold to a
warm place allow them to reach
room temperature over two hours
or so before playing them.

3. Exercise tapes by rewinding and
fast-forwarding them to the end at
least once every six months.

4. View tapes at least once a year, and
at the first sign of degradation have
a copy made professionally.

5. Label your tapes.

6. Make sure the VCR works properly
before playing a tape.

A Media Alliance Publication
Video Preservation: Securing the Fu-
ture of the Past by Deirdre Boyle and
Media Alliance (1993) is the result of a
survey of video collections and a sym-
posium on video preservation primarily
focused on independent video. It in-
cludes a bibliography and a directory of
facilities dealing with video and people
knowledgeable about it. The 66-page
book is available from Media Alliance,
212 560-2919.

Electronic Communications

The Association of Moving Image
Archivists' electronic bulletin board,
AMIA-L, is serving as a forum for,
among other things, discussion of video
issues. To subscribe to the bulletin
board, send a message to

LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY.EDU.

In the message field type your name
preceded by

SUBSCRIBE AMIA-L.

Tom House at the University of Ken-
tucky set up this discussion list. He can
be reached at 606 257-8372, or

TMHOUSE01@UKCC.UKY.EDU.

Volunteers' area

IBM Selectric typewriter Correcting or

not, for labeling jobs and other odd typing.

Microwave oven For leftovers and cold

coffee.

Hot water heater For handwashing.

Collections and Administration

File cabinets Four-drawer preferred.
Could use half a dozen.
Rugged steel shelving

Office chairs This is being written from a
1975 Hon chair with broken plywood and
dead foam rubber.

Work tables Folding or otherwise. Every
surface is chronically full.

Technical Services

Film editing table

Small monitor For the video editing sys-
tem. The present monitor is on its last legs.

Video projector NHF has rented various
video projectors, and otherwise relies on a
workhorse 27-inch monitor on a stand. For
traveling shows and in-house events, a very
good video projector is needed.

Auditorium

Theater seats 120 excellent ones, for
audiences starting this summer. Otherwise
it's standing room only.
An elevator There are three stories to the
top of the fly, currently accessible by
ladder. •

Maine Touring Artist

The Maine Arts Commission, Augusta, underwrites a
number of valuable program for arts organizations
throughout Maine. One of these is the Maine Touring
Artist program. It is a way to help bring performers to
communities by helping presenters underwrite a
portion of their fees.

Danny Patt, a silent-film accompanist who
began his career playing for films in Union, Maine,
in 1924, is a Maine Touring Artist. The Arts Com-
mission will underwrite one third (one half in some
cases) for programmers interested in having Danny
play for silent films — a school program, or screen-
ing for the public. Contact Northeast Historic Film
for information. Applications to the Maine Arts
Commission for Touring Artist support must be
submitted at least two months in advance of the
date of the performance. •

School Programs

Volunteer Activities

\L*Am J

Sixth-grader Jason Tourtellottc was one
of 60 students from the Center Drive
School, Orrington, who wrote letters
after their visit to NHF in September.
The students watched videos containing
lobstenng, ice harvesting and Bangor
television stories from the 1950s. The
trip was organized by Judy Clough and
Pam Flood.

The letters focused on many of the
issues NHF staff encounters every day
such as cataloguing, preservation and
archival appraisal. Beverly Flood made
cataloguers happy by noting the advan-
tages of detailed descriptive records. "I
learned a lot about Maine and old
movies . . . the computer was neat, too.
I liked how you could just put in a
subject and get a whole report on it.
Good luck on the movie theater!"

Another student asked about the
curatorial decision-making process.

"Thank you for giving us a tour of
your building. . . . Have you ever
found a film (still on the reel) too
worn out, and fragile to play? If so
what do you do with it? Do you
keep it or do you throw it away?
Sincerely, Abby."

Film arriving at the archives can
range from pristine original to severely
damaged prints with no perforations or
fused nitrate requiring a chisel to re-
move damaged portions from the sal-
vageable sections (see photo).

One of the goals of the archives is
to offer students an opportunity to
become involved in the process, includ-
ing assisting with accessions, viewing
and helping to describe the contents
of collections. In February George
Stevens Academy senior Azariah Aker
will arrive for his independent study
project. |

Lynne Blair, Paul Greenlaw, Prudy
Heilner, Barbara Larson, Chuck Matson,
Judy McGeorge, Robert Rosie, Pam
Smith, Vern Weiss and Phil Yates all
put in valued volunteer time in the last
year helping with public programs,
curatorial activities and office work.

New volunteers Clarence Thomp-
son, Faith Young and Gretchen Gaff-
ney have stepped up to bat. Faith
Young has been helping with adminis-
trative activities and is mastering the
shrink-wrap system for videocassettes.
Gretchen Gaffney has printed frame
enlargements, made internegatives
from glass slides, and most recently
set out on snowshoes with two large-
format cameras and a tripod in sub-
zero weather to shoot the Bucksport
bridge (page 8). Clarence Thompson's
enthusiasm for classic films and west-
erns is being expanded with work on
16 mm. collections. •

New at the Archives

50 "ANNIVERSARY
(Tilotion fli

PEOPLE OAZED INTO THE FIRST
MOVING PICTURE MACHINE

mitfU'H

FIRST DAY I'! |jf ;-i jlj'"

^ ^ISSUEV!

... »,;-

THOMAS AlVA EDlSON

Four hundred thousand feet of film and
250 hours of videotapes were received
in the last year in 115 accessions, rang-
ing from the briefest look at the Orland
Great River Raft Race, 1976 (30 ft. of
fine b&w footage) to a 9.5 mm. projector
and film from Pam Smith of Bucksport.

Elizabeth Woodman Wright bought
a Kodak 16 mm. camera in 1928. She
filmed her family's summer activities
around Paris, Maine, with an eye for
character and agricultural detail. Accord-
ing to Walter Woodman Wright, donor
of the footage, much of the film was
taken on Uncle El's farm. Ellsworth
Thayer grew shell beans and corn,
which helped pay the taxes. The farm
had been in the family since 1 800. There
is outstanding footage of mowing with
a horse in the apple orchard, and haying,
and spectacular views of the White
Mountains.

The footage is an affectionate look
at family activities over several sum-
mers, including the "last" birthday
celebrations of a very elderly woman
. . . several times.

The Janet and Tim Fogg Collection
consists of 13 reels of 16 mm. home
movies, from 1930 to 1950. The con-
tent includes Commander MacMillan
on the schooner Bowdoin.

Blanche Geer PhD Memorial Collec-
tion, home movies of O. P. Gccr, is 17

reels of 16 mm. home movies from the
1930s. Geer, a member of the Amateur
Cinema League, summered in Boothbay
Harbor. Film from the early 1 930s
depicts East Coast travels (Washington,
D.C., New York, the Adirondacks), the
commuter's life between Montclair, NJ,
and Manhattan, and Maine seaside
summers. Geer records himself in his
living room preparing to project his
1932-34 reels; father and daughter
target practice, shooting bottles in the
surf; a color tour of Boothbay Harbor;
a color Esso gas station sequence with
good close-ups, ca. 1939.

Wohelo-Luther Gulick Camps, Casco,
Maine, deposited 16 mm. girls' summer
camp footage: The Luther Gulick Camps
1926, Sebago-Wohelo, and Luther
Gulick Camps, 1926, Little Wohelo.
"Such a lovely shallow beach! Even
Mildred and Barbara can play with
safety here," reads one intertitle pre-
ceding views of little girls building sand
castles and wading in the lake. Film of
uniformed campers was used to pro-
mote the camps, which are still operat-
ing, among urban parents during the
winter.

Video accessions include the Women

America Goes
to the Movies

The National Association of Theatre
Owners, a trade group, has released the
book America Goes to the Movies: 100
Years of Motion Picture Exhibition by
Barbara Stones. The volume includes
exhibitors' reminiscences and is very
well illustrated, but does not include
either stories or images from any north-
ern New England theaters.

Over the century, Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont have had
more than 1,000 places that showed
movies from palaces to art houses to
drive-ins. For some reason they have
not been making it into the mainstream
histories.

The book is available from NATO,
800843-5860. •

Works Collection from Karen Saum,
3/4-inch video copies of productions She
Knew a Phoenix, about poet and Maine
resident May Sarton, This Land: The
Story of a Community Land Trust and
a Co-op Called H.O.M.E., and others.

Books and Other Things

Pamela Wintle donated film reference
books including Peter Bogdanovich's
John Ford and Producing Industrial
Films by Jack DeWitt. John Greenman,
Audrey Kupferberg and Diane Lee also
added to the research library.

Rod Hook sent a first-day cover,
"50th Anniversary of Motion Pictures."

Video Display
for Retailers

Photo: Darwin Davidson

Videos of Life in New England is a
selection of programs that shows impor-
tant, often vanished, ways of life. Avail-
able in a counter-top stand, the videos
are an ideal product for bookstores, gift
stores and museum shops. Included is
Tales of Wood and Water, a documen-
tary on Maine's wooden boat culture,
and Mt. Washington: Among the Clouds,
an early history of life at the top.

Thirteen titles are available at whole-
sale prices. The point-of-purchase
stand is included free of charge. For
an illustrated catalog and order form
describing the complete Videos of Life
in New England line, call 800 639-1636
and ask for Libby Roscmcier. •

Members

Friends

Alan & Eleanor McClelland
Robert & Elizabeth Saudek
David C. Smith
MacKay Wolff

Corporate and Associate Members

John Bragg, N.H. Bragg & Sons

Darwin Davidson, Darwin K. Davidson, Ltd.

Marcia Fenn

Nancy Gray, Harraseeket Inn

Ernest & Kathryn Gross

Donald Hammond, Hammond Lumber

Company
Miriam Hansen

Mark Henderson, VP Film & Tape
Robert Jordan
Don Lewis, Lewis & Malm
Larry Lichty
Edgar & Sally Lupfer
Patricia McGeorge
Modular Media
Charles & Charlotte Morrill
John Mucci, VisNet East, GTE
Richard Rosen, Rosen's Department Store
McKie Wing Roth, Jr.
Clare Sheldon
Nancy Sheldon
Peter & Ann Sheldon
Noel & Betty Stookey
Lynda Tyson, Tyson & Partners, Inc.
Eric von Hippel
Joel & Allene White
Pamela Wintle
Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbott Memorial Library

The American Experience, WGBH-TV,

Eileen Mulvey

Bangor Daily News, Mrs. Joanne Van Namee
Bangor Historical Society, Pamela McTigue
Boothbay Railway Village, George McEvoy

and Maureen Stormont
Calais Free Library, Marilyn Diffin
Cherryfield Narraguagus Historical Society,

Mrs. Margery Brown
Coastside Parks & Recreation, Inc., Ken

Lundie

College of the Atlantic, Marcia Dworak
Dirigo High School Library, Patricia Conant
Ellsworth Public Library, Patricia Foster
Essex Shipbuilding Museum, Diana H.

Stockton

Farmington Public Library, Jean Oplinger
Farnsworth Museum, Deborah Vendetti
Alicia Condon & Bill Gross
H.O.M.E. Inc. Learning Center

Indiana Historical Society, Stephen Fletcher
Kidspeace New England, John Waters
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Art

Cohn
Maine Forest & Logging Museum, Susan

Jenssen

Maine Historical Society, Elizabeth Miller
Maine Medical Center, Elaine Solesky
Maine Public Broadcasting System, Bernard

Roscetti

Maine State Library, J. Gary Nichols
Margaret Chase Smith Library Center,

Gregory Gallant

Thank you, Current Members!

Check your mailing label. Your
membership expiration date should
appear there. Save NHF a mailing
by sending your renewal check
now! VISA and MasterCard renew-
als are welcome. If there's no date
on the address label, please turn to
page 15 and join.

Special Thanks to All
Our First Members

Eighty members from 1989, the first
year of membership, are still with
us! Our "longest surviving mem-
ber," Windy Wincote Schweikert,
who joined Northeast Historic
Film on February 3, 1989, is the
recipient of a free NHF sweatshirt.

An NHF sweatshirt, not otherwise
available, will be awarded to all
members upgrading their member-
ship level from Regular ($25) to
Associate ($100) between now and
June 1. •

Market Square Health Center

Northeast Harbor Library, Polly Cote

Orland Historical Society, William Larkin

Pemetic Elementary School, Ellen Gilmore

Prime Resource Center, Keith Leavitt

Reiche School, Judd Evans

DeWitt Sage

Harold & Janet Simmons

Simmons College Library

Sultan Technikon Library, A. Raju

Pittsfield Public Library

South Portland High School Library

Sumner Memorial High School, Caroline

Allen

Union Historical Society, Alison Metcalfe
Vassalboro Historical Society, Betty Taylor

Vinalhaven Historical Society

Waterville High School Media Center, Dan

McCarthy

Wilton Historical Society
Women Unlimited, Dale McCormick
Yarmouth Historical Society, Marilyn

Hinkley

Regular Members

Herb Adams

Joan Amory

Kathy Anderson

Tom Armstrong

James & Esther Austin

Jean Barrett

Phyllis & Bob Beallor

Henry Becton, Jr.

Mark Belisle

Paul & Mollie Birdsall

Esther Jones Bissell & Roy V. Heisler

Lynne Blair

John Blitzer

Ben & Jeannette Blodget

Richard Bock

Nat Bowditch

Q. David Bowers

Benjamin & Joan Branch

Julie Bressor

John M.R. Bruner

Fred Buechner

George Buehler

Neal & Betty Butler

Mrs. Frederic Camp

Mary Grace Canfield

Dr. Constance Carlson

Robert Carnie

Michel Chalufour

Brenda Condon

Charles S. Cummiskey

Wallace Cunningham

David & Dani Danzig

Dave 8c Ginny Davis

Clarence DeRochemont

Josephine Detmer

Peg & John Dice

Peter Dickey

Daniel Donovan

Calvin W. Dow

Neal C. Dow

Shirley Dutton

Bob Eggleston

Lloyd Ekholm

John Ellingwood

Mrs. Anna Mary Elskus

Lynn Farnell

Carroll Faulkner & Ann Holland

Steven Feia

Joseph Filtz

Ann & Everett Foster

Yves Frenetic

Eugene Fuller

Kathryn H. Fuller

Peter Gammons, Jr.

H. William Geoffrion

John Gfroerer

Julia Gilmore

Lea Girardin

Jim Goff

Martha Goldner

Douglas Gomery

Terry Grant

Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Hamilton

Jim Hamlin

Francis Hatch

George Hatch

Fred & Prudy Heilner

Rand Herbert

Charles Hesse

Terry Hoffer

C.A. Porter Hopkins

John Howard

Sherman Howe, Jr.

Stanley Howe

David Huntley

Douglas Ilsley

Ann Ivins

Jeff Janer

Ned Johnston

Thomas Joyce

Susan Kaplan

John Karol, Jr.

Ron Kiesman

Richard Kimball, Jr.

Nancy King

Ernest Knight

Audrey & Larry Kolloff

Diane Kopec

Mark Letizia

John Lickerman

Stephen Lindsay

Bill Lippincott

Betty Ann & Donald Lockhart

Roy Lockwood

Bonnie Lounsbury

Howard Lowell

Mr. & Mrs. George MacLeod

Wendy P. Matthews

Eugene Mawhinney

Valerie Felt McClead

Judith McGeorge

Carl McGraw

John Mcllwaine

Charles Ray McKay

Franklin & Phyllis Mellen

Bruce Meulendyke

Faith Moll

Betsy Montandon

Betty & Hugh Montgomery

Henry Moulton

Francis Moulton, Jr.

Lewis Nichols

John O'Brien

George O'Neill

Kathryn Olmstead

Glenn & Joy Olson

Patricia Packard

George Paquette

Ed Pert

Ruth & Bill Pfaffle

James Phillips, Jr.

Annie Proulx

Ken Quimby, Jr.

Elvie Ramsdell

Sally Regan

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Reid

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Rendall

Windsor Robinson

George & Barbara Rolleston

Mr. 8c Mrs. Robert E. Rosie

Charles Ryan

Harriet H. Sands

Shan Sayles

Ronald Schliessman

Wendy Wincote Schweikert

Mr. & Mrs. P.H. Sellers

Jennifer Sheldon

Dr. Marshall Smith

Thomas Smith

Pat & Roy Snell

Gifford Stevens

John Stillman

Lynda Sudlow

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Taylor

William Taylor

Drs. L. & M. Temeles

Denis Thoet

Charles & Cathy Thompson

Ethel B. Turner

Robert Tyler

Arthur C. Verow

Mrs. Barbara Wakeman

Robert 8c Julia Walkling

Mary Anne Wallace

John Ware, Jr.

Seth Washburn

Nola Wass

Vern & Jackie Weiss

Lisa Whitney

Tappy & Robin Wilder

Johff Wilson & Sherry Streeter

Bonnie Wilson

Carter Wintle

Edith Wolff

Cynthia Wood

Bob Woodbury
Roger York

Educator/Student Members

Mark L. Anderson

Scott Andrews, Chewonki Foundation

Miss Rosemary Anthony

Albert Belanger

Deborah Belyea

Thomas Boelz

Michelle Branigan

Brick Store Museum

Carol Bryan

Prof. William Burgess

Richard Burns

Carnegie Library, Good Will-Hinckley

Patricia Conant, Dirigo High School Library

Dr. Richard Condon, Univ of Maine,

Farmington

Joseph Conforti, New England Studies, USM
Alvina Cyr, Dr. Lewis S.Libby School
Rudolph Deetjen, Jr.
Elaine Gardner
Christopher Glass
Joe Gray, Mid-Coast Audubon
Gray-New Gloucester Middle School

Library
Cora Greer

Eithne Johnson & Eric Shaefer
Thomas Wayne Johnson, Chico Folklore

Archive
Richard Judd

Janice Kasper, Penobscot Marine Museum
Carol King, Wells Jr. High School Library
Jim Laukes
Robbie Lewis
Dean Lyons
Todd Mclntosh, Rockland District Middle

School

Tim O'Keefe, NRM Department
Sanford Phippen
Joan Radner
Paige Roberts

Mrs. Rowell, Fogler Library, Univ of Maine
George Sarns, Traverse City Area Public

Schools

Gladden Schrock, Bennington College
Gail Shelton
Alex Silverman
John Somerville
Michelle B. Stevens
Richard & Laura Stubbs
D. Tibbetts, Lincoln Middle School
Juris Ubans

Dr. Richard E.G. White, Queens College
Seth Wigderson, Univ. of Maine, Augusta
Steve & Peggy Wight, Sunday River Inn •

Reference by Mail

New Title for Sale

Members of Northeast Historic Film
are invited to borrow from the circu-
lating loan collection, Reference by
Mail. For the full list of over 60 video-
tapes, please call or write.

The complete list of VHS videotapes
contains other topics including Woods
Work, Early Film, Franco-American
Life, Television and Oral History.

Many organizations — historical
societies, libraries, schools — use tapes
from the Reference by Mail collection
for public programs.

• Each NHF member is invited to
borrow a shipment of up to THREE
tapes free of charge, including free
shipping! Additional tapes may be
borrowed (up to three at a time) for
a $5 fee to cover each shipment.

• Associate and Corporate members
can borrow up to fifteen tapes at no
charge; Friends of NHF can borrow
thirty tapes at no charge.

Return Instructions

The borrower is responsible for return
postage to NHF via First Class mail or
UPS. Tapes must be in the mail on their
way back to NHF five days after they
are received.

Public Performance

Videotapes listed are offered as a refer-
ence service. Where possible, public
performance rights are included. Please
be sure to check each tape's status:
PERF means public performance rights
are included. If you have a particular
date in mind, call ahead to ensure avail-
ability. Where there is no PERF, the
tape is for home use only and may not
be shown to a group.

Selections from 60 Titles
Available on Free Loan

Many of these tapes are available for
purchase through NHF; a check mark
(/) identifies tapes that may be bought.

City Life

Roughing the Uppers: The Great Shoe Strike

j of 1937, a documentary by Robert
^T Branham and students of Bates College
about the ClO-organized shoe strike in
Lewiston & Auburn, Maine. 1992. 55 mins.,
col., sd.

24 Hours, a professional dramatization of fire
fighting in Portland, Maine, with music and a
memorable narration. A fascinating views of
the city and its people by Earle Fenderson.
1963. 27 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Country Life

Paris 1929 and other views, the home movies
of the Wright family in Paris, Maine. Includes
excellent agricultural scenes: haying, mowing
an orchard. 1929-30s. 80 mins. b&w, si.

Dead River Rough Cut, the lives and philoso-

- phies of two woodsmen-trappers,
^T rough language and all. A film by

Richard Searls and Stuart Silverstein.
1976. 55 mins. col., sd.

Fisheries

The Maine Lobster, lobster fisheries and
consumption with unusual footage including
the assembly of frozen lobster TV dinners,
ca. 1955. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF

Performing Arts

Bonsoir Mes Amis, a portrait of two of

/Maine's finest traditional Franco-
American musicians, Ben Guillemette
and Lionel "Toots" Bouthot. By Huey.
1990. 46 mins., col., sd.

Geography

Assignment in Aroostook, Loring Air Force
Base in northern Maine closes this year. This
orientation film shows the woman at home,
the sergeant at work, the family at play. 1956.
27 mins., col., sd. PERF

Mount Washington: Among the Clouds, a

/history of the hotels, newspaper and
cog railway, 1852-1908. 30 mins., col.,
sd.

Check "Reference by Mail List" on the
order form, or call, to receive the full
list of videos for loan.

The Maple
Sugaring Story
for young
viewers,
interweaves
the legend,
science,

history and geography of the sugar-
maple industry. Produced by Betty Ann
and Donald Lockhart of Charlotte,
Vermont. The Lockharts have Masters
of Science degrees in Education.

Winner CINE Golden Eagle.

28 mins. col., sd. Public Performance
Rights included. $29.95/NHF members
$24.95

COMPANION BOOK

The Maple Sugaring Story:
A Guide for Teaching and Learn-
ing about the Maple Industry,
includes pre-Kindergarten to Grade
6 lessons, recipes and a resource
guide. 80 pages, $4.50

Fifth Anniversary
Members' Special

FREE VIDEO PROGRAM!

If you renew your annual member-
ship, or become a new member, or
give a gift membership, between
now and May 1, 1994, you can
select one free video from this list:
From Stump to Ship, Woodsmen
and River Drivers, Earliest Maine
Films, Ice Harvesting Sampler,
Maine's Television Time Machine.
Just write "Member Offer" on the
order form when you send in your
renewal, new membership or gift
membership.

In Video: The Year's
Best Sellers

Videotape distribution helps moving
images of northern New England reach
homes and institutions all over North
America and overseas. Revenues from
videotape sales support the NHF cura-
torial program.

In 1993 Northeast Historic Film's
top ten best sellers were:

1 . From Stump to Ship

2. Woodsmen and River Drivers

3. Dead River Rough Cut

4. Earliest Maine Films

5. King Spruce

6. Around Cape Horn

7. Ice Harvesting Sampler

8. The Robert McCloskey Library

9. Ride the Sandy River Railroad

10. Mt. Washington: Among the Clouds
Check "Video Sales Catalog" on the
order form, or call, to receive a list of
tapes for sale. H

NHF Membership

Regular members, $25 per year, receive
a subscription to Moving Image Review,
notice of screenings and events, loan of
one reference tape at no charge, and dis-
counts on materials distributed by NHF.

Educator/Student Members, $15 per
year, receive all regular membership
benefits. This category is for teachers
and students at any level.

Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per year,
receive all regular benefits of member-
ship, including loan of one reference
tape at no charge, plus additional copies
of Moving Image Review on request

and reduced rates for consultation,
presentations and professional services.

Associates (Individuals) and Corporate
Members, $100 per year, receive the
benefits of regular members, special
recognition in Moving Image Review,
and loan of five reference tapes at no
charge.

Friends, $250 per year, receive all
benefits of regular membership and, in
addition, loan of ten reference tapes at
no charge.

Membership at any level is an oppor-
tunity to become involved with the
preservation and enjoyment of our
moving-image heritage. I

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent
allowed by law.

Membership and Order Form Northeast Historic Film, P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, ME 04416 USA

207 469-0924
. . „ . FAX 207469-7875

Join How!

Free Gift Tape!

free Reference by Mail!

Ordered by

Name

Address
City _
State _

Ship to (if different from above)
Name

Zip

Address
City _
State _

Zip

Purchase or Reference by Mail

Qty.

Total

Purchases: Subtotal
~~\ Special Fourth Class mail: add $2.00
plus $1 each additional item Tax: ME residents add 6%

Q Priority Mail: add $3.50 Shipping and handling
plus $1 each additional item

n UPS: add $3.50 plus $1 each
additional item

D Please send Video Sales Catalog!
d Please send Reference by Mail list!

Payment Method

\ — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film
DviM D MasterCard Credit card*

Questions? Call Libby Rosemeierat (207) 469-0924

Membership/ Specify level, please:

TOTAL

LJ Institutional purchase order It
Expiration date

Credit card signature .

Orders Call toll free 800 639-1636 Thanks to Long Distance North, Burlington, Vermont

Holman Day Productions, a Maine film company, made more than twenty 2-reelers in 1919-1920.
Photo: Everett Foster Collection, NHF.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

RUCKSPORT, MAINE, USA
04416-0900 • (207) 469-0924

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Looking Into the Future

An archives has to look both ways at
once. While researchers look back into
the past at turn-of-the-century textile
mills, early automobiles, World War II
home front, Jewish family life in the
1950s and many other retrospective
topics . . . people responsible for the
collections and administration have to
look into the future.

For Generations To Come

As a public institution, Northeast
Historic Film is responsible for build-
ing the archives for future generations.
David Weiss addressed the issue of
archival appraisal (the art of judging
what to save and where to spend lim-
ited resources) in a presentation at the
American Historical Association's
annual conference in January.

Historically Important

Weiss called for more attention from
historians to moving-image acquisitions
policies around the country. While
many archives like NHF try to respond
to users' needs in the moment, they also
need to look over the horizon to estab-
lish long-term goals for collecting and
making material available. Weiss noted
that there are few forums for discussing
what makes moving images "histori-
cally important."

Farsighted Donors

Archives are dependent on uncommonly
farsighted donors who understand the
significance of saving moving-image
material for the future.

People who saved film over the
years before donating it to groups like
NHF are doing something important for
the future. So are people who help plan,
gather resources and build an archives'
curatorial and outreach functions by
donating time, money and expertise. •

Northeast Mrsfor/r Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedi<ated to the Preservation
of Northern Hew England
Motion Futures

Summer 1994

Executive Director's Report p. 2

One Hundred Years: Millennial

News by Rick Prelingcr p. 4

New York Film Collections by Kcnn

Rabin p. 5

New Members p. 8

Reference by Mail Videos p. 9

Calendar p. 10

Moving Image Review ISSN 0897-0769 is a
semiannual publication ot Northeast His-
toric Film, P.( ). Box 900, Bucksport, Maine
04416. David S. Weiss, executive- director,
Karan Sheldon, editor. 207 469-0924

Vision of the Future

The Alamo Theatre building on Main
Street in Bucksport, Maine, is a 1916
cinema, now home to Northeast Historic
Film. When the theater closed in 1956 the
600-seat auditorium was gutted for an
A&P grocery. Moviegoers in Bucksport
and a dozen surrounding towns have
since had to drive half an hour north to
Bangor, south to Belfast or east to
Ellsworth.

NHF will be returning community
moviegoing to the area in the historic
building with a new 120-seat theater. The
theater is a part of a renovation project
creating space to carry out Northeast
Historic Film's integrated mission of
preservation, education programs and
outreach.

Space for All Functions

Serving the local community is one goal.

The auditorium incorporates a stage and
will be made available for many types of
events: movies, live music, lectures and
meetings. The moving image collections
are the heart of the organization. Climate-
controlled storage is set aside in the
building. Technical services and film/
video distribution serve the curatorial
and outreach functions and are a source
of operational revenue. Research and
interpretive space furthers the educational
goals of NHF. All areas will welcome
continuing volunteer participation at
many levels including students and seniors.

The A Team

The team responsible for the building
plan is Roc Caivano of Bar Harbor,
Maine, with Terry Rankine of South
Thomaston, Maine, and Cambridge,
Mass., acting as design and planning

consultant. Rankine was one of the
founding principals of the well-known
architectural firm of Cambridge Seven
Associates, and has considerable experi-
ence in architecture, planning and exhibit
design.

Project Has it All

Rankine is intrigued by this project to
bring the Alamo back to life. "Once
again it will be an important part of the
world of film," he said recently. "It
brings together the restoration of a build-
ing that gave so much to the life and
culture of the area, with the need to
preserve the visual records of the North-
east. It has it all. The kind of project that
one can really get into."

Roc Caivano has been a College of
the Atlantic faculty member; his work
can be seen on the COA campus and
many other Mount Desert Island loca-
tions. Caivano was recently joined by
John Gordon, project manager, who lives
with his family in Bucksport. Gordon
says, "This project will help Bucksport
continue to mend the fabric of its down-
town and further realize the potential this
town possesses." •

Perspective view of proposed theater
drawn by John Gordon.

Executive Director's Report

This has been a time of great energy and
progress for the archives with an expanded
team and new cooperative efforts on many
fronts.

Over the last several months we have
been working with an increasing number
of organizations providing technical
services and consulting.

Harvard University Archives
Recently Roberta Kovitz, assistant cura-
tor at the Harvard University Archives,
contacted us about evaluating their mov-
ing image collections.
Kovitz reports,

Over the years the Harvard University
Archives has collected a wide variety of
moving image formats. We needed
someone fully versed in the medium,
with the equipment to view it, and
capable of evaluating the collections
from the perspective of preservation and
user needs. David brings together all
these attributes, in addition to being a
patient teacher. Working with the data-
base designer from the Harvard Univer-
sity Library Preservation Office, David
helped us develop a survey instrument
to provide a basis for dealing with our
moving images.

Staff Support

Lori Lovell is our new office manager, a
Bucksport resident who has worked at
the Training & Development Corp.,
Bucksport, and University of Maine
College of Education, Orono.

Volunteer Corps

Broad-ranging volunteer involvement at
NHF has been essential to our program on
every front. Terry Rankine has been work-
ing pro bono directing our building plan.

Curatorial and outreach activities
have been enhanced by work of Yvette
St. Peter several times a week, by Jim
Phillips's projection services and prints,
William McKinley's wonderful collec-
tions, and by such talented folks as Phil
Whitney who saw a need — our silent Ice
Harvesting Sampler — and provided a
wonderful narration. Tim Emerson lent a
hand with construction. Contributors at a
distance include the researchers men-
tioned in the update on Phillips Lord (see
page 9).

Phil Yates has continued to be a
stalwart and much-appreciated team

member, contributing
countless hours of
volunteer time. Lynne
Blair has also volun-
teered on top of her
regular schedule. The
Community Advisory
Board helped plan the
next Alamo renova-
tion phase. We all
enjoyed monthly
potlucks and screen-
ings this winter and
thank all who contrib-
uted to the good cheer.

I'm pleased to introduce two new
board members, Michael Fiori and James
Henderson, who generously bring their
experienced voluntary leadership to the
organization.

The Board of Trustees

Michael J. Fiori, Bangor, Maine President
and COO, Downcast Pharmacy Inc., a Maine-
based chain specializing in geriatric and long-
term care. CEO of ODV, Inc., South Paris,
Maine, manufacturers and distributors world-
wide of narcotic identification and forensic
equipment. Director/Trustee Bangor Histori-
cal Society. '

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, Maine
PRESIDENT President, Electronic Media
International, Kennebunkport. Entrepreneur
and international consultant whose specialty
is manufacturing and electronic media; his
company, Global Zero, produces video-
cassettes in Westbrook, Maine.

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, Maine
Maine State Archivist, administrative head of
the State Archives with fifteen staff members.
Education includes PhD in political science,
Emory University. From Skowhegan, Maine.
Interest in Maine history, politics 8c arts.

Alan J. McClelland, Camden, Maine
TREASURER Retired defense electronics
executive from Ford Aerospace and Gilfillan
In. Volunteer archivist and photographer,
Owls Head Transportation Museum, Owls
Head, Maine. On executive board of the
Society of Maine Archivists. Interested in
video, photography and computer technology.

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, Maine
VICE PRESIDENT Owner, Rosen's Depart-
ment Store, Bucksport, third-generation. V.P.
board of Bucksport regional health center
and cofounder, Bucksport Bay Area Cham-
ber of Commerce. Active in Republican state
politics.

David Weiss, executive director (left), and Terry Rankine, architect,
go over plans for the NHF building renovation. The current plans are
on page 6.

Robert Saudek, Washington D.C. and
Boothbay Harbor, Maine Retired Chief,
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broad-
casting and Recorded Sound Division, Wash-
ington, D.C. More than 40 years in television.
Board, Marlboro Music Festival, Vermont.

Shan Sayles, Carmel by the Sea, Calif, and
Cape Rosier, Maine More than 40 years'
experience in the film-exhibition business.
Active in California film exhibition. Arts and
AIDS philanthropy. Summer and winter
visitor to Cape Rosier.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, Maine
Staff, NHF. Cofounder of NHF, previously at
WGBH-TV Boston. Serves on Library of
Congress task force on public access and
educational use of film.

Dr. David C. Smith, Bangor, Maine Prof,
of History, University of Maine, Orono. Bird
8c Bird professor of history and cooperating
professor of quaternary studies; at the Uni-
versity of Maine for 25 years. Author of
books on World War II.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, Maine
Executive Director and cofounder of NHF.
Previously media producer in Boston. Degree
in film and semiotics from Brown University.
Past chair of Media Arts review panel, Maine
Arts Commission. Serves on Maine's Histori-
cal Records Advisory Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington D.C. Founder,
Smithsonian Institution Human Studies Film
Archives. One of the country's authorities on
the physical care and preservation of 16 mm.
archival film, as well as anthropological film
study. Family roots in Skowhegan, Maine.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

Projection

Where the Rivers Flow North

There isn't as much 16 mm. film being
projected as there used to be. Still, many
independent filmmakers create and
distribute work on 16 mm. NHF has
publicly screened documentaries includ-
ing Ned Johnston's beautiful film about
African desert life, Mauritania — The
Wealth of Blood, and Kevin Rafferty and
James Ridgeway's funny political picture,
Feed.

Gorgeous Prints . . . Or Garbage

There's nothing like a beautiful new print.
A ruined print is a heartbreak. Scratches,
dirt and torn perforations are a waste of
an increasingly scarce resource.

Because at many institutions 16 mm.
projection occasions are infrequent, fewer
people are familiar with equipment and
procedures. Three guidelines are of utmost
importance: 1) Projectionists must be
trained; 2) The projectionist must not
leave the projector; 3) Damage occurring
in projection should be reported without
delay to the lender of the film. •

The torn perforations occurred because the
projectionist was not paying attention.

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape ot interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but arc not
limited to a survey of moving pic-
tures of northern New England;
Preserving and safeguarding film
.ind videotape through restoration,
duplication, providing of technical
guidance and climate-controlled
storage; Creation of educational
programs through screenings and
exhibitions on -site and in touring
programs; Assistance to members of
the public, scholars and students .it
all levels, and members of the film
and video production community,
through providing a study center,
technical services and facilities.

Howard Frank Mosher's Vermont novel
is now an independently produced and
distributed feature film shot on location
in Vermont and New Hampshire. Set in
1927, the film tells the story of a woods-
man (played by Rip Torn) who refuses to
sell his timberland to the power com-
pany. His companion, Bangor (Tantoo
Cardinal, who had lead roles in Dances
with Wolves and Black Robe), is a strong

woman — as Cardinal says, "She didn't
sweat the small stuff."

Where the Rivers Flow North is about
these characters and about logging, river
driving and cultural change. "Moderniza-
tion is a sub-text," states Jay Craven in
his director's notebook.

It all ends in a movie theater. •

Caledonia Pictures of Barnet, Vermont,
802 633-3220,
plans a barn-
storming tour of
the film through
northern New
England. They
are also distrib-
uting an educa-
tional package
including video-
tapes and cur-
ricular print
materials. The
videotape will be
available from
Northeast His-
toric Film.

Main Street, St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Photo: Joseph Mehling/ Caledonia
Pictures.

Maine Humanities Resources

Maine Humanities Resources, with a new
service called "Ideas to Go," has been
established by the Maine Humanities
Council, a private, nonprofit foundation
affiliated with the National Endowment
for the Humanities. Ideas to Go consists
of a circulating film/video collection,
traveling exhibits for loan, and reading
and discussion programs.

Film/Video

Northeast Historic Film is administer-
ing the film and video programs from
its offices in Bucksport. Nonprofit
organizations in Maine may borrow
from a collection emphasizing current
productions including Anchor of the
Soul on African-American life in Maine.
Humanities Council-supported 16 mm.
films are also available. Many videotapes
complement the Council's latest state-
wide initiative, The Century Project:

Modern Times in Maine and America,
1890-1930.

Traveling Exhibits

Twenty exhibits on subjects including
Wordsworth and the Age of English
Romanticism and Martin Luther King,
Jr. are available. All exhibits are low
security and contain no artifacts. They
are administered by Lynne Blair, also in
NHF's building.

Let's Talk About it in Maine

Maine libraries can create reading and
discussion programs using book sets from
Ideas to Go in cooperation with the
Maine State Library. Twenty themes are
available including The Journey Inward:
Women's Autobiography.

To request the Ideas to Go brochure
call 469-6912 or write to Maine Humani-
ties Resources, PO Box 1026, Bucksport,
ME 04416. •

One Hundred Years:
Jumping on the Millennial Bandwagon, Archives Await End of Century

Five years before the year 2000, the media
race to portray the last hundred years is
on. These projects are planned for release
by 1997, leaving an open window for
other shows not yet envisioned when the
thousands digit actually rolls over.

Archives & Researchers at Work

This flurry of millennial interest promises
to consume the efforts of archives and
archival researchers over the next few
years. It also promises increased income
for stock-footage libraries and copyright
holders. With a warning that things can
change rapidly in the media world, here's
a brief rundown of some 20th-century
projects:

• ABC News is producing an ambitious
series currently known as The 20th
Century Project in partnership with
Japan's publicly funded NHK network.
ABC's contribution, slated to air monthly
beginning in January 1997, consists of
twelve programs formatted to fit a two-
hour commercial time slot. Each show
will be set in a particular U.S. city or
town and will draw on personal stories.
NHK and ABC are mounting a worldwide
research effort for the series.

• The British Broadcasting Company
(BBC) and Boston's public TV station
WGBH are coproducing The People's
Century. Of 26 total hours, WGBH is
producing eight and BBC eighteen. A
topical series depending heavily on archi-
val footage, the theme is "mass movement
and the common man." Episodes may,
for instance, cover how sport lost its
elitist nature.

• Although not a formal wrap-up of the
century's events, Walter Cronkite's TV
series The Twentieth Century is being
revived by CBS News Productions, pick-
ing up in the mid-1950s (roughly where
Cronkite left off). Most airtime in the
series will be composed of CBS News
archival footage plus CBS News reporting
(e.g., coverage of events by correspon-
dents). Hosted by Mike Wallace, the
series includes 22 hours that will initially
air on the Arts and Entertainment Net-
work this fall.

• In collaboration with CBS News
Productions, Grinker and Company is

by Rick Prelinger

now producing a four-hour series called
The Century That Made America Great,
scheduled to air beginning in January
1995. The series is composed of archival
footage (mostly drawn from the CBS News
Archives) and interviews.

• Turner Broadcasting (TBS Productions)
has commenced production on a ten-hour
series tentatively titled Century. Under
the direction of executive producer
Jonathan Taplin, Turner's twist involves
the participation of feature-film directors
and producers such as Paul Schrader,
Philip Kaufman and David Puttnam.
Each episode deals with a topic whose
treatment will be up to the individual
director; a Turner spokesperson indicated
that some episodes may include historical
reenactments.

TBS Productions is creating other
documentary series relating to this cen-
tury, including A Century of Women,
which aired in early June and featured
dramatized sequences; The Native Amer-
icans; and Driving Passion, on the history
of the American automobile.

• The Voyager Company, a producer
of interactive software and laserdiscs,
plans to release Rick Prelinger's Our
Secret Century in early 1995. This CD-
ROM project includes twelve discs, each
an anthology of ephemeral films, film
clips, text and graphic materials relating
to a different 20th-century subject or
preoccupation. The first two discs,
Capitalist

Realism, on
American labor
and industry,
and The Rain-
bow is Yours,
on design and
consumerism,
are in produc-
tion. In col-
laboration with
Kathy High,
Prelinger has
begun to pro-
duce a feature
film with the
same title.

• Germany's ZDF plans a 12-part series
for worldwide distribution entitled A
Century Takes Off. Producer Dieter
Franck will examine the first 30 years of
this century in the context of issues
important to us today such as the envi-
ronment, the status of women, migration
and emigration.

• Cronkite/Ward and Company (New
York and Washington) will soon an-
nounce a ten-hour series for worldwide
broadcast, cable and other media, includ-
ing new media, for presentation at the
end of 1995.

Chance to Present Unseen Images

With a profusion of media outlets and
five more years before 2000, this report is
surely incomplete. But even as the list
grows, most archivists will see these
programs as a chance to place unseen and
provocative images before the public and
to present history as more than simple
nostalgia. The ultimate success of these
projects, and possibly the way the 20th
century is finally remembered, will rest
on the creativity of their producers. •

Rick Prelinger has lived through two-
fifths of the twentieth century, the last ten
years as an archivist of advertising, indus-
trial and educational films in New York.
He is publisher of Footage 91: North
American Film and Video Sources and
currently Director of Archival Develop-
ment at Home Box Office in New York
City.

Eleanor Roosevelt from A Century of Women, Turner's 6-hour documentary
series. Photo: ©Archive Photos.

Changes in New York
Film Archives

Grants in Action

by Kenn Rabin

Radical changes have been occurring in
the New York archival scene, the home
of many of the largest privately owned
historic film collections in the country.
Though the shifting of these assets, which
constitute a vital record of our society,
may mean in some cases increased acces-
sibility, in one case at least, we may all
suffer a tremendous loss.

Grinberg

Grinberg Film Libraries, which operates
in New York and Los Angeles, represents
the ABC News Collection, Paramount
and Pathe newsreels, and various smaller
collections. Last month Grinberg was sold
to Sequent Communications, the real-
estate company that owns the Charles
River Studios in Boston. Bernie Chertok,
who has run Grinberg/New York for
over 35 years, is serving as a transition
consultant but will be leaving to start his
own stock-footage research agency. As
well, Linda Grinberg, daughter of the
original founder, has stepped down on
the West Coast. The staff librarians, who
know the collection intimately, will
remain in place for now, and ABC News
will (at least for the present) continue
their association with the archives.'

Prelinger

Prelinger Archives, which is the best
source of sociologically oriented material
from the 1920s on, will soon be repre-
sented by another New York library,
Archive Films, though collector Rick
Prelinger will retain actual ownership.
This will free him up to concentrate on
building the best collection he can by
unburdening him of day-to-day business,
and, through Archive, researchers will
have increased access to the collection.
Patrick Montgomery, owner of Archive
Films, has always been sympathetic to
independent filmmakers and has empha-
sized computerized cataloging and direct
access to screening materials. A major
new cataloging effort is already underway
at Prelinger in anticipation of the change.

Fox Movietone

Potentially the most disastrous event in
the New York shuffle is the closing of the

Fox Movietonews collection on June 30.
From 1919 to 1963 Fox was the most
comprehensive theatrical newsreel in the
country. In addition to newsreels and
their outtakes, the archives includes count-
less theatrical shorts and travelogues, and
therefore constitutes one of the largest
privately owned collections of American
historical audiovisual materials. Fox Inc.
has recently underwritten a major effort
to transfer the collection to digital video-
tape, but some of the transfers have been
quite poor. Luckily, the film masters will
be retained, contrary to earlier reports.
Many believe Fox will close its doors to
the public permanently next month and
will be available exclusively to 20th
Century Fox features, television, interac-
tive, and cable.

In the 1970s and 1980s studios such as
Universal received large tax write-offs in
exchange for donating their collections.
When the Universal newsreels were given,
unrestricted, to the National Archives,
the American people benefited, getting
unprecedented access to their own audio-
visual history. However, changes in the
tax code later in the 1980s rendered
donating disadvantageous, as Fox discov-
ered when it tried to donate its collection
to the University of South Carolina some
years ago.

The Fox situation reminds us of the
dark side of copyright ownership — that,
in fact, the public can be deprived of its
own historical record if finances warrant
it. We will continue to watch the New
York events unfold with great interest. •

Kenn Rabin is the founder of Fulcrum
Media Services and has been nominated
for two Emmy Awards for his archival
film research. He has developed produc-
tion archival systems for many series,
including Eyes on the Prize, Vietnam: A
Television History, and Kevin Conner's
500 Nations. Rabin teaches workshops on
the production of compilation documenta-
ries and consults with multimedia produc-
ers in the San Francisco Bay area. 415
459-4429, e-mail 74064.1351
@compuserve.com.

Maine Arts Commission,
Rural Arts Initiative
The Advancement Grant Program, Rural
Arts Initiative, of the Maine Arts Com-
mission made a second grant of $10,000
in support of developing public space and
programming in the Alamo Theatre
building. This amount, for use between
July 1994 and June 1995, will be used for
technical consulting for stage, projection,
lighting and sound systems; and for
accessibility plans, arts management
expertise and initial programs.

The organization's strengths noted by
the reviewing panel include NHP's long-
range planning process, understanding of
the community and cooperative projects.

Thanks to the Commission staff for
their continued support, to the panel, and
to letter writers Jackson Gillman, Stand-
up Chameleon; Glenn Jcnks, Bonnie
Banks Productions; Melba C. Wilson,
Executive Director, Arcady Music Festi-
val; Roger Raymond, Bucksport Town
Manager; Lisa Whitney, Bucksport Town
Council member.

Aroostook Project

The Expansion Arts Fund of the Maine
Community Foundation gave $1,500 to
support "Aroostook County Film and
Music Performance," which will bring
film to the county in cooperation with
people in Presque Isle, Fort Fairfield and
Fort Kent.

Presque Isle's Braden Theatre donated
the only surviving 35 mm. nitrate him
made by the Frontier Film Co., a visual
catalog of some of the County's primary
economic and social activities: Main
Street, potato farming, apple growing,
hunting and tourism. The Braden Theatre
closed in December 1994 following the
opening of a New York-owned eight-
screen facility in the town. The Braden's
owner has agreed to assist with screenings
this fall even though his vintage theater
will not otherwise be open for business.

Matching Programs
Current employees and retirees of many
companies can make their gifts to NH1 go
further, sometimes doubling or tripling
the gift, by using corporate matching-ptt
programs. •

Plan for the Alamo Theatre Building

The Alamo Theatre, which fronts on Main Street (at the bottom of this space, now the theatrical fly, will offer storage. The basement will hold a

page), will use all four levels for public and archival functions. The first climate-controlled vault for archival storage. Linking the floors is an

floor will hold a theater and public exhibition space. The second floor elevator and stairway planned for the Alamo's parking lot area (at the top

includes offices, technical services and reference materials. The third floor of this page).

First Floor

Main Street

Second Floor

Library of Congress
Film Preservation Plan

The National Film Preservation Public
Access and Educational Use task force
met May 23 in Los Angeles. NHF co-
founder and task-force member
Karan Sheldon participated in the
meeting, the first face-to-face session
after a series of conference calls. Recom-
mendations from this and other task
forces will result in a national film preser-
vation plan to be released by the Librarian
of Congress. The plan will be available
for public comment for 60 days beginning
in early August.

Public Access

Increasing availability of film prints for
exhibition has been a task-force concern.
The scope of the repertory exhibition
market was one topic. A recommenda-
tion is a "print bank" from which other-
wise unavailable films can be loaned to
exhibitors. Making information on
existing sources for 35 mm. and 16 mm.
prints more easily available was also
discussed.

Proposed Legislation
The film preservation plan may lead to
proposed legislation to establish a Film
Preservation Foundation supported by
federal appropriations and private match-
ing funds. The foundation will assist the
effort to save America's film heritage and
bring it before the public.

Film ID Card

There's a pile of old film cans up in the
attic. What the heck is in them? You
know we don't have that old projector
any more. . . .

For those unlabeled cans and boxes,
and for the times you can't quite re-
member the difference between 16mm.
and Super 8 because Uncle Ed didn't
tell you what was going through his
camera — consult Northeast Historic
Film's FILM ID CARD.

The card identifies key dates and film
stocks with brief helpful notes. The
card is useful for small nonprofits and
people with family film. It's free. Just
call NHF.

Your Comments Needed
For a copy of the national film preserva-
tion plan contact Steve Leggett, National
Film Preservation Board Assistant at the
Library of Congress, 202 707-5912; FAX
202 707-2371. •

Regional Grant Opportunities

EARNEST (Exchange of Arts Resources
among the New England States) is a New
England Foundation for the Arts program
that makes funding available to presenters
who engage New England artist groups
based outside the presenter's home state.
The artists engaged must be members of
their own state's touring roster. So New
Hampshire and Vermont sponsors could
book Maine silent-film accompanists
Danny Patt (Portland) or Glenn Jenks
(Camden). Maine and New Hampshire
sponsors could book Peter Tavalin (Put-
ney), also an accompanist for silent film.
The deadline is September 1 for events
beginning after December 1. Call for the

New England Foundation for the Arts
guide to programs, 617 492-2914.

Maine Historical Records Advisory
Board Regrant Program is funded by
the National Historical Publications and
Records Commission to provide modest
funding for projects to adopt proper
archival planning and management tech-
niques to preserve and improve access to
important historical records. This in-
cludes manuscripts, photographs, movie
films, video or audio recordings. February
1, 1995, is the next deadline. Call Janet
Roberts at the Maine State Archives, 207
287-5791. •

New at the Archives

'Significant 16 mm. collections have been
coming to the archives, including the life
work of Archie Stewart, a 92-year-old
photographer. His granddaughter, Mary
Kelly, describes how Stewart "lovingly
filmed his subjects — hunting, fishing,
canoes and canoemanship, Maine guides
ca. 1926 on — and scrupulously docu-
mented his films." The preservation
project is in partnership with the Maine
Folklife Center at the University of
Maine.

Amateur collections documenting the
region directly fit the archives' collecting
mission. NHF has another function,
which is to assist with the preservation of
footage that would otherwise be lost.
Unpreserved nitrate film continues to be
of concern and arrives at the archives
thanks to alert friends.

Teens Films Found

In May NHF member James Phillips
found five reels of 35 mm. film from the
teens. One reel of International Newsreel
(1919) contains footage of returning
World War I troops and a Gregory
LaCava animated short by T. A. Dorgan.
It was donated to the UCLA Film Archive,
accepted by newsreel preservationist
Blaine Bartell and curator Eddie Rich-
mond. A copy will be available for pre-
sentation to NHF's audiences.

From the same collection, four one-
reel comedies were donated to the Inter-
national Museum of Photography at
George Eastman House. James Phillips
studied in Rochester and was glad that
the archives agreed to preserve the films.
The comedies include the 1915 Vitagraph
Co. The Professor's Painless Cure with
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew, best known
for A Florida Enchantment. GEH curator
Dr. Jan-Christopher Horak will research
an unidentified Lubin comedy — with an
epistolary hook penned by a British
fellow, "Your American girls have no
charm for me, they are too mannish."

Film books, sheet music relating to
movies, including Evangeline, and film-
advertising materials were received from
Michael Fiori, Kathryn Fuller, Douglas
Gomery, Pam Wintle and Sam Taylor
among others. Many thanks! •

American Memory:
Multimedia Historical Collections from the Library of Congress

New means of access to historical records
— including moving images — are being
created. One example is the American
Memory project at the Library of Con-
gress. Conceived as a way to help Library
collections reach new audiences, more or
less unmediated, the project has had a
pilot period and is awaiting further
funding before wider distribution.

Interactive Future

According to information put out by the
Library, "Future researchers will be able
to visit an American Memory workstation
at a local library or school and search
through collections, view interactive
exhibitions that introduce specific collec-
tions, and electronically 'copy' data for
further study."

While the Library is investigating
digital motion-picture technology and
on-line delivery, moving images are
available on analog (CAV) laserdisc. One
project still in production is The Ameri-
can Variety Stage, 1870-1920. LeeEllen
Friedland, who is working on preparing
this collection, says,

A librarian in the motion picture divi-
sion, Gene DeAnna, and I did a survey

of all the Paper Print films. We made a
selection focusing on vaudeville, bur-
lesque and musical revue. We found
many vaudeville bits just like you would
have seen on stage: trained dogs, contor-
tionists, comedy vignettes. There were
dance performances, short dramas and
tableaux.

American Memory drew from many
divisions of the Library. Variety Stage
was the first example that was explicitly
an anthology, drawing from several
special collection divisions — film, sound,
photos, manuscripts. The pilot project
brought attention to collections that
needed processing and preservation.
American Memory has always tried to
dovetail with ongoing preservation and
be a catalyst for it.

For research access, "We will make
our own item-level records for the Paper
Print films which will be part of the on-
line collection."

A two-year test-site evaluation,
conducted in 44 schools and libraries
across the country, has been completed.
To give American Memory a test drive,
visit the Library of Congress motion-
picture reading room. •

New Members

Corporate and Associate Members

Beverly Bibber & Charles G. Tetro
Catie Marshall & Nelson Bakerman
Sky Dog Productions

Nonprofit Organizations

Graves Memorial Library, Kennebunkport
Jay-Niles Memorial Library, North Jay
York Institute Museum

Regular Members

Coco Adams

I .im is Ames

John Brooks

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Buffington

Paul Cady

James Carter

Dennis Ekberg

Austin Goodyear

Eric Handley

Lorraine Hanson

Charles Hoag

Glenn Jenks & Faith Getchell

Mary Kelly

JohnMacFadyen

Kenn Rabin

William Rand

Bill Robertson

Pat & Tom Schroth

Evelyn Snell

Philip P. Thompson

Danna Ware

Heather White

Frank & Catherine Wiers

Educator/Student Members

D. Blanchard, Jordan Small School

Tom Rankin, Center for Southern Studies

Tony Smith

Peggy Wiles

Windham School Department

Renewal Time? Members!

Check your mailing label. Your member-
ship expiration date should appear there.
Save NHF a mailing by sending your
renewal check now! VISA and MasterCard
renewals are welcome. If there's no date
on the address label, please turn to page
11 and join. •

Further Information

Carl Fleischhauer, Coordinator
American Memory, Library of Congress,
Washington, DC 20540-1300
202 707-6233.

Moving Images in American Memory

The Life of a City: Early Films of New York,

1897-1906

Paper Print Films of President William McKinley

and the Pan-American Exposition, 1901

On videodisc but not yet searchable in American
Memory: Early Films of San Francisco Before and
After the Great Earthquake, 1897-1907
Collections in production: The American Variety
Stage, 1870-1920
Early Films of the Westinghouse Factory, 1904

Video Preservation

Jim Lindner of VidiPax™, New York,
likes to help people with video restora-
tion issues. Lindner has been an active
contributor to AMIA-L, the Association
of Moving Image Archivists computer
bulletin board.

The Worst Cases

An article he wrote for the AMIA news-
letter called "Confessions of a Videotape
Restorer" focuses on differences in design
of videotapes and machines. He notes that
some of the worst problems his company
has encountered "are caused in production
long before storage has occurred. What
single restoration solution could handle
the abuse given by a well-intentioned
crew member who placed a tape inside a
sandwich bag (that apparently previously
held a sandwich), where it remained for
20 years? Some of my personal favorites
include the tape that broke in production
and was taped together with duct tape, and
the tape that had paper "bookmarks" to
mark where an important scene started.
And of course there have been tapes that
have been visited by living creatures over
the years, some microscopic and some
generally characterized as 'vermin.'"

Jim Lindner's VidiPax™ helpline is
800 653-8434. E-mail will reach him at
VIDIPAXJIM@delphi.com.

Lindner describes himself as "the guy
who used to be in your high school and
run the projector, but is now 40 years old
and 6' 7" tall." •

Reference by Mail

Members of Northeast Historic Film are invited to borrow
from the FREE circulating loan collection, Reference by Mail.
Return Instructions

Borrowers are responsible for return to NHF via First Class
mail or UPS. Tapes must be on their way back to NHF five days
after they are received.

Public Performance

Videotapes are offered as a reference service. Where possible,

public-performance rights are included. Please check each tape's
status: PERF means public performance rights are included. If
you have a date in mind, call ahead to ensure availability. Where
there is no PERF, the tape is for home use only and may not be
shown to a group.

Videos for Sale

Many of these tapes are available for purchase through NHF;

tapes that may be bought are listed with a check mark.

Artists and Authors

/ NlViBerenice Abbott: A Viewofthe Twenti-
eth Century, life and work of one of America's
most significant photographers; she lived in
Maine into her 90s. 1 992. 56 mins., col., sd.
/ Bonsoir Mes Amis, portrait of two of
Maine's finest traditional Franco-American
musicians. By Huey. 1 990. 46 mins., col., sd.
NEW Master Smart Woman, Maine novelist
Sarah Orne Jewett (1850-1909) by Jane
Morrison. 1 984. 28 mins., col., sd.
NEW May Sarton: She Knew a Phoenix, the
poet reads and talks at home. Produced by
Karen Saum. 1 980. 28 mins., col., sd. PERF

City Life

/ NWNAnchorol the Soul, African-American
history in northern New England through
the story of a Portland church. 1994. 60
mins., col., sd.

NEWCon / Cet Therefrom Here? Urban Youth,
families, work, homelessness in Portland,
Maine. 1981. 29 mins., col., sd. PERF
/ Roughing the Uppers: The Creat Shoe Strike
ol 1937, documentary by Robert Branham
and Bates College students about CIO shoe
strike in Lewiston & Auburn, Maine. 1992.
55 mins., col., sd.

24 Hours, fire fighting in Portland, Maine,
with memorable narration. The filmmaker,
Earle Fenderson, died this year at age 90.
1 963. 27 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Country Life

The Batteou Machias, studen t project on con-
struction of a traditional river-driving boat.
1 990. 22 mins., col., sd. PERF
/ Ben's Mill, a documentary about a Ver-
mont water-powered mill by NHF members
Michel Chalufour and John Karol. 60 mins
col., sd.

/ A Century ol Summers, the impact of a
summer colony on a small Maine coastal
community by Hancock native and NHF
member Sandy Phippen. 1987. 45 mins.,
b&w and col., sd. PERF
/ Cherryfield, 1 938, a terrific home movie
about rural spring. 6 mins., b&w, si. PERF
/ Dead River Rough Cut, lives and philoso-
phies of two woodsmen-trappers by Richard
Searls and Stuart Silvers tein. 1 976. 55 mins.,
col.,sd.

Down last Dairyman, produced by the Maine
Dept. of Agriculture. 1972. 14 mins., col.,
sd.PERF

/ NEWGiont Horses, draft horses and their
drivers. 28 mins., col., sd.
/ Ice Harvesting Sampler, five short silent
films showing a near-forgotten New En-
gland industry. 26 mins., b&w, sd. PERF
The Movie Queen, Lubec, pretend movie
queen visits her home town in down east
Maine. 1 936. 28 mins., b&w, si.

Nature's Blueberry/and, Maine's wild blue-
berries. 1 3 mins., col., sd. PERF
Paris, ! 92 9 and other views, home movies of
the Wright family in Paris, Maine, haying,
mowing, picnics. 80 mins., b&w, si.
Part- Time Farmer, promotes agriculture as an
after-hours pursuit, ca. 1 975. 1 7 mins., col.,
sd.PERF

/ Sins of Our Mothers, girl who went to the
Massachusetts textile mills from Fayette,
Maine. 60 mins., col., sd.PERF

Early Film

/ All But Forgotten, documentary on the
Holman Day silent-film company in Maine.
1 978. 30 mins., col. and b&w, sd. PERF
Cupid, Registered Guide, a two-reel North
Woods comedy by Maine writer Holman
Day. 1 921 . 20 mins., b&w, si. PERF
/ Earliest Maine Films, lobstering, trout fish-
ing, logging, canoeing on Moosehead Lake
and potato growing, from 1 901 to 1 920. 44
mins., b&w, si. PERF

lust Maine Folks, a bawdy hayseed one-reeler.
Poor image quality. 1913.8 mins., b&w, si.

PERF

The Knight of the Pines, another North Woods
adventure by Maine writer Holman Day.
1 920. 20 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Ecology

/ NEW Rachel Canon's Silent Spring, her
1963 book about pesticides helped raise
ecological consciousness. 1993. 60 mins.,
col., sd.

Fisheries

8os/c Net Mending, how to repair fish nets.

1951.16 mins., col., sd. PERF

It 's the Maine Sardine, catching, packing and

eating Eastport fish. 1 949. 1 6 mins., col., sd.

PERF

Maine's Harvesters of the Sea, fisheries includ-
ing shrimp, cod and lobster. 1 968. 28 mins.,
col., sd.PERF

The Maine Lobster, lobster fisheries and con-
sumption with unusual footage including
the assembly of lobster TVdinners. ca. 1 955.
30 mins., col., sd.PERF
Tuna Fishing off Portland Harbor, Maine, off-
shore fishing with a Maine sea and shore
warden, ca. 1930. 10 mins., b&w, si. with
intertitles.PERF

Turn of the Tide, drama about formation of a
lobster cooperative; from the Vinalhaven
Historical Society. 1 943. 48 mins., col., sd.

Franco-American Life

Reflets et Lumiere, three seasons of a televi-
sion series on Franco-American culture pro-
duced by the Maine Public Broadcasting
Network (MPBN). The programs aired from
1979 to 1981. Sound and image quality
varies. PERF

Potato Harvest Northern Maine. Interview
and poetry reading by Norm Dube in
Bedford, NH. 1979, 39 mins.
Acadian Villages Acadian history — interview
with Guy Dubay of Madawaska, Maine. Visits
to the Acadian Village near Van Buren, Maine,
and le Village Acadien in Carquet, New
Brunswick, Canada. A short visit to Quebec
City. 1979. 27 mins.

Lowell Mills Irene Simoneau, Franco-Ameri-
can historian on the role of women in the
mills. Roger Paradis of Fort Kent, Maine,
about Franco-American folklore and music.
1979. 29 mins.
Many more . . . call for the complete list.

Geography

Assignment inAroostook, Loring Air Force Base
in northern Maine closes this year. Mom at
home, the sergeant at work, the family at
play. 1 956. 27 mins., col., sd. PERF
</ Mount Washington Among the Clouds, a
history of the hotels, newspaper and cog
railway, 1 852-1 908. 30 mins., col., sd.
Mysteries of the Unknown: A Documentary
about our Community, an outstanding stu-
dent video about Bucksport, Maine, with
original music. 1 990. 30 mins., col., sd.
/ Norumbega: Maine in the Age ol Exploration
and Settlement, early Maine history, based
on maps. 1 989. 1 6 mins., col., sd. PERF
NEW This Land: The Story of a Community
Land Trust and a Co-Op Called H. O.M. E., Karen
Saum's documentary on Orland, Maine, or-
ganization. 1 983. 26 mins., col., sd.PERF
A Quiet Frontier, produced for the City of
Bangor to promote economic development
during urban renewal. 1 969. 30 mins , col
sd.

Winter Sports in the White Mountain National
Forest, skiing, sledding and snowshoeing in
New Hampshire. 1934. 28 mins., b&w, si.
PERF

Oral History

/ Hap Collins ol South Blue Hill, |eff Titon's
oral history interview with field footage of a
lobsterman, painter and poet. 1989. 56
mins., col. .sd.PERF

/ An Oral Historian's Work with Dr. Edward
Ives, "how to" illustrating an oral history
project by the founder of the Maine Folklife
Center. 1987. 30 mins., col., sd.PERF
Corlton Willey, baseball pitcher, 1 958 rookie
of the year, interviewed in a high school
project. Unedited interview from VHS mas-
ter. 1 990. 39 mins., col., sd. PERF

Political Discourse

lerry Brown Speaks in New Hampshire, from the
1 992 presidential campaign. 28 mins., col.,
sd. PERF

lohn f. Kennedy Speech, anniversary of the
Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1963 at the

Univ. of Maine homecoming. 30 mins.,
b&w, sd. PERF. Sent with lull transcript of
speech.

Margaret Chase Smith Speech, declaration of

intention to run for President, includes Q&A.

1 964. 1 7 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

[Ha Knowles: A Dangerous Woman, video on a

suffragist & Bates alumna by Robert

Branham & students. 1991. 25 mins., col.,

sd.

Television

The Cold War/Transportation/TVCommercials.
three compilation tapes from the Bangor
Historical Society/WABi collection. 40 to 50
mins. each; b&w, si. and sd.PERF
J Maine's TV Time Machine, the 1 950s and
early 60s in news, sports and local commer-
cials. 1 989. 34 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Transportation

/ AroundCape Horn, Captain Irving Johnson
aboard the bark Peking. 1929. 37 mins,
b&w, sd.

/ Ride the Sandy River Railroad, one of the
country's best two-foot-gauge railroads
1930. 30 min., b&w, si. with intertitles.

Woods

In the Public Interest: The Civilian Conservation
Corps in Maine, the federal work program
from Acadia National Park to Cape Elizabeth
1 987. 58 mins., sd., col. and b&w.
/ From Stump to Ship, complete look at the
long-log industry from forest to shipboard
1 930. 28 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

S King Spruce, harvesting pulpwood, in-
cludes horses and mechanical log haulers ca
1940. 23 mins., col. ,sd.
Little Log Cabin in the Northern Woods, ama-
teur film of a young woman's hunting trip
near Brownville, Maine, with a professional
guide ca. 1 930. 1 3 mins., b&w, si PERF
Our White Pine Heritage, how the trees are
harvested for use in construction, papermak-
ing, etc. 1948. 16 mins., b&w, sd
Pilgrim Forests, about Civilian Conservation
Corps work in New England— Acadia Na-
tional Park and White Mountain National
Forest, ca. 1933. 10 mins , b&w, si. PERF
/ Woodsmen and River Drivers. "Another day,
another era, " unforgettable individuals who
worked for the Machias Lumber Company
before 1 930 1 989 30 mins., col and b&w,
sd.PERF

Women's Issues

NEW Working Women ol Waldo County: Our
Heritage, documentary — basketmaking,
farming and other work 1979 26 mins.,
col., sd.PERF
Also in this series. Today and Her Story

Calendar
and Call for Volunteers

Passes are available for people who would
like to enjoy the fair season and help run
the booth at the Blue Hill, Common
Ground and Fryeburg Fairs. It's a great
way to participate as an insider! Call 469-
0924 for details.

A special film event will be held on
August 29 at the Neighborhood House in
Northeast Harbor, Maine. Call Crystal
Hall at 207 288-4947 for more information.

July 28 Bristol, Maine, The Seventh Day
(1921) with piano accompaniment by
Danny Patt, hosted by the Damariscotta
River Assoc. and the Pemaquid Water-
shed Assoc. Call Carolyn Landau, 207
563-8645.

August 17 Vinalhaven Historical Society,
Vinalhaven Island, Maine, sponsors The
Seventh Day (1921) with piano accompa-
niment by Danny Patt. Call Roy Heisler,
207 863-4318.

August 21 Saco River Grange Hall, Bar
Mills, Maine, silent films with Danny
Patt. Call Pat Packard, 207 929-6472.

September 1-5 Blue Hill Fair, Blue Hill,
Maine, visit NHF's booth on the midway.

September 23-25 Common Ground
Fair, Windsor, Maine, in the film building
(turn left inside the main gate). The
screening schedule is printed in the 1994
Fairbook.

October 2-9 Farm Museum at the
Fryeburg Fair, NHF is in residence at one
of northern New England's largest agri-
cultural fairs.

November 15-19 The Association of
Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) annual
conference will meet at Boston's Omni
Parker House, organized by the WGBH
Educational Foundation and the National
Center for Jewish Film. The New England
Archivists (NEA) meeting, focusing on
audiovisual records, will follow. AMIA
will provide two days of training during
the NEA meeting. Call Mary Ide at WGBH,
61 7 492-2777 ext. 2368. •

Ice Harvesting Sampler
with Narration

and Other New Videos

SPECIAL, now through January 1 , 1 995 !
NHF members may return their silent
Ice Harvesting Sampler videotape and
receive a narrated copy FREE. Non-
members, $5 handling fee for trade-ins.

Philip C. Whitney, pictured here at work,
has narrated an annotation to NHF's Ice
Harvesting Sampler, bringing his knowl-
edge of the tools and the process to the
existing images.

The narration turns the moving images
into a vivid cultural-preservation and
education tool, showing how things were
done and aurally presenting what is not
visually evident.

Phil, president of the New England
Tool Collectors Association, lives in
Fitchburg, Mass. He specializes in living
history — field demonstrations of ice
harvesting, grain flailing, millstone dress-
ing, making shingles and scarecrows.

His ice-exhibit trailer tours New
England and New York every winter.
Whitney Historic Programs, 508 342-1350.
Ice Harvesting Sampler 26 mins., b&w.,
sd. $16.95/NHF members $14.95

Berenice Abbott: A View of the 20th
Century, One of the greatest American
photographers of the century. From Paris
portraits in the '20s to her Maine life, age
90. 60 mins., col., sd. $49 for Home Use/
$99 to Institutions/Sorry, no member
discount.

Rachel Carson 's Silent Spring, the 1 963
book about environmental poisoning
helped raise ecological consciousness. 60
mins., col., sd. $69.95 Institutions Only/
Sorry, no member discount.

Phillips Lord: Maine Comic

The Summer 1993 Moving Image Review
reported on Phillips Lord, a Maine come-
dian whose one movie, Way Back Home
(1931), invokes rural Maine icons reel
after reel: the saintly orphan, lovely
farmgirl, hilarious bumpkin, woman
who went wrong in the city, and sharp-
tongued spinster, surrounded by the
wrong-headed but educable townspeople.
Led by, of course, the wise old Maine
farmer — Seth Parker — played by Phillips
Lord.

David A. Taylor of the Library of
Congress American Folklife Center
worked on a Phillips Lord bibliography,

while retired broadcaster Norman Gal-
lant put out the word for recordings of
Lord's radio shows. Darrell Anderson of
Renton, Washington, crossed the country
with three 78 rpm recordings and a copy
of a Seth Parker and His Jonesport Folks
lobby card. Virginia Whitney of Blue
Hill, Maine, shared recollections of the
family. Her father and Phillips Lord were
first cousins in a close family. "All of the
tribe couldn't wait to get out of Maine
and make their fortunes," she said. "Then
they couldn't wait to get back."

Way Back Home is available from
NHF on videocassette for $19.95. •

For Sale

NHF Membership

Anchor of the Soul

African-American history and race rela-
tions in northern New England. Story of a
Portland, Maine, church — spiritual home,
community center and leader in fight for
racial equality. 60 mins., col., sd.
$24.95/NHF Members $19.95

Giant Horses

Documentary on draft horses and the
relationship between humans and domes-
tic animals. 30 mins., col., sd.
$19.95/NHF Members $16.95 W

As an independent nonprofit organiza-
tion, NHF depends on its members. You
help us set priorities, you pass the word
about the significance of cultural preser-
vation, and your dues help keep us oper-
ating. Please join and renew!
Regular members, $25 per year, receive
a subscription to Moving Image Review,
notice of screenings and events, loan of
three reference tapes at no charge, and
discounts on materials distributed by NHF.
Educator/Student Members, $15 per
year, receive all regular membership
benefits. This category is for teachers and
students at any level.
Nonprofit Organizations, $35 per year,
receive all regular benefits of member-
ship, including loan of three reference
tapes at no charge, plus additional copies

of Moving Image Review on request and
reduced rates for consultation, presenta-
tions and professional services.
Associates (Individuals) and Corporate
Members, $100 per year, receive the
benefits of regular members, special
recognition in Moving Image Review,
and loan of five reference tapes at no
charge.

Friends, $250 per year, receive all benefits
of regular membership and, in addition,
loan of ten reference tapes at no charge.
Membership at any level is an opportu-
nity to become involved with the pres-
ervation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage. •

Your dues are tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law.

Technical Services

NHF transfers 16 mm. film to videotape
using Elmo equipment at either sound or
silent speeds. Also available, 8 mm. and
Super 8 mm. transfers to videotape for
reference; evaluation of film's physical
condition; perforation repair and appraisal.

These services, using NHF staff's
expertise and equipment, help support
the organization by providing a revenue
source. Some equipment acquisition is
the result of a generous gift from the
Betterment Fund. •

Membership and Order Form

Ordered by

Northeast Historic Film, P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, ME 04416 USA

Name _
Address

City

State _

Ship to (if different from above)

Zip

Name

Address
Cay _
State _

Purchase or Reference by Mail

Qty.

Total

fj Special Fourth Class mail: add $3.00 Subtotal
plus $1 each additional item Tax; ME residents ajd 6%
Q Priority Mail: add $4.50
plus $1 each additional item Shipping and handling
fj UPS: add $4.50 plus $1 each
additional item

I Please send Video Sales Catalog!

Membership/ Specify level, please:

Payment Method

I — I Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film

H Visa J MasterCard Credit card #

TOTAL

LJ Institutional purchase order *
Expiration date

Qu«iH*M? Call Libby Rosemeier at (207) 469-0924

Credit card signature .

Evangeline

Longfellow's famous poem, the hope and despair
of thousands of school children — and their
elders — has again been brought to the screen,
this time with Dolores Del Rio as the Acadian
maiden.

— New York Times, 29 July 1929

Thanks to Madeline Matz, Library of Congress
M/B/RS for research on Evangeline; and to
Eddie Richmond, Bob Gittand Charles Hopkins,
UCLA Film and Television Archive, photo:
Museum of Modem Art, Film Stills Archives.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

:LM

Nonprofit Org.

1 .stage

PAID

ill Falls,

ME 046 15
Permit

AI'DKl-NN CORRECTION REQUESTED

Dolores Del Rio starred in the 1929
feature film Evangeline, produced and
directed by Edwin Carewe. The film was
released with music and effects on disc,
including Del Rio singing a French
chansonnette. Variety said,

Allowing for the great beauty of produc-
tion, fine quality and appeal of the great
American love epic, the picture carries
with it the handicap of being somewhat
an educational (sic). Commercially it
looks a bit doubtful; artistically it is a
credit to everybody concerned.

The film has lain quietly awaiting
restoration. NHF's attention was drawn
to it by people of Acadian heritage in
northern Maine whose French-speaking
ancestors were driven out of Nova Scotia
by the British. Evangeline is a vehicle for
examining the mythification of Acadian
history, according to Lisa Ornstem,
director of the Acadian Archives/Ar-
chives acadiennes at the University of
Maine, Fort Kent. Once it is preserved,
screenings will be a chance to focus on
the "historical development of the adop-
tion of Evangeline as a cultural icon."

Barry Jean Ancelet, who teaches
French and Folklore at the University of
Southwestern Louisiana, studies the
culture, language and history of the
Louisiana Cajuns (Acadians) and the
effect of Evangeline mythology on Cajun
self-image. Ancelet says,

Longfellow's heroine was once so popu-
lar among American readers that she
came to represent an acceptable symbol
among the Cajuns who were then going
through a rather brutal Americanization
process. Consequently she came to
replace actual history. People felt she
was a safe bet, and didn't wonder any
further about their own real past.

The Acadian Archives/Archives
acadiennes, Ancelet and Carl Brasseaux
from the University of Southwestern
Louisiana, and the Universite de Moncton,
New Brunswick, will examine Evangeline
in context after film preservation from
the complete picture negative planned by
the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Preservation Officer Bob Gitt says he
looks forward to preserving the film next
year. I

• Hortheast Historit film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Ded'uated to the Preservation
of Northern Hew England
Motion Pictures

Winter 1995

Executive Director's Report p.2

One Hundred Years:

TV Survey by Samuel Suratt p.4

Collections Guide

by Patricia Burdick p.5

Changes in London Archives

by Jane Mercer p. 7

Archival Notes p. 10

Moving Image Review is a semiannual
publication of Northeast Historic Film,
P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, Maine 04416.
David S. Weiss, executive director, Karan
Sheldon, editor. ISSN 0897-0769.

Social History of Moviegoing
Receives National Endowment for the Humanities Award

The National Endowment for the
Humanities awarded a grant of $145,000
to Northeast Historic Film for a social
history project, "Going to the Movies:
A Century of Motion Picture Audiences
in Northern New England."

The funding supports an interpretive
exhibition examining Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont communities
and their moviegoing audiences. The
exhibition will be installed in the Alamo
Theatre building in Bucksport, Maine,
in 1996 and will tour northern New
England reaching a broad public audi-
ence in shopping malls and other loca-
tions.

An associated film and lecture series
will tour the three states.

Twenty project scholars in the fields
of history, North American studies,
music, film history, art, religion, litera-
ture and education have been involved
in the planning first supported by an
NEH planning grant in 1992. The com-
mitment of the team is summed up by
historian Kathryn H. Fuller:

The commitment to the highest quality
of research and interpretation in this
'cutting edge' area of academic film and
historical studies — audiences and media
reception — is reinforced with an
equally strong commitment to be
accessible to the public. Visitors and
scholars alike will learn a great deal. The
exhibit and programs will demonstrate
how social, cultural and economic
factors in northern New England have

The Alamo Theatre's auditorium, built in 1916, seated 600 people for movies, traveling shows, and
local events such as town meeting and graduation. Photo: Robert Rosie Collection.

continually shaped what "going to the

movies" means to its people.
Support from NEH's Division of Public
Programs includes the offer of an addi-
tional matching grant on top of the
$145,000 in outright support. Northeast
Historic Film has the opportunity to
receive a further $40,000 in Endowment
funds on receipt of $40,000 from one or
more donors. NHF is actively seeking

corporate sponsors, individual donors
and foundation support to unlock the
matching funds.

Besides the NEH-related funding,
Northeast Historic Film's board has
made a commitment to raise an addi-
tional $75,000, bringing total funding
for the Going to the Movies project to
$300,000. •

Executive Director's Report

Successful Pledge Completion

The more than 80 friends of NHF who
helped buy the Alamo Theatre at auction
have completed their donations. The
Alamo Auction Honor Roll appears on
page 6. Thank you all for your generos-
ity! With your help we're bringing the
building into its eighth decade in style.

New Board Member

The building is taking shape inside and
out, thanks to our active board, joined in
October by Terry Rankine, a founding
partner of Cambridge Seven Associates,
an internationally known architecture
firm. Terry, a resident of South Thom-
aston, Maine, is helping us integrate our
activities and dreams within the Alamo's
brick walls. With assistance from acous-
tical engineer Bill Cavanaugh, we're
planning an acoustically effective audito-
rium for movies and live performances.

Staff Members Join Us

Patricia Burdick, cataloguer and regis-
trar, has joined the staff working with
Karan Sheldon and Crystal Hall on the
Collections Guide as she describes on
page 5.

Trisha Terwilliger and Yvette St.
Peter join the staff in front-office posi-
tions. Trisha answers the telephone and
keeps loan materials circulating. Yvette
assists Libby Rosemeier with distribu-
tion projects, as well as working on the
front desk.

Volunteer Helpers

Paul Flynn from Toronto is a new
volunteer assisting with viewing and
describing films. Eleanor and Alan
McClelland from Camden have taken
on some descriptive cataloguing and are
using E-mail for exchanging data.

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

"Town Hall Tour" of Where the Rivers Flow North
and Premiere of The Beans of Egypt, Maine

Volunteer Paul Cady of Hulls Cove was
point person for a community screening
of Where the Rivers Flow North in
Northeast Harbor, Maine, on August 29.
The independently produced feature was
on a Town Hall Tour taking a 35 mm.
print — and projector — around northern
New England.

For NHF's event, Cady put together
a team of volunteers including Chris
Vmcenty (projectionist), Lisa Burton,
Crystal Hall, Pancho Cole, Martha
Davis and Kris Donohue. Anna Durand
and her staff at Bar Harbor's Morning
Glory Cafe provided a delicious supper
served by the volunteer kitchen team to
a capacity crowd at the Neighborhood
House before the screening.

NHF also brought the film to Blue
Hill's renovated Town Hall, a structure
built in 1896, the year movies first came
to Maine. The audience of over 200 filled
the hall, and unfortunately 50 more
people had to be turned away. Libby
Rosemeier kept the popcorn flowing
thanks to Mary Ellen Duym's loan of
her popcorn machine.

In Bucksport a planned outdoor
screening was rained out. The Middle
School loaned their gym, thanks to
principal Carl Lusby and custodian Ray
Bishop. The intrepid exhibitors led by
Phil Yates constructed a scaffolding for
the projector. Bucksport High School
loaned chairs. Volunteers Lynne Blair,
Yvette St. Peter and visiting film histori-
ans Eithne Johnson and Eric Schaefer
helped with concessions.

Caledonia Pictures, producer and
distributor of the Vermont-made fea-
ture, wrote after the events, "Wow!
What an incredible success our three
dates in Maine were. The Maine dates
were the end of our Town Hall Tour,
and it was great to end on such a high
note."

On October 2 a benefit premiere of
The Beans of Egypt, Maine from Car-
olyn Chute's celebrated novel raised
money for Northeast Historic Film at
Portland's newly renovated movie
palace, the State Theater. Nearly 500
people attended. NHF is indebted to
director Jennifer Warren, board member
Shan Sayles, Steve Bailey and his staff at
The State.

Carolyn Chute signs her books. Photo: Guy
Gannett Publishing Co.

A catered reception before the screen-
ing was an opportunity for friends of
NHF to meet and see The State. Carolyn
Chute signed books with the assistance
of Nick Sichterman and Mariah Hughs
of Blue Hill Books.

The film, distributed by I.R.S. Re-
leasing Corp., had been shown at the
Seattle and Boston film festivals prior to
the Maine premiere. Martha Plimpton
stars as Earlene Bean with a compelling
performance. The film was released
November 23. H

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but are not lim-
ited to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation
of educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
the film and video production commu-
nity, through providing a study cen-
ter, technical services and facilities.

Grants in Action

The LEF Foundation of Cambridge and
San Francisco made a grant of $4,000 to
support renovations to the Alamo The-
atre facade. In Bucksport, a community
where businesses are closing (Brown
Appliance and Grant's Gifts closed at
the end of 1 994), the effort to create a
presence on Main Street is a crucial
morale-builder and economic statement.
NHF's direction is running against a
strong tide. Support from the LEF
Foundation is helping the archives'
commitment to Bucksport.

Corporate In-Kind Donations

• Beckett Corporation, Lionville,
Pennsylvania, one of the country's
premier manufacturers of archival
labels, donated a several-year supply
of labels. Thanks to president Rick
Nopper, honorary Mainer.

• Cablevision, Bangor, Maine, donated
more than 250 %-inch videocassettes,
high-quality stock for use in creating
reference copies. Thanks to Kelli
Manigault.

The Alamo Theatre auditorium — down to the ground, and then some. More than 60 truckloads of
earth were removed and a new drainage system installed. Photo: Thomas R. Stewart.

The Theater

Work on the Alamo Theatre auditorium
has been supported by the W. K.
Kellogg Foundation; the Davis Family
Foundation; the Maine Arts Commis-

sion, Rural Arts Initiative; the National
Trust for Historic Preservation; and the
board and members of Northeast His-
toric Film. •

The Beans of Egypt, Maine. Earlene Bean,
played by Martha Plimpton, marries Beat Bean
(Patrick McGaw) while Roberta Bean (Kelly
Lynch) looks on. Photo: I.R.S. Releasing.

One Hundred Years:
Television Heritage, the Mirror of Our Society

In celebration of the centennial of the
projected motion picture, Moving Image
Review's "One Hundred Yean" column
looks at the past and future of moving-
image media.

Do you ever wonder what happens
to all the television shows? Do
they just die in outer space or is
there some great recording organization
that captures and catalogs them for
future generations to wonder at or
despair over?

In the United States there are over
1000 TV stations and countless cable
channels, each of them transmitting
television for approximately 7000 hours
a year. Much of it is network program-
ming that will continue to be recycled ad
infinitum, ad nauseam. But a great deal
of the output of television and cable
channels is unique and possibly the only
record of local and regional history.

Will Programs be Preserved?

How many of these millions of hours of
television exist in some form of record-
ing? What deserves preserving, how do
we preserve it and who should do this
monumental job?

In 1 992 Congress passed the National
Film Preservation Act, which funded a
study, to be done by the Library of
Congress and the National Film Preser-
vation Board, on the state of American
motion picture preservation. This Act
also mandated that a plan be drawn up
that would assure the preservation of
movies in the future. The resulting docu-
ment, Redefining Film Preservation: A
National Plan, made a concise series of
recommendations.

One page of the Plan dealt with
"Television and Video Preservation,"
recommending that the Library of Con-
gress seek legislation, similar to that
which funded the study of motion picture
preservation, to embark on a study of
the dimensions and problems of preserv-
ing television.

This past autumn, David Francis,
head of the division that oversees the
collection and preservation of motion
pictures and television at the Library of
Congress, stated that no Congressional

by Samuel Suratt

authorization was necessary for a study
of television, and that funding under the
American Television and Radio Archive
legislation would suffice.

What Will a Survey Find?

Assuming that funding is available to do
a survey of television programming,
what will the surveyors find?

If television had never changed from ,
black and white to color, there would be
far fewer preservation problems facing
us now. But that would be like saying "if
we only had horses for transportation,
pedestrians would be safer."

In the days of black and white TV the
method of recording was the kinescope,
which was simply a black and white
motion picture made of the orthicon tube
or television screen. Although grainy, the
kinescope had the advantage over video-
tape, because black and white film is the
most stable long-term storage medium
and the technology has not changed for
almost a century. Videotape has a ques-
tionable longevity, and its technology
changes every five to ten years.

Lost and "Lost" Programs

Many of the early black and white tele-
vision programs no longer exist, mainly
because the cost-conscious management
of networks and Hollywood studios
junked thousands of kinescopes to
recover the silver from the films' emul-

sion.

But a good number of the early
dramatic and comedy series still exist in
vaults and are periodically "discovered"
as "lost episodes." Virtually none of the
early soap operas has survived, the soap
manufacturers, which owned them,
being even more parsimonious than the
networks which broadcast them.

Series Survival

Almost all color strip shows (i.e., situa-
tion comedies, action/adventure series,
etc., that were produced for prime time
television) are alive and well and living
on your local cable channel. Likewise,
many mini-series and quality dramatic
programs are preserved by the networks,

the studios, UCLA, the Library of
Congress, or other archives.

Sports Programming

The professional leagues and networks
have been keeping low-quality tapes of
sporting events for the last 15 years or
so, and NFL Films has been preserving
professional football since before TV
began covering it.

Network News

The most complete collections of televi-
sion programs are to be found in the
network news divisions, where millions
of feet of film and thousands of hours of
videotape document what the national
news networks decide to cover. Com-
plete runs exist of memorable programs
such as See it Now, Person to Person,
Victory at Sea and The Twentieth Cen-
tury, preserved by the network news
divisions.

The Vanderbilt University news
archive has been taping nightly network
news broadcasts since 1968, and the
National Archives and Library of Con-
gress have thousands of news broadcasts
from the early 1970s to the present.

Local and Regional Gap

The largest gap in preserving television
programming will be found in local and
regional broadcasts of news and public
affairs. Many local and regional archives,
including Northeast Historic Film, have
established programs to collect newsfilm
and tape from local television stations,
but many areas of the country are not
included and many local programs are
not taped by the broadcasting station.

Arrangements need to be made
between local TV stations and local
archives to tape certain programs off the
air and store them for future reference
by the communities.

After the Survey

Once the survey is done, the real work
begins. National, regional and local
policies must be established saying what
programs need to be preserved and who
will do what.

Funding of this multi-level approach
will be very difficult to achieve, and the
costs of archiving audiovisual materials
are staggering. Each videotape must be

HOW DO I IDENTIFY FILM?

Do Not Project It!

' All film shrinks with age and becomes fragile. Projecting shrunken film risks
permanent damage by ripping sprocket holes, stressing splice.; and scratching
the image. You may have unique, irreplaceable film. Most home movie
footage is camera original, which means that the film has no negative and

) there may be no other copies.

Careful Hand Inspection Is OK

It is possible to carefully unwind the first few feet of the film and learn quite
' a bit from inspection with a magnifying glass. Handle the film by the edges
only, preferably using clean cotton gloves.

Record the Following Information

• What is on the can or container? Are there any notes accompanying it?
P • Check the condition of the film— is it brittle, do the edges curl, is there

obvious damage?

• Are there titles or credits?

• Is the film negative or positive? Color or black & white?

• Are there sprocket holes on one side or both (single or double
perforations)?

I • Is there sound? Magnetic sound is usually a brown stripe along one

side; optical sound is a black wavy pattern.
Remember that the film may be wound "tails out" and you could be
looking at the end. Remember also that the head and tail are usually
more worn than the rest.

Some Date Clues

1923 First 16 mm. camera for amateurs

I early 1930s 8 mm. film available

1931 16mm. sound film

1933 Technicolor

1 935 Kodachrome — color 1 6 mm.

early 1950s 35 mm. safety film in wide use

1965 Super 8 available

How Should I Store Film?

• Film benefits from constant low temperature and low humidity conditions.
' Frequent changes in temperature and humidity cause irreversible damage.
Store film in clean cans laid flat.

Nitrate Film

Up to the early 1 950s 35 mm. film was almost always made on a cellulose
nitrate base, which is highly unstable and flammable. Inspect it regularly
and store in an appropriate location. In cases of advanced deterioration,
nitrate film is subject to spontaneous combustion.

' Vinegar Syndrome

16 mm. film is not nitrate based. However, it is subject to deterioration. One
of the signs is acetic acid, the source of a vinegar smell. Humidity and rusty
metal containers accelerate the process. Films with strong vinegar smell or
visible acetic acid crystals must be isolated from other films and copied
before it is too late.

If you have any questions please call 207 469-0924.

0 1 994 Northeast Historic Film

NORTHEAST HISTORIC FILM

TO BOX 900, MAIN ST., BUCKSPORT, ME 04416-0900 I

Film and video give people a reflection of themselves,
a moving image of culture and tradition, a context.

-Pom Wintle, NHf founding board
member, film archivist, Smithsonian
Human Studies Film Archives.

Northeast Historic Film (NHF) collects, preserves and makes
accessible dramatic, industrial, informational and amateur film and
video. The nonprofit organization is located in the 1916 Alamo
Theatre building. NHF holds thousands of hours of videotape and
more than three million feet of film including three large TV film
collections from Maine, along with videotape from WCSH-TV,
Portland, and the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation. The
archives is one of the country's foremost collectors of home movies,
a significant record of everyday life, with particularly strong
coverage in the 1930s.

Services

Consulting and technical services: stock footage research, transfers

from film to videotape, and preservation planning advice.

Free loan of videos to members of NHF through the Reference by

Mail service.

Videos of Life in New England: a line of videotapes for sale to book

and gift stores and direct to individuals and organizations.

Presentations: workshops and film and video screenings at schools

and other organizations.

Supported by the Public

NHF is a nonprofit organization supported by its members, board
of directors, and tax^deductible contributions from individuals,
companies and foundations. Members and volunteers are key.
Moving image preservation is an important, expensive, long-term
undertaking.

Who Benefits?

We all benefit from the preservation of our motion picture heritage.
Moving images are an important element of education and arts
programs. Preservation and access to moving images helps teachers,
librarians, museums, historical societies, public service and trade
organizations, state agencies, producers and individuals.

The Big Picture

NHF is an active member of the North American professional
organization, the Association of Moving Image Archivists. Staff
members have served on its executive committee and helped found
the working group on amateur moving images. NHF participates in
the Library of Congress national film preservation planning effort
and serves on the Maine Historical Records Advisory Board.

We Need Your Help!

NHF accepts film and video for preservation from individuals and
organizations. Your financial donation will help NHF save this
region's film and video heritage and make it accessible to everyone.

Collections Guide Made Possible
by The Betterment Fund

by Patricia Burdick

While NHF has a well-maintained data-
base of information describing its film
and video holdings, the archives has
never had a published guide to its archi-
val holdings.

With a grant from The Betterment
Fund approved in early 1994, plans were
laid to complete NHF's first Collections
Guide, a document of about 50 pages
including concise descriptions of the
moving-image holdings for use by the
public.

Long Trail of Decisions

A presentation on the Guide project to
the New England Archivists' fall meet-
ing raised questions from colleagues who
have considered, but never attempted,
this type of work. It is easy to see why
other institutions do not embark on a
similar path.

Writing a guide requires many deci-
sions on all levels: everything from the
fundamental document concept, to
format options — underlining versus
italics — must be discussed and resolved.
Creating a Guide demands patience,
organization, and a sense of humor.

The work commenced around Labor
Day, when 130 records in the NHF
"Collections" database were copied into
a "Guide" database, a working document
for records revision. Streamlined records

copied every 10 to 15 years in order to
keep it in a format that can be played
back. This means that every archives'
costs will double (plus inflation) during
each successive ten-year period.

Which brings us to the heart of the
matter. Although everyone watches
television, no one is watching over the
preservation of television! And no single
agency has the kind of money it will take
to do the job.

Money must be found in the televi-
sion industry, in private foundations and
at every level of government if our tele-
vision heritage, the mirror of our society,
is to be preserved. H

Samuel Suratt has been a historian,
archivist of the Smithsonian Institution
and Archivist of CBS News.

Amphibian Plane, Grand Lake, Maine, ca. 1939. Archie Stewart Collection.

became the actual Guide entries after
final text clean-up using WordPerfect
software.

The initial group of 130 records has
grown to 200 descriptions as new collec-
tions have been entered with assistance
from Crystal Hall, an experienced free-
lance cataloguer and indexer in Bar
Harbor. Marsha Maguire, a professional
moving-image cataloguer in Kirkland,
Washington, was essential to the pro-
cess, providing resources and advice on
many issues including Library of Con-
gress subject headings, moving-image
physical description formats, and Guide
entry organization.

Guide Arrangement

The term "collection" is used by NHF to
designate a body of materials with the
same provenance, or source. For in-
stance, an independent filmmaker who
donates several reels of film, a projector,
and spiral-bound logbooks is considered
the creator of this collection of disparate
items, all of which are interrelated.

A collection of moving images can
contain all gauges and generations of
film as well as video materials, with
other factors such as silent or sound, and
black/white or color thrown in. Given its
eclectic nature, a collection description
can be presented in a variety of ways.

NHF's Collections Guide is orga-
nized by "predominant genre," namely
the one type of moving image in each
collection that generally represents the
collection.

Further Reading

Film and History, Volume XXI,
May/September 1991; papers pre-
sented at a Conference of the Media
Studies Project, Woodrow Wilson

<T, focusing on Barnouw's contri-
butions to the field and subsequent
scholarship. Selected bibliography and
filmography. New Jersey Institute of
(Technology, Newark.

The Flaherty, Four Decades in the C.aine
of Independent Cinema, ed. Erik
Barnouw and Patricia Zimmermann,

Wide Angle, I 995.

Media Marathon: A Twentieth Century

'ioir, Erik Barnouw, Duke
University Press, 1996.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Address Correction Requested

.»& V

Erik Barnouw

Vermont's Media Master

Marathon: A Twentieth
Century Memoir is a remarkable
chronicle of one person's encounters with
virtually all the century's communication
forms — magazines, commercial radio,
documentary film, international cinema,
and TV broadcasting.

Erik Barnouw, now a resident of Fair
Haven, Vermont, was born in 1908 in
the Netherlands. Perhaps best known as
the autJior of the three-volume work, A
History of Broadcasting in America, he has
been an inspiration to more than one
generation of media historians.

In 1937 while on vacation in Marana-
cook, Maine, he was contacted by Colum-
bia University with an offer to teach
radio production; he is presently Colum-
bia Professor Emeritus of Dramatic Arts.

He has long been involved with the
Flaherty Film Seminars, a fertile ground
for filmmakers and scholars. The Flaherty,
Four Decades in the Cause of Independent
Cinema, edited by Barnouw and Patricia
Zimmermann, contains articles, pho-
tographs, and a filmography from 1955
to 1994.

He has been both spokesperson for
archivists, and ardent researcher in
archives. In 1978 he was appointed the
first chief of the Motion Picture,
Broadcasting and Recorded Sound
Division at the Library of Congress. His
many books would not be possible
without archivists' efforts — from Library
of Congress staff who assisted with The
Magician and the Cinema ( 1 98 1 ), to the
many people in India who assisted with
Indian Film (1%3).

Reading Media Marathon one is struck
by Barnouw's openness to so many ideas
and experiences. The book is a challenge:
what are the commitments, accomplish-
ments, and adventures possible in our
own lives? H

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

^••^^^^H

Dedicated to the Preservation
of Northern New England
Motion Pictures

Summer 1997

New Advisory Board
Political Commercials
Using the Archives
Calendar of Events
Reference by Mail Update

2
5
7
12
14

Moving Image Review is a semiannual

publication of Northeast 1 listorii Film,
P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, Maine 04416.
David S. Weiss, executive director
Stephany Boyd, writer and editor.
ISSN 0897-0769.

i Mail OLDFILM@acadia.net
Veb http://www.acadia.net/oldfilm/

Expanding Views

The last issue of Moving Image Review
featured Northeast Historic Film in
its community-centered role as employer,
educational resource, and gathering
place.

This issue shifts focus, showing NHF s
expanding reach. The emphasis is on
moving images' growing significance as
a cultural resource.

Our cover story on summer camp
footage highlights an experience essential
to many peoples perception of northern
New England. For Americans of all
stripes, summer camp claims as tenacious
a hold on the psyche as does first love.

We profile a northern California
mail-order entrepreneur whose fascina-
tion with forests and the people who
work in them has forged a connection
with NHF, helping our videotapes be
seen worldwide.

We talk to a Canadian TV news
producer who used NHF footage td
illustrate an ongoing dispute between her
home nation and the U.S., each of whom
lays claim to treeless Machias Seal Island.

We showcase NHF s flourishing
relationship with other moving-image
professionals by profiling our new
Advisors group.

We hear from acclaimed filmmaker
Alan Berliner, who will travel from New
York to NHF in August for a screening
and discussion. His films have been
lauded for their depiction of family life,
described by one critic as "heartbreak-
ingly universal."

It's all about NHF and our growing con-
stituencies. Please let us hear from you. H

Summer Camp Time

Each year, boys and girls reenact a
time-honored warm weather
tradition — descending on summer
camps in droves.

For decades, camps dotting the lakes
and mountains of western Maine have
drawn thousands of children each
summer, as have their counterparts along
the coast.

The summer camp phenomenon goes
back a long way, as camp veteran David
Sanderson of West Newbury, Mass., can
attest. He recently donated 40 reels of
newly discovered footage to NHF,
chronicling nearly half a century of
summers at Birch Rock Camp in
Waterford, Maine.
The footage starts shortly after the

Naturalist George Howe engages campers at Birch
Rock Camp. Photo courtesy David Sanderson.

camp's founding in 1925, and continues
through the 1960s. According to
Sanderson, a member of Birch Rock's
governing board, the films transferred to
videotape at NHF were a big hit at the
camp's recent 70th anniversary celebra-
tion.

"There were folks there from all eras of
the camp, and it was wonderful to see
them enjoying their memories through
those images," says Sanderson, whose
grandfather in 1 925 sold the plot of
family land on which Chief and Onie
Brewster founded Birch Rock shortly
thereafter.

Aside from his personal connections to
the camp affectionately known as "The
Rock," Sanderson believes the films serve
a larger purpose in documenting a Maine

tradition.

continued on page 6

Executive
Director's Report

The Jackhammers of Summer

At the Alamo Theatre we seem to
welcome warm weather with the sound
of Jackhammers. This tradition, presag-
ing new openings and structural
improvements, has its drawbacks but I
prefer it to the silence of no progress.
We'll continue to feel lucky to hear the
Jackhammers of spring for another
couple of years.

Please Patronize Us

We are pleased to announce Northeast
Historic Films new membership level —
Patron — and even prouder to announce
we already have several generous mem-
bers in the new category. A membership
level that requires a $ 1 ,000 per year
donation is not for everyone, but it does
broaden the range of annual giving
options.

Our membership is growing both in
numbers and in importance to the
organization. This year for the first time
the dues received will exceed $20,000.
These funds directly support our mis-
sion, helping purchase preservation
supplies and fund our talented and
committed staff.

Sincere thanks (and a free dinner for
four at MacLeods Restaurant) to all who
have stepped up to that level:

Helen & Sidney Epstein

Rita & James Phillips

Kimberlee & Richard Rosen

Del Keppelman & Skip Sheldon

Co-founder's New Role

As NHF grows its sphere of responsibili-
ties as an independent nonprofit organi-
zation changes, and so too do our
individual roles.

Co-founder Karan Sheldon decided
that NHF will be best served by her
focus on the board of directors and
planning. She has resigned from the staff
to put more time into work with board
members and supporters. Her pan in
developing and implementing our Long
Range Plan will ensure that her vision
for NHF's future continues to guide us.

Answering the Call

The Archives' New Advisory Board

u^&^&

Call diem the Dear Abbys of die
archives. The Advisors of
Northeast Historic Film are
individuals widi an interest in
the work of die archives as an organiza-
tion with a vision for film, video, and
digital preservation — and a commitment
to broad public access.

The establishment of the Advisors
group is based on NHF's need to move
into new territory for archival storage
and public programs.

Advisors' leadership will assist the staff
and board in making decisions and
connections toward achieving these goals.
The Advisors, many of whom have a
longstanding relationship with NHF,
make a commitment to share their
expertise with the organization, so as to
ensure success within the archives — and
to help build a model for other archives
and cultural organizations.

One of the Advisors is Samuel Suratt,
who in recent years has unofficially
advised the archives on matters such as
planning construction of a three-story
vault for film and videotape storage.

Formerly an archivist for CBS News,
from which he retired after 25 years, the
New York-based Suratt now consults for
media-related companies and organiza-
tions. He formerly was an archivist of the
Smithsonian Institution, and taught
history at the university level. He was a
founding member of the International
Federation of Television Archives, and
remains an honorary member.

With that breadth of experience, Suratt
says he can offer assistance in many areas,
such as formulating policy on television
collections, and updating NHF on
developments in foreign TV archives.

Suratt applauds NHF's decision to seek
a variety of advisors in differing special-
ties. "When two people say the same
thing there must be something to it.
That's the nature of good advice," he
says.

Beyond his offering of guidance, Suratt
lightheartedly lists heavy lifting among
his qualifications, having helped schlep
film containers from one vault to another
on one of his more memorable visits to
the archives.

The first Advisory Board members
include Samuel Suratt, and

Gillian Anderson, musicologist, conduc-
tor, and author of Music for Silent Films
1894-1929, A Guide. Washington, D.C.

Q. David Bowers, Author of Nickelodeon
Theaters and Their Music, a history of the
Thanhouser Company, and many other
books. Wolfeboro, N.H.

Peter Davis, Author of If You Came This
Way: A Journey Through the Lives of the
Underclass, and director of the documen-
tary feature Hearts and Minds. Castine,
Me.

Alan D. Kattelle, Author of a forthcom-
ing history of amateur film, and cine-
matographic researcher. Co-founder of
The Movie Machine Society, member of
SMPTE, and the Association of Moving
Image Archivists. Hudson, Mass.

Robert W. Wagner, Ph.D., Emeritus
professor of history and audiovisual
communication with an interest in
amateur film, archiving, and nontheatri-
cal film. Arlington, OH, and Readfield,
Me. •

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.
Activities include but are not limited
to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation
of educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
the film and video production
community, through providing a
study center, technical services and
facilities.

Meet the Filmmaker:

Alan Berliner • Sunday, August 24

For years, New York filmmaker Alan
Berliner combed garage sales and
flea markets, buying castoffhome
movies. There he found footage for his
first feature, The Family Album (1986).
His two more recent films, Intimate
Stranger ( 1 99 1 ) and Nobody's Business

1 (1996), blend his own family movies
with archival footage.

As a trilogy, the films have been
described as "wholly original" and
"poignantly universal." Winner of
prestigious awards, Nobody's Business

> aired in June on the P.O.V. series of
outstanding nonfiction independent
films on PBS. It was funded in part by
ITVS.

That film's subject is Oscar
Berliner, the filmmaker's irascible father,
who insists throughout the hourlong
production that his life is nothing special,
and in any case, nobody's business. The
dialogue between probing, prodding son
and his feisty refusenik of a fadier is
punctuated by stock footage from a

i boxing match, a pungent metaphor for
the pair's standoff.

On August 24, at the archives' Alamo
Theatre, Berliner will show and discuss
the films he considers a labor of love.

Common Poetry of the Human Family

Berliner speaks with passion on the value
of home movies, which he says "reflect
the common poetry of the human family.
They're windows and mirrors through
which anyone implicated in family,
which is everyone, can reflect on them-
selves. Anyone can see a father and
daughter sharing an intimate moment
and empathize with that."

Luckily, Berliner's forebears shot all
sorts of family gatherings and holidays.
Years later, Berliner uncovered additional
footage of his grandfather, the subject of
Intimate Stranger, through the patri-
arch's many friends and colleagues in
Japan.

Woven together, each strand of family
footage adds texture to the film's portrait
of Joseph Cassuto, a Palestinian-born Jew
who emigrated to Egypt to work with the
Japanese textile firm that made his career.
With the advent of World War II,

Filmmaker Alan Berliner will show his work at The Alamo Theatre
in Bucksport on August 24, 1997. Photo by Cori Wells Braun.

Cassuto reluctantly left it all behind to
make a new home with his family in
Brooklyn.

Unable to adjust to American culture
or his lessened status, Cassuto ultimately
moved without his family to Tokyo. Off
camera, a relative recalls never having
met a person who disliked Cassuto... out-
side of his own family.

The home movie sequences in
Berliner's films transcend the genre's
potential idealization of family experi-
ence, especially when the films' multiple
narrators contradict the images seen

onscreen.

Despite their tendency toward dogged
optimism, home movies represent, as
Berliner says, "history in the purest
sense," recording daily activities and
ritual events marking ordinary people's
lives that otherwise would be ignored.
If anything, home movies grow more
valuable with time, he adds.

"I designed The Family Album to be
timeless, and I hope I succeeded. Time is
only moving forward, and images, I'd
like to think, get more and more
poignant."

Educating the Community

But for archives trying to preserve such
material, time moving forward is a
challenge.

"The motion picture is a very frail
medium. Obviously there has to be money
spent toward transferring fragile film to
videotape so it can be studied, examined
and used. That's a big project," he says.

After years of researching in archives,
the filmmaker says NHF, probably the
largest repository of amateur film in
North America, is unique.

"I don't know too many places that do
what they're doing, that take responsibil-
ity for the history of a region. Part of
what they're doing is educating the
community, so that when people are
ready to part with a document, they
know there's a place with open arms ready
to receive it.

"It's hard to prioritize what's going to
be saved and it's a never-ending job. But
nothing should ever be thrown out.
That's for sure."

Berliner has generously provided video-
tape copies of The Family Album for NHF's
Reference by Mail free loan service. H

Northeast Historic Film Members

A Membership and Order Form is on page 1 5. Use your Visa or MasterCard, call
/~\800 639-1636. A membership in Northeast Historic Film is a wonderful gift!

Don't see your name here? Perhaps your renewal has not reached us yet. You can
join or renew on the internet at our website, http://www.acadia.net/oldfilm/

Patrons

Helen & Sidney Epstein
Rita & James Phillips
Kimberlee & Richard Rosen
Skip Sheldon & Del Keppelman
David Weiss & Karan Sheldon

Friends

Paul Cady & Christine Bowditch

Caroline Crocker

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Gelardi

Mr. & Mrs. Edgar B. Lupfer

Alan & Eleanor J. McClelland

Dorothy Morrison

Ed Pert

Richard Prelinger

Clare H. Sheldon

Champion International Corporation

Nathaniel & Margaret Thompson

Associates

James & Esther Austin

George V. Buehler

David & Joyce Chaplin

Thomas & Katherine Clements

Carlos Cuellar

Darwin & Jackie Davidson

Michael Fiori

Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Gross

Dr. Parker F. Harris

Mr. & Mrs. Francis W. Hatch

C.A. Porter Hopkins

Edward & Barbara Ann Ives

Robert L. Jordan

Don Mac Williams

Robert & Janet Marville

David G. Mathiasen

Henry H. Moulton

Mr. & Mrs. Terry Rankine

Charles R. Ryan

Dorothy Schwartz

Peter & Ann Sheldon

Dr. David C. Smith

Charles G. Tetro & Beverly Bibber

Pamela Wmtle & Henry Griffin

Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Corporate Members

Archive Films

Thomas Bakalars Architects

Bucksport True Value Hardware

Bucksport Veterinary Hospital

The Colorado College

Crosby's Drive In

The Enterprise

Fellows, Kee & Tymoczko

Hammond Lumber Company

J. Gordon Architect

Bill Gross & Associates

Lewis & Malm

MacLeod's Restaurant

Maine Crafts Association

Maine State Archives

Modular Media

Owls Head Transportation Museum

Ramsdell Auto Supply

Shop 'n Save

Margaret Chase Smith Library Center

Sparkling Clean Cleaning Service

Tyson & Partners, Inc.

Vidipax

VisNet East GTE

Robert Wardwell & Sons

Households

Erik & Betty Barnouw

Henry Becton, Jr.

Laura L. Bittinger & Edward L. Ritchey

Gregory Bottone

Norman & Marcia Beal Brazer

Dr. Constance H. Carlson

Joseph F. Condon

Dwight B. Demeritt, Jr.

Peg & John Dice

Miriam Hansen & Michael Geyer

Roy V. Heisler & Esther Bissell

Mark R. Henderson

Huey & Judith Wentzell

Ned & Sophia Johnston

Richard A Kimball, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Lockhart

John & Mary MacFadyen

Morton K. & Barbara J. Mather

Judith F. McGeorge

Betty & Hugh Montgomery

George Neal

John A. O'Brien & Linda Long

Spiros Polemis

Mrs. John F. Porter

Ned & Connie Rendall

William & Karen Rogers

George & Barbara Rolleston

Dewitt Sage

Elizabeth Saudek

Mr. & Mrs. Reginald G. Sauls IV

Betty Schloss

Nick Sichterman & Mariah Hughs

Samuel T. Suratt & Judith Hole

Dr. Philip P. Thompson

Charles S. Thompson & Catherine Gross

Vern& Jackie Weiss
Joel &Allene White
Betty Winterhalder
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Yates

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbe Museum

Bangor Historical Society

Beatley Library, Simmons College

Paul & Mollie Birdsall

Blue Hill Consolidated School

Blue Hill Public Library

Bridgton Historical Society

Neal & Betty Butler

Calais Free Library

Camden Public Library

Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation

Society

Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Cherryfield Narraguagus Historical Society
Chichester Town Library
Cinematheque Quebe'coise
Eliot Historical Society
Ellsworth Public Library
Farmington Public Library
Figures of Speech

Fisher Museum of Forestry, Harvard Forest
Friends of Witherle Memorial Library
Fryeburg Historical Society
H.O.M.E. Inc.
He Ife Films

Indiana Historical Society Library
Industry Historical Society
Island Nursing Home
John Stark Regional High School
Kingdom County Productions
Maine Film Office
Maine Folklife Center
Maine State Library
Maine State Museum
Moosehead Historical Society
Morrill Historical Society
Nashua Public Library
New Sharon Historical Society
Newport Historical Society
Northeast Harbor Library
Orland Historical Society
Penobscot Marine Museum
Plymouth State College, Social Science Dept.
Portland Water District
Rangeley Public Library
Saco River Grange
The Stanley Museum
Thorndike Library, College of the Adantic
Vinalhaven Historical Society
Waterville High School, Media Center
Serena H. Whitridge
Wilton Free Public Library

Individual Members

Corajane J. Adams
Richard C. Alden
Kate Alexander
Paul D. Allan

continued on page 10

Political Commercials: Preserving History

Each time WABI-TV staffer Mike
Savage hands over another year's
worth of political commercials, he
is pleased knowing they'll be saved for
posterity.

Since 1 986, Savage has been the man
at Bangor's largest TV station to gather
die spots for donation to Northeast
Historic Film. The practice began after
WABl's first general manager George
Gonyar agreed that donating die material
for preservation was preferable to
destroying it.

The Heat of an Election

For Savage, donating the material means
that, 20 years from now, citizens and
researchers can turn to it as a resource. "I
think it will be extremely valuable for
people such as political historians, who
will get a real sense of die heat that went
on during an election," he says.

He recalls the 1 990 Maine gubernator-
ial contest between John "Jock"
McKernan and Democratic challenger
Joseph Brennan as a particularly con-
tentious race. "That was a really bad
time" in terms of negative campaigning,
he says.

As traffic coordinator for the station,
Savage is responsible for previewing any
spots WABI intends to air. First he must
catalog the piece, view it for quality
standards, and make sure it adheres to
laws regarding identification of the
sponsors and their address.

Savage says it's surprising how many
local and state candidates and political
organizations try to bend those rules-
about 20 percent, he estimates. By the
time a spot is broadcast, it must be in
conformance.

By federal law, a station must keep
spots for 90 days after dieir airing. Unless
a candidate or producer requests their
return, WABI is free to do widi the
material what it will.

In the past, Savage had either disposed
of the tapes, or recycled them. Now he
turns them over to NHF each February.

I Remember That

Happily for the archives, few candidates
ask to have dieir spots returned. The
collection at NHF even includes a few
diat never aired, when, for instance, soon
after the spot's production, the candidate
altered his or her position in response to

an opponent, choosing not to run die
piece after all.

Other spots were only aired a couple
of times for similar reasons — when die
candidate or organization felt the need
to continually update a position on an
issue.

Generally speaking, "die hotter an issue
or race," the more spots are produced,
says Savage. He noted Maine's forestry
referendum in 1 996 as a perfect example,
in which each of three political camps
vied to outdo the odiers with their
advertising.

Savage envisions the day when selected
spots could be compiled as pan of a
production on Maine political history. In
the meantime, they remain available to
researchers looking for insight or hind-
sight.

Once an election is over people tend
to forget just how intense it was, says
Savage. "Watching the spots will bring
it back. You'll say, 'Jeez, I remember
that.'" •

The Mike Savage Collection of political
commercials spans the years from 1988 to
1997 and includes about 2,500 spots.

Awaiting 1962 election

returns in the studio at

WABITVinBangor,

Maine. Photo: WABI TV

Summer Camp Time, continued from page 1

Effects on the Economy

According to a camp brochure from the
late 1920s, an estimated 5,000 campers
converged each year on a small corridor
of the lakes region in western Maine —
from Fryeburg east to Poland, and from
Bethel south to Windham. By 1928,
there were 80 children's camps in the
area, pouring tens of thousands of dollars
into the region's economy.

"You put 5,000 kids into Oxford
County in the summer, and add up all
the milk, eggs, chickens and the like
bought locally. For that time, in that
area, it was important stuff," says
Sanderson.

What once was an easy alliance
between Maine communities and
summer camps has become more
complex. Catering primarily to urbanites
and out-of-staters, the camps tie up large
tracts of prime real estate, yet are exempt
from paying local property taxes.

Critics complain that the federal
non-profit tax exemption subsidizes
urban parents' urge to give their kids a
whiff of country air. Such policy doesn't
always sit well in a rural state where local
people must scramble year-round to
make a living.

Of course, the whole point for
campers is to leave their worries behind
— to make friendships and memories to
last a lifetime. For many, the summer
sojourns are their first connection with
Maine, a place that becomes their second
home.

Unearthing Birch Rock

For Sanderson, unearthing the Birch
Rock films felt a bit like going home.
Two years ago, he was going through a
family member's box of memorabilia and
other items, when he found two small
reels of 16mm. film from Birch Rock at
the bottom. "I'd have had no idea they
ever even existed," he recalls.

Tempted to project die films, but
fearful of doing damage, he had NHF
transfer them to videotape, getting
multiple copies for family members and
the camp's owner. It turned out there was
a trunk load more where those had come
from.

It took a while to organize and ship the
additional films to NHF, but there
proved to be enough footage to fill a half-
dozen videocassettes, says Sanderson.

In viewing the films, Sanderson
spotted himself at age 3, as well as his
grandfather as a much younger man. Pat
Brewster, the camp founders' son, also
saw himself as a child, along with other
dearly remembered family members.

Jean Hard, a woman now in her 70s,
saw scenes of her father, Buck, head
counselor at Birch Rock in the 1930s and
40s.

Naturalist George Howe
Some of the Birch Rock community's
favorite sequences include beloved camp
naturalist George Howe of Norway,
Maine. Howe was a member of the old
school of gentleman naturalists, who
insisted on wearing proper attire — a vest
and tie — even on forays into the woods.

By all accounts, veteran campers
were delighted to see the kindly white-
haired Howe captured on film. "You can
virtually hear him speak from his body
language," says one.

With another camp season now in full
swing, Sanderson will travel back and
forth from West Newbury to Waterford,
spending time at Birch Rock when he can.

"I'm stuck making a living in Massa-
chusetts, mostly," says the fiddler and
storyteller, who makes his living as a
computer services contractor. He'd like to
write a book on the Maine camp experi-
ence, or compile a video of various
camps' footage.

Sanderson says film may represent the
best preservable history of the summer
camp phenomenon. "You'll never get all
the paperwork and stills together, and
time's a-wasting. The first generation of
campers has gone, and the second
generation's going to be going."

The Only Way to Save It
Convinced there must be a storehouse of
film kicking around Maine's summer
camps, he urges his counterparts to see to
its safekeeping. "It's the only way it's
going to be saved," he says.

At the end of each summer at Birch
Rock since 1926, campers have had their
names carved in wood, to be mounted
on the main lodge wall for posterity.
Thanks to archival preservation,
Sanderson believes the film record of
"The Rock" will prove as enduring. H

iummer camp footage at the archives is found in a variety of amateur and
professional films including:

Anonymous Collection, 1931. Camp
Moosehead; Moosehead Lake region,
Maine.

Susanne Bogart Collection, ca. 1940s,
Camp Madeline Mulford, New Jersey.

Brick Store Museum Collection,
1935-39. Unidentified girls' camp at
lake shore; Maine.

Central Maine Power Collection, ca.
1931-38. Kimball Camp, Moosehead
Lake region, Maine.

Paul Domincovich Collection, ca.
1 928-30. Flying Moose Lodge camp
founder, East Orland, Maine.

Margaret D. Hall Collection, ca.
1940s, 50s. Camp Snipatuit,
Rochester, Mass.

Earl Hodgkins Collection, 1959-63.
Camp Natarswi, Millinocket, Maine.

Howard, Kimball and Young
Collection, 1930-40. Alice A. Kimball
camps, Moultonborough, New
Hampshire.

Katahdin Area Council Boy Scouts of
America Collection, ca. 1934-50s.
Boy Scout Jamboree footage, Maine.

Neal Collection, ca. 1932-34.
Camping footage, West Lebanon,
Maine.

William Pfaffle Collection, ca. 1950s.
Various summer camps, Maine.

Pine Tree Society Collection, 1940s-
50s. Pine Tree Camp, Belgrade Lakes,
Maine.

Harrie B. Price Collection, ca. 1930s-
1 960s. Flying Moose Lodge boys'
camp, East Orland, Maine.

David Sanderson Collection, ca.
1927. Camp Me Wain girls' camp,
Waterford, Maine.

Clare Sullivan Collection, ca. 1950.
Camp Mishannock; Kingston, Mass.

Wohelo, The Luther Gulick Camp
Collection, 1919-26. Luther Gulick
camps, Sebago Lake, South Casco,
Maine.

Using the Archives: On the Border

Robert Saudek,

Past Board Member

Robert Saudek, board member of
Northeast Historic Film from
1989 to 1995, passed away in
March 1997. Throughout his tenure he
provided committed support and
direction. In a letter to the founders, he
said, "It was flattering to be invited to be
a member of your fledgling Board, and
to see it grow from a dream to a reality,
well-defined, nurtured, and responsive to
your hopes."

Saudek's stature in film and
broadcasting was immense. He was a
member of the original Carnegie
Commission on Educational Television,
which created public broadcasting. He
served as president and CEO of the
Museum of Broadcasting, now the
Museum of Television and Radio, and
was chief of the Motion Picture,
Broadcasting and Recorded Sound
Division of the Library of Congress until
1991.

His benediction to Northeast Historic
Film: the organization will "recall our
past and will preserve that elongating line
of history."

Spot the Arctic trrn on

Machias Seal Island.

Photo: Danger Daily News.

[hen reporter-field producer
Elizabeth Chiu of Canadian
Television called NHF for
stock footage, she had a pretty
good idea of what she wanted. Her
object was to find film that would give
viewers a sense of just how long a certain
border dispute over an offshore island
had been going on.

Chiu recalled recendy, "I found just
die shot I needed."

Contested Territory

Her assignment was to produce a news
feature on the conflict over 1 5-acre
Machias Seal Island, a treeless expanse
that lies about an hour by boat off the
village of Cutler on the Maine coast. For
decades, both the U.S. and Canadian
governments have claimed ownership of
the island, which is best known for its
breeding colony of puffins.

The prime interview subject for Chiu's
production was Captain Barna Norton, a
well-known fixture of the small Maine
fishing village of Jonesport. For years he
has taken charter groups on boat excur-
sions to see the island.

According to Norton, the island has
belonged to Canada since at least Civil

War times. As evidence of his views, he
notes that it is Canadians who have
staffed the 19th-century lighthouse.

Among Norton's most memorable
characteristics to his passengers is his
habit of carrying along on the boat a
large umbrella, which opens up to
display, in Chiu's words, a "not small"
American flag.

As a journalist, Chiu strived to show
both sides of the story with the light touch
appropriate to features. Unable to find the
historic clips she needed at her provincial
archives, she was referred to NHF.

The producer ended up using amateur
film footage of the island from NHF's
James Marsh Collection, featuring a wide
shot of the island with fishing boat. It
was made available through Hot
Shots/Cool Cuts, a New York firm NHF
has retained to represent footage nation-
ally and internationally.

The resulting piece aired last winter on
a news magazine show entitled W5,
produced by the Canadian network
channel CTV.

"The footage was enormously helpful,"
Chiu said in hindsight. "We'd been
talking about needing historical footage,
and NHF had the shot." •

New England Feature Film List

Surely somebody's done this," is a refrain heard
around the archives. Isn't there a list of feature
films with New England-related themes? We were
recently asked to contribute to The Endyclopedia of New
England Culture (University of New Hampshire/Yale
University Press). So we started a list. Please peruse this work
in progress and contact us with suggestions — and any
published writings on these films. Thank you to the
American Film Institute Catalogs, Rob Edelman, Kathryn
Fuller, Eithne Johnson, Audrey Kupferberg, John Lowe, Eric
Schaefer, John Skillin, and other early contributors.

Ah, Wilderness, 1935

Alices Restaurant, 1969

All the Brothers were Valiant,

1953

American Buffalo, 1996
As the Earth Turns, 1 934
Baby Boom, 1987
The Beans of Egypt, Maine, 1994

(video=Forbidden Choices)
Bed and Breakfast, 1992
Beetlejuice, 1988
Behind Masks, 1921
Biography of a Bachelor Girl,

1935

Blown Away, 1994
Boomerang, 1947
The Boston Strangler, 1968
The Bostonians, 1 984
Bringing Up Baby, 1938
Brown of Harvard, 1926
The Brinks Job, 1978
Gappy Ricks, 1921
Captain January, 1936
Captain Salvation, 1927
Captains Courageous, 1 937
Carnal Knowledge, 1971
Carousel, 1956
Casper, 1995
Celtic Pride, 1996
Charlottes Web, 1973
Christmas in Connecticut, 1945
City of the Dead, 1960
The Coast Patrol, 1925
The Comeback, 1916
The Conflict, 1921
Creepshow2, 1987
The Crucible, 1996
Dangerous, 1935
David Harum, 1915,1934
Dead Men Tell No Tales, 1 920
Dead Poets Society, 1989
Deep Waters, 1947
A Delicate Balance, 1973

Desire Under the Elms, 1958

The Devil and Daniel Webster,
1941

Dolores Claiborne, 1995

Down to the Sea in Ships, 1 922

Ethan Frome, 1993

Ever in My Heart, 1933

Fear Strikes Out, 1957

Federal Hill, 1995

Feed, 1992

The Firm, 1993

The Friends of Eddie Coyle,

1973

Funny Farm, 1988
The Good Mother, 1988
The Good Son, 1993
Graveyard Shift, 1990
The Great Moment, 1 944
H.M. Pulham, Esq., 1941
Head Above Water, 1996
Hearts of Oak, 1924
Here Comes the Groom, 1951
The Hotel New Hampshire,

1984

The House of the Seven Gables,

1940

HouseSirter, 1992
Huddle, 1932
Hush, 1921
I am the Cheese, 1983
I Married a Witch, 1942
The Inkwell, 1994
It Happened to Jane, 1959

(alt. Twinkle and Shine)
Jaws, 1975

Jazz on a Summer's Day, 1959
Johnny Tremain, 1957
Jumanji, 1996
The Last Hurrah, 1958
The Late George Apley, 1947
Leave Her to Heaven, 1945

The Lighthouse by the Sea,
1924

Litde Women, 1919, 1933,

1949, 1996
Long Day's Journey Into Night,

1962

Lost Boundaries, 1949

Love Story, 1970

Maid of Salem, 1937

Make a Wish, 1937

Malice, 1993

The Man in the Net, 1959

Man With a Plan, 1995

The Man Without a Face, 1993

The Matchmaker, 1997

Mermaids, 1990

Miloha, 1987

Moby Dick, 1930, 1956

Mother Carey's Chickens, 1938

Mrs. Winterbourne, 1996

Mystery Street, 1950

Mystic Pizza, 1988

The Nature Man, 1915

Never Met Picasso, 1996

A New Leaf, 1971

The Offenders, 1924

The Old Homestead, 1915,

1935, 1942
Old Ironsides, 1926
Oleanna, 1994
On Golden Pond, 1981
One Crazy Summer, 1 986
Other Peoples Money, 1991
Our Town, 1940
The Paper Chase, 1973
Parrish, 1961
The Pearl of Love, 1925
PetSematary, 1989
Peyton Place, 1957
Portrait of Jennie, 1948
Pretty Poison, 1968
The Price of Success, 1925
Private Number, 1936
Prophecy, 1979
Queen of the Sea, 1918
Rachel, Rachel, 1968
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,

1938

Reckless, 1995

The Reincarnation of Peter

Proud, 1975
The Resurrected, 1992
Reversal of Fortune, 1990
Riddle: The Woman, 1920
The Rider of the King Log, 1921
The Russians are Coming! The

Russians are Coming! 1966
The Scarlet Letter, 1909, 1917,

1926, 1934, 1995
Scenes from a Mall, 1 99 1

School Ties, 1992
Sci-fighters, 1996
The Sea Beast, 1926
Second Sight, 1989
A Separate Peace, 1972
The Seventh Day, 1922
Shadows, 1922
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim,

1947

The Shuttered Room, 1967
Signs of Life, 1989
The Singing Kid, 1936
A Small Circle of Friends, 1980
The Spitfire Grill, 1996
Splash, 1984

Squanto: A Warriors Tale, 1 994
The Stepford Wives, 1975
A Stolen Life, 1946
Strange Interlude, 1932
The Strange Woman, 1 946
The Stranger, 1 946
Summer Holiday, 1 948
Summer Magic, 1963
A Summer Place, 1959
Sunrise at Campobello, 1 960
That Darn Cat, 1997
That's My Boy, 1932
Theodora Goes Wild, 1936
The Thomas Crown Affair, 1 968
Those Galloways, 1 965
Timothy s Quest, 1921, 1936
Titicut Follies, 1967
The Trail of the Law, 1924
The Trouble With Harry, 1955
True Lies, 1994
The Verdict, 1982
Vermont is for Lovers, 1992
Walk East on Beacon, 1952
Warlock, 1989
Way Back Home, 1931
Way Down East, 1920
Welcome Stranger, 1947
The Whales of August, 1987
Where the Rivers Flow North,

1992

Where are the Children, 1986
Whispering Winds, 1929
Whistle at Eaton Falls, 1951
White Christmas, 1954
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1966

The Witches of Eastwick, 1987
With Honors, 1994
Winter Carnival, 1939
The Wizard of Loneliness, 1988
The Working Man, 1933
The Yankee Clipper, 1 927 fj

Clarity by Design

Volunteer Enters Film Biz

A high school student has parlayed his
NHF experience into a role as prod-
uction assistant on a feature film.
Former volunteer film cataloguer Alex
FJias finds himself running interference
on the set of Dark Jules in the Maine
fishing village of Stonington this sum-
mer, as he awaits entering film studies in
New York this fall.

Aware of his interest in film through
her contacts with NHF, independent
filmmaker and casting agent Diane Lee
gave Alex a call. He won his new job
after interviewing with representatives for
Plus Films of New York, producers of the
mystery thriller to be filmed entirely on
location.

Contacts and Context

According to Alex, volunteer work at
NHF last summer gave him not only
contacts, but context, for the job.

"1 picked up a lot about the medium of
film and handling it. They also have a
great library of books about film and
filmmaking," of which he took advantage.

The Surry teenager graduated from
George Stevens Academy in nearby Blue
Hill, and will enter the School of Visual
Arts in New York City to focus on film
production this fall.

Less than two weeks into the film
business, Alex already is steeped in
insider lingo, such as working "24-7 "
referring to his all-day, all week schedule
on die set.

As far as "20-20 hindsight" goes, he
recommends the volunteer gig to like-
minded peers. "I think the real world
stuff is much better than anything you
do in school. You learn a lot more in a
situation like NHF." I

If, as you turn these pages, a contrast
or contour catches your eye, graphic
designer Lindy Gifford can probably
take the credit. She's behind die clean,
uncluttered yet distinctive look readers of
Moving Image Review and odier NHF
publications have come to recognize.

A design professional for a dozen
years, Gifford enjoys playing widi die
subtleties of visual elements in creating a
certain feel. "A lot of design is very
subconscious," she says.

Archeological Past
Attention to detail has long been an
element in Gifford s job description.
Formerly an archeologist, she worked on
sites in Belize, Peru, Sardinia, Montana,
and Boston. A specialist in field and
object photography, Gifford has always
had a "visual take on things," she says.

While living in Massachusetts, she
began taking graphics courses at the Mass-
achusetts College of Art, and eventually
was hired by a Boston design firm.

Nine years ago, Gifford moved to
Belfast in mid-coast Maine. She became
art director first of Seafood Business
magazine in Rockland, and then of
WoodenBoat Magazine in Brooklin.

Gifford eventually decided to work
freelance to devote more time to her two
small children. She divides her time
between part-time work designing books
for WoodenBoat Publications, and projects
for other clients such as NHF s newslet-
ter and catalogs.

Her project mix may be changing as
she and two partners form the Penobscot
Publishing Group, a full-service firm
designed to take publications
assignments from the idea phase
to the finished product.

Over the 1 2 years she has
worked in the graphics field,
Gifford's aesthetic has continued
to evolve. As a designer, she says
she aims for simple, straightfor-
ward communication, though
not without a sense of style.

Cranberry Historian

In working with NHF, she also
can indulge an affinity for history.
While still in Massachusetts, she
and her husband received a

National Endowment for the Human-
ities grant to study the state's cranberry
industry. As part of the project, they
conducted oral history interviews and
documented their research.

With that background in cultural
preservation, Gifford can appreciate
NHF's mission of collecting and saving
moving images. "I love film. If I rent
movies, I'm as likely to get an old one as
a recent release. I just think it's great to
see how things used to be. It's like you've
stepped back in time for a moment."

Her first contact with NHF was as a
customer. A number of years ago, she
bought her husband, then a historian, a
copy of Earliest Maine Films. Then she
bought her brother-in-law Maine's TV
Time Machine, a video compilation of
1950s and 60s news and commercials,
"because it's a hoot."

Now, as she designs the NHF catalogs
showcasing such merchandise, she is
careful to conjure up a period feel. In one
publication, she used a 1930s-style
typeface to evoke a Hollywood aura, and
beige, orange and sepia tones.

As she puts it, "It's going to subcon-
sciously say 'movies' to readers, whether
they think it does or not." •

Chariic Chaplin's

The Circus

with live ordiotn

continued from page 4

Carol Allen

Mel Allen

William H. Allen III

Joan Amory

Kathy Anderson

Carter & Linnea Andersson-Wintle

Bob Andrews

Thomas M. Armstrong

Marilyn M. Ashley

Peter D. Bachelder

Prof. William J. Baker

Althea Ballentine

Jean Barrett

Otis Bartlett

Phyllis & Bob Beallor

Orland & Donna Bean

William & Patricia Bell

Patricia & Thomas Berry

Lynne K. Blair

Chris Blanchard

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Blodget

Nancy & Donald Blomquist

Richard Bock

R.J. Bonini

Q. David Bowers

Joan Branch

Joan H. Bromage

Evelyn Brown

Gregory N. Brown

Dr. & Mrs. John M.R. Bruner

Mr. & Mrs. Donald C. Buffington

Patricia Burdick

Robert E. Burgess

Helen M. Burns

Charles Burwell

Lynn Cadwallader

Sara Cairns

Roc Caivano

Mary Grace Canfield

Clayton Carlisle

Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Carnie

James Carter

Donna Cassidy

Mike Caswell

Michel Chalufour

Maureen Cheney

Ted Clapp

Mr. & Mrs. Reginald R. Clark

Brenda J. Condon

Dr. Richard Condon

Ray Cooley

Chester & Phyllis Cooley

Deborah Joy Corey & Bill Zildjian

Dr. & Mrs. Donald R. Crist

Catherine E. Cutler

Polly Darnell

Judy Davis

Melissa Davis

James & Leila Day

Orville B. Denison, Jr.

Sally & Malcolm Denning

Jeannette S. Dennison

Clarence R. Derochemont

Josephine H. Detmer

Ernest Dick

Jefferson Dobbs

Daniel Donovan

Leon J. Doucette

Neal C. Dow

Rev. Douglas W. Drown

Richard L. Duval

G. Clifton Eames

Albert Eaton

David Ellenberg

Anna Mary Elskus

Elaine Emery

Lynn Farnell

Mrs. John Farr

Kevin Fellows

Joseph F. Filtz

David Folster

Fogler Library

Marion C. Foss

Ann & Everett Foster

Karen Frangoulis

Yves Frenette

Marian J. Fretz

Kathy H. Fuller

Samuel Fuller

Liz Fulton

Peter T. Gammons, Jr.

Janet & Marty Garrell

Lindy Gifford

Thomas R. Girard & Deborah Howard

Martha U. Goldner

Douglas Gomery

Sidney & Roberta Gordon

Dayton Grandmaison

Terry Grant

Mr. & Mrs. John W. Grant

Gus P. Gregory

Mr. & Mrs. Roland W. Grindle

Arnold Grindle

Ernest H. Groth

Mary S. Hafer

Charles & Christina Halsted

Clarence & Beatrice Hamilton

Eric W. Handley

James Hanna

W.A. Haviland

Dorothy Hayes

Rev. David Hersey

Dr. Bill Hersey

Marilyn Hinkley

Wendell Hodgkins

John Hoffman

Mr. & Mrs. John C. Howard

Stanley R. Howe, Ph.D.

Tom Hulce

James Hunnewell

Ron Huston

Douglas & Heidi H. Ilsley

Ann Ivins

Jeffrey Janer & Maggie Sanftleben

Glenn Jenks & Faidi Getchell

Mike Jennings

Tedd Johansen

Eithne Johnson

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Johnson

Thomas F. Joyce

Richard & Patricia W. Judd

Dr. Susan A. Kaplan

John J. Karol, Jr.

Alan Kattelle

Barry J.Kelley

Dr. & Mrs. Robert O. Kellogg

George E. Kent

Marshall Kinney

Frances V. Knox

Beulah & Garry Larrabee

Hannah Leader

Robert Legg

Paige Lilly

Bill Lippincott & Nancy Raich

Bonnie Lounsbury

Joanna Cappuccilli Lovetti

Howard P. Lowell

Edward C. Lynch

Harold L. Malloch

Maude & John March

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Mason

Suzanne Massie & Seymour Papert

Prof. Eugene Mawhinney

Valerie Felt McClead

Caren McCourtney

Gertrude L. McCue

George H. McEvoy

Patricia F. McGeorge

John T. Mcllwaine

Linda McLain

Robert W. Merritt

Joan F. Meserve

Bruce Meulendyke

George Miller

David Mishkin

Barbara & Darrold Mitchell

Ellen Mitchell

Kate Monahan

Betsy Montandon & Keith Davison

Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Morrill

Sumner E. Moulton

Margaret W. Myers

Mr. & Mrs. Nickolas J. Nugent

George O'Connell

George R. O'Neill

L.R Ohman

Kathryn J. Olmstead

Woodard D. Openo

David E. Outerbridge

Jeff Palmer

Robin Parmelee

Dr. & Mrs. Robert H. Pawle

Adam Peck

Larry & Nancy Perlman

Paula Petrik

Geoff Phillips

Pat & Devon Phillips

Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Pipher

John Potter

Alice W. Price

E. Annie Proulx

Joseph L. Quinn

Elvie M. Ramsdell

William Rand

Patricia Ranzoni

Sally Regan

Charles & Dorothy Reid

Alan Rhoades

Marguerite Jan Ridgway

Sundae & Ernest Robbins

Paige W. Roberts

Windsor C. Robinson

James & Marilyn Rockefeller, Jr.

Lynanne M. Rollins

Robert & Venetia Rosie

Jaylene B. Roths

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Rundlert

Harriet H. Sands

Red Sarna

Carol Schaefer

Eric Schaefer

Ronald Schliessman

Edwin & Justine Schneider

Wendy Wincote Schweikert & Ken

Schweikert
Connie Jan Sears
Peter & Lucy Sellers
Bernard Shea
Milt Shelter
Harold B. Simmons
Gary Smith
Charles B. Smith
Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Smith, Jr.
Pat & Roy Snell
Albert Snowden
William S. Souza
Amy B. Squibb
Miriam G. Stern
Archie Stewart
John S. Stillman
Albert & Eve Srwertka
Lynda L. Sudlow
Barbara Sullivan
Bill & Jacquie Sullivan
David A Taylor & Leellen Friedland
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Taylor
Denis Thoet
Little Tree
Harry Tyler
Lucie Tyler
C. Robert Tyler
Jean Ulman
R. Bruce Underwood
Joanne J. Van Namee
Louise Gulick Van Winkle
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur C. Verow
Robert Waite
Robert & Julia Walkling
Dr. Sanford E. Warren
Seth H. Washburn
Ginia Davis Wexler
Virginia W. Whitaker

Christopher & Susan White

Phil A. Whitney

Jane Whitten

John Wight

Steve & Peggy Wight •

Tappy & Robin Wilder

Elizabeth Wiley

Deborah Williams

Richard Willing

Bonnie Wilson

Wilton Historical Society

Elizabeth & Frank Wiswall

Edith Wolff

Bob Woodbury

George Worthing

Aagot C. Wright

Marguerite Y. Zientara

Educator/Student Members

Timothy W. Allison-Hatch

Mark L. Anderson

Miss Rosemary Anthony

Brick Store Museum

Judy Arey

Henry Barendse

Timothy Barton

Adrienne M. Baum

Marisa Bebris

Eric Benke & Frances Merritt Thompson

Arnold & Riva Berleant

Frank Bisher

James J. Bishop

Deborah Blanchard

Dona Brown

Cindy Bufidiis

Richard Burns

Chris D. Burns

William Carpenter & Donna Gold

Armand Chartier

Terry Christy

Joanne D. Clark

Judith & Brian Clough

Ann Cohen

Dr. Joseph A. Conforti

Richard Crampton

Alvina Cyr

Thomas Doherty

Elizabeth D. Dore

Bruce Doughty

Mr. & Mrs. Phillip G. Dow, Sr.

Beth Dunning

Melinda A. Duval

Linda Dygert

Dr. Joel W. Eastman

Ian Eddy

Deborah Ellis

Charles Emond

Bob England

James Fastook

Nancy Fenney

Carlton G. Foster

Joseph E. Foster

Joanne Frecker

Ed Friedman

Ann Gallagher

Elaine & John Gardner

Lawrence Gisetto

Christopher Glass

Suzanne Goulet

Randy Grant

Joe Gray

CoraGreer

Pam Harmon

Douglas I l.ii lii-lil

Bob Hayes

Jay Hoar

K.it Hudson

Beverly Huntress

Richard D. Jenkins

Paula Johnson

Polly Kaufman

Gaylen Kelley

Zip Kellogg

Karol R Kucinski

Yvon I .ililn'-

Rose Marasco

Rev. Shirley Mattson

Donald McDougal

Todd Mcintosh

William McKinley

Martha McNamara

Betty A. Morris

Dhyan Nirmegh

Kenneth Peck

Carol M. Petillo

Sanford Phippen

Jennifer C. Pixley

Sarah G. Prescott

Dave A. Pride

Joan Radner

David Raymond

Don Ritz

Pat & Tom Schroth

Aran Shetterly

Stephen C. Smith

Miss Natalie B. Smidi

Renny Stackpole

Gifford Stevens

Arthur Stolpestad

Melinda Stone

Janet Stratton

Adelia Thurston

Kathy Tweedie

Juris Ubans

Richard C. Valinski

Abigail A. Van Slyck

Thomas Walker

David H. Waiters

Dan Weaver

Mary Webber

Tinlcy Weisblat

Phyllis Wheaton

Dr. Richard E.G. White

Philip & Shirley C. Whitney

Seth Wigderson

George Wildey

C.Bruce Wright •

Getting It Right

NHF Board of Directors

Fiction needn't be false. Eager to
make her piece believable, author
Deborah Joy Corey did her home-
work, viewing NHF materials for
background on the logging industry.
Now, amidst work on a novel and
screenplay, the multimedia veteran makes
time to serve on NHF s Board of
Directors.

"Of all the things I'm involved in, diis
is one I really enjoy. Their pursuit is a
wonderful thing," she says of the
archives.

Primarily a novelist, Corey apportions
part of her time at home in Castine,
Maine, to writing a screenplay based on
her 1 993 book, Losing Eddie. The book
won a Canadian award for best first
novel. A sequel is in the works.

Avant-Garde Fashion

Having begun her career as a fashion
model, Corey found other ends of the
industry more compelling. By the late
1980s, she owned a Toronto company
producing avant-garde fashion shows for
designers and retailers, and other special
events.

Over the years, her theatrical bent has
found a variety of outlets, such as writing
radio drama for the Canadian Broad-
casting Corporation. She's learned there's
a fine line between fiction and documen-
tary: they're both about storytelling.

That helps explain why she found the
archives so useful for research. "They
have home movies. They own people's
history in a sense."

Welcome Martha McNamara

As head of the NHF board's Nominating
Committee, Corey welcomes the board's
newest member, Martha J. McNamara,
of Orono, Maine, and Boston.

A cultural historian at the University of
Maine, McNamara earned her Ph.D. in
American and New England Studies
from Boston University. She serves as
Director of the Society of Architectural
Historians, New England chapter; and as
board member of the Maine Historic H
Preservation Commission.

Deborah Joy Corey, Castine, Maine.

Author of Losing Eddie, winner of
Canadian best first novel award; drama-
tized and broadcast on CBC radio. Was
owner of Toronto modeling agency. Board,
Witherle Library, Castine.

Michael J. Fiori, Readfield, Maine.

President and COO, Downcast Pharmacy,
Inc., specializing in geriatric and long-term
care. CEO of ODV, Inc., manufacturers
and distributors of narcotic identification
equipment.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, Maine.
President, E Media, Kennebunk, specializ-
ing in manufacturing technologies and
electronic media.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, Maine.

Maine State Archivist, administrative head
of the State Archives. Directs Maine's
Historical Records Advisory Board.
Education includes a Ph.D. in political
science from Emory University.

Alan J. McClelland, Camden, Maine.
Retired defense electronics executive from
Ford Aerospace and Gilfillan ITT.
Volunteer archivist and photographer,
Owls Head Transportation Museum.
Executive board, Society of Maine
Archivists.

Maltha McNamara, Orono, Maine, and
Boston, Mass.

University of Maine, Orono, historian.
Ph.D. in American & New England
Studies from Boston University. Director
of the Society of Architectural Historians,
New England chapter. Commission
member, Maine Historic Preservation
Commission.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, Maine.
Co-founder of Trio Software Corporation,
and an independent properly assessment
consultant. Was staff producer and director
at WMTW TV; studied film at George
Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, Maine.
Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architectural
design, urban design, and planning for
worldwide projects: educational and
exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, Maine.

Owner, Rosens Department Store,
Bucksport — third generation owner. Vice
President of the board of Bucksport Regional
Health Center and co-founder, Bucksport
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, Maine.
Co-founder of NHF. 1997 program
committee for the Association of Moving
Image Archivists annual conference,
alternate on the National Film Preservation
Board, Library of Congress.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, Maine.

Executive Director, Northeast Historic Film
and co-founder of NHF. Previously media
producer in Boston after graduating in film
and semiotics from Brown University. Serves
on Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington D.C.
Founder, Smithsonian Institution Human
Studies Film Archives. Co-chair,
Association of Moving Image Archivists'
amateur film group, Ineciits. Family roots
in Skowhegan, Maine. H

Calendar Highlights

At the Alamo Theatre,
Bucksport

July 18, 7:30 p.m.

Downcast Center Ring Circus Band

Concert. $5 adults, $2 children.

August 24, 7 p.m.
Filmmaker Alan Berliner will
introduce, screen, and discuss his
documentary films Intimate
Stranger and Nobody's Business.
Tickets now available: $ 1 0 for
NHF members, $12 for others.

September 12-13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Penobscot River Festival, open
house.

In Windsor, Maine

September 19-21 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Common Ground Fair. Northeast
Historic Film's Videos of Life in New
England shown each day, free with
admission, in the Film Building. NHF
staff will answer questions and loan
Reference by Mail videos free to members.

In Fryeburg, Maine

September 28-October 5 8 a.m. to 8
p.m. Fryeburg Fair. Northeast Historic
Film's Videos of Life in New England
shown daily, free with admission, at the
Farm Museum. NHF staff will answer
questions and loan Reference by Mail
videos free to members.

World's Woodsworkers

Improbably enough, a specialty
emporium located in the northern
California town of Laytonville (pop.
1 133) is one of NHF's biggest
customers.

Bailey's may not be a household name
but to aficionados of forestry and logging
practices, it's a standby. "We sell to the
woodsmen of the world," founder
William G. "Bill" Bailey says with
discernible pride.

Established in the founder's
hometown in 1975, Bailey's bills itself as
the "world's largest mail order woodsman
supplies company." The cover of its latest
catalog depicts logging by helicopter.

A Really Big Buyer

Baileys sells everything from logging
supplies and seedlings to clothing, books,
and videotapes. According to NHF
distribution coordinator Jane Berry
Donnell, Bailey's is among the highest-
volume buyers of NHF's videotapes.

As a longtime woodsman and logger,
Bill Bailey thinks he knows why. Having
observed wood harvesting operations
worldwide, Bailey appreciates the fact
that each region does things a little
differently, in the U.S. and elsewhere.

To his way of thinking, it's those
unique practices that lend the field such
fascination, particularly with the passing
of the old ways as technology has
continued to change.

Bygone Ways in Action
Bailey thinks it's the prospect of watching
bygone ways in action that make NHF
tapes such as Woodsmen and River
Driven and From Stump to Ship of

nearly universal interest to his customers.

"It's pretty unique the way they did
those river drives," says Bailey, explaining
that in California, the tree stock was too
large to ever maneuver down rivers and
in any case, river driving is a thing of the
past.

These days, some transport of
California's massive timber is done using
cable-car type equipment suspended high
above the ground.

When it comes to wood harvesting,
Bailey knows whereof he speaks. Now
54, his enchantment with woodlands is
rooted in his childhood. Like many of his
classmates in redwood country, Bailey
quit high school to work in the woods.
In his case, the ethic of giving
back to the land was planted early. He
says he learned not only to harvest, but
to replant and refurbish.

As a merchant, Bailey applies a similar
ethic to his company's inventory. To
keep it fresh, he regularly weeds out any
merchandise that fails to hold his
customers' interest. He says the video-
tapes he orders from NHF are among
the more long-lived of his catalog's
offerings.

Europe, Asia, and the U.S.
As for his clientele, the store's typical
customer lives in small-town America,
although the catalog has shipped orders
as far as Europe and Asia. Bailey says he
will continue to sell NHF products as
long as interest stays high.

Meanwhile, his latest enthusiasm is
distributing the company's new wood
business card to anyone who will take
one. M

The business card
really is red cedar.

Mail Order Woodsman Supplies
at Discounted Prices

Smell me-I'm Two Ply Red Cedar

New Catalog, FREE!

ortheast Historic Film Presents
Videos of Life in New England —
carefully selected to show important and
often vanished ways of life.

The catalog of videos for sale is
available free of charge. It features many
wonderful titles for the classroom,
library, and living room, including these
new selections.

Gee Bee Airplanes

A look into the history of the super
sportsters that made a spectacular
entrance upon the aviation scene in the
early 1 930s. No other single model in
air-racing history has attained such a
dominant place in the memory and
affection of racing enthusiasts.
60 iiiin., b&w and color, sound. $19.95

Man With A Plan

Fred Tuttle, a 77-year-old retired dairy
farmer runs for Congress after he
realizes that it's the only way that a
person with a tenth-grade education
and no references can make $ 1 29,000 a
year. As Fred says simply, "I've spent my
whole life in the barn, now I just want
to spend a little time in the House." He
represents a vanishing way of life in
Vermont. He'll make you laugh: Fred
Tuttle, the Man with a Plan. H

90 min., color, sound. $19.95

Reference b
Mail

NHF members may borrow the video-
tapes listed here by mail. A list of 120
more circulating videos is also available.
There is no fee for the service, and
NHF will pay for the shipping of up to
three tapes the first time you borrow.
After that, there is just a $5 shipping
charge per loan (maximum three tapes
per loan). See opposite for membership
information.

Return Instructions

The borrower is responsible for return
postage to NHF via First Class mail or
UPS. Tapes must be shipped to NHF
five days after they are received.

Public Performance

Videotapes listed are offered as a refer-
ence service. Tapes whose descriptions
include die PERF designation may be
presented as part of a public event. All
others are for home use only. To ensure
availability for a specific date, call
Samantha Boyce at 207 469-0924.

Videos for Sale

Many videos are available for purchase
through NHF. Please call for a free
catalog of Videos of Life in New England.

American Indians

Earth Medicine, an eight-pan series on use
of plants and herbs by LitdeTree, now a
Vermont resident. From open-reel half-
inch videotape. Two VHS videotapes.
1975. Total 240 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Children

Big Horse, two horses, Spike and Smitty,
talk about their lives as working animals.
1996. 30 mins., col., sd.

Ecology and Energy

Wyman Station, Central Maine Power
film on the construction of Wyman
Station on the Kennebec River, with
Daggettville, the workers' town. 1928.
30 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Feature Films

The Family Album, Alan Berliner's look at
family life, from birth to death, through
home movies and sound from many
sources. 1986. 60 mins., b&w, sd.

Long Day's Journey Into Night, Sidney
Lumet directs Eugene O'Neill's drama
about his family in New London,

Connecticut. With Katharine Hepburn
and Jason Robards. 1962. 174 mins.,
b&w, sd.

Lost Boundaries, produced by Louis de
Rochemont. An African-American
physician's experiences with discrimina-
tion in the south and in New
Hampshire. 1949. 99 mins., b&w, sd.

Man with a Plan, Fred Turtle, a retired
Vermont dairy farmer, runs for Congress
in this comedy. By John O'Brien. 1996.
90 mins., col., sd.

Moby Dick, Gregory Peck plays Captain
Ahab, New Bedford whaler. Script by
Ray Bradbury, Norman Corwin, and
John Huston, from Herman Melville's
novel. 1956. 1 16 mins., col., sd.

Our Town, Thornton Wilder's New
Hampshire village and its inhabitants.
With a score by Aaron Copland. 1940.
90 mins., b&w., sd.

Theodora Goes Wild, Theodora Lynne,
played by Irene Dunne, wrote a scan-
dalous novel in a small Connecticut
town — and went to New York. 1936. 94
mins., b&w, sd.

Fisheries

Fence in the Water, weir fishing for
herring in Penobscot Bay, Maine, by
independent filmmaker Peg Dice. 1980.
45 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Our Fishing Heritage, Grand Banks dory
fishing, stop-seining mackerel and
herring, and early lobstering. 1996. 60
mins., b&w and col., sd.

Underwater, Out of Sight, an ecosystem
case study shows how underwater life is
drastically changing because of the
fishing industry. 15 mins., col., sd.

Geography

From Dreamland Sent, history of the
1893 Maine State Building now in
Poland Spring, Maine. 1995. 25 mins.,
b&w, sd.

Great Cranberry Island, amateur film by
Robert Browning of a young boy on
Cranberry Isles, Maine, learning about
island life. ca. 1930. 60 mins., b&w, si.
PERF

The Trees Still Grow, Berlin, New
Hampshire's history as a mill town.
1994. 30 mins., b&w, sd.

Wohela, 1919, a promotional film of girls'
camp activities on Sebago Lake, Maine.
10 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Oral History

From the University of Maine Distin-
guished Visitors series of interviews.

William Kienbusch, artist. 1968. 30
mins., col., sd. PERF

R. Buckminster Fuller, architect and
visionary. 1968. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF

Russell Wiggins, newspaper publisher and
diplomat. 1968. 30 mins., b&w, sd.
PERF

Technology

Bryant Pond, The Last Ringdown,
America's last magneto telephone
company, in Bryant Pond, Maine.
Produced by GTE Visnet. 1982. 12
mins., col., sd. PERF

Transportation

Gee Bee Airplanes, the sport planes that
made a fabulous entrance into the
aviation scene in the early 1 930s. 1 992.
60 mins., b&w and col., sd.

Woods

Forest Wars, "Can we have our wood
products and our forest too?" 1996. 72
mins., col., sd. PERF B

NHF Membership

Northeast Historic
Film Staff

David S. Weiss

executive director

Samantha Boyce

member services & office
assistant

Patricia Burdick

staff archivist

Jane Berry Donnell

distribution coordinator

Heather White

research &: stock footage

Phil Yates

technical services

As .111 independent nonprofit organi/ation,
\'l II depends on its members. All mem-
ct 15% off at the Alamo Theatre Store.

Please join and renew! Call 800 639-1636.
Internet access? http://www.acadia.net/old-
film/ has a membership signup form.

Individual Member, $25 per year.

All members receive many benefits including:

Moving Image Review.

Advance notice of events.

1 )iscoimts on Videos of Life in New
England.

1 )iscounts on events at the Alamo Theatre.

Set of NHF postcards.

Free loan of videotapes through Reference-
by Mail.

Educator/Student Member, $ 1 5 per year.
All individual membership benefits for
teachers and students at any level.
Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year.
All individual membership benefits plus:

Reduced rates for technical nd

presentations. Addition '-wing

Household Members,

All listed benefits for the member

household, plus: Discounts for the entire

household at Alamo Theatre events. Two

Nl 1I; lapel pins.

Associate, $100 per year.

All listed benefits plus: Three free shipments

(up to nine tapes) of Reference by Mail

videos. Free Nl II T-shirt.

Corporate Member, $ 1 00 per year.

All benefits of Associate Membership.

Friend, $250 per year.

All listed benefits of membership plus:

free shipments (up to 15 tapes) of Reference

by Mail videos. Free NHF cap.

Patron, $ 1 ,000 per year.

All listed benefits of membership plus:

Unlimited Reference by Mail videos. Dinner

for four at MacLeod's Restaurant.

Membership and Order Form

Join Now! Free Reference by Mail!

Ordered by:

Name

Address

City

Stare

Zip

Phone

Ship to: (if different from above)

Name

Vl.tr, »

City

State

Zip

D Please send Video Sales Catalog!

Northeast Historic Film, P.O. Box 900

Bucksport, ME 04416 USA

207 469-0924 FAX 207 469-7875

Purchase Qry.

Total

Shipping^and handling Subtotal

Up to $25.00 S 4.50 Sales tax — Maine residents add 6%

$25.01 to iMj.Ou ib.uu CL. . j i_i ji- / L \
$50.01 to $75.00 $7.50 Shipping and Handling (see chart)

100.00 $9.00
$100.01 and over $1().SO

Reference by Mail/Members ONLY

Titles: Shipping $5

Membership/ Specify level

TOTAL

Payment Method

D Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film

H Institutional purchase order #
D Visa D MasterCard
Credit card #

Expiration date

Credit card signature

A fifty-foot steel I-beam was threaded through the Alamo Theatre to support
the auditorium's new projection booth. Photo Sharon Bray, The Enterprise.

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Address Correction Requested

A Vote of
Confidence

HF was honored as "New
Chamber Business of the Year" by
the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber
of Commerce. At a ceremony on
April 24 attended by Chamber members
and Governor Angus King, Chamber
founder Richard Rosen presented the
award to archives co-founders David
Weiss and Karan Sheldon.

Rosen asked audience members to
picture themselves as teachers of Maine
Studies, a required subject in the state's
public schools. "You've covered the
Missouri Compromise. All the students
have memorized the names of the
counties, and now you want them to
discover, somehow, what life was like 80
or 1 00 years ago in Maine. To show the
students what ice harvesting was like, or
what a log drive looked like."

Home to Amateur Footage

In addition to collecting and safeguard-
ing extensive holdings of feature and
commercial films, television news
footage, and documentaries, NHF also
has become the largest repository for
amateur film in North America, said
Rosen.

But perhaps more important to
members of the local community was
NHF's hosting of 26 events in 1996,
amidst its building's ongoing renovations,
he said.

As a longtime downtown merchant
and Bucksport native, Rosen said NHF's
decision to purchase the Alamo Theatre
in 1992 is a good fit for the archives and
community.

Accepting the award, executive director
Weiss recalled the warm welcome NHF
received from the first day, when
passersby "cheered as we pried plywood
off the front windows."

As Weiss noted, the capital campaign
going forward this year will enable the
construction of a facility which will
ensure cultural resources for many
generations.

"We still have our work cut out for
us," said Weiss. "I see this award as a vote
of confidence."

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation
of Northern New England
Motion Pictures

Winter 1998

Maxim Collection
Reference by Mail
NHI- Membership
The Vitak, by Alan Kattelle
Theater Mural

1!
11

Moving Image Review is a semiannual
publication of Northeast Historic Him,
I'O. Box 900, Bucksport, Maine 04416.
David S. Weiss, executive director
Doug Hubley, writer and editor.
ISSN0897-07(

E Mail OLDFlLM@acadia.net
Web http://www.acadia.net/oldfilm/

Champion Gift

Champion International of Stamford,
Connecticut, has announced a
$50,000 gift to Northeast Historic
Film. The international woods products
company owns the paper mill in Bucks-
port and is the area's largest employer.

"Northeast Historic Film is in a
position to provide major benefits to
Greater Bucksport. At Champion we
want to help build a strong community
which provides a full range of opportuni-
ties to its citizens. NHF has shown a
commitment to community which
makes us confident that they can be a
cultural anchor for the business district
and the area at large. Their continued
growth and success will add a much-
needed dimension to die Bucksport
area," said Fred Oettinger, Vice President
and Operations Manager. "We would
like to see even more community
involvement in the future so we have
included a $25,000 matching gift to
encourage new members and increase
membership giving."

NHF Board President Richard Rosen
accepted both the gift and the challenge
to increase membership by saying, "The
Board of NHF is extremely pleased to
accept this gift and feels that its impor-
tance goes beyond the fact that it is the
largest corporate gift ever received by the
organization. This grant goes a long way
toward demonstrating to other area and
national flinders that Northeast Historic
Film has the strong support of its com-
munity. With more than $1 million still
to raise it is crucial to be able to point to
commitment from our local area." H

Exceptional Efforts in Cooperation and Outreach

All year, Northeast Historic Film has
reached out to students with new
activities relating to our region's
culture and moving-image heritage.

In January, pianist Danny Part accom-
panied silent films at the Fred R Hall
Elementary School in Portland. Pan, now
in his mid-80s, charmed the children
with a skill he first acquired at age 12.
Independent filmmaker Jay Craven,
fresh from completing the feature A
Stranger in the Kingdom, agreed to add a
high school "master class" to his Maine
engagement. Held at the Alamo Theatre,
the after-school session used excerpts
from Plungerman, a video produced by
George Stevens Academy (GSA) students.
Teachers and students from Bucksport,
Orono, GSA, FJlsworth High School,
Foxcroft Academy, and Hampden
Academy attended the workshop.

Outreach activities based on the 1929
film Evangeline culminated in a screen-
ing at The Grand, in Ellsworth — the first
showing of a film with live music in the
530-seat cinema in nearly a decade.
Northern Maine music educator Steve
Vonderheide, commissioned by the
Acadian Archives/ Archives acadiennes to
score the film, accompanied the screening.

During the autumn, NHF staff worked
on Bucksport's Arts in Education Project,
helping produce a videotape with students.

As these and many other interactions
with students and teachers show, NHF
takes its educational mission to heart.
Such activities are typical of the excep-
tional efforts — by staff and board
members, volunteers, donors, col-
leagues, funders, and artists — that make
NHF a leader in cultural preservation
and access. H

Danny Pott with students of the Fred P. Halt Elementary School, Portland.

Executive Director's Report

The year 1 997 has been a pivotal year
for Northeast Historic Film — full of
challenge, excitement, and promise.
It was a year of change in many impor-
tant ways; primarily it has been a year of
preparation. There was business as usual,
too, with an ever-increasing number of
wonderful and significant collections
coming to the archives, well-received
public events, educational activities,
participation in regional and national
initiatives, and expanded distribution.

Staff Evolves

For die staff it was a year of evolution.
Staff archivist Patricia Burdick has moved
on to new challenges. Pat helped us out
of the dark ages and established proce-
dures and systems that will serve us as we
grow. Headier White, in charge of
research and stock footage, moved back
to New York City. She will still have a
connection with NHF, as she joins the
staff of Hot Shots/Cool Cuts, our
national and international representative.
We added pan-time cataloger James
Sweet, a native Bucksporter with a
marvelous descriptive flair, who is
enhancing access to the collections. We
have also been joined by Daniel Gottlieb
working in archival services (see page 6).

Divide and Conquer

On the second floor a window sheds
light on a newly-constructed 1 ,000-
square-foot area. Last spring, old inade-
quate floors on both levels came out
creating a chasm in the center of the
building. Working back up from the
basement we constructed a stronger first
floor. We then added a concrete platform
for the new projection booth. A projec-
tion window opens into the booth area,
which is ready to be finished out. Steel
beams topped off the booth area and
support the replacement second floor,
eventually the new home of technical
services. Along the second floors east
wall the temporary vault area has been
nearly doubled. We added new dehumid-
ification and are pleased with the results.
This storage expansion was badly needed,
as the existing space was close to full.
The theater now has walls; they are
freshly painted and adorned with a 40-
foot mural depicting cinemas as
described on page 16. We are ready for
the next phase — to make the theater fully
operational with 35mm projection
equipment, a new sound system, carpet-
ing, acoustical surfacing, and lighting. I
will not miss walking over to click off
portable work lights to start each show.

Northeast Historic Film Staff

David S. Weiss

Executive director
nhf@acadia.net

Samantha Boyce
Office assistant
refbymail@acadia. net

Jane Berry Donnell

Distribution coordinator
nhfvideo@acadia. net

Dan Gottlieb

Archival services
oldfilm@acadia.net

PhilYates

Technical services
oldfilm@acadia.net

Board of Directors

Deborah Joy Corey
Michael J. Fiori
Paul J. Gelardi
James S. Henderson
Alan J. McClelland
Martha McNamara
Frederick Oettinger
James Phillips
Terry Rankine
Richard Rosen
Karan Sheldon
David S. Weiss
Pamela Wintle

Advisors

Gillian Anderson
Q. David Bowers
Peter Davis
Alan Kattelle
Robert W. Wagner

Future Vision

In August NHF held a Board retreat, led
by Mort Mather, hosted by Paul and
Deborah Gelardi at their home in Cape
Porpoise, Maine. The entire Board was
present, and all appreciated the Gelardis'
hospitality. The Board spent the beautiful
summer day discussing the organization's
mission and future direction. Mort
Mathers report said, "From the retreat I
came to the conclusion that NHF's
greatest strength is its excellent, well-
deserved reputation. And its greatest
weakness is timidity in trumpeting its
excellence."

At the retreat, the Board elected to its
membership Frederick Oettinger of
Penobscot, Maine. Oettinger is the
manager of Champion International
Corporation's Bucksport mill. I am
writing this column immediately after
our December board meeting — it is my
pleasure to share with you the strong
sense that we have a most experienced
and committed board.

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but are not limited
to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation of
educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
the film and video production com-
munity, through providing a study
center, technical services and facilities.

Regional Culture:

Downeast Humor

"Well, if you can't tell me how to get to
Alfred, you can at least tell me if there's a
gas station nearby. "

"I don't know. "

"You don't know much, do you?"

"No, hut then again, I ain't lost. "

^^^•he preservation and release on

videotape of A Downeast Smile-In,

B comprising three episodes of a
1970 television show by the late humorist
Marshall Dodge, will have a profound
resonance for longtime Mainers.

For all the ways Maine has changed
since a hit-and-run driver killed Dodge
as he rode his bike on a Hawaiian
vacation, the past 1 5 years might as well
have been 50. Most affected by these
changes have been the people of the
world that Dodge depicted in his wry
stories: the Mainers who work the sea,
the woods, the farms.

The video packs a double punch, not
only reminding us how good Dodge was
at his work, but also briefly resurrecting
lifestyles that have largely gone the way
of Maine's groundfisheries, its woods,
and its agrarian economy.

Dodge was the New York native who
in the 1950s fired up his tape recorder
and, with fellow Yale student Robert
Bryan, recorded the first of five "Bert and
I" albums. The records became cult
favorites nationwide. For many, they
defined Maine humor.

"Marshall and Bob Bryan had no idea
what they'd done," says Dodges half-
brother Fred. "They were just a couple of
college kids. They loved the humor and
they loved the people."

Honorary Native

Dodge eventually moved to Maine,
became one of the states best-known
entertainers and founded the annual
Maine Festival, now in its third decade.
(Bryan rarely performed with Dodge,
although he remained Dodge's partner in
recording and business.)

A Downeast Smile-In was one of
several broadcasts featuring Dodge
produced by Maine Educational
Television (now part of the Maine Public
Broadcasting Network). Others in the
NHF collection include In the Kitchen,

a series that also featured such Maine
humorists as Joe Perham.

NHF had the original broadcast tapes
on hand in late summer 1 996, when the
restoration began. A seal in the cases used
for the 2-inch videotape stock had begun
to crumble, coating the tapes and
delaying their viewing. Preservation
copies were eventually made at VidiPax
in New York.

Meanwhile, a donation of the same
programs from Fred Dodge expedited
the compilation, as Dodge had the shows
on %-inch stock, which NHF used for
preproduction.

Fred Dodge encouraged NHF to
request a grant from the Marshall Dodge
Memorial Fund for restoring the video-
tapes. The foundation, which supports
the Maine Festival and other causes in
the state, will benefit from the sale of A
Downeast Smile-In.

Master of the Slow Build

The three half-hour episodes are "Aunt
Mehitabel's Funeral," consisting of sea
stories; "The Woods," and "Mr. Perkins'
Privy," which looks at farm living. The

film crew caught Dodge in live perfor-
mance and in a variety of Maine locations.

Close-ups of Dodge on stage are a
revelation. His mastery of storytelling is
complete, from his command of accents
and sound effects to an exquisite sense
of phrasing and timing — qualities
essential to this brand of humor, which
relies on a slow build and an under-
stated punch line.

Bits range from the classic "Banger
Packet" story, whence the "Bert and I"
tag line came, to a rendition of a train
conductor calling out each station
between Bucksport and Vanceboro. It's
hard to explain exacdy why the latter is
so funny.

Perhaps it speaks to a distinct flavor of
the absurd that permeates so much of
this humor — and that, maybe, was what
it took to get through a lifetime in the
old Maine. I

A Downeast Smile- In may be borrowed
free of charge by Northeast Historic Film
members through NHF's Reference by Mail
service. The 90-minute video is for sale at
$24.95. Call 800 639- 1636.

Archives: Jay Strike/Community Record

Peter Kellman Leads Preservation Effort

"You take someone's $10-an-hour job for
$8, there's a $6 crowd waiting for you."

Ten years ago last June, respond-
ing to company demands for
wage and work-rule concessions,
1 ,267 production workers struck die
International Paper (IP) mill in Jay,
Maine. The strike's anniversary last
summer hardly surfaced in the media —
surprisingly, considering die impact of
the 16-month walkout.

Raymond Ouellette, a third-generation
IP worker and a striker, videotaped
countless hours of union meetings and
events. "I figured someday someone
would probably want [the tapes] and do
something with them," Ouellette says.
After all, he points out, people in Jay are
still talking about the paperworkers'
strike against IP in 1921.

Peter Kellman, a North Berwick
resident who coordinates the Maine
chapter of the Program on Corporations,
the Law, and Democracy, worked with
the striking locals as an AFL-CIO
strategist. Kellman copied Ouellette's
videotapes, donating the copies to NHF
two years ago.

This year, Ouellette donated his
original tapes, enabling NHF to make
archival copies from first-generation
footage. Kellman raised nearly $2,000 to
fund the video preservation effort.

Chlorine Spills, Sing-alongs

The tapes depict a conflict that ulti-
mately broke the striking locals, cost
some paperworkers their jobs, turned
others into scabs, brought out-of-state
workers into the mill and violence to the
streets. The strike ended when the
national union leadership withdrew its
support for the walkout.

The videotapes now at NHF include
TV news spots, union rallies, group
sings, clashes on the picket line, environ-
mental problems related to the strike,
statements and speeches.

Ouellette hopes that the tapes will offer
a lesson for young people. "Maybe
somebody will learn from our mistakes,"
he says. "Labor is a great part of this
country. And if people know what
companies can do and what unions can
do, I think it would help them. Unions
are going down, and that's a bad thing,
because if it wasn't for the unions, people
wouldn't be making the money they are."

Ouellette cites an episode captured on
tape: Jesse Jackson's speech to the strikers
in October 1987. While Jackson obvi-
ously has the 1988 presidential campaign
in mind, he nevertheless speaks to the
situation: "The scab must understand
about the weakness of 'scabism'," he says.

Bridging a Gap

Ouellette's videotapes are part of a
collection of documentation Peter
Kellman assembled and indexed during
and after the Jay strike. The strike papers,
including letters, union documents, and
more than 1 ,000 newspaper clippings,
Kellman donated to the University of
Maine.

He aimed to address a gap in the
annals of earlier labor negotiations.
"There was so much missing in terms of
the actual strikers and the people who
participated telling their story," Kellman
says. "There are newspaper articles, but
very little oral history or anything else."

"I felt a responsibility to have the
record for future generations. And so
completing that was a big relief for me. It
feels good to know that this stuff is
someplace now, and available for people
to look at."

"Most people will probably tell you it
was one of the most dramatic and
important events in their lives," Kellman
says. "I don't think there's any majority
about how people feel about things — I
think there's a lot of different ways
people feel."

Additional Resources

Kellman's collection is part of a broad
effort to interpret the Jay strike. In 1989,
videographer David Riker brought his
documentary, Many Faces of Paper: Jay,
Maine, Fights Back, to Jay.

Due for 1998 publication are two
histories of the strike. Pain on Their Faces,
a book put together by two strikers, will
be published by the Bureau of Labor
Education at the University of Maine.
Cornell University Press will publish a
history of the event by Professor Jack
Getman of the University of Texas Law
School. •

Ray Ouellette behind the camera.
Photo courtesy United Paperworkers
International Union Local 14.

Collections: Hiram Percy Maxim
and the Amateur Cinema League

In real estate it's location, location,
location. In film preservation, its
timing, timing, timing.

That was true in the case of a donation
of family films to NHF in August. The
films were shot in the 1920s and 1930s
by Hiram Percy Maxim, founder of the
Amateur Cinema League (ACL) — in
effect, a founder of home moviemaking.

The Maxim Collection includes more
than 30 reels of 16mm film documenting
family interests and activities from nature
scenes to a European trip. These films
came to Bucksport as a result of one
woman's generosity, another's curiosity,
and some good timing.

Hiram Maxim and

Percy Maxim Let

in 1920.

Photo courtesy

Percy Maxim Lee

and Hamilton Lee.

'Mag the Hag,' in Drag

The films were donated by Hiram Percy
Maxim's daughter, Percy Maxim Lee, of
Mystic, Connecticut. Her grandfather,
H.P. Maxim's father, was Sir Hiram
Stevens Maxim, a Maine native and an
engineer whose inventions included the
first practical machine gun.

H.P. Maxim (1869-1936) inherited
diat bent for engineering. Always at
technology's leading edge, he built an
early electric car, delved into radio and
aviation, and in 1908 established a gun-
silencer factory.

When home-movie cameras became
available in the mid- 1920s, he started to
make films. Percy Lee, now nearly 92,
recalls that her father's camera was a
constant. "He was enamoured of die
moviemaking business, and he was
forever making us do things so he could
take pictures of us," she says.

For their day and genre, the films are
elegant. Compositions are thoughtful.
Such devices as intertides and ACL-
supplied leaders, with their animated
sunbeams, lend a professional gloss.

While most document the family and
surroundings, Mag the Hag (1925) was a
"dripping melodrama" written by H.P.M.
and starring his daughter Percy as a
young swell named Percy. This hapless
fellow defies his upper-crust family to
woo a country lass, with the aid of a
mysterious talisman.

"My family now, my great-grandchil-
dren even, are astonished" at some of die

old films, Percy Lee says. "It really is
quite interesting, as a child, to look at
pictures of your great-great-grandfather."
Or your great-great-great grandfather.
One film, made during a visit to
London, includes images of Sir Hiram
Maxim himself. It is now in Bucksport.

In Blew Glynn

One day last summer, "a young woman
blew in here and said she was looking for
material on the Amateur Cinema League
— did I have any?" Lee recalls. "And I
said, Tm sorry, I don't have, but I have
an awful lot of film.'"

The young woman was archivist Karen
Glynn, from die Southern Media
Archive at the University of Mississippi.
In July, she toured small-format film
archives on die East Coast studying their
operations and archival practices.

One stop was NHF, where she spent
more than a week working widi archivist
Patricia Burdick and technician Phil
Yates. In her free time, Glynn researched
the Amateur Cinema League. Founded
by H.P. Maxim in 1926, die organization
published "how-to" books and a monthly
journal called Movie Makers, ran compe-

titions, and provided other services to
members. A Maine historian, Charles
Swain, provided die connection to Percy
Maxim Lee.

Ms. Lee invited Glynn to visit her in
Mystic on her return trip south. Lee picks
up the story. "About a mondi before, my
oldest son and I had been down in die
storage room here, looking at diis massive
amount of films," she says. "What were
we going to do with them?

"When she said, 'I know what you can
do with them,' it was a godsend. She
packed them up and shipped diem off,
and I was absolutely delighted."

Glynn couldn't have picked a better
moment. Lee, she says, is "in the process
of cleaning out her house, and making
sure that diings of value, of emotional or
personal or historic value, are given to
the appropriate people."

"Then I showed up and knew what to
do widi it, so it really was just great
timing."

Longstanding Public Service

Percy Maxim Lee's donation continues a
notable record of public service. Among

continued on next page

Maxim, continued from previous page

other accomplishments, she was a
founder of the progressive Renbrook
School in West Hartford, and of the
Farmington (Conn.) Land Trust. Also in
Connecticut she served on a judicial
review board under Governor Ella Grasso.

On the national level, Lee was presi-
dent of the League of Women Voters in
the 1950s, and served on a consumer
advisory panel under presidents Kennedy
and Johnson.

Saving the films after her father's death
was a personal act, done for the family.
"It never occurred to me that there was
any value in any of this at all," she says.
"And I never would have known it if this
young woman hadn't turned up looking
for the ACL stuff."

Yet Lee is delighted to have another
opportunity to perpetuate her father's
work and memory. "Since he started this
amateur movie business pretty much
throughout the country," she says, "I
think it is a credit to him that these
things have been saved and can be
enjoyed by others."

And a credit to her also? "Maybe it is,
maybe it isn't," she laughs, with typical
modesty. "I didn't know what else to do
with them." B

Staff Portrait: Dan Gottlieb

Archival services staff person since
June, Dan Gottlieb brings to the
Alamo a background in documen-
tary filmmaking.

This 35-year-old Bar Harbor resident
has recorded Europe's largest open pit
mine and documented the journey of a
humanitarian aid caravan in Cuba. He's
a believer in film's power to further a
good cause.

He's also one of the most genteel
conversationalists you'll ever meet,
someone who can convincingly say
"most certainly" instead of "yeah."

Film history is a core issue for Dan.
"I feel that film is in a dangerous
purgatory, a transitional stage," he says,
"as larger institutions that previously
relied on film as a primary medium of
information find themselves switching
to video." As the technology changes it
makes the role of archives like NHF
"extraordinarily important."

Family film is a particular interest.
"The way people approached family life
with film was very different from the
way people approach family life with
video," Dan believes. "That aesthetic
itself is worthy of note."

Videotape is inexpensive and video

results are immediate, so the camcorder
is often used indiscriminately, Dan
explains. But with film, because of high
cost and the time for processing, the
average home moviemaker couldn't
afford to be too casual. Therefore, "the
shot selection is much more careful and
results in a completely different aes-
thetic."

Emotional Process
One of Dan's first assignments was to
catalog a collection from a Freeport,
Maine, family. This, he says, was "an
extraordinarily emotional process of
watching a family's whole life in a
couple of days."

"Suddenly at the end," he recalls, "I
was really moved to see signs of the end
of that generation of the family. For
instance, each year the mother and
father would return to the University of
Maine for their reunion, and each year
the gatherings would get smaller.

"Early on they would stage plays and
funny skits. Later on, as they got older
and their numbers diminished, it was
increasingly sad to watch the older
people gathering without the vitality I'd
witnessed but a few hours earlier."

Making People Aware

NHF's outreach mission also works for
Dan, a 1992 College of the Adantic
graduate with an interest in alternative
education. Ushering at a screening of
the newly preserved feature film
Evangeline in Ellsworth, Dan happened
to chat with people he knew from Bar
Harbor. He says that some were amazed
to learn about the tragic Acadian
expulsion.

He adds, "I think it was additionally
enlightening in that it was an example
of a lot of films made about this region's
culture that people are not generally
aware of."

"I think that's important, just to make
people aware of the history of filmmak-
ing, and perhaps to encourage people to
pursue filmmaking in the state today."
Most certainly! H

Reference
by Mail

What is Reference by Mail?

Members of Northeast Historic Film are
invited to borrow from the FREE
circulating loan collection, Reference by
Mail. There is never any charge for
borrowing. We will even pay for shipping
the first rime you borrow — up to three
tapes in this first shipment! After this
there is just a $5 shipping charge for each
loan.

Member Information on page 8.
Order Form on page 9.

Public Performance

Videotapes listed here are offered as a
reference service. Where possible, public
performance rights are included. Please be
sure to check each tapes status: PERF
means public performance rights are
included. No admission should be
charged for events where Reference by
Mail videos are being shown. Where there
is no PERF, the tape is for home use only,
or face-to-face classroom instruction.

If you have a date in mind, call
Samantha Boyce at 207 469-0924 to
ensure availability.

Maine Humanities Resources

This list incorporates videotapes that
were acquired for Ideas to Go, the Maine
Humanities Resources loan service.

Videos for Sale

Many of diese tapes are available for
purchase through NHF. Please call for a
catalog of Videos of Life in New
England, or check our website at
www.acadia.net/oldfilm/.

Return Instructions

The borrower is responsible for return
postage to NHF via First Class mail or
UPS. Tapes must be in the mail on their
way back to NHF five days after they are
received.

American Indians

Earth Medicine, an eight-pan series on
use of plants and herbs by Little Tree,
now a Vermont resident. From open-reel
half-inch videotape. Two VHS video-
tapes. 1975. Total 240 mins., b&w, sd.
PERF

The First Mainers, Passamaquoddy
Indians of Pleasant Point and Indian
Township. 1975. 22 mins. col., sd.

Our Dances, Penobscot Indian Island
School documentary that demonstrates
traditional and tribal dances. 1997. 30
inin., col., sd.

Our Lives in Our Hands, Micmac Indian
basketmaking cooperative in northern
Maine. 1988. 50 mins., col., sd.

The Silent Enemy, see "Feature Films"
section.

Wabanaki: A New Dawn, cultural
survival and revival of Wabanaki of
Maine and Maritime Canada. Interviews,
music, dance. Produced on behalf of
Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission.
1995. 25 mins., col., sd.

The Mystery of the Lost Red Paint People,
archaeology of the circumpolar region,
including coastal New England. 1987.
60 mins., col., sd.

Where the Rivers Flow North, see "Feature
Films" section.

Artists and Authors

Berenice Abbott: A View of the Twentieth
Century, life and work of one of
America's most significant photogra-
phers; she lived in Maine into her 90s.
1992. 56 mins., col., sd.

Bonsoir Mes Amis, portrait of two of
Maine's finest traditional Franco-
American musicians. By Huey. 1990. 46
mins., col., sd.

Grace: A Portrait of Grace DeCarlton Ross,
independent filmmaker Huey traces
Ross' silent film and dance careers. 1983.
50 mins., col., sd. PERF

Donald Hall and Jane Kenyan: A Life
Together, New Hampshire poets read
from their works at home and in the
grange hall. 1994. 60 mins., col., sd.

William Kienbusch, see "Oral History"
section.

Master Smart Woman, Maine novelist
Sarah One Jewett (1850-1909) by Jane
Morrison. 1984. 28 mins., col., sd.
PERF

May Sarton: She Knew a Phoenix, the
poet reads and talks at home. Produced
by Karen Saum. 1980. 28 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Reference by Mail

Portrait of George Hardy, examination of
relationship of a woodcarver with those
who buy his works. Strong vision of life
Down East. Winner of Cine Golden
Eagle. 1995. 30 mins., col. & b&w, sd.

Renascence: Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet
Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of Maine's
most famous writers. 1993. 58 mins.
PERF

Boats and the Sea

Around Cape Horn, Captain Irving
Johnson aboard the bark Peking. 1929.
37 mins., b&w, sd.

Marine Mammals of the Gulf of Maine,
field guide to whales and seals. The
Allied Whale program at College of die
Adantic. 1991. 24 mins., col., sd.

On Board the Morgan: America's Last
Wooden Whaler, whaling — archival
photographs, rare film footage of
whaling. 23 mins., col. and b&w, sd.

Tales ofWoodand Water, visits to boat
builders and sailors up and down the
coast of Maine. 1991. 60 min., col., sd.

The Ways at Wallace and Sons/The Bank
Dory, footage of boatbuilding, seafaring
and maritime skills. 1984. 58 mins., col., sd.

Your Membership Supports NHF

As an independent nonprofit organization, NHF depends
*^on its members for financial support.

All members get 1 5% off at the Alamo Theatre Store-and
enjoy the satisfaction of knowing they support the archives'
work.

Please join and renew! Call 800 639-1636. Or find us on
the internet at www.acadia.net/oldfilm/ where you can
access our secure server to join and renew using your Visa or
MasterCard.

We have some great new membership premiums. A mem-
bership in Northeast Historic Film makes a wonderful gift
for an individual or an organization you care about. Please
maintain your membership at die highest level you can
afford! And don't forget that a multi-year membership saves
everyone time and effort. Many dianks.

Individual Member, $25 per year.

All members receive many benefits including:

Moving Image Review.

Notice of special events.

Discounts on Videos of Life in New England.

Discounts on events at the Alamo Theatre.

Free loan of videotapes through Reference by Mail.

Your choice of one of these premiums:

Postcard set (6), NHF mug, NHF pen, NHF lapel pin.

Educator/Student Member, $ 1 5 per year.
All individual membership benefits for teachers and stu-
dents at any level.

Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year.

Publications, discounts, and Reference by Mail. Additional

copies of Moving Image Review on request.

Household Members, $50 per year.
Publications, discounts for the entire household at Alamo
Theatre events, and Reference by Mail.
Your choice of one of these premiums:
NHF Collections Guide (a 64-page illustrated guide),

postcard set (12), NHF mouse pad, 2 NHF lapel pins, or
a Video of Life In New England: Aroostook County 1920s,
Earliest Maine Films, Ice Harvesting Sampler, King Spruce,
or Maine 's TV Time Machine.

Associate Members, $ 1 00 per year.

Publications and discounts plus three free shipments (up

nine tapes) of Reference by Mail videos.

Your choice of one of these premiums:
Alamo T-shirt in white or black, or a Video of Life in New
England: Big Horse, Bryant Pond: The Last Ringdown, A
Downcast Smile-In, From Stump to Ship, May Sarton: She
Knew a Phoenix, Norumbega, On Board the Morgan,
Shingles Made in Maine, So You Want to be a Woodsman?, A
Tale of Two Fisheries, Timber is a Crop, Underwater, Out of
Sight, Woodsmen and River Drivers.

Corporate Membership, $100 per year.
All benefits of Associate Membership.

Friend, $250 per year.

Publications, discounts, and five free shipments (up to 1 5

tapes) of Reference by Mail videos.

Your choice of one of these premiums:
Embroidered NHF T-shirt in mocha, blue granite, moss
green, iris, brick; or NHF hat in moss green, blue granite
or brick; or a Video of Life in New England: A Century of
Summers, Gee Bee Airplanes, Giant Horses, Joshua
Chamberlain, Man with a Plan, Marine Mammals in the
Gulf of Maine, Mount Washington Among the Clouds, Our
Fishing Heritage, Roughing the Uppers, Yachting in the 30s.

Patron, $ 1 ,000 per year.

Publications, discounts, and Reference by Mail.

Your choice of one of these premiums:
Embroidered NHF sweatshirt, dinner for four at
MacLeod's Restaurant in Bucksport, Ticket to Paradise
book, a Maine History Video Set (six titles—see catalog),
or any one Video of Life in New England, except titles
restricted to "institutions only."

Yachting in the 30s, compilation of J
Boats footage from various sources.
1930s. 45 mins., b&w and col., sd.

Children

Big Horse, two horses, Spike and Smitty,
talk about their lives as working animals.
1996. 30 mins., col., sd.

The Maple Sugaring Story, see "Woods"
section.

The Robert McCloskey Library, five
beloved stories with McCloskey's illustra-
tions: Lentil, Make Way for Ducklings,
Blueberries for Sal, Time of Wonder,
Bun Dow: Deep- Water Man, and
Getting to Know Robert McCloskey.

City Life

Anchor of the Soul, African-American
history in northern New England
through the story of a Portland church.
1994. 60 mins., col., sd.

Can I Get There From Here? Urban Youth,
families, work, homelessness in Portland,
Maine. 1981. 29 mins., col., sd. PERF

Roughing the Uppers: The Great Shoe
Strike of 1937, documentary by Robert
Branham and Bates College students
about CIO shoe strike in Lewiston &
Auburn, Maine. 1992. 55 mins., col., sd.

24 Hours, fire fighting in Portland,
Maine, with memorable narration.
Produced by Earle Fenderson. 1963. 27
mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Civil War

Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine,
Maine Civil War hero: Fredericksburg,
Gettysburg, Appomattox. 1994. 55
mins., col. & b&w., sd.

Country Life

Aroostook County, 1920s, agriculture —
potato growing with horse power. Down-
town Presque Isle, Maine. Aroostook
Valley Railroad electric trolley. 1920 and
1928. 20 mins., b&w, (piano) PERF

The Batteau Machias, student project on
construction of a traditional river-driving
boat. 1990. 22 mins., col., sd. PERF

Ben's Mill, a documentary about a
Vermont water-powered mill by NHF
members Michel Chalufour and John
Karol. 1982. 60 mins., col., sd.

Membership and Order Form

Join Now! Free Reference by Mail!

Ordered by:

Name

City

State

Zip

Phone

Ship to: (if different from above)

Name

Address

City

State Zip

D Please send Video Sales Catalog!

Northeast Historic Film, P.O. Box 900

Bucksport, ME 04416 USA

207 469-0924 FAX 207 469-7875

Purchase Qty.

Total

Shipping^and handling j j Subtotal

Up to $25.00 $ 4.50 Sales tax — Maine residents add 6%

$25.01 to $50.00 $6.00 CL. . ... ... , . ,
$50.01 to $75.00 $ 7.50 Shipping and Handling (see chart)

$75.01 to $100.00 $9.00
$100.01 and over $10.50

Reference by Mail/Members ONLY

Tides: Shipping $5

Membership/ Specify level

TOTAL

Payment Method

D Check or money order — make check payable to Northeast Historic Film

CD Institutional purchase order #
D Visa D MasterCard
Credit card #

Expiration date

Credit card signature

Reference by Mail

A Century of Summers, the impact of a
summer colony on a small Maine coastal
community by Hancock native and
NHF member Sandy Phippen. 1987. 45
mins., b&w and col., sd. PERF

Cherryfield, 1938, a terrific home movie
about rural spring. 6 mins., b&w, si.
PERF

Dead River Rough Cut, lives and philoso-
phies of two woodsmen-trappers by
Richard Searls and Stuart SUverstein.
1976. 55 mins., col., sd.

Down East Dairyland, produced by the
Maine Dept. of Agriculture. 1972. 14
mins., col., sd. PERF

Giant Horses, draft horses and their
drivers. 1991. 28 mins., col., sd.

Ice Harvesting Sampler, five short films
showing a near-forgotten New England
industry. Narration by Philip C. Whitney
explains process and tools. 26 mins.,
b&w, sd. PERF

Maine Summer Festival, role of agricul-
tural products in summer fairs. 1970. 12
mins., col., sd. PERF

The Movie Queen, Lubec, pretend movie
queen visits her home town in Down
East Maine. 1936. 28 mins., b&w, si.

Nature's Blueberryland, Maine's harvesting
of wild blueberries. 13 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Paris, 1929, and other views, home
movies of the Wright family in Paris,
Maine, haying, mowing, picnics. 80
mins., b&w, si. PERF

Pan-Time Farmer, promotes agriculture
as an after-hours pursuit, ca. 1975. 17
mins., col., sd. PERF

Sins of Our Mothers, girl who went to the
Massachusetts textile mills from Fayette,
Maine. 60 mins., col., sd. PERF

Early Film

All But Forgotten, documentary on the
Holman Day film company (1920-1921)
in Maine; by NHF member Everett
Foster. 1978. 30 mins., col. and b&w, sd.
PERF

Cupid, Registered Guide, a two-reel North
Woods comedy by Maine writer Holman
Day. 1921. 20 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Earliest Maine Films, lobstering, trout
fishing, logging, canoeing on Moosehead
Lake, and potato growing, from 1901 to
1920. 44 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Just Maine Folks, a bawdy hayseed one-
reeler. Poor image quality. 1913. 8 mins.,
b&w, si. PERF

The Knight of the Pines, another North
Woods adventure by Maine writer
Holman Day. 1920. 20 mins., b&w, si.
PERF

The Simp and the Sophomores, Oliver
Hardy plays Prof. Arm-strong. 1915. 14
mins., b&w, sd.

Ecology & Energy

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, her 1 963
book about pesticides helped raise
ecological consciousness. 1993. 60 mins.,
col., sd.

Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project,
documentary with intertitles on con-
struction of worker housing at Quoddy
Hill, dam building (with rail) at Pleasant
Point and Treat Island, ca. 1936. 30
mins., b&w., si. PERF

Voices from Maine, "Is economics
incompatible with nature?" A 1970s
discussion of development versus quality
of life. Scratched. 1970. 30 mins., col.,
sd.

Wyman Station, Central Maine Power
film on the construction of Wyman
Station on the Kennebec River, with
Daggettville, the workers' town. 1928-
1930. 30 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Feature Films

Evangeline, the Acadian experience
interpreted by Longfellow and
Hollywood, starring Dolores Del Rio.
Opening reels silent, the rest has music
from original discs — preserved by
UCLA. 1929. Approx. 90 mins., b&w,
silent with music.

The Family Album, Alan Berliner's look at
family life, from birth to death, through
home movies and sound from many
sources. 1986. 60 mins., b&w, sd.

Long Day's Journey Into Night, Sidney
Lumet directs Eugene O'Neills drama
about his family in New London,
Connecticut. With Katharine Hepburn
and Jason Robards. 1962. 174 mins.,
b&w, sd.

Lost Boundaries, produced by Louis de
Rochemont. An African-American
physician's experiences with discrimina-
tion in the south and in New
Hampshire. 1949. 99 mins., b&w, sd.

Man with a Plan, Fred Tuttle, a retired
Vermont dairy farmer, runs for Congress
in this comedy by John O'Brien. 1996.
90 mins., col., sd.

A Midwife's Tale, Martha Ballard's 18th
century journals of Maine life, a period
drama and a documentary of historian
Laurel Ulrich's work — by writer-pro-
ducer Laurie Kahn-Leavitt and director
Richard Rogers. 1996. 89 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Moby Dick, Gregory Peck plays Captain
Ahab, New Bedford whaler. Script by
Ray Bradbury, Norman Corwin, and
John Huston, from Herman Melville's
novel. 1956. 1 16 mins., col., sd.

Our Town, Thornton WJder's New
Hampshire village and its inhabitants.
With a score by Aaron Copland. 1940.
90 mins., b&w, sd.

Prophecy, horror: couple investigates
terrifying eco-events in Maine. 1988.
102 mins., col., sd.

The Seventh Day, romantic comedy
places a group of New Yorkers in a
coastal Maine village and has diem work
out dieir cultural differences. 1922. 65
mins., b&w, music.

The Silent Enemy, a drama shot on
location in winter, starring Penobscot
Indian Molly Spotted Elk. 1930. 121
mins., b&w, music.

Theodora Goes Wild, Theodora Lynne,
played by Irene Dunne, wrote a scan-
dalous novel in a small Connecticut
town — and went to New York. 1936. 94
mins., b&w, sd.

Timothy's Quest, Kate Douglas Wiggins
story of two orphans in die Maine
countryside. Scenes of horse-drawn
wagons, shoeing oxen, and odier rural
activities. 1922. 90 mins, b&w, music.

Way Back Home, Maine native Phillips
Lord's only film. Also stars Bette Davis.
1931.81 mins., b&w, sd.

Where the Rivers Flow North, shot on
location in Vermont and New
Hampshire, directed by Jay Craven.
Woodsman (Rip Torn) and his American
Indian companion (Tantoo Cardinal) in
a story about timberland and water
power. 1994. Ill mins., col. sd.

Fisheries

Basic Net Mending, how to repair fish
nets. 1951. 16 mins., col., sd. PERF

It's the Maine Sardine, catching, packing
and eating Eastport fish. 1949. 16 mins.,
col., sd. PERF

Fence in the Water, weir fishing for
herring in Penobscot Bay, Maine, by
independent filmmaker Peg Dice. 1980.
45 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Maine's Harvesters of the Sea, fisheries
including shrimp, cod, and lobster. 1968.
28 mins., col., sd. PERF

The Maine Lobster, lobster fisheries and
consumption widi unusual footage
including die assembly of lobster TV
dinners, ca. 1955. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF

Our Fishing Heritage, Grand Banks dory
fishing, stop-seining mackerel and
herring, and lobstering. 60 mins., b&w
and col., sd.

A Tale of Two Fisheries, fishermen tell a
tale of two fisheries in Maine. 1997. 16
mins., col., sd.

Tuna Fishing off Portland Harbor, Maine,
off-shore fishing with a Maine sea and
shore warden, ca. 1930. 10 mins., b&w,
si. widi intertides. PERF

Turn of the Tide, drama about formation
of a lobster cooperative; from die
Vinalhaven Historical Society. 1943. 48
mins., col., sd.

Under Water, Out of Sight: An Ecosystem
Case Study, shows how underwater
marine communities are changing as a
result of ever-growing fishing pressures.
1996. 15 mins., col.,sd.

Franco-American Life

Emigration: A Franco-American
Experience, traces French immigration to
North America and documents die
history and culture of die Franco-
American community in New England.
1981. 30 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Evangeline's Quest, documentary exam-
ines the mythology of Evangeline and its
relation to Acadian history. 1996. 53
mins., col., sd. PERF

Reflets et Lumiere

Three seasons of a television series on
Franco-American culture produced by
the Maine Public Broadcasting Network
(MPBN). The programs aired from 1979
to 1981. Sound and image quality varies.
Programs listed below:

Potato Harvest, Northern Maine, inter-
view and poetry reading by Norm Dube
in Bedford, NH. 1979. 39 mins.

St. Mary's Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital in
Lewiston, Maine — roots in the early
1 800s. Teachers from New Hampshire
on the Canadian American Institute.
1979. 27 mins.

The Catholic Church, Amedee Proulx,
Auxiliary Bishop of Portland, Maine, and
Raymond LaGasse, a married priest from
Concord, NH. An interview about
Holyoke, Mass. 1979. 28 mins.

Social Clubs, old social clubs of Lewiston,
Maine; the drinking establishments of
Madawaska, Maine. A portion of a slide
presentation from New Hampshire, "I
Too, Am New Hampshire." 1979. 28
mins.

Acadian Villages, Acadian history —
interview with Guy Dubay of
Madawaska, Maine. Visits to the Acadian
Village near Van Buren, Maine, and le
Village Acadien in Carquet, New
Brunswick, Canada. A short visit to
Quebec City. 1979. 27 mins.

Organizers, Franco-American organizers
and their success at motivating people to
action. "Assimilo," a spoof exploring
Franco-American stereotypes. 1979. 27
mins.

Festivals, Franco-American festivals in
Lewiston, Maine; Lowell, Mass.; Old
Town, Maine. Franco-American studies
in Waterville, Maine. Arts and crafts fair
in Manchester, NH. 1979. 27 mins.

Lowell Mills, Irene Simoneau, Franco-
American historian on the role of women
in the mills. Roger Paradis of Fort Kent,
Maine, about Franco-American folklore
and music. 1979. 29 mins.

Geography

Assignment in Aroostook, Loring Air Force
Base in northern Maine closed in 1 994.
This is a look at its heyday: Mom at
home, the sergeant at work, the family at
play. 1956. 27 mins., col., sd. PERF

From Dreamland Sent, history of the
1 893 Maine State Building now in
Poland Spring, Maine. 1995. 25 mins.,
b&w, sd.

Great Cranberry Island, amateur film by
Robert Browning of a young boy on
Cranberry Isles, Maine, learning about
island life. 1930. 60 mins., b&w, si.
PERF

Reference by Mail

History is Always Being Made at
Bucksport, history of Champion
International paper mill and the town.
1995. 23mins., col., sd.

Mount Washington Among the Clauds, a
history of the hotels, newspaper and cog
railway, 1852-1908. 30 mins., col., sd.

Mysteries of the Unknown: A Documentary
About Our Community, an outstanding
student video about Bucksport, Maine, with
original music. 1990. 30 mins., col., sd.

New Hampshire Remembered I, Pine
Island Parks roller coaster, a movie at the
State Theatre, and Benson's Wild Animal
Farm. 60 mins., col., sd. PERF

New Hampshire Remembered II, trolleys,
ski-jumping, and die Mount Washington
Hotel. 1995. 60 mins., col., sd. PERF

Norumbega: Maine in the Age of
Exploration and Settlement, early Maine
history, based on maps transferred from a
slide tape. 1989. 16 mins., col., sd. PERF

Places of Interest in the Bucksport Area, a
student project. 1989. 60 mins., col., sd.

Road to the Sky, the Mount Washington
Auto Road. 1991. 25 mins., col. and
b&w, sd.

This Land: The Story of a Community
Land Trust and a Co-Op Called
H.O.M.E., Karen Saum's documentary
on Orland, Maine organization. 1983.
26 mins., col., sd. PERF

The Trees Still Grow, Berlin, New
Hampshire, history of a mill town. 30
mins., b&w, sd.

Vermont Memories I, includes 1930s
promotional film Seeing Vermont with
Dot and Glen. 1994. 57 mins., col. and
b&w, sd.

Vermont Memories II, post World War II.
Television comes to Vermont, and other
things. 1995. 57 mins., col. and b&w, sd.

Vermont Memories HI, seldom-heard
stories which may surprise you. 1996. 60
mins., col. and b&w, sd.

Wohelo, 1919, a promotional film of girls'
camp activities on Sebago Lake, Maine.
10 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Going to the Movies Talks

Glenn Andres, Middlebury College,
places for community entertainment in
Vermont. 33 mins.

Dona Brown, University of Vermont,
vacationing at the turn of the century. 35
mins.

Martha Day, University of Vermont,
Vermont documentary films. 29 mins.

Kathryn Fuller, Virginia Commonwealth
University, rural moviegoers and Uncle
Josh. 24 mins.

Kathryn Fuller, Virginia Commonwealth
University, dish nights and other promo-
tional gimmicks. 39 mins.

Leger Grindon, Middlebury College,
boxing films. 34 mins.

Henry Jenkins, MIT, Star Wars & fan
culture. 33 mins.

Garth Jowett, University of Houston,
movie audiences in the 1950s. 44 mins.

Garth Jowett, University of Houston, the
moviegoing experience. 24 mins.

Susan Kennedy-Kalafatis, University of
Vermont, who we are — mapping
ancestries in northern New England. 1 8
mins.

Chester H. Liebs, drive-ins. 18 mins.

Andre" Senecal, University of Vermont,
Franco-Americans and the movies. 17
mins.

Tom Streeter, University of Vermont,
new technologies over the years. 40 mins.

Denise Youngblood, University of
Vermont, movie theaters before 1918. 44
mins.

Humor

A Downeast Smile-In with Marshall
Dodge, three episodes on one videotape
of the storyteller's original series, first
broadcast on Maine Educational
Television in 1970. 90 mins., col., sd.

Way Back Home, see "Feature Films"
section.

Morrison, Jane Collection

Children of the North Lights, children's
book creators Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire.
1976. 20 mins., col., sd.

In the Spirit of Haystack, noted craft
school in Deer Isle, Maine. 1979. 10
mins., col., sd.

Los Dos Mundos de Angelita/The Two
Worlds ofAngelita, a Puerto Rican family's
move to the Lower East Side of New
York. 1982. 73 mins., col., sd.

Master Smart Woman, see "Artists and
Authors".

The White Heron, a young girl's choice
between friendship and a creature she
loves. Story by Sarah Orne Jewett. 1989.
26 mins., col., sd.

Oral History

Carlton Willey, baseball pitcher, 1958
rookie of the year, interviewed in a high
school project. Unedited interview from
VHS master. 1990. 39 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Hap Collins of South Blue Hill, JeffTitons
oral history interview with field footage
of a lobsterman, painter and poet. 1989.
56 mins., col., sd. PERF

R. Buckminster Fuller, architect and
visionary; University of Maine
Distinguished Visitors interview. 1968.
30 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

William Kienbusch, artist; University of
Maine Distinguished Visitors interview.
1968. 30 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Maine Survivors Remember the Holocaust,
eight Maine survivors talk about World
War II. 1994. 43 mins., col., sd.

An Oral Historian's Work with Dr. Edward
Ives, "how to" illustrating an oral history
project by the founder of the Maine Folk-
life Center. 1987. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF

Russell Wiggins, newspaper publisher and
diplomat; University of Maine
Distinguished Visitors interview. 1968.
30 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Political Discourse

Jerry Brown Speaks in New Hampshire,
from the 1992 presidential campaign. 28
s., col., sd. PERF

John E Kennedy Speech, anniversary of the
Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1 963 at
University of Maine homecoming. 30
mins., b&w, sd. PERF

Ella Knowles: A Dangerous Woman, video
on a suffragist & Bates alumna by Robert
Branham & students. 1991. 25 mins.,
col., sd.

Muskie vs. Monks: The Final Round, the
third debate between Senator Muskie
and Bob Monks on accountability.
1976. 58 mins., col., sd.

Radio Fishtown, one-man radio station in
the country battles corporate avarice and
an FCC Goliath who threaten his
broadcast license. 1991, 28 mins., col.,
sd.

Margaret Chase Smith Speech, declaration
of intention to run for President,
includes Q&A. 1964. 17 mins., b&w,
sd. PERF

Sports

Legends of American Skiing, footage of
early skiing, including Dartmouth
Outing Club, Tuckerman's Ravine, Toni
Matt. 1982. 80 mins., col. and b&w., sd.

Winter Sports in the White Mountain
National Forest, skiing, sledding, and
snowshoeing in New Hampshire. 1934.
28 mins., b&w, si. PERF

Student Work

Best of Fifteen Years: The Maine Student
Film and Video Festival, compilation
directed by video educator Huey. 1993.
58 mins., col., sd.

Technology

Bryant Pond, The Last Ringdown,
Americas last magneto telephone
company, in Bryant Pond, Maine.
Produced by GTE Visnet. 1982. 12
mins., col., sd. PERF

Television

The Cold War I Transportation I TV
Commercials, three compilation tapes
from the Bangor Historical
Society/WABI collection. 40 to 50 mins.
each; b&w, si. and sd. PERF

Maine's TV Time Machine, the 1950s and
early 60s in news, sports and local
commercials. 1989. 34 mins., b&w, sd.
PERF

Transportation

The Bangor rJrAroostook Railroad, a
documentary on Maine railroads. 1991.
30 mins., col., sd.

Gee Bee Airplanes, the sport planes that
made a fabulous entrance into die
aviation scene in the early 1 930s. 60
mins., b&w and col., sd.

Moving History: Two-foot Rail Returns to
Maine, antique trucks haul die Edaville
Railroad trains to Portland. 1993. 48
mins., col., sd.

Northern Railroads, steam era footage,
stories by railroaders and historians.
1995. 60 mins., col. and b&w., sd.

Ride the Sandy River Railroad, one of die
country's best two-foot-gauge railroads.
1930. 30 min., b&w, si. with intertides.

Womens Issues

Working Women ofWaldo County: Our
Heritage, documentary — basketmaking,
farming, and other work. 1979. 26
mins., col., sd. PERF

Also in this series, Today and Her Story.

Woods

Cut and Run, health and safety in die
woods in die era of mechanization, by
Richard Searls. 1980. 40 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Forest Wars, "Can we have our wood
products and our forest too?" 1 996. 72
mins., col., sd. PERF

From Stump to Ship: A 1930 Logging
Film, complete look at the long-log
industry from forest to on board a
schooner bound for New York. 1930. 28
mins., b&w, sd. PERF

In the Public Interest: The Civilian
Conservation Corps in Maine, the federal
work program from Acadia National
Park to Cape Elizabeth. 1987. 58 mins.,
sd., col. and b&w.

King Spruce, harvesting pulpwood,
includes horses and mechanical log
haulers, ca. 1940. 23 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Last Log Drive Down the Kennebec,
documentary about Scott Paper's last log
drive. 1976. 30 mins., col., sd.

Little Log Cabin in the Northern Woods,
amateur film of a young woman's
hunting trip near Brownville, Maine,
with a professional guide, ca. 1930. 13
mins., b&w, si. PERF

The Maple Sugaring Story, children's
video with teacher workbook. 1989. 28
mins., col., sd. PERF.

Our White Pine Heritage, how the trees
are harvested for use in construction,
papermaking, etc. 1948. 16 mins., b&w,
sd. PERF

Pilgrim Forests, Civilian Conservation
Corps work in New England — Acadia
National Park and White Mountain
National Forest, ca. 1933. 10 mins.,
b&w, si. PERF

River Run, Machias River watershed and
the log drive, ca.1951. 15 mins., col., sd.

So You Want to be a Woodsman? compila-
tion of 1940s training films including
Use and Care of a Bucksaw and Twitching.
58 mins., col., sd. PERF

Then It Happened, 1947 forest fires that
devastated Maine. Focuses on aftermath
in southern Maine. 20 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Reference by Mail

Timber is a Crop, pulpwood harvesting in
the 1940s- 1950s, from the Brown
Company Collection, Berlin, NH. 66
mins., col., sd. PERF

Woodsmen and River Driven, "Another
Day, Another Era, " unforgettable individ-
uals who worked for the Machias
Lumber Company. 1989. 30 mins., col.
and b&w, sd. PERF

Maine Humanities Council

Tides from Maine Humanities Resources
that do not fit into sections above.

All Quiet on the Western Front, German
recruits in WWI, passage from idealism
to disillusionment. 1930. 132 mins.

America and Lewis Hine, America's
pioneer social photographer Lewis Hine,
who recorded die development of
industrial America. 1984. 56 mins.

America's First Women Film Makers, four
complete works from die silent eras two
most accomplished women directors,
Lois Weber and Alice Guy Blache\ 1913,
1921. 114 mins.

The Congress, Ken Burns explores the
history and promise of this American
institution. 1988. 90 mins.

The Crash of 1929, history of die stock
market crash widi a great rendition of
"Blue Skies." 1990. 60 mins.

Demon Rum, portrait of Prohibition
along the Canadian border with a focus
on the small town of Ecorse, Michigan, a
center of cross-border smuggling. 1989.
60 mins.

Forging a National Government, 200 years
of Congress, the Presidency, and the
Judiciary. 1989.

The Great Air Race of 1924, Army Air
Service pilots in an around-rhe-world
race in biplanes with no radios or
directional equipment. 1989. 60 mins.

The Great War, 1918, compilation
documentary film with testimony from
participants including a female Navy
recruiter who went to theaters and
addressed audiences. 1989. 60 mins.

Heartland, a Western set in 1910 tells the
story of a widow who takes a job with a
rancher. 1979. 96 mins.

Hull House: The House that Jane Built, in
1 889 in the slums of Chicago, pioneer
social worker Jane Addams opened Hull
House to aid the poor, largely immigrant
residents of die neighborhood. 1990. 57
mins.

The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt, three-
part biography comprising The Rise to
Power, America Spreads its Wings, A
Different World. 1983. 93 mins. total.

Journey to America, immigration to
America between 1890 and 1920. 1989.
60 mins.

A Little Rebellion Now and Then,
Massachusetts farmers' uprising — Shays
Rebellion. 30 mins.

Mr. Sears' Catalogue, for decades, the
most widely read writer in the U.S. was
Richard Warren Searls. He wrote every
word of the Sears, Roebuck and Co.
catalog. 1990. 60 mins.

Modern Times in Maine and America,
1890-1930, interviews, stills and moving
images; introduction to a Council
project. 1995. 30 mins.

One Woman, One Vote, in 1848 the
Seneca Falls Convention protested that
women had no rights to their own
property, or even their own children.
1995. 106 mins.

The Scar of Shame, drama with an
African American actors. 1926. 80 mins.

Story of Teddy Roosevelt, the Presidency.
Part 1 , 33 mins. Part 2, 30 mins.

Talk To Me: Americans in Conversation,
what does it mean to be an American?
Where's our common ground? 1996. 57
mins.

The Twenties: A Walk Through the 20th
Century with Bill Mayers, the decade of
booming business and industry, and
finally, the collapse of the stock market in
1929. 1984. 55 mins.

Within Our Gates, earliest surviving
feature film directed by an African
American. 1919. 79 mins.

The Wobblies, International Workers of
the World, called "The Wobblies," a union
that organized unskilled labor. 1979. 89

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900

Bucksport, ME 04416

Address Correction Requested

The Vitak Projector

The Vitak Projector was designed and patented
(April 9, 1907) by Enoch J. Rector.

by Alan Kattellc

Alan KatteUe, an NHF Advisor, is a retired
engineer who has been collecting and
writing about amateur motion picture
equipment for 25 years. He is currently
completing a book titled The Home
Screen, a history of the amateur motion
picture industry in the United States.

At first I wasn't sure if I had heard
David Weiss correcdy. My wife
Natalie and I had just arrived at
Northeast Historic Film, looking forward
to renewing our friendship with David
and Karan Sheldon, NHF's co-founders,
and seeing the progress since our first
visit, several years ago.

After the pleasantries, I thought I
heard David say that someone had just
called to say they had a Vitak projector,
and David wondered if I was familiar
with that machine?

Encountering the Pterodactyl

Well, yes, of course, the name instandy
evoked an image, just as if someone says
"pterodactyl" you have an immediate
image, even though you have never seen
one. And so it was with the word
"Vitak." Up to that point it was just an
image from a 67-year-old article in a
long-defunct magazine, describing the
genesis of home-movie machines and
listing the Vitak as the first home-movie
projector.

But in 25 years of studying and
collecting such apparatus, I had never
seen a Vitak, nor expected to see one. I
told David I was interested. I made an
appointment with the owners, fortu-
nately in a nearby town.

There was no question that it was the
real thing, missing only the original
carbide lamp. There was the Vitak logo,
painted on the cardboard snout. An offer
was made and accepted. The owners were
unable to tell us anything of its previous
history, just diat it had been in the
family. They seemed genuinely pleased to
see the projector go to someone who
knew what it was.

The original Vitak consisted of a small
carbide lamp, a "lamphouse," lens
support and film advance mechanism, all
mounted on a thin pine board, 24 inches
long. The film supply reel was mounted
on a vertical rod arising from the base
near the film gate. There was no take-up,
as the film passed through a slot in the
base into a basket or bag beneath the
table.

The film was 17.5mm wide, center-
perforated, one oblong perforation
between each frame. The film base was
probably nitrate, and the proximity of a
lamp flame to a loose pile of nitrate film
makes one shudder!

First Family Projector

The source of the films is not known, but
a contemporary advertisement for a
similar projector (Sears Roebuck 1905
catalog) lists 3 1 tides, undoubtedly
reduction prints from commercially
produced short subjects.

All we know about the Vitak is
contained in the aforementioned article,
"The First Thirty Years," by Merritt
Crawford, which appeared in the
December 1930 issue of Movie Makers.
This was the monthly journal of the
Amateur Cinema League, an organiza-
tion of amateur cinematographers
founded in 1926 by Hiram Percy
Maxim, a member of the inventing
Maxim family. (See this issue, page 5.)

Merritt Crawford (1880-1945) was
one of the motion picture industry's first
historians, and he paid attention to the
history of the amateur motion picture
field. His brief article in Movie Makers
gives an excellent summary of the efforts
made between 1900 and 1930 to bring
the tools of diis new art to the non-
professional. Crawford describes and
illustrates ten different amateur film
gauges, and describes and illustrates
eleven early home cameras and projec-
tors, including the Vitak:

In America, it is believed, the first
individual projector using nonstandard

continued on next page

Auditorium Takes Shape:

Mural of the Century

Natalie and Alan Kattelle with Vitak projector.

Vitak, continued from previous page

film and manufactured strictly for non-
professional use appeared about 1902
(sic). It was called the Vitak and was
brought out by William Wardell (now
it is said, an employee of the Fox Film
Corporation) as a mail order article and
widi the idea of advertising other
products. The machine cost only $2.00
at wholesale, being made mostly of tin
and scrap wood. It ran film one-half
standard size, 17.5mm wide, again with
a single central perforation between
frames. The reels were of fiber on a
wooden spool. In appearance it looked
not unlike a torpedo.

Mr. Wardell offered to give "320
pictures that move, absolutely free"
with each machine, "scenes and events
from all over the world, stirring horse
races, exciting prizefights, pictures of
President Roosevelt in church, great
earthquakes" and many other things in
his colorful advertisement of the Vitak.
It does not appear however that he
received any great call for this pioneer
home projector for about the only
record now left of die Vitak is die
rather frayed advertisement from which
the above is quoted and illustrated on
die facing page.

The reference to William Wardell is a
tantalizing lead, but so far my efforts to
track him down have come to naught.
But anodier door has just appeared.
Thanks to Charles "Buckey" Grimm,
film historian, I have just learned that die
Merritt Crawford Papers are preserved at
the Museum of Modern Art in New York
City. I can hardly wait to open that door!

Art really can transport you. In
minutes, a 40-foot mural
recendy installed in the Alamo
Theatre auditorium zips visitors back
through the century.

The mural, dominating the audito-
rium, depicts seven cinematic venues
from the 1 890s onward, starting with a
seaside casino and ending with an
example of the multiplexes that prevail
today.

They're all in northern New England,
including the Empire movie palace in
Lewiston, the loka Theatre in Exeter,
N.H., and the area's first multiplex, the
Maine Mall Cinema in South Portland.

Through the images and interpretive
texts, the piece not only reminds visitors
that movies have been around for 100
years, but points up the role of the movie
house as a symbol of changing times.
"The places where we see movies reflect a
large part of our social experience," says
NHF's Karan Sheldon, who directed the
mural project.

"When movie houses were on Main
Streets and in neighborhoods, we
stopped in casually and often," she says.
"In the early days of moviegoing the
screen was often in an entertainment
center such as a waterfront casino, pan of
a festive excursion. Today an outing to
the mall for a movie can be a big deal,
too, particularly in northern New
England where the drive can be 20 miles
or more."

Main Street Design

The mural was created as part of NHF's
interpretive history exhibition, Going to
the Movies: A Century of Motion Picture
Audiences in Northern New England.
Conceived in 1994 and installed last
October, the mural is the product of a
team that included Portland artist Toni
Wolf and Polly Baldwin of Main Street
Design, based in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Specializing in interpre-
tive exhibit design, Main Street's other
clients have included the National Park
Service and the Smithsonian. The firm
has been involved not only in the mural
design but also in the planning and
design of the entire Going to the Movies

project, which includes a permanent
display at the Alamo.

Mural Artist Toni Wolf

Wolf, a Pennsylvania native who moved
to Maine 20 years ago, has painted
several public murals in Portland and
elsewhere, and was master scenic artist on
a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. Yet
she may be best known for exhibitions of
her own work, at the Dead Space Gallery,
the Barn Gallery and elsewhere in Maine
and beyond. Her recent paintings are
intensely colored self-portraits that
explore dream imagery.

An important source for the mural was
a collection of movie-theater post cards,
donated by NHF Advisor Q. David
Bowers. From these and other images,
Sheldon developed a database and a
typology indicating changes in structure
and function.

Once buildings representing different
eras in moviehouse evolution were
selected, Wolf, NHF, and Main Street
embarked on the design process.

Engaging Chalk Talk
The buildings, rendered in chalky white
and yellow against a gray background,
are depicted in a style that conveys form
with the detail of an architectural
drawing, but in a looser, friendlier style.

For one visitor, reporter Jeff Hope
from the Bangor TV station WABI, that
freehand drawing style is key to the
mural's appeal. "The hand-drawn look
makes it much more interesting to me,"
Hope says. "It makes it seem animated."

But Hope, who produced a piece on
the mural for WABI TV, adds that the
drawing style is just part of an effective
design. A number of techniques engage
the viewer. He applauds the simplicity of
the layout and the chalk-like appearance,
which suggests the classroom — look here
and you'll learn something.

The mural dominates the auditorium
through its size, vigor, and the fact that,
until the movie or performance starts,
there's nothing much else to look at.
"You can't help but be drawn to it,"
Hope says, "and at least start thinking
about it, and start to ask questions." H

Special Events:

Alan Berliner Reception and Screening

On August 24, in its ongoing
effort to promote independent
filmmaking, NHF welcomed
Alan Berliner to the Alamo for a screen-
ing of two of his works, Intimate
Stranger and Nobody's Business. Where
many documentary filmmakers look to
politics, history, or sweeping social issues
for subject matter, Berliner examines
American family life — including his
own.

In his first feature, The Family Album
(1986), Berliner meticulously pieced
together found home movies and audio
to trace family life from infancy to old
age.

Berliner looked closer to home for die
subject of Intimate Stranger. It profiles
his maternal grandfather, an Egyptian-
Jewish textile merchant who loomed
large in the lives of international business
colleagues, but, as the tide indicates,
remained a remote and mysterious figure
in his family's eyes.

Nobody's Business, Berliner's latest,
depicts his father, a retired sportswear
manufacturer who retains a vital spark
and orneriness despite having entered
what one reviewer calls "a brokenhearted,
reclusive old age." The work won this
years International Film Critics
Association Award at die Berlin
International Film Festival.

Intimate and Ironic

"What Alan does, which no other
documentary filmmaker that I've seen
does, is to be intimate and ironic at the
same time," said Peter Davis, a Castine
resident, author and himself an Academy
Award-winning filmmaker (Hearts and
Minds). Speaking to the Bangor Daily
News, Davis continued, "This is an
amazing and magical trick that novelists
do, but diat nonfiction writers and
nonfiction filmmakers can't manage."

Davis, who has known Berliner since
1993, welcomed about 60 people to a
pre-screening party for the New Yorker
and his wife, Anya, at his home.
Photographer Patrisha McLean and
author Deborah Joy Corey were Davis'
co-hosts.

"Alan is really unassuming, really

open, and no New York attitude," says
McLean. "He seemed really pleased to
be there."

A secondary goal for die event was to
introduce NHF to Castine, and most of
those attending the Berliner event are
now new members and supporters.

Despite acoustic problems in the
theater, where sound-absorbing materials
have yet to be installed and the sound is
still a litde "live," Berliner and his films
were a solid hit.

Enthusiastic Audience

"It was a very responsive audience,"
Davis reports. Viewers ranged in age
from the teens to the 80s; the latter
group included one particularly discern-
ing member, writer Samuel Taylor, whose
credits include the screenplay for Vertigo
and both die stage play and original
screenplay for Sabrina.

"He told me how enthusiastic he was,"
Davis says, adding, "The non-profes-
sional crowd, which of course was most
people, thought diese were two terrific
films."

The intermission and the Q&A session

that followed the films revealed the
provocative power of Berliner's work.
"Everybody was talking a lot, because his
movies were so insightful," McLean says.
"They were personal to him, but they
brought up different issues with every-
body. It caused a lot of conversation and
comments, so it was really stimulating."

"People were just captivated by these
lives he was exploring," says Corey. "He
has an unusual approach, an ability to get
under the skin."

In particular, Nobody's Business seemed
to touch many viewers. Corey told
Berliner how lucky he is to have such a
father. "It's so rare to have that ability to
be completely frank in a father-son or
father-daughter relationship," she says. "I
think that's a gift." H

The Family Album, on videocassette, may
be borrowed free of charge by Northeast
Historic Film members through NHF's
Reference by Mail service. Thanks to Alan
Berliner.

Milestone Film and Video, 212 865-7449,
distributes Alan Berliner's work.

Peter Davis, far right, and Alan Berliner, seated, with
guests at the August reception in Castine, Maine.

New Members and Members Renewed at a Higher Level

Patrons

Fred Oettinger
Ed Pert

Friends

Joan & David Maxwell

Associates

Joseph F. Condon

Peter Davis

Richard Kimball, Jr.

Morton K. & Barbara J. Mather

Don & Patrisha McLean

Neil D. Novello

Corporate Members

Acadia Pictures, Inc.

Households

Richard C. Alden

Brian & Carole Barnard

Mr. & Mrs. Lester Bernstein

William & Marianne Buchanan

Michaela & JeffColquhoun

Ruth & Joel Davis

James & Leila Day

G. Clifton I MIIK-S

Gerald & Rosemary Garland

Wendell Hodgkins

William Irvine

Susan & Chip Kimball

Karen Koos

Jim & Lisa Lawsing

Elizabeth Lowell

John & Katie Mankiewicz

Kenneth & Cheri Mason

Suzanne Massie & Seymour Papert

Barbara & Geoff Neiley

Brian & Marjorie Olivari

Ron & Carol Perry

Sharyn & Taylor Pohlman

Nathaniel Porter & Stephanie Sala

David & Mary Lou Pugh

Miriam Reeder

Mr. & Mrs. James Rogers

Ruth & Ken Scheer

Robert B. Shetterly, Jr.

Karen & Jeffery Siegel

Irving & Nancy Silverman

Mr. & Mrs. William H. Swan

Nonprofit Organizations

Bangor Public Library

Brooksville Historical Society

Buck Memorial Library

Fryeburg Historical Society

Polly Kaufman

Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce

Limington Historical Society

Marine Patrol, Lamoine State Park

Marriner Library

New England Museum of Telephony

Oak Grove Nursing Care Center

Thornton Oaks

Tremont Historical Society

Waterville Public Library

Individual Members

Richard Atkinson

Scott Atkinson

Joyce Bethoney

Robert Blake

Maureen Block

Victor Brooks

Rev. Charles T. Brown

Richard & Elizabeth Burby

Jodi S. Burke

Sheree Chase

Barbara Croswell

Hank Croteau

Sheila Cyr

Dr. Peter DeCarlo

Paul M. Densen

Frank & Althea Drewniany

John G. Edgerly

Bill Elwell

Edwin Emerson

Tom Finson

Betty Fraumeni

John Garbinski

Neal Goodwin

Gail Graumnitz

Joe Gray

Kimberly L. Green

Thomas Hall

Margaret Hallett

Charles W. Harmon

Ivory & Janice Heath

Arlene Hellerman

Susan Herlihy

Karen Hopkins

Diane Huning

Pearl & Cyndiia Hunt

Mary B. Jessup

Victoria Johnson

Dena Kleiman

George & Melissa Knowles

Karen Kristoff

Margaret M. Lacombe
Betty & Ernie Larson
Dorothy C. Liscombe
Patrick T. McSherry
Catherine McDowell
Douglas Monteith
Anne Phillips
Eddie Potter
Dr. Lloyd F. Price
David Raymond
Joyce A. Reed
Steve D. Reynolds
Frederick Reynolds
David Sanderson
GregSchaaf
Laurie Schoendorfer
Robert M. Schwier
Jennifer L. Shallenberger
Joan Sheldon
Wesley Shorey
Alex Stevens
Don Tirabassi
Jonathon Titcomb
Steve Trimm
Alston C. Turtle
Pete Van Note
Sheila Varnum
Lucy Webster
Donald Wilken
Bruce Wmde

Educator/Student Members

John Baxter
Alice Bissell
Dolly Bolduc
Richard Brucher
Dorothy Carter
Paul A. Cyr
Luke Fernandez
Joseph Hanley
Judi Hetrick
Marcia Howell
Richard & Sue Jagels
Walt Krauser
Shirley LaBranche
Bev Laplant
Nancy MacKnight
Paula Maker
Margo Merrill
Rene Roy
Michael Sacca
Mark R. Shibles
Shirley Spencer
St. Denis
Nancy Tarpinian
Alan C. Truax

Calendar:

A Workshop on Preserving Home Movies

Our Stories

March 14

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

1 1 a.m. Screening of examples in Remis
Auditorium.

1:30 p.m. Panel discussion in Riley
Seminar Room.

Museum of Fine Arts ticket office
617 369-3770

A workshop will be held at Bostons
Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday,
March 14, on the preservation and use of
home movies and other non-commercial
films. Presenters will speak about ways to
identify, use, store, and preserve film
gauges including 16mm, 8mm, Super
8mm, and such rarities such as 9.5mm
and 28mm.

Alan Kattelle, immediate past President
of die Movie Machine Society, is an expert
on amateur film technology. (See article
on the Vitak, page 15.) He will demon-

strate types of hardware used to record
and project film through the decades.

Karan Sheldon, co-founder of
Northeast Historic Film, will discuss film
storage ideals and realities, and share
examples of cooperative curatorial and
outreach activities.

Toni Treadway, of Brodsky &
Treadway, is co-founder of the
International Center for 8mm Film in
Rowley, Massachusetts. She will talk
about identifying old film, looking for
signs of deterioration, preventing damage
in handling, where to get help, and
preservation options.

Home movies benefit from attention
to their condition, proper storage and
handling, detailed labeling, and planning
for permanent archiving. Simple steps
taken by families and community
institutions can result in extending the
life of this irreplaceable record of daily
events in the region.

Saturday, April 11

Alamo Theatre, Bucksport

Maine Public Television will present a
new documentary series, Our
Stories, at the Alamo Theatre, 379 Main
Street, Bucksport, on April 1 1 . The series
is funded by the United States
Department of Agriculture.

In each 60-minute documentary
program, one of four Maine families will
show how they have survived and
adapted in rural Maine. Members of the
families will be present at the screening.

There is no charge. For more informa-
tion call Bob Libbey (Maine) 800 884-
1717; (from outside Maine) 207 783-
9101 ; or email him at blibbey@mpbc.org.
Information is available on the web at
www.mpbc.org.

In Memoriam

We remember Joel White, who,
with his family, donated 1 6mm
projection equipment and film
of family life.

And we remember Gretchen Garrhey,
who did lab work and shot photos for
NHF, including the bridge across the
Penobscot River.

The board and staff of Northeast
Historic Film express gratitude for these
memories, and condolences to the
families of Joel White and Gretchen
Gaffney.

Jay Craven, Isaac Kestenbaum, and Myles Poland at The Alamo Theatre.
Photo courtesy The Ellsworth American.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Address Correction Requested

Film Director Works
With Students

Vermont filmmaker Jay Craven,
director of the new feature A
Stranger in the Kingdom, held a
workshop for high school students
December 4 at The Alamo Theatre.

Myles Poland and Isaac Kestenbaum,
juniors at George Stevens Academy in
Blue Hill, Maine, projected excerpts
from their videos Plungerman and
Plungerman //as a basis for discussing
character development and action.

The students planned the event.
Craven, an experienced teacher and
mentor, crossed diree states to lead the
class. Volunteers Jill Knowles and Valerie
Felt McClead helped make it happen —
and MacLeod's Restaurant provided
supper.

Many Schools Participated

The auditorium's 125 seats held students
from Bucksport, Hampden, Dover-
Foxcroft, Ellsworth, Bangor, Orono, and
Deer Isle. Also present were arts, social
studies, and English faculty.

Stuart Kestenbaum, Director of
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts,
says, "This event was a wonderful way to
inspire students, and a great use of a
resource like Northeast Historic Film. It's
the kind of program that lets kids know
that diey are not alone in their art, and
that diey have peers with similar inter-
ests. Hearing a committed professional
like Jay Craven talk about his films and
filmmaking was inspirational."

The students proceeded to The Grand
in Ellsworth for the preview of A
Stranger in the Kingdom, followed by a
question and answer session on the
challenges of independent production.
Craven talked about die collaboration
widi author Howard Frank Mosher.

A Stranger in the Kingdom is die
center of a trilogy based on books by
Mosher, starting with Where the River
Flows North (1994), and culminating in
Disappearances — set on the Canadian
border during Prohibition. H

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation
of Northern New England
Motion Pictures

Summer 1998

National Film Preservation Fdn. 4

TB Sanatorium 7

John & Francis Ford in Maine 9

Study Center 1 1

Reference by Mail Update 14

Moving Image Review is a semiannual
publication of Northeast Historic Film,
P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, Maine 044 1 6.
David S. Weiss, executive director
Doug Hubley, writer and editor.
ISSN 0897-0769.

E Mail OLDFILM@acadia.net
Web http://www.acadia.net/oldfilm/

Campaign Progress What is a Regional Moving-Image Archives?

NHF's capital campaign is gaining
momentum in its goal to raise
$2.4 million for building renova-
tion, archival storage space, preservation
technology, and to create a public study
center. As the Board and staff move
from the quiet stages of the campaign to
an increasingly public phase, Moving
Image Review will include updates on
fundraising, and on progress at the
Alamo Theatre.

Bucksport Town Council
Answers $64,000 Question: Yes!
In a 6-0 vote, the Bucksport Town Council
in May included $64,000 for the Alamo
Theatre in the town's supplemental capital
improvement budget. If approved after a
hearing, the funds will be disbursed over
two years — and will help prepare the
125-seat theater for public programs,
enabling NHF to start an exciting series
of events in the fall. Acoustic panels,
carpeting, safety rails, lighting, and
sprinkler systems will be installed over
the summer.

Camden National Bank Makes Pledge
After opening its Bucksport branch,
Camden National Bank didn't waste a
moment before pledging $5,000 to NHF.
In presenting the first installment, leaders
of the Maine-owned bank emphasized
their interest in supporting projects that
benefit the local community. H

A 35mm nitrate negative requiring preservation —

a record of work in northern New England.

Cory Maple Sugar Company, Philippe Beaudry

Collection. Frame enlargement by Karin Bos.

This issue attempts to define regional
moving-image archiving with topics
representing our collections and activities.
Some show connections between the
regional and national spheres, such as
glimpses of homegrown luminaries John
and Francis Ford, and at the national
preservation movement. Other topics look
within the region at some unexpected
history represented in the collections, and at
valued links with people such as volunteer
Jane Beal and Advisor Eric Schaefer.

^^H"he United States has no single

national film archives. Instead, the
I national collection, as archivists
call the aggregate of moving images in
this country, exists in many collections,
each with its own focus and institutional
structure. Many have a regional mission.

Three areas of service stand out:

• Preserving and providing access to
moving images of regional interest;

•Teaching about moving-image preser-
vation in the region;

• Helping films and related materials
reach repositories whose missions
match the content, thus ensuring
maximal preservation and accessibility
(see sidebar, Page 5).

There has been virtually no federal
financial support for those regional
organizations that, on their own, help
preserve the memory of the American
people in moving images and sound.
Recognition comes more often from
producers and their audiences who find

continued on Page 5

Executive Director's Report

I am pleased to report that Nathaniel
Thompson has joined the NHF Board.
Nat has spent most of his career, so far,
working at WCSH-TV 6 in Portland,
Maine. He brings to the Board much-
needed expertise in matters pertaining to
our television holdings. Nat and his wife
Peggy have been appreciated supporters
of the archives. Welcome, Nat!

New Horizons in Education
Over the last few months many exciting
ideas about the educational use of our
collections have been emerging.

Board member Martha McNamara has
been spearheading thought and action on
our educational mission. Close to home,
we've had a series of meetings with
Bucksport Superintendent of Schools
Marc Curtis, Curriculum Development
Director Elaine Emery, Miles Lane
School Principal Carol McRae, and —
during a stimulating in-service day — 30
members of die Bucksport High School
faculty.

The result has been a clearer under-
standing of how to make the facilities
and collections of Northeast Historic
Film most useful for die schools. These
efforts will help us develop a range of
offerings that will ultimately benefit
schools throughout the region. We look

forward to nurturing an exploration of
areas such as visual literacy, media
history, and cultural history, as they relate
to a regional archives. On Page 1 1 you
can read more about our developing
study center.

Danny Patt and The People's Century
Silent film accompanist Danny Patt is
featured in the motion picture episode of
the new PBS documentary series The
Peoples Century. Part, a Maine resident,
has worked with NHF since 1989 to
boost the appreciation of die art form (he
is shown with elementary school students
in Moving Image Review's Winter 1 998
cover photo). The series looks at signifi-
cant developments in die century from a
global perspective. Danny Patt's inclusion
is an appropriate tribute to a talented
musician and a caring performer.

Picture Perfect

As we go to press, posters of feature films
with New England themes, a gift of John
Lowe, are ready for installation along the
east wall of die auditorium. Stop by for a
look at these evocative posters of Holly-
wood films made or set in New England,
including Little Women, The Whales of
August, Mermaids, Dolores Claiborne,
and The Man Without a Face.

The Movie Queen visits a Newport, Maine, grocery
in 1936. Frame enlargement by Karin Bos.

Thanks to Board, Advisors, and Members

I'd like to thank NHF's Board for its
support in recent months, in helping to
advance the capital campaign. Each one's
advocacy is immensely important to the
organization.

Thanks also to our growing group of
Advisors. They have contributed in many
ways, and it's always a joy to be with
them.

And I'd like to personally thank each
member for new or continuing support.
You are vital to communicating our
goals, and NHF would not exist without
you there, offering encouragement, using
the collections, and enjoying the archives.

Fred Oettinger, a Board member, told
recently of sharing film of ice harvesting,
once an important regional industry, with
his children. His kids, like many people,
thought ice comes only from refrigera-
tors. There is nothing like the immediacy
of actuality film for showing how different
things were, not so long ago.

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Nordieast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but are not limited
to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation of
educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
the film and video production com-
munity, through providing a study
center, technical services and facilities.

Collections:

Turn of the Tide

"Cooperation, that's what we need on the
coast. But we've got to learn to pull together. "

•^^iose words from a film in the Vinal-
I haven Historical Society Collection
I at NHF ring as true today as they
did in 1943, when Turn of the Tide was
released.

Back then, the problem was artificially
low prices at the dock for lobster. Today,
it's the complex issue of fisheries manage-
ment— not only for lobster, whose
current population boom seems to belie
warnings of a crash, but for species like
haddock and cod, where die crash has
come.

Then and now, cooperation among
people who fish is a huge first step. In the
1 990s, the creation of lobster councils
under Maine law is giving meaningful
representation in the management of die
resource. In die 1 940s, as Turn of the
Tide illustrates, lobstermen gained
financial stability and new clout in the
marketplace by forming credit unions
and odier cooperative associations.

Fascinating Continuity
"I diink people in the industry would be
fascinated by it," says Robin Alden, of
Stonington, Maine. Alden was commis-
sioner of die Maine Department of
Marine Resources in die King administra-
tion until last November, and was found-
ing editor of Commercial Fisheries News.

"My husband Ted and I watched it,
and we loved it," Alden says. Ted -
Ames, a Vinalhaven native, is a lifelong
fisherman. "It amazed us how similar
so many of the expressions and ways
people operated are to [those] now,"
she adds.

Shooting in Port Clyde, producer
James McPherson and writer Mary
Ellicott Arnold cast Maine lobstermen
and dieir families in all the roles. They
were instructed to act for die camera
with dialogue to be dubbed in later. If
the plot is melodramatic and the acting
self-conscious, the images of the coast
and its people are pure gold.

Harmon Foundation Work

The film was created under the auspices

Ernest Malonty, Birger Magnuson, and other participants in Turn of the Tide, from the publication Maine
Cooperatives Along the Coast, January 1943. Courtesy Vinalhaven Historical Society.

of the Harmon Foundation, a socially
progressive organization founded in the
1 920s and perhaps best known for
creating die Harmon Collection of
African-American art at the National
Portrait Gallery. Another fimder was the
Cooperative League of the U.S.A.,
forerunner to today's National
Cooperative Business Association.

The film depicts a lobstering culture
brought to the brink by dealer pricing
that doesn't even meet the workers'
expenses. The central character, Herm, is
the stereotypical stubborn Mainer, who
holds hard grudges and rejects any
notion of cooperative effort.

Co-ops Continue

The community's precarious existence is
exemplified by one character, Milt, who
tries to solve his financial problems with
one desperate trap-setting run. Milt's
tragic end and the collapse of lobster
prices galvanize the community into
forming a credit union.

Finally — just before a parade of
vignettes representing the real-life success
stories of the cooperative movement —
Herm sees the folly of his ways and
plunks his quarter down with the other
founding depositors.

"Many of those co-ops survive to this
day," says Alden.

The film's message has particular reso-
nance now, "as we change the governance
structure in lobster and form these lobster
councils," Alden explains. "Its a pioneer-
ing new type of management, and the

whole issue of whether fishermen can
have the group work together for the
benefit of their fishery is what people are
thinking about right now."

If pricing is no longer a front-burner
issue — thanks in part to the cooperative
movement — it's an issue still. In part
because lobster populations are so high
that a lot of new dealers have pumped a
lot of new money into the business, "lob-
stermen aren't at the mercy of dealers the
way they were back then," Alden says.

But a handful of big dealers can
continue to set basic prices, because of
the perishable nature of the product.
Lobsters are hungry — that is, most
catchable — after they molt, and so the
summer molting season creates "this
huge pulse of lobsters that starts in the
south and moves east along the coast,"
Alden explains.

"Those lobsters are weak, they're
relatively soft-shelled and they don't keep
well, and lobstermen have to get rid of
them. And so they're really captive at that
point. There are some very large players
in the lobster market that pretty much
dictate what the price is. You can watch
the lobster prices along the coast move in
unison up and down."

Lobster catchers and dealers remain
locked in an embrace of mutual depen-
dence and dislike, Alden says. If, as Turn of
the Tide tells us, the value of cooperation
is timeless, so is something a fisherman
once said. " 'Every time a dollar changes
hands, you've got different interests,' " he
told her. "And that's absolutely true." B

National Film Preservation Foundation

Meet Director Annette Melville

It's not news that film stock deteriorates
over time. What may be a surprise,
though, is that American films are
disappearing faster than film archives can
preserve them. Now preservation
organizations like Northeast Historic
Film have a new ally in the race to
preserve America's film heritage.

Mandated by a 1996 Act of Congress,
with Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy
playing a lead role, the National Film
Preservation Foundation (NFPF) will be
active by autumn. The NFPF is poised to
be a significant new funding source for
preservation projects, and just as impor-
tant, will serve as a facilitator and public
proselytizer for such efforts.

Public education is central to die
foundation's mission, all the more
because of the types of film projects the
NFPF will concentrate on. It will focus
on "orphan" films, those works unpro-
tected by any commercial interests and
therefore dependent on public support.

High-tech restoration jobs on
Hollywood classics have received plenty
of ink, says NFPF Director Annette
Melville. "You go to the video store, and
you see how the word "restoration" adds
a cachet to materials in re-release."

But in a nation full of filmmakers,
Hollywood represents just the tip of die
cinematic iceberg.

"That's really what our Foundation is
about," says Melville, "to try to show the
breadth of American filmmaking and
the diversity and richness of materials
that were made throughout die United
States — and not just in the studios."

Scorsese and Odier Angels
The Foundation was created in response
to two industry-wide studies initiated by
the National Film Preservation Board of
the Library of Congress, coordinated by
Melville, who combines expertise in library
science and public policy, and her hus-
band, film scholar Scott Simmon. The
studies can be accessed through the NFPF
website, at www.filmpreservation.org/index.

Film Preservation 1993 documented
the crisis. Of all American movies made
before 1950, the researchers found, only
half survive. Fewer than 20 percent of

feature films from the 1920s exist in
complete form. For the previous decade,
it's 10 percent.

A key recommendation in the second
study, Redefining Film Preservation: A
National Plan (1994), was the establish-
ment of a national, non-profit charitable
organization to spearhead preservation
efforts. Congress legislated the NFPF
into existence in October 1 996, but
denied it access to public money until
the fiscal year 2000, when it becomes
eligible for federal matching funds.

Startup gifts came from director
Martin Scorsese, an NFPB board mem-
ber, and from the Film Foundation, a
filmmakers' group that Scorsese started
in 1 990 to address this issue. Additional
support came from the Foundation of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences and the Association of Moving
Image Archivists.

The Foundation got to work in
November 1997, with Washington,
D.C., lawyer Eric Schwartz as pro bono
executive director and Melville, based in
San Francisco, as director. Along with
Scorsese, the NFPF board includes
Chairman Roger Mayer, president and
COO of Turner Entertainment, actor
Laurence Fishburne, and, ex officio,
Librarian of Congress James Billington.

"We see our programs focused in three
areas," says Melville. "There will be a
direct grant program for physical preser-
vation, access and education projects.
Second, we want to work as facilitators
for group actions, helping archives work
as consortia," to apply for major support.

Third, she explains, the Foundation
will commission projects, including
publications, symposia, and other
outreach and education efforts.

The Foundation's fundraising success
continues, with more than a quarter of a
million dollars coming into the coffers
since December 1997. Central to the
mission are in-kind gifts coming from film
preservation labs across the country, dona-
tions the Foundation hopes to make
available by autumn. These gifts, valued
at more than $50,000 per year for three
to five years, are especially valuable in view
of the high cost of film preservation. H

Grants in Action

^^wo film preservation grants within

I recent months benefit NHF's
• curatorial and outreach programs.
Funds were also received from a labor
union to support preservation of their
history in moving images.

Maine Community Foundation

The Maine Community Foundations
Expansion Arts Fund gave a grant of
$3,500 to support "Evangeline in Maine:
Musical Performance and Film Preserva-
tion." The projects purpose is to com-
mission a new print for the archives from
the 1929 Evangeline, starring Dolores
Del Rio, recently restored by the UCLA
Film and Television Archive.

The Acadian Archives/ Archives
acadiennes and Northeast Historic Film
requested the grant to support presenta-
tions of the film with live music.

The Maine Community Foundation is
located in Ellsworth, Maine. Its website
is www.mainecf.org.

AFI/NEA

The American Film Institute's National
Center for Film and Video Preservation,
with matching funds from the National
Endowment for the Arts, awarded
$2,780 to preserve two 1 6mm films, The
Movie Queen, Lincoln, and The Movie
Queen, Newport.

They were shot by Margaret Cram, a
member of the Amateur Theater Guild
of Boston. She traveled through northern
New England and New York with a
camera and a troupe of actors. Cram
made arrangements with local merchants
to sponsor a production that included
production and screening of a film
invariably called The Movie Queen, and a
stage show.

UPIU Local 14, Jay, Maine

In May, United Paperworkers Inter-
national Union, Local 14, in Jay, Maine,
made a contribution of $1,170 for the
preservation of videos of the 1987 strike
against International Paper Company.
This project, reported in the winter 1998
Moving Image Review, consists of more
than 200 hours of documentation of a
community and an industry. H

continued from Page 1

in the regional archives a great source for
interpreting cultural history.

L Northeast Historic Film collects,

preserves, and makes available to the
public film and videotape of interest to
the people of northern New England.
NHF focuses on Maine, New Hamp-
shire, Vermont, and to some extent

. Massachusetts.

Concerned with the shared culture of
this region, NHF forges links with people,
within the region and beyond, who care
about preserving the Northeast's heritage.

Archival Structures Vary
Are there other places like Northeast
Historic Film? Yes, although few are
independent nonprofits. More com-
monly a regional archives belongs to
another institution. This arrangement

. affords an established constituency and
institutional security. But there may be a
downside, such as budgets determined by
other priorities and vulnerability to the
politics of a larger institution.
In Canada, provincial archives repre-

. sent the geography of moving-image
archiving. Although the United States
has no such system, several state archives
and universities have taken on moving-
image collections — among them the
Mississippi Department of Archives and

History, the University of Kentucky, and
the West Virginia Division of Culture
and History.

The National Co I lection & Shared Storage

The national collection is a work in
progress. The national moving-image
preservation plans cited by Annette
Melville on Page 4 prescribe steps for
securing this heritage, including the
initiation of regional study and storage
centers.

NHF plans a 3,000-square foot wing
intended as a shared storage facility, and
seeks partner institutions desiring
improved climate control and curatorial
care for their film and video. A consortial
arrangement will lower the cost for
individual institutions and raise the
common standard of storage. The facility
will demonstrate how sharing develop-
ment and maintenance costs in a not-for-
profit sphere can benefit die public.

New Service for Regional Archives
A similar principle would apply on a
larger scale. While all archives are
distinctive, all could benefit from a
common voice expressing shared goals
and needs. A moving-image interest
group is needed to speak for regional
archives.

Dolora Del Rio as

Evangeline in 1929.

Courtesy of the Academy

of Motion Picture Arts

and Sciences.

This is particularly urgent in the area
of television preservation. There are far
too few local and regional TV archives,
and most of those are dismally under-
funded. So little is known about local-TV
preservation that on a map of the nation
"here lie dragons" would say it all for the
areas with virtually no connection to the
moving-image archival community.

The Association of Moving Image
Archivists is launching an interest
group for regional archives, led by Lisa
Carter of die University of Kentucky
(lisac@pop.uky.edu). The AMIA website,
found at www.amianet.org, will feature
links to regional archives and an online
discussion list.

Sharing Our Discoveries

Film is often offered to the archives.
Much of it relates to northern New
England. But other material, too, reaches
NHF's door, including dramas, news-
reels, animation shorts, and comedies
that are important because in die era
represented very little survives. Here are
some examples:

The End of the Rainbow ( 1 9 1 6), a
Bluebird five-reel film. Very litde survives
of Bluebirds output.

The Simp and the Sophomores (1915),
the earliest surviving film appearance of
Oliver Hardy.

Aladdin (1907), and Sambo as Footman
(1909), Pathe, the latter a viciously racist
film.

These and other films have been trans-
ferred to institutions including the
Museum of Modern Art, UCLA Film
and Television Archive, George Eastman
House, and the Human Studies Film
Archives.

NHF serves as an intermediary
between, on the one hand, its most
important supporters — the interested
public — and on the other, the established
public archives from which NHF has
learned so much.

Regional archives are essential. They
enrich the national holdings and die
public understanding of diem — and they
deserve increased financial support from
corporations, foundations, and state and
local rimders. I

Volunteer Portrait: Jane Beal

Archie Stewart in 1985. Photographed by Rex Sauls

at the wedding of Archie's granddaughter, Mary Kelly.

Courtesy Mary Kelly and the Stewart family.

In Memoriam:

Archie Stewart

Thomas Archibald Stewart died on
March 11, 1998, at home in
Newburgh, New York. He was born
in 1902. His local paper called him a
man who gave with "amazing foresight,
leadership, fairness, generosity, devotion
and love to the community."

This describes his relationship with
film preservation, too. His life work on
16mm film and video, which he and his
family donated to Northeast Historic
Film, is one of the outstanding moving-
image records in the archives. His
foresight in helping see these materials
preserved sets a standard for service to
future generations.

Archie Stewart was delightful to work
with. Answering the phone, he would
say, "Old Man Stewart here."

In 1 937 Stewart wrote an article for
Movie Makers, the magazine of the
Amateur Cinema League, titled "A talkie
movie maker speaks." In it he recounts
his experiments with amateur sound. "I
have a friend, a Maine guide, who is, in
his pan of the country, as celebrated a
story teller, humorist and droll character
as was Will Rogers to the rest of the
world. I made a four hundred foot sound
reel of some of this friend's tales and
jokes, that our group loves so much."

Stewart's film of the guide's stories is
invaluable. But so too are his film and
sound experiments at home with mem-
bers of his family. He filmed everyday
things like a children's tea party and a
toddler dancing with die television's
Romper Room. In such scenes there is
magic and real life. H

ii ^™ xtraordinary" describes both the
1 commitment and the abilities
i of Jane Beal, the NHF volun-
teer who is cataloging the Archie Stewart
Collection.

Once a month Jane makes the nine-
hour round trip to Bucksport from her
home in Cambridge, Mass., to spend a
day on the Stewart Collection, donated
in 1994 by a prolific amateur filmmaker
from Newburgh, N.Y. (see companion
story).

Jane, 43, is well suited to the job: She
works in die Film & Video Resource
Center at Bostons WGBH-TV, a major
producer of documentaries for public
television — "television as it should be,"
she says. The Resource Center is a
regional archives of national significance,
so to speak, holding some 340,000
videotapes and 10,000 film tides.
Outside producers can buy footage
ranging from WGBH's own acclaimed
programs to general subjects recorded on
public domain and house footage.

Jane is a film researcher, casting a
global net for all manner of images. "It's
very fun," she says. "They pay me to look
at films and photos."

One Man's Vision

Her work at the Alamo is the same but
different: instead of scouring the world
for images on every topic, she's seeing the
world through images made by one man.

Jane is adding visual descriptions to the
records for the Stewart Collection — a
collection that includes 175 reels of
16mm film, shot between 1926 and
1985, and 1,200 minutes of VHS
videotape, shot between 1989 and 1993.
Her descriptions enhance Stewart's own
remarkably thorough notes.

Jane is currently immersed in the film,
which has been transferred to videotape
for reference. Each cassette contains three
16mm reels, about an hour's worth;
generally she can process three tapes a
day.

While WGBH has equipped Jane well
for the job, NHF s requirements are
different. For a WGBH project she
mounts "a very targeted attack at a very
huge amount of material," she explains.
"We tend to list literally every shot on a
tape. I had to learn — and I still struggle

with it every time — to cut that back a bit."

Jane has been intrigued by Stewarts
technical progress through the years, as
he experimented with new technologies.
Newsreels in the collection add historical
context. "I'll come across the Hindenburg
disaster or a fight between a cobra and a
mongoose," she laughs. "You never know
from one reel to the next what you're
going to encounter."

A Graceful Aging

But what's most appealing as Jane sits
through these scenes from a life is the
change over time. The people, things
they do, places they go, all recur and
recur — but they do not, naturally, remain
the same.

"People age, and particularly grace-
fully," Jane says. "Its a family that
seemed to enjoy living their life in front
of the camera, and that is obviously an
interesting thing — particularly for [an
observer] who has a few decades under
her belt. You're a bit more attuned to the
stages of life."

"There are moments that just res-
onate," she continues. "There's one film
that I got a kick out of fairly early on, of
one of Archie's two daughters feeding a
bird from her hand. It just reminded me
of hours my sister spent training a
chickadee to eat from her hand."

Hence the value of amateur film. Until
this century, Jane points out, history has
generally been recorded by the wealthy,
the rulers, the winners. "But 20th-
century technology has allowed individu-
als to capture their story in an immediate
way that can be shared with people."

Preserving work like Stewart's goes to
the heart of a regional archive's mission.
It's in knowing how the material relates
to its time and place, Jane explains.
"There's an understanding of the people
and the places and the activities,
imparted just by being pan of that
environment."

"From a purely selfish perspective of
someone seeking footage, when I'm
throwing out a broad net, I naturally
look in the regions where the activities
occurred, hoping to find some gems,"
she adds. "Places like Northeast Historic
Film give me a really good starting
point." H

Collections: IB Social History in Film

NHF's mission directs it to illumi-
nate the present in the light of the
past, and sometimes that happens
in unexpected ways. Such is the case with
the Talbot and Barbara Hackett
Collection.

The five 16mm reels donated by the
Hacketts, of Warren, Maine, were shot in
1 934 at the Western Maine Sanatorium,
in Hebron. Even as tuberculosis threatens
a resurgence, it's intriguing to visit that
institution and the philosophy behind it.

Decades after tuberculosis exited from
everyday reality, its stereotypes stay with
us. The dying beauty made exquisite by
her pallor. Kafka feverish over his pages.

The persistence of such romanticized
images is a measure of TB s impact. Such
histories as Sheila Rothmans Living in
the Shadow of Death show how evolving
treatments for TB, once America's most
serious health threat, wrought dramatic
social change.

Fresh Air vs. Bacillus

Witness the sanatorium movement.
Once people realized how the tubercle
bacillus spread, isolation was the order of
the day. The sanatoriums tried their best
to support the patient s own recuperative
powers, but their real contribution lay in
getting the afflicted away from the
healthy.

The Hackett films make the best of the
situation. Writer-producer Bill Sinclair
and cameraman E.O. Irish concentrated
on festivities — a Fourth of July celebra-
tion and a day of winter frolics — virtually
all filmed outdoors. (Film speed also deter-
mined the choice to film in natural light.)

"It was the idea of fresh air," explains
Marge Anderson. Anderson is head of
library services at Mercy Hospital, in
Pordand, Maine. A historian, she owns
the Western Maine Sanatoriums paper
records.

Tuberculosis was thought to be a
product of dirty, crowded cities,
Anderson says. "They believed that fresh
air, sunshine and a healthful way of living
would protect the people who already
had tuberculosis, and enable them to
cure themselves."

Western Maine Sanatorium patients in 1934.

Talbot and Barbara Hackett Collection.

Frame enlargement by Karin Bos.

Fate and the Flea Market
Anderson and Dr. Richard Kahn, of
Union, discovered the sanatorium
materials at the Hacketts' flea market.
One of four sanatoriums in Maine, the
Hebron facility opened in 1901.

Dr. Lester Adams, longtime director,
kept many of the records when the
facility closed in 1959. He died in 1971,
survived by his wife, Violet. The
Hacketts purchased the contents of the
Adams household, in Thomaston,
following Mrs. Adams' death in 1991.

They didn't know what to do with the
sanatorium records and the films, says
Mrs. Hackett. "The ordinary person
wasn't going to buy them," she says.
"They said, 'If you want them, take
them,' " Anderson recalls.

Dr. Kahn noticed the films as he and
Anderson were leaving the market. He
suggested that the Hacketts consider
donating them to NHF, with which, as
program chair for the Union Historical
Society, he has a longstanding relation-
ship.

The Hacketts wanted to ensure that
the films went where they would be
wanted. "The films might do someone
some good someday, but it had to be the
right person," says Mrs. Hackett.

From Compulsion to Suggestion

Tuberculosis, around the turn of the
century, brought the public health
establishment into being, says Anderson.
Today, as our views of individual rights
have evolved, the public health systems
role has become one of providing
information and guidance. In view of

contemporary pandemics, that role is not
always considered adequate. In 1 934, the
system was accepted as being appropri-
ately authoritarian.

"The public health system was able to
march in with tuberculosis, take charge,
isolate the people, treat them, track down
anyone who was in contact with them,
discover if they'd been infected, and treat
them," Anderson says.

In addition, in view of the wayTB has
been romanticized by people who haven't
had to live with it, the films' role as pure
historical record shouldn't be underesti-
mated. "This is pretty unusual, it seems
to me, seeing people in a sanatorium,"
says Dr. Kahn.

TB s Real Face

The films are thought provoking as
much for what they don't show as for
what they do. There are glimpses of the
buildings on a lovely site in Maine's
western hills, and views of patients on
the screen porches. One emaciated,
bedridden woman with a dazzling smile
puts a real face on the situation.

But mostly we see activity: sports,
parades, roughhousing. Who'd have
thought that there'd be so much energy
at a sanatorium? Moreover, so few of
these activities remain in our repertoire.

The Fourth of July festivity includes
such archaic games as potato races and a
rolling pin toss. (A dummy in male
clothing is the target.) A skit depicts a
shotgun wedding. A parade through the
grounds includes a blackface minstrel
band. More has changed than how we
treat disease. •

Northeast Historic Film Members

Please join and renew.

Thank you for your generosity!

Patrons

Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Epstein
Fred Oettinger
Ed Pert

James & Rita Phillips
Richard & Kimberly Rosen
Dr. & Mrs. H. Sheldon
David Weiss & Karan Sheldon
Nathaniel & Margaret Thompson

Friends

Caroline Crocker

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Gelardi

Edward & Barbara Ann Ives

Edgar & Sarah B. Lupfer

Mr. & Mrs. George MacLeod

Joan & David Maxwell

Alan & Eleanor J. McClelland

Dorothy Morrison

Richard Prelinger

Clare H. Sheldon

Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Associates

Henry Becton, Jr.

Paul Cady & Christine Bowditch

Thomas & Katherine Clements

Joseph F. Condon

Darwin & Jackie Davidson

Peter Davis

Dwight B. Demeritt, Jr.

Ernest & Kathryn Gross

Dr. Parker F. Harris & Dr. Ellen J.

Mr. & Mrs. Francis W Hatch

C. A. Porter Hopkins

Robert L. Jordan

Richard A. Kimball, Jr.

Don MacWilliams

Robert & Janet Marville

Morton K. & Barbara J. Mather

David G. Mathiasen

Don & Patrisha McLean

Martha McNamara & Jim Bordewick

Henry H. Moulton

Kathryn J. Olmstead

Charles R. Ryan

Betty Schloss

Dorothy & Elliott Schwartz

Wendy Wincote Schweikert & Ken

Schweikert
Peter & Ann Sheldon
Dr. David C. Smith
Charles G. Tetro & Beverly Bibber
Vern & Jackie Weiss
Pamela Wmtle & Henry Griffin

Corporate Members

Acadia Pictures, Inc.

Archive Films

Thomas Bakalars Architects

L. Ritchey

Bucksport Veterinary Hospital

Crosbys Drive In

The Enterprise

Fellows, Kee & Tymoczko

J. Gordon, Architect

Bill Gross & Associates

Hammond Lumber Company

Lewis & Malm

Maine Crafts Association

Modular Media

Ramsdell Auto Supply

DL Sage Productions

Margaret Chase Smith Library Center

Sparkling Clean Cleaning Service

Tyson & Partners, Inc.

Vidipax, Inc.

Robert Wardwell & Sons

Households

Richard C. Alden

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allen

Brian & Carole Barnard

Lester Bernstein

Patricia & Thomas Berry

Laura L. Bittinger & Ed'

Marcia Beal Brazer

Joan H. Bromage

Michaela & Jeff Colquhoun

Deborah Joy Corey & Bill Zildjian

Ruth & Joel Davis

James & Leila Day

& John Dice
Stewart & Jean Doty
G. Clifton Eamcs
Thomas, Christian & Galen Gal
Gerald & Rosemary Garland
Miriam Hansen & Michael Geyer
Roy V. Heisler & Esther Bissell
Wendell Hodgkins
Huey & Judith Wentzell
William Irvine

Eithne Johnson & Eric Schaefer
Ned & Sophia Johnston
Dr. Richard Kahn
Alan & Natalie Kattelle
Dr. Gaylen Kelley
Susan & Chip Kimball
Karen Koos
Jim & Lisa Lawsing
Betty Ann & Donald Lockhart
Elizabeth Lowell
John & Mary MacFadyen
John & Katie Mankiewicz
Kennedi & Cheri Mason
Suzanne Massie & Seymour Papert
Judith F. McGeorge
Betsy Montandon & Keith Davison
Virginia Morgan & Alan Walcott
Barbara & Geoff Neiley
John A. O'Brien & Linda Long
Mr. Brian & Dr. Marjorie Olivari

/•^•'•''•'•

Audrey & Berwin Peasley

Larry & Nancy Perlman

Ron & Carol Perry

Sharyn & Taylor Pohlman

Spiros Polemis

Mary Ann Porreca

Nathaniel Porter & Stephanie Sala

David & Mary Lou Pugh

Mr. & Mrs. Terry Rankine

Miriam Reeder

Ned Rendall

James & Marilyn Rockefeller, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. James Rogers

William & Karen Rogers

George & Barbara Rolleston

Mrs. Elizabeth Saudek

& Ruth Scheer
Robert B. Shetterly, Jr.
Nick Sichterman & Mariah Hughs
Karen & Jeffrey Siegel
Irving & Nancy Silverman
Samuel T. Suratt &. Judith H
Mr. & Mrs. William H. Swan
Suzanne & Samuel Taylor
Charles S. Thompson & Catherine Gross
Dr. Philip P. Thompson
Elizabeth & Frank Wiswall

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbe Museum

Bagaduce Music Lending Library
Bangor Historical Society
Bangor Public Library
Paul & Mollie Birdsall
Blue Hill Public Library
Blueberry Hill Productions
Bridgton Historical Society
Brooksville Historical Socii
Buck Memorial Library
Calais Free Library
Cape Elizabeth Historical

Society

Cherryfield Narraguagus Historical Society
Chichester Town Library
Chinooks Worlwide, Inc.
Cinematheque Que'b&oise
College of the Adantic, Thorndike Library
Eldercare of Hancock Country
Ellsworth Historical Society
Ellsworth Public Library
Farmington Public Library
Figures of Speech

Fisher Museum of Forestry, Harvard Forest
Foxcroft Academy

Friends of Witherle Memorial Library
Fryeburg Historical Society
Hall Elementary School
He Ife Films

Indiana Historical Society Library
Industry Historical Society
Island Nursing Home

continued on page 12

£&!

John Ford and his family, photo by Melbourne Spurr, Hollywood.
Courtesy George Eastman House Motion Picture Film Stills.

John and Francis Ford in New England

"Frank Feeney, known in the moving
picture world as Francis Ford, one of the
country's leading emotional actors of the
movies, a Portland boy, is home for his
first vacation in many years, visiting his
parents, Mr. And Mrs. John A. Feeney of
Sheridan street."

— Portland Sunday Press dr Portland
Sunday Times, Nov. 14, 1915

Feeney's vacation was hardly restful.
Well-established as a director and
actor for die Universal Film Co.,
Feeney spent his break from
Hollywood writing, casting and shooting
two movies in Maine.

Though Chicken Hearted Jim is now a
lost film, and The Yellow Streak was
apparendy never released, Feeney's
productive homecoming resonates gendy
through die Northeast 83 years later. As
the weeks of Maine location work for die
Costner-Newman film Message in a
Bottle have shown, it's still no trifle for
Hollywood to visit New England.
Aldiough the contrast in working styles is
noteworthy: Feeney shot the rwo-reeler
Chicken Hearted Jim in three days.

More interesting, in view of a celebra-
tion taking place in Portland this sum-
mer, are Feeney's personnel decisions. For
Jim, in which he also starred, his cast was
entirely local, including his parents, two
sisters, two nieces, die local police chief,
and a herd of Elks.

At die top were Feeney and his brother,
2 1 -year-old Jack, then a year into a film
career that would end with 1 36 films, six
Oscars and an enduring reputation as
one of die world's greatest directors.

Born in Cape Elizabedi, youngest of
13 children, John Martin Feeney grew up
in Portland, earning the nickname "Bull"
through his aggressiveness in high school
sports. Adopting his brother's professional
surname and occupation, John Ford
went on to eclipse Francis, whose film
career had dwindled to occasional charac-
ter roles by the time he died, in 1953.

From July 6-12, Portland celebrates
John Ford with a film retrospective and
the dedication of a statue at Gotham's
Corner, near where Feeney pere opened a
pub in 1 897. (Like many other historic
sites in Portland, the location at Center
and Fore streets is now a parking lot.)

Linda Noe Laine, once a close friend of
Mary Smith Ford, the director's wife, is
primary donor for the statue. At a press
conference in March, celebration director
Jack Dawson said that Laine offered her
support after learning that Portland lacked
a permanent Ford memorial — a discov-
ery, Dawson said, that "appalled" her.

Which goes to show that underesti-
mating the regional voice in film is a
two-way street. Apart from a 1 970 Ford
film festival in Maine, Portland till now
has had litde to say about him — despite
the fact that this son of a major seaport, a
town 1 5 percent Irish in die year 1 900,
proclaimed his complex heritage in ways
large and small.

The Irish aspect dominates, and it's
true that Ford made many fewer
Easterns than Westerns, but he did
reveal other dimensions of his origins.
He covered Longfellow for Fox with the
1922 interpretation of The Village
Blacksmith. The 1924 feature Hearts of
Oak (like most of Ford's silents, now
lost) is a tale of New England seafarers.
Ford was briefly one of those, playing
hooky to work on a Portland tugboat
for 10 days. Dr. Bull, a 1933 comedy-
drama starring Will Rogers, paints an

unflattering picture of New England
village life.

Like New Winton, the gossipy home
of Dr. Bull, Portland has finally learned
its lesson in the treatment of its talented
offspring. Next months tribute, complete
with appearances by Ford film actors and
other colleagues, comes better late than
never.

For information about the John Ford
Celebration, call the Convention &
Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland, 207
772-5800. •

Where Are
They Now?

Iohn Ford's "lost" films, and
other titles of interest to the
region, may still be out
there. For information on several
titles NHF would very much like
to find, please check the website

Staff

Advisors

David S. Weiss, Executive Director

nhf@acadia.net

Samantha Boyce, Member Services
refbymail@acadia. net

Jane Berry Donnell, Distribution
Coordinator

nhfvideo@acadia.net

Dan Gottlieb, Archival Processing

oldfilm@acadia.net

Paige Lilly, Collections Manager
oldfilm@acadia.net

James Sweet, Cataloging
oldfilm@acadia.net

Phil Yates, Technical Services

oldfilm@acadia.net

NHF Board of Directors

Deborah Joy Corey, Castine, Maine.
Author of Losing Eddie, winner of
Canadian best first novel award; drama-
tized and broadcast on CBC radio. Was
owner of Toronto modeling agency.
Board, Witherle Library, Castine.

Michael J. Fiori, Keadfield, Maine.
President and COO, Downcast
Pharmacy, Inc., specializing in geriatric
and long-term care. CEO of ODV, Inc.,
manufacturers and distributors of
narcotic identification equipment.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, Maine.

President, E Media, Kennebunk, special-
izing in manufacturing technology and
electronic media.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, Maine.

Maine State Archivist, administrative
head of the State Archives. Directs
Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board. Education includes a Ph.D. in
political science from Emory University.

Alan J. McClelland, Camden, Maine.

Retired defense electronics executive
from Ford Aerospace and Gilfillan ITT.
Volunteer archivist and photographer,
Owls Head Transportation Museum.

Martha McNamara, Orono, Maine.
Assistant Professor of History, specializ-
ing in Cultural History and the History
of New England, University of Maine,
Orono. Ph.D. in American & New
England Studies, Boston University.
Director of the Society of Architectural

Historians, New England chapter.
Commission member, Maine Historic
Preservation Commission.

Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, Maine.

Champion International Bucksport Mill,
Vice President and Operations Manager.
Lives in Penobscot with family.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, Maine.

Co-founder of Trio Software
Corporation, and an independent
property assessment consultant. Was staff
producer and director at WMTW TV;
studied film at George Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, Maine.
Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architec-
tural design, urban design, and planning
for worldwide projects — educational and
exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, Maine.

Owner, Rosen's Department Store,
Bucksport — third generation owner. Vice
President of the board of Bucksport
Regional Health Center, and past
president of the Bucksport Bay Area
Chamber of Commerce.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, Maine.

Co-founder of NHF. Board, Maine
Folklife Center and Friends of Fogler
Library, University of Maine. Co-chair,
Committee on the US National Moving
Image Preservation Plans.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Portland,
Maine.

Television professional, 1983-1998 with
Maine Broadcasting Company. Member
of the family-owned media group that in
1998 sold NBC affiliates WCSH and
WLBZ to Gannett Broadcasting.
Connecticut College graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, Maine.
Executive Director and co-founder of
NHF. Previously media producer in
Boston after graduating in film and
semiotics from Brown University. Serves
on Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington, D.C.

Founder, Smithsonian Institution
Human Studies Film Archives. Co-chair,
Association of Moving Image Archivists'
amateur film group, Inedits. Family roots
in Skowhegan, Maine.

The Advisors of Northeast Historic Film
are individuals who have an interest in
the work of the moving image archives as
an organization with a vision for film,
video, and digital preservation, with
broad public access.

The establishment of die Advisors
group is based on the archives' need to
move into new territory for public
programs, archival storage, and educa-
tional outreach. Advisors' leadership is
needed to assist the staff and board in
making decisions and connections in
order to achieve these goals.

Gillian Anderson, musicologist, conduc-
tor, and author of Music for Silent Films,
1894-1929. Washington, D.C, and
Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon

Theaters and Their Music, a history of the
Thanhouser Company, and other books.
Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This
Way: A Journey Through the Lives of the
Underclass, and director of the documen-
tary feature Hearts and Minds. Castine,
Me.

Alan Kattelle, author of a forthcoming
history of amateur film and cinemato-
graphic researcher. Hudson, Mass.

Eric Schaefer, Assistant Professor,
Department of Visual and Media Arts,
Emerson College, Boston. Author of
"Bold! Daring! Shocking! True": A History
of Exploitation Films, 1919-1959 (Duke
University Press).

Samuel Suratt, Archivist for CBS News
for 25 years. Archivist of the Smithsonian
Institution. Founding member of
International Federation of Television
Archives. New York, NY.

Robert W Wagner, Ph.D. Emeritus
professor of history and audiovisual
communication with an interest in
amateur film, archiving and nontheatrical
film. Arlington, Ohio, and Readfield, Me.

The Study Center:

Film Scholar Eric Schaefer

ii % ^i 1 1 1 can have the world's

greatest archives, but if you
have no way for people to use
the material, then you're not really
serving your function," says Dr. Eric
Schaefer, a film historian and new
member of the Northeast Historic Film
Board of Advisors.

Creating an NHF Study Center,
Schaefer believes, is a way of saying,
" 'Our doors are open, come in, make
use of our material.' And that's important
for any kind of an archives."

"At least, die bones are there," says
NHF co-founder Karan Sheldon: the
videos, the books and other documents,
the finding aids and viewing facilities at
the Alamo, all available for research use.
"So we're open as a no-frills center. But
we need to complete the space, add staff,
build the library, and acquire more tech-
nology." Ultimately, she hopes, the NHF
Study Center will offer a variety of activ-
ities and even formal study opportunities.

The participation of a scholar/advisor
like Schaefer is key to planning and
operating the envisioned Study Center.
An assistant professor in the Visual and
Media Arts Department at Emerson
College, Schaefer brings to NHF an
impressive resume that includes the forth-
coming book "Bold! Daring! Shocking!
True": A History of Exploitation Films,
1919-1959 (Duke University Press).

Schaefer was a consultant to the Going
to the Movies exhibition project and gave
a talk in 1996 at the Maine Mall, in South
Portland. In die NHF's video archives is
a 1993 interview with Theresa Cantin,
who owned and ran a theater in New
Hampshire for 60 years, that Schaefer co-
produced with his wife, Eithne Johnson.

What's a Scholar to Do?
In the realm of film history, "it seems to
me that one of the really big areas left
untouched is regional film," says
Schaefer, "and the history of regional
movements and regional exhibition.
NHF is well-situated as interest grows."
What is a scholar's role in developing
the Study Center? First, Schaefer's
experience as a moving-image researcher
will inform the design and outfitting of

the center. As a potential user of
the center, "I'm able to give some
guidance into what scholars are
looking for when they roll up to
an archive," he says. That could
encompass a "wish list" of refer-
ence materials, and practical sug-
gestions for layout and equipment.

A second role for the scholar
involves acquisitions: evaluating,
authenticating, filling in the his-
torical context and even supplying
leads to potential donations. In
fact, Schaefer spent a few rainy
days last summer helping assess a
donation of materials by fellow
NHF Advisor Q. David Bowers,
of Wolfeboro, N.H.

Bowers' donation includes
books, musical scores for silent
films, promotional stills dating
from the silent era through the
1 950s, movie magazines and
scholarly journals, and business records
from a theater in New Hampshire — a
"treasure trove," as Schaefer describes it,
for students of regional film exhibition.

Not for Experts Only
Finally, and not surprisingly, Schaefer
also foresees a scholarly role in guiding
educational direction and programming
for the Study Center. While the Study
Center will serve academic, historical and
industry researchers, it will also embrace
local students, as NHF's outreach efforts
have done for years.

"NHF is well-positioned in New
England to act as an interface between
the public and scholars — to really help
people understand their relationship with
movies," he says. "I hope that I'll be able
to help in that respect, helping to develop
educational programs."

Schaefer adds, "At the junior high and
high school levels, often students are not
encouraged to think about film or about
television in a serious way — even though,
clearly, they're such important facets of
our culture." Because it's entertainment,
he says, it's not examined closely or
thoughtfully.

"Kids, in particular, need to start
thinking about it in a more serious way

Amateur Movie Makers, a journal of the Amateur

Cinema League, "Heralding the Motion Picture of

Tomorrow. "Q. David Bowers Collection, NHF.

at an earlier age," he continues. "That
doesn't necessarily mean taking the run
out of it, but acknowledging what a
central role movies play in the way we
use our time, in the way in which we
construct our identity, in the films we
like and watch."

Schaefer sees the NHF Study Center
pioneering such exploration. "We will
begin to reach out to the schools in a way
which you don't see happening in other
parts of the country. That could serve as
a model for other regional archives, as
well as large repositories across the
country. They could begin to open
themselves up to a whole new class of
interested users." B

Board member Martha McNamara,
Assistant Professor of History specializing in
cultural history and the history of New
England at the University of Maine, Orono,
chairs the education committee of the NHF
Board. She will meet over the summer with
Eric Schaefer and other interested educa-
tors, culminating in a roundtable at the
Teaching History in Maine conference at
the University of Maine, Orono, tentatively
scheduled for October 16. For more
information contact McNamara at
mcnamara@maine.maine.edu.

& continued from page 8

Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce
Kennebunkport Historical Society
Limington Historical Society
Maine Film Office
Maine Folklife Center
Maine State Library
Maine State Museum
Marine Patrol Division #2
Moosehead Historical Society
Morrill Historical Society
Nashua Public Library
New England Museum of Telephony, Inc.
New Sharon Historical Society
Newport Historical Society
Northeast Harbor Library
Oak Grove Nursing Care Center
Orland Historical Society
Otisfield Historical Society
Owls Head Transportation Museum
Penobscot Marine Museum
Rangeley Public Library
Scarborough Historical Society
Simmons College Library
South Parish Congregational Church
Stanley Museum

Thomas College, Marriner Library
Thomaston Historical Society
Thornton Oaks Retirement Community
Tremont Historical Society
Vinalhaven Historical Society
Waterville High School, Media Center
Waterville Public Library
Serena H. Whitridge
. Wilton Free Public Library

I'' AnneWirkkala
Women Unlimited
York Public Library

Individual Members

Corajane J. Adams
Paul D. Allan
William H. Allen, III
Joan Amory
*"^^ Kathy Anderson

Carter Andersson-Wini
Bob Andrews
Thomas M. Armstro
Scott Atkinson
Richard Atkinson
Peter D. Bachelder
Prof. William J. Baker
Victoria Ballard
Althea Ballentine
Raymond Ballinger
Erik Barnouw
Jean Barrett
Otis Bartlett
William Bell
Arnold Berleant
Joyce Bethoney
Lynne K. Blair
Robert Blake
Maureen Block
Benjamin Blodget

Richard Bock
R.J. Bonini
Gregory Bottone
Q. David Bowers
Joan S. Branch
Victor Brooks
Rev. Charles T. Bro'
Gregory N. Brown
John M.R, Bruner
Lynwood Bryant
Donald C. Buffington
Richard Burby
Patricia Burdick
Robert E. Burgess
Jodi S. Burke

Neal Butler
Sara Cairns
Mary Grace Canfield
Clayton Carlisle
Robert J. Carnie
Lothy Carter

iomas J. Cash

ichel Chalufour

icree Chase
Ted Clapp
Joanne D. Clark
Reginald R. Clark
BrendaJ. Condon
Dr. Richard Condon
Chester & Phyllis Cooley
Barbara Croswell
Hank Croteau
Richard E. Curran, Jr.
Sheila Cyr
Larry Dakin
Polly Darnell
Judy Davis
Melissa Davis
Dr. Peter DeCarlo
Orville B. Denison, Jr.
Sally Denning
Jcannette S. Dennison
Paul M. Densen
Clarence R. Derochemont
Josephine H. Detmer
Ernest Dick
Jefferson Dobbs
Mary Dolan
Leon J. Doucerte
Neal C. Dow
Frank Drewniany
Albert Eaton
John G. Edgerly
Jonathan Ellsworth
Anna Mary Elskus
BUI Elwell
Edwin Emerson
Elaine Emery
Charles Emond
Lynn Farnell
Kevin Fellows

Joseph F. Filtz
Tom Finson
Richard Fitz
Fogler Library
David Folster
Marion C. Fos
Ann Foster
Karen Frangoulis
Betty Fraumeni
Ann M. Frenkel
Marian J. Fretz
Ed Friedman
Samuel Fuller
Kathy H. Fuller
Liz Fulton

Peter T. Gammons, Jr.
John Garbinski
Phyllis Gardiner
Lindy Gifford
Martha U. Goldner
Paul Goodwin
Neal Goodwin
Henry Grandgent
Dayton Grandmaison
Terry Grant
John W. Grant
Gail Graumnitz
Joe Gray

Kimberly L. Green
Harry Greenfield
Arnold Grindle
Noelle Grunelius
Mary S. Hafer
Thomas Hall
Mike Hall
Margaret Hallett
Clarence Hamilton
EricW. Handley
James D. Hanna
Robert E. Hardy
Charles Harmon
Elizabeth C. Harmon
William A. Haviland
Dorothy Hayes
Ivory Heath
Arlene Hellerman
Mark Henry
Susan Herlihy
James L. Hills
Karen Hopkins
John C. Howard
Stanley R. Howe, Ph.D.
Doug Hubley
Tom Hulce
Diane Huning
James Hunnewell
Pearl Hunt
Douglas H. Ilsley
Ann Ivins
Jeffrey Janer -
Mary B. Jessup
Victoria Johnson
Gerald Johnson

p§

Thomas F. Joyce
Richard W. Judd
JohnJ. Karol.Jr.
Barry J. Kcllcy
Dr. Robert O. Kellogg
Mary Kelly
Marshall Kinney
Dena Kleiman
George Knowles
Karen Kristoff
Dale W. Kuhnert
Margaret M. Lacombe
Percy Lee Langstaff
Beulah Larrabee
Betty Larson
B. E. Larsson
Bill Lippincott
Dorothy C. Liscombe
Little Tree
Bonnie Lounsbury
Edward C. Lynch
Rob Lyon
Harold L Malloch
Eugene Mawhinney
Patrick T. McSherry
Caren McCourtney
Gertrude L. McCue
Catherine McDowell
George H. McEvoy
John D. McEwan, Jr.
John T. Mcllwaine
Linda McLain
Jim Meehan

^M^1

Joan F. Meserve
Bruce Meulendyke
Gerald E. Michael
Clifford Miner
Ellen Mitchell
Douglas Monteith
Charles B. Morrill
Alva Morrison
Geer Morton
Sumner E. Moulton
Margaret W. Myers
George Neal
Nicholas J. Nugent
George O'Connell
George R. O'Neill
Woodard D. Openo
David E. Outerbridge
Robin Parmelee
Mrs. Robert H. Pawle
Patrick Phillips
Anne Phillips
Geoff Phillips
Court Piehlcr
Wesley Pipher
Mrs. John F. Porter
John Potter
Fxldie Potter
Alice W. Price
Dr. Lloyd F. Price
Joseph L Quinn

Elvie M. Ramsdell
William Rand
Patricia Ranzoni
David Raymond
Joyce A. Reed
Charles Reid
Frederick Reynolds
Steve D. Reynolds
Paige W. Roberts
Windsor C. Robinson
Lynanne M. Rollins
Robert Rosie
David Sanderson
Red Sarna
Eddie Sawyer
GregSchaaf
Ronald F. Schliessman
Edwin Schneider
Laurie Schoendorfer
Pat Schroth
Robert M. Schwier
Peter Sellers

Jennifer L. Shallenberger
Frank F. Shanton, III
Richard Shaw
Bernard A. Shea
Milt Shefter
Joan Sheldon
Wesley Shorey
Harold B. Simmons
Charles B. Smith

• O. Smith
Dr. Marshall Smith,
Pat Snell

William S. Souza
ly B. Squibb

lex Stevens

Irs. Thomas A. Stewart

>hn S. Stillman

Stwertka
Barbara Sullivan
Cyndiia Taplin
Don Tirabassi
Jonathan Titcomb
Steve Trimm
Alston C. Tuttle
Lucie Tyler
C. Robert Tyler
Bruce Underwood
Joanne J. Van Namee
Pete Van Note
Louise Gulick Van Winkle
Sheila Varnum
Arthur C Verow
Robert Waite
Robert Walkling
Seth H. Washburn
Lucy Webster
Jean Webster
Ginia Davis Wcxler
Virginia W. Whitaker
Christopher White
Heather White

Phil A. Whitney
Jane Whittcn
Steve Wight
John Wight
Tappy Wilder
Donald Wilken
Bonnie Wilson
Wilton Historical Society
Betty Winterhalder
Bruce Wintle
Edith Wolff
Bob Woodbury
George Worthing
Aagot C. Wright
Marguerite Y. Zientara
Richard P. Zvingilas

Educator/Student Members

Mark L. Anderson
Rosemary Anthony
Judy Arey
Henry Barendse
Timothy Barton
John Baxter
Stephanie R. Beck
Joyce Bell
Eric Benke
Frank Bisher
Alice Bissell
Deborah Blanchard
Dolly Bolduc
Brick Store Museum
Richard Brucher
Cindy Bufithis
ichard Burns
William Carpenter
Armand Chartier
Terry W. Christy
Judith Clough
Ann Cohen
Phil Cotty
Paul A. Cyr
Devon Damonte
David Dean
St. Denis

Dr. Elizabeth D. Dore
Bruce Doughty
Melinda A. Duval
Dr. Joel W. Eastman
Ian Eddy
David Ellenberg
Deborah Ellis
Edward R. Ellis, Jr.
Bob England
James Fastook
Luke Fernandez
Cariton G. Foster
Joanne Frccker
Fryeburg Academy Library
Ann Gallagher
Dan Gandin
Lawrence Gisetto
Christopher Glass
Cora C. Grcer

Joseph Hanley
Pam Harmon
Douglas Hatfield
Judi Hetrick
Prof. Jay Hoar
Marcia Howell
Beverly Huntress
Scott Jacqmin
Richard Jagels
Richard D. Jenkins
Polly Kaufman
Zip Kellogg
Walt Krauser
Kami P. Kucinski
Yvon Labbe
Shirley LaBranche
Bev Laplant
Robbie Lewis
Douglas V. Luden
Barbara A. MacEwan
Richard MacKinnon
Nancy MacKnight
Paula Maker
Rose Marasco
Peter Mascuch
Rev. Shirley Mattson
James Mckee
William McKinley
Margo Merrill
Mary F. Meskers
Dana Mosher
Peggy Muier
Andrew Mullen
Narragansett School
Kenneth Peck
Sanford Phippen
Joan Radner
Michael Rondeau
Libby Rosemeier
Rene Roy
Michael Sacca
Aran Shetterly
Mark R. Shibles
Natalie B. Smitli
Shirley Spencer
Renny Stackpole
Gifford Stevens
Melinda Stone
Janet Stratton
Dr. David C. Switzer
Nancy Tarpinian
Alan C. Truax
Juris Ubans
Richard C. Valinski
Abigail A. Van Slyck
Tinky Weisblat
Dr. Richard E.G. White
Philip C. Whitney
Seth Wigderson
C. Bruce Wright •

Reference by Mail Update

Members of Northeast Historic
Film are invited to borrow from
the FREE circulating loan
collection, Reference by Mail. There is
never any charge for borrowing. We will
even pay for shipping the first time you
borrow— up to three tapes in this first
shipment! After this there is just a $5
shipping charge for each loan.

Member Information and Order Form
opposite. For an 8-page Reference by
Mail list call 800 639-1636. Or check
our website.

Videotapes listed here are offered as a
reference service. Where possible, public
performance rights are included. Please
be sure to check each tape's status: PERF
means public performance rights are
included. No admission should be
charged for events where Reference by
Mail videos are being shown. Where
there is no PERF, the tape is for home
use only, or face-to-face classroom
instruction. If you have a date in mind,
call Samantha Boyce at 207 469-0924 to
ensure availability.

Videos for Sale

Many of these tapes are available for
purchase through NHF. Please call for a
free catalog of Videos of Life in New
England, or check our website at
wuw.acadia. netloldfilmJ.

Return Instructions

The borrower is responsible for return
postage to NHF via First Class mail or
UPS. Tapes must be in the mail on their
way back to NHF five days after they are
received.

Feature Films

No performance rights.

Desire Under the Elms, Eugene O'Neill s
play— with Tony Perkins as the good son,
and Sophia Loren as an Italian waitress who
married his tough old dad to acquire the
form. 1957. 1 1 1 mins., b&w., sd.

The Inkwell, the African-American summer
community in Oak Bluffs, Martha's
Vineyard, in the 1970s. Coming-of-age
comedy, directed by Matty Rich. 1994. 1 12
mins., col., sd.

•^— ^— ^— ^—

Leave Her to Heaven, Ben Ames Williams'
story of the jealous Ellen Berendt (Gene
Tierney), who drowns her young brother-in-
law in Deer Lake, Maine. Vincent Price plays
the Sussex County district attorney. 1945.
Ill mins., col., sd.

Rachel, Rachel, Elementary school teacher
Joanne Woodward lives with her mean
mother over the funeral parlor in a small
New England town. Directed by Paul
Newman. 1968. 102 mins., col., sd.

Strange Interlude, Eugene O'Neill's play,
with Norma Shearer at the center of family
secrets— and hidden thoughts revealed to the
screen. 1 1 1 mins., b&w, sd.

Shadows, Lon Chancy as Yen Sin — in the
fictional coastal towns Urkey and Infield,
Maine. Prejudice and deceit among small-
town people. 1922. 68 mins., b&w, music.
The Trouble with Harry, Alfred Hitchcock's
weird comedy, set in Vermont, starring
Shirley MacLaine and John Forsythe. 1955.
100 mins., col., sd.

A Stolen Lift, with Bette Davis as a twins (good
and evil, of course), with an island refuge—
and handsome but naive lighthouse keeper
Glenn Ford. 1946. 1 10 mins., b&w, sd.

Young People, vaudeville stars Shirley Temple
and her adoptive parents Jack Oakie and
Charlotte Greenwood retire to the hostile
little town of Stonefield. 1940. 78 mins.,
colorized video, sd.

Art and Artists

Gayleen, Jay Craven's portrait of grassroots
Vermont artist Gayleen, "holy green light
clock," and her Raimbilli Cousins. 1984. 30
mins., col., sd.

Country Life

The Movie Queen, Lincoln, a pretend movie
queen visits her hometown in Lincoln, Maine.
Parade, visit to garage, lake, playtime, appliance
store, bus arrives at hotel. Kidnap drama. By
Margaret Cram. 1936. 37 mins., b&w, si.
The Movie Queen, Newport, a pretend movie
queen visits her hometown in Newport, Maine.
Parade. Visits to shops, Oxbow Cabins. The
kidnap — and rescue by hero on bicycle. By
Margaret Cram. 1 936. 35 mins., b&w, si.

Fisheries

Fence in the Water, weir fishing for herring in
Penobscot Bay, Maine. By Peg Dice. 1980.
45 mins., col., sd. PERF

Live Lobster: Maine Lobsterman, Phil Alley
shows how he catches lobsters, and you learn
about the lobster's annual cycle. By Peg Dice
1976. 24 mins., col., sd. PERF

Seining Maine Herring. Photo by John Dice.

Geography

New Hampshire Remembered III, boxing
championships in Manchester, the Concord
Railroad depot, Portsmouth's Theater by the
Sea, and summer camp. 1996. 60 mins
col., sd. PERF

Oral History

Maine's Golden School Days, 1890-1930, a
project of The Phillips-Strickland House,
Bangor. Interviews and still photos. A project
of 8th graders from the Caravel Middle
School. 1996. 30 mins., col., sd. PERF

Student Work

Traveling Through the Dark: A Day in the
Life of Scott Grindle, portrait of a blind 7th-
grader by his schoolmates at the Blue Hill
Consolidated School. 1997. 14 mins., col ,
sd. PERF

TV Drama

Meet the Victim Series, narrated short TV
dramas produced in New England by John
Potter. Ill Wind, The Man on the Beach,
Trigger Man, The Wall, The Fatal Story, The
Fabulous Pearl. Never Go Back, the last in
color, set on Cape Cod. 1952. 1 10 mins.
total, b&w and col., sd.

Woods

Shingles Made in Maine, the process of
cutting and installing white cedar shingles in
East Corinth, Maine. 1990. 30 mins , col
sd. PERF

Videos for Sale— New Catalog

Bigger and better than ever! New Vermont
titles. More than 50 featured Videotapes of
Life in New England. Free catalog, call 800
639-1636.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England; and on moving-image related merchandise from
the catalog and Alamo Theatre Store.

• Free loan of more than 200 videos through Reference by
Mail. Each NHF member may borrow shipments of up to
three tapes at a time. The first shipment is always free,
including shipping! Depending upon your membership level,
a $5 shipping charge may apply to shipments thereafter.

• Several premiums ranging from postcards and T-shirts to
Video History Sets and free dinners are available depending
on your level of membership. Each level offers a choice of
fine premiums, which will be explained in detail after you
join.

Membership Levels and Benefits Please check one:

H Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

H Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

D Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

H Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

ID Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

H Corporate Membership, $100 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

U Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

H Patron, $1,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

Name

Address

City
State

Zip.

Phone

DNcw D Renew

d I do not wish to receive the premium.
Please charge my credit card: D MC D VISA

Account #

Exp. date

Signature of cardholder

D My check is enclosed. Please make check payable to
Northeast Historic Film.

Gift Membership

I would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address

City
State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become
involved with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail/Members ONLY

Titles:

Shipping $5

Membership/ Specify level

TOTAL

The Movie Queen, Lincoln. Frame enlargement by Karin Bos.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 0441 6

Change Service Requested

Calendar Highlights

July 18, Railroad Square Cinema,
Maine International Film Festival,
Waterville, Maine
The Movie Queen, 1936, "our town"
films made in Maine by Margaret Cram.
Live music performed by Steve
Vonderheide. Screenings made possible
by the AFI Preservation Challenge with a
matching grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts, and by the
Maine Humanities Council. 207 861-
8138.

September 10, Hoyts Cinemas, L/A Arts,
Auburn, Maine

Evangeline, a 1 929 feature film starring
Dolores Del Rio as the Acadian maid.
Screening supported by the Mary
Pickford Foundation, Milestone Film
and Video, UCLA Film and Video
Archive, Hoyts Cinemas, and a grant
from the Maine Community Foundation
Expansion Arts Fund. 207 782-7228.

September 27, Alamo Theatre, Come
See What's Cooking in Hancock
County Tour, Bucksport, Maine
Woodsmen and River Drivers, an award-
winning history program, then presenta-
tion on Fort Knox by George MacLeod.
Dinner following at MacLeods
Restaurant. 207 469-0924.

October 2, Local Ingenuity: Engaging
Cultural Traditions Conference,
Portland, Maine

Documenting the Work panel discussion.
Regional conference sponsored by the
New England Foundation for the Arts
and the National Endowment for the
Arts. 617 95 1-0010.

October 4-11, Fryeburg Fairgrounds,
Fryeburg, Maine

Videos of Life in New England shown
daily, free with admission, at the Farm
Museum. NHF staff will answer
questions and loan Reference by Mail
videos free to members.

December 7-11, Association of Moving
Image Archivists Conference, Miami,
Florida

Includes sessions on academics and
archives, amateur collections, amateur
film technology, and the national moving
image preservation plans. 310 550-
1300. •

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation
of Northern New England
Motion Pictures
Winter 1999

Amateur Film 3

John Grant Memorial 4

Advisors Join NHF 5

New Members 12

Miracle Man 16

Moving Image Review is a semiannual
publication of Northeast Historic Film,
P.O. Box 900, Bucksport, Maine 044 1 6.
David S. Weiss, executive director
Doug Hubley, writer and editor.
ISSN 0897-0769.

E Mail OLDFlLM@acadia.net
Web http://www.acadia.net/oldfilm/

Thanks a Million!

NHF has reached a milestone
in the effort to renovate its
Bucksport home into a first-class
archival and public performance space.
An anonymous gift of $50,000 this
fall, triggered by the town of Bucksport's
generous appropriation of $64,000, puts
the $2.4 million campaign over the $1
million mark.

"We have completed planning the
facility and will have a great theater and
community performance space," says
Executive Director David Weiss. "There
are many challenges ahead but this
achievement takes us beyond the concept
and lets us point to something real. We
made it this far thanks to our Board, long-
time supporters, and the local commu-
nity. Now it's time to broaden our appeal
and commence the next phase." H

The River of Light

Space-filled, reflecting the seasons,
the folk-lore

Of each of the senses; call it,
again and again,

The river that flows nowhere, like a sea.
— Wallace Stevens

In preparing this issue we recognize an
archives' relationship with time. We look
three ways at once: At the past, our raw
material; at the future, whose needs we
serve; and at the present, the fast-moving
river in which we stand.

Can we meet the test of time? It takes
wisdom, imagination, and generosity of
spirit. And success requires solidarity —
wade in with us!

In the moment, we must make wise
choices. Some are formidable, such as
weighing the cultural significance of

amateur films in the face of finite resources.
How can we determine which films will
have the most to tell in yean to come?

Others come more easily. The family of
cinema manager John Grant, upon his
passing, saw an opportunity to honor his
memory and sustain a legacy.

Finally, as you'll see below, it's not nostal-
gia that drives Boston Light & Sound to
maintain its expertise in vintage projection
gear. It's a simple passion far quality.

Boston Light & Sound has powered
up cinemas and performance centers
from New York to Hollywood to
Seoul. It has worked for David Bowie,
General Motors and Fenway Park. The
major directors on its client list run from

continued on Page 8

The Alamo Theatre's

auditorium. Photo by

Darwin Davidson.

Executive Director's Report

A Week in the Life

The archives recently saw an awesome
call for the moving image resources
gathered over the past twelve years. In
one week, NHF served large and small
cultural organizations, saw its materials
on a national cable service, and covered
2,500 miles of roads in service of our
moving image heritage.

On September 26, Dan Gottlieb went
to the Saco River Grange Hall in Bar
Mills, Maine, with NHF's screening
print of Timothy's Quest, a bucolic silent
film made in the area, based on a story
by Kate Douglas Wiggin. The grange
had booked veteran piano accompanist
Danny Patt for a celebration.

On his way back, Gottlieb stopped at
the Keystone cinemas in Portland to
deliver the print of The Seventh Day and
silent-speed projection equipment for a
screening organized by die Maine
Historical Society for its patrons.

The Alamo Theatre opened a week-
long cultural tourism program on
September 27, "Come See What's
Cooking in Hancock County." The
evening started widi a screening of the
award-winning video Woodsmen and

All is Not Gold That Glitters (1929),
an amateur comedy about class conflict,
Meyer Davis Collection. Frame enlarge-
ment by Leon Kouyoumjian, Color Works.

River Drivers, followed by a slide
lecture by Sheila MacDonald on
Fort Knox, the state historic site
across the Penobscot River.

On September 29, the
History Channel transmitted
Woodsmen and River Drivers
and A Century of Summers,
resulting in dozens of phone
orders and requests for the
catalog of Videos of Life in New
England.

In Portland, Northeast
Historic Film participated in
"Local Ingenuity: Engaging
Cultural Traditions," a confer-
ence from October 1-3 spon-
sored by the New England
Foundation for the Arts and the
National Endowment for the
Arts. NHF took part in a panel
called "Documenting the Work,"
screening a segment of Batteau Machias
from die Machias Memorial High School
Collection, and sharing preservation
information.

I drove to Brattleboro, Vermont, to
represent the archives at the opening of
die National Film Registry Tour at the
Latchis Theatre (see Page 6).

To put New England geography in
perspective, the distance from northern
Maine to Brattleboro, Vermont, is almost
the same as die distance from
Washington, DC, to Brattleboro.

The Hancock County tour wrapped
up on Saturday with the first Downcast
Folklife Festival in Blue Hill— with NHF
videos on the program.

In Our Copious Spare Time

Meanwhile, on the home front, NHF
took ten research and stock footage
requests ranging from extreme sports to
former First Ladies of Maine. The
website (www.acadia.net/oldfilm/) passed
10,000 visits. I was interviewed for an
Economic Development Brochure: arts
and culture really are a part of economic
development in rural areas.

The Alamo Theatre renovation
employed Central Maine Power workers,
the phone company, two electricians,
three carpenters, cable personnel, and
three carpet installers.

In the interstices of die week, the staff
packed and prepared for eight days at the
Fryeburg Fair, participated in a cultural
planning activity supported by the Lila
Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, delivered
film to New York, picked up four new
collections, continued work on three
grant requests, enjoyed a visit from
volunteer Jane Beal, helped AMIA
advance the National Moving Image
Preservation Plans with e-mail and phone
conversations, and prepared for the
fourth annual "Teaching History in
Maine" conference.

We also returned die movie posters to
the hall after die memorial show for
Gretchen Gaffiiey, met with Boston Light
& Sound over technical details, and
worked on the newsletter. Darwin
Davidson photographed die auditorium
for the cover, while Doug Hubley
diligendy tracked down interviews for die
stories in this issue.

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to die public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but are not limited
to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation of
educational programs dirough
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
the film and video production com-
munity, through providing a study
center, technical services and facilities.

Amateur Film: What Really Matters?

For a regional moving image
archives, finding a place for amateur
film is more complex than just
putting up shelves. The physical
problems of conservation and storage are
solved practically, if not always easily, by
applying science (and money). But there's
nothing so straightforward about deter-
mining an amateur film's significance.

Ultimately, of course, practical issues
do figure. Cultural significance is
debatable, but die bottom line controls
the debate. The ultimate question is, Will
the usefulness of a film justify the cost to
make it accessible?

"That's a real tough one," says Ben
Levin, a National Film Preservation
Board member who teaches at the
University of North Texas, "because it's
amateur footage — so if that's what we're
calling it, then standards can't be the
same as they would be for other films."

So what standards should be applied?
Northeast Historic Film holds one of die
largest collections of amateur film in
North America, some 2 million feet of
16mm amateur footage, plus 8mm and
Super 8. The challenge of interpreting and
presenting that material for die archives'
users is commensurate. Yet some broadly
applicable guidelines come to hand.

What is There?

We know diat we look to film, amateur
and otherwise, for what it can tell us
about our history and culture — but how
do we know what it's telling us?

"If you've got footage that is badly shot
that is the only footage that exists of a
particular cultural situation that's impor-
tant, then the quality issue becomes less
important," says Ben Levin. One example
is the Zapruder film of the Kennedy
assassination. Another, from the NHF
collections, is Adelaide Pearson's 1939
footage of Mahatma Gandhi, believed to
be the only color film of Gandhi that
exists from that period.

"It's not worth collecting stuff that's
not connected to your mission, because
no scholar and no filmmaker and no
community group is going to bother
finding you," says Patricia Zimmermann,
an NHF Advisor (see Page 5).

Making curatorial decisions demands
thoroughgoing knowledge of the region

Amateur footage worth preserving, making accessible, and recognizing for its
cultural significance is likely to:

• Capture what other kinds of documents can do only with difficulty.

• Record a community or circumstance from the inside.

• Exist in a condition where preservation and access is possible.

• Use technology available to amateurs in interesting ways.

• Communicate with an audience — be it family, community, work group, or club,
such as the Amateur Cinema League or a civic organization.

Archivists should ensure that the materials in their care:

• Relate to the mission of the preserving organization.

• Have accompanying documentation where possible.

and also demands a talent for reading be-
tween the lines. "You need to constantly
assess the stuff by historical presence and
historical absence," Zimmermann says.

A case in point is footage in the NHF
collections depicting Ku Klux Klan
activities. One historian might say its not
significant, because the KKK's history in
the Northeast was relatively short. But
another might say it's very significant,
because many people aren't aware that
the KKK ever existed in the Northeast.

Similarly, interpreting the mission
demands a profound understanding of
the archives' users — and of the ways they
and their needs may change. "That
requires an enormous amount of political
honesty," says Zimmermann.

Zimmermann points to the current
concept of histories of difference, which
has graduated from a left-radical platform
plank to an intrinsic pan of historiography.
Film shot by women, people of color and
other traditionally underrepresented
groups needs to be saved, she says, because
it refutes the conception of amateur film
as the province of white, usually rich, men.

Untold Fantasies

Where other media shed light on public
history — albeit rarely with as much impact
as the moving image — home movies offer
a view of family life that has unparalleled
intimacy.

And this perspective, Zimmermann
suggests, should include not only the
details of family life but those of fantasy
life depicted in home movies. The fictions
of home moviemakers can be rich in clues
to understanding forces of history, society
and even the public mood.

Zimmermann points to A Study in

Reds in the H.H. Bennett Collection at
the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
Made by Miriam Bennett, a member of the
Amateur Cinema League, this is a drama
about an all-women collective in the Soviet
Union. "Total fantasy," says Zimmermann.
But it's a fantasy with roots in reality.

Context & Technology

Finally, if the cultural significance of ama-
teur film is the key issue, other considera-
tions may sway assessment. For example,
does the film have supporting materials?
This is especially important in amateur
film, where there's no century's worth of
archives, business records, memorabilia
and literature to help establish context.

Fortunately, as Zimmermann points
out, amateur filmmakers often tend to be
prolific recordkeepers.

A large donation of film may be valuable
not only for what's on each reel, but for
the ways it illustrates, as an aggregate,
change over time. A good example is
NHF's Archie Stewart Collection, whose
maker documented his own family's life
and travels over the course of decades.

The Stewart Collection also illustrates
another possible criterion for significance:
Technical change in filmmaking. In addi-
tion to his family's history, his collection
tracks that of amateur film and video
technology.

Moving-image preservationists are now
acting on the fact that finding a place for
amateur film is essential for its future as
historical documentation. Scholars, archiv-
ists, and administrators have started this
effort late in amateur films long history.
The reward is in the frames themselves,
as the intimate joys, fantasies, and commu-
nity acts of American life come to light. B

In Memoriam: John Grant

For 50 years, the Maine town of
Belfast benefited from one man's love
of the movies. Now John Grants
dedication to cinema is nurturing the
cause of film preservation and access, too.

John managed Belfast's Colonial
Theatre for 45 of the 50 years he
worked there. Following his death, in
June 1998, at the age of 70, his widow,
Mary Grant, and their two children
requested that donations in his memory
be made to NHF.

"He always loved movies and especially
the cowboys, and especially Roy Rogers
and Gene Autry — and then along came
John Wayne," says Mary Grant. "John
Wayne was really his favorite."

A Life at the Movies

John first fell for film in childhood. A
portent of things to come appeared at age
8, when he traded a toy periscope for a
friend's hand-cranked projector.

"His parents bought him little reels of
film from Freese's [department] store in
Bangor, that I believe cost 10 cents," says
Mary Grant. "And he had this little
movie theater in his father's barn and
showed movies — the same ones, over and
over and over again — to the neighbor-
hood kids for a penny."

When John was a little older, Mary
says, he would walk into Belfast from his
home in Searsport to see movies at the
Colonial. "Then they'd go home, he and
his friends, and they'd re-enact the
movies. He almost hung himself once,
because he was [portraying] somebody
jumping out of a tree."

The Colonial opened in 1912, burned
in 1923 and was rebuilt the following
year. John went to work there in his teens
and stayed put until he retired in 1995.
"He literally started from the ground
up," says Mary. He began as an usher,
moved behind the concessions counter,
then into the projection booth, and
finally into the managers office.

"I worked days and he worked nights,"
says Mary, whose career was in banking.
"We always said, that's how we got
along," she laughs. "We were married
over 46 years."

John's tenure covered half the lifespan
of motion picture history. He took part
in evolutionary change in die industry.

He managed drive-ins in Belfast and
Rockland, added video rentals to the
Colonial's offering in 1985 and, most
crucially, was a first-hand witness to the
restructuring of theater ownership.

Today Maine movie theaters are owned
by either large corporations or by
dedicated film lovers, working individu-
ally or in groups. John's employer fell
somewhere in between: the Boston-based
Graphic Theater circuit, a smaller,
family-owned chain that at one point
included die Grand, in Ellsworth, and
Bucksport s Alamo.

The Kurson family owned die Graphic
Theater circuit. By die 1990s, die Colonial
was die last remnant of dieir little empire,
and it was only because of John that they
had kept it so long. When illness forced
die last Kurson to sell, John decided to
retire. The dieater was bought by Mike
Hurley and Therese Bagnardi, of Belfast.

Grants in Action: National Film
Preservation Foundation Awards First Grants

An Easy Decision
John was an avid supporter of NHF.
When he passed away, his family imme-
diately agreed diat Northeast Historic
Film should benefit from any gifts made
in his honor. Illness kept the Grants from
visiting Bucksport as much as they would
have liked, "but he thought [NHF] was
just marvelous," Mary says.

By September, donations in memory
of John Grant totaled nearly $1,200.
Fittingly, the gifts will help pay for the
Alamo's new screen.

The last movie John and Mary saw
together was Titanic — quite a change
from die cowboy serials that were John's
first love. "He wasn't feeling well and it
was hard for him to sit very long, but
that was the last movie," Mary says.

"He was an awfully nice guy, and we
all miss him," she says. Now his good
works live on. H

The National Film Preservation
Foundation (NFPF) has
awarded its first grants to
preserve culturally important "orphan
films" not protected by commercial
interests.

"From scenes of die segregated
South to the private moments of
public figures, these films capture a
stunning panorama of American
history and culture," observed Del
Reisman of the Writers Guild, who
served on the review panel.

"The NFPF's 1998 grants are the
first of many," said NFPF Board
Member John Ptak of Creative Artists
Agency. "Industry support for film
preservation is building and we plan
an even larger program for next year."
Calls for the 1999 grant cycle will be
announced later this winter.

The grants are for preservation ser-
vices contributed by commercial labora-
tories and post-production houses as
pan of the NFPF's Laboratory-Archive
Partnership (LAP) Grants program. In
1 998 ten laboratories contributed ser-
vices to the program and five others
donated cash. For more on the NFPF s

lab partners, please visit http://www.
filmpreservation.org/lab_release.html.
Archives receiving LAP Grants in
1998 are: Emory University Libraries
(World War Against Slums, $10,000);
George Eastman House (Cricket on
the Hearth and Voice of the Violin,
$5,000); Library of Congress (Big
Fella, $10,000); National Museum of
American History, Smithsonian
Institution (Groucho Marx Home
Movies, $880); National Museum of
Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution (Explorations in the
Amazon Basin, $10,000); Nebraska
State Historical Society (Kearney and
Its People in Motion Pictures, $7,520);
Northeast Historic Film (Albert
Benedict Home Movies, $2,100);
Southern Media Archive, University o:
Mississippi (Thomas Collection, $776);
State Historical Society of Wisconsin
(Bill's Bike, $1,024); UCLA Film and
Television Archive (Hearst Metrotone
News Selections, $4,000); University of
South Carolina Newsfilm Archive
(Reunion of Confederate Veterans,
$6,000); and Yale University Library
(Early Class Reunion Films, $3,000).

New Advisors Bring Expertise in Preservation, Amateur Film

Joining NHF's Board of Advisors
are Patricia Zimmermann, author
of a history of amateur film,
and William O'Farrell, Chief of
Moving Image and Audio Conservation at
the National Archives of Canada.

Conservation Chief
On staff at the National Archives of
Canada since 1975, William O'Farrell is
a well-known authority on film preser-
vation. An early milestone in his career
was working on the rescue and preserva-
tion, in 1978, of 550 reels of wet film
that had been buried in the permafrost
in the Yukon Territories. Since then,
O'Farrell and his colleagues have
expanded the institution's facilities to
include processing capabilities for half-
a-dozen film formats and state-of-the-
art archival storage. The Archives'
motion picture collections have grown
from 10,000 to 250,000 cans. In 1997
he became the first Canadian to be
recognized with an Anthology Film
Archives Film Preservation Honor.

O'Farrell champions what he terms
"unheralded" Canadian film. "If you go
into a library you'll see books about the
National Film Board and you'll see books
about current feature work — you know,
the films of David Cronenberg, or Atom
Egoyan. That's what students and film
studies folks, generally speaking, are
exposed to," he says. "And I couldn't
disagree more strongly with it."

He explains that Canada's filmmaking
history, unlike the United States', is not
based on feature films. Until the 1970s,
with the advent of government support
for feature filmmakers, most Canadian
films were made for other purposes, other
viewerships — e.g., industrial, documen-
tary, amateur. Canada's real film heritage
is "not well-known, it's not particularly
well-documented in terms of being easily
accessible or taught. My goal would be to
correct that."

His progress so far has been significant.
Restoration projects under the National
Archives aegis include the entire portfolio
of Canadian Army newsreels, 28mm
films made by the Ontario Motion
Picture Bureau, Back to God's Country
( 1 9 1 9), the oldest surviving Canadian
feature film, and The Viking (1931).

In the living room.
Archie Stewart
Collection, 1958.
Frame enlargement,
Leon Kouyoumjian,
Color Works.

Last year his preservation team restored
the 1946 "aerial melodrama" Bush Pilot,
which NHF is helping distribute in the
United States.

O'Farrell is working with NHF on
new plans for the archives' storage
facilities. His recommendations include
a "triage processing room" that would
protect the archives from contaminants
and the archivists from hazardous solvents.

He also advocates enlarging the storage
area beyond current plans. "Storage vaults
invariably fill up very quickly," he says.
"Especially if they do it right — and I
think they are going to get it right — the
stuff is just going to descend upon NHF.
They also have one of the most creative
outreach programs anywhere, which will
soon include screenings in the restored
Alamo Theatre. When the films begin, if
you listen closely, you'll hear a collective
cheer from all the NHF friends who feel
connected to this accomplishment."

Cinema Professor

Patricia Zimmermann, author of Reel
Families: A Social History of Amateur Film,
is professor of cinema and photography
in the Roy H. Park School of Communi-
cations at Ithaca College. She specializes
in what she calls "marginal cinematic
practices" — amateur films, experimental
works, documentaries, transnational
films, works representing groups under-
represented in the commercial tradi-
tion— and their relationship to history.

A pioneer in the study of amateur film,
Zimmermann published Reel Families in
1995 (Indiana University Press). Complex,
often provocatively political, the book is

a revealing study of the interactions among
amateur film, American society and Holly-
wood filmmaking. It's a field drat, for years,
Zimmermann had virtually to herself.

"I started researching amateur film in
1977. Because I'm trained as a post-
structuralist historian, anything around
which there is a structured absence means
it's significant. So what I saw in a lot of
archives was mosdy a lot of national
cinematic practices, very commercial
cinematic practices, mostly all narrative
film, mosdy from Hollywood."

But by 1989, as amateur film increas-
ingly became an object of academic,
archival and aesthetic interest, the gap was
filling, dianks to the convergence of
political and economic forces. Not least
among them, Zimmermann believes, was
die role camcorders played in the libera-
tion movements in the communist world.

She foresees her particular advisory
contribution to NHF being in die realm
of acquiring and exhibiting materials that
fall widiin that "marginal" category.
"Because of Northeast Historic Films'
position as a leader in the acquisition and
preservation of amateur film, I'm really
looking forward to helping them develop
and think through a dynamic plan for
the 21st century," she says.

"This is one of the greatest honors of
my career," Zimmermann says of the
advisory role. "I so much admire NHF's
work. My books and public speaking
have so benefited from their collections
that it's the least I can do to pay back the
time, energy, conversations and video-
tapes they've given me over the course of
the last ten years." I

National Film Registry Visits Vermont

The programs read: "The Library of
Congress and the National Film
Preservation Board proudly present
the National Film Registry Tour, a
nationwide celebration of America's film
heritage."

Proud they should be, if the tour's
autumn visit to Brattleboro, Vermont,
was any indication. The 1936 Latchis
Theatre played host to the tour, which
filled the theater's 800-seat main hall the
first night and kept movie lovers flowing
in from around the region for the next
week.

The official Opening Night Celebration
began with a reception at the Brattleboro
Museum attended by 300 guests,
followed by Dr. Strangelove on the big
screen. Distinguished actor James Earl
Jones, a member of the James Madison
Council of the Library of Congress,
greeted the audience, commenting on his
first film role and his enthusiasm for film
preservation and access.

"It's important to preserve the original
films," Jones said. "It's important to see
them in theaters like this. Not to be
sacrilegious, but in many ways these old
movie houses are like cathedrals. The
grand architecture, the vast seating, tells
us a lot of what the builders thought of

the art they displayed here."

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a
strong supporter of film preservation,
called himself possibly "the biggest movie
fan the U.S. Senate has ever had." Leahy
helped pass the original authorizing
legislation for the National Film
Preservation Board (NFPB) in 1988, and
introduced legislation signed in 1996 that
reauthorized the NFPB and created the
National Film Preservation Foundation.

The Registry event was front-page
news for Brattleboro's Weekend Reformer,
which pictured Leahy and Jones in a
large photograph accompanying two
articles by reporter Stephen Seitz.

A Special Place

New England film people participated
throughout the week. Smith College film
historian Ben Singer, director and
educator Jay Craven, screenwriter Ernest
Kinoy, and NHF co-founder Karan
Sheldon introduced individual programs.

"The opening night energy from
people of all ages, standing room only,
was terrific," says Sheldon. She adds,
"The Latchis family deserves immense
gratitude for keeping the theater alive.
Northeast Historic Film is pleased to
hear of the foundation of Friends of the

Latchis, a new nonprofit group to carry
the historic preservation forward."

The theater is featured in NHF s
cultural history exhibition, Going to the
Movies, in part because of its atmospheric
interior and mythic murals tied to the
Latchis family's Greek heritage.

Elizabeth Latchis, who runs the
building's 30-room hotel, recounts the
visit of Tibetan monks, who chanted in
the theater. They said tJiey found the
space very magical.

Public Nomination

Every year the Librarian of Congress, Dr.
James Billington, adds 25 films to the
Registry, which now lists 225 films. Last
year he said, "Taken together these 225
films represent a broad range of
American filmmaking — including
Hollywood feature films, documentaries,
avant-garde, amateur footage, films of
regional interest, ethnic, animated and
short film subjects — all deserving
recognition, preservation and access by
future generations."

The public is invited to suggest films for
the 1 999 Registry, based on their aes-
thetic, historical, or cultural importance.
For details, visit the Library's website at
http://lcweb.loc.gov/film/vote.html.

The National Film Preserva-
tion Board, representing
moving-image constituencies
including writers, directors,
scholars, and archivists, meets
annually to advise the Librarian.
The Association of Moving
Image Archivists is repre-
sented on the NFPB by Eddie
Richmond, UCLA Film and
Television Archive, and Karan
Sheldon, Northeast Historic
Film. •

Thanks to The Brattleboro
Reformer for permission to quote.

The Latchis Theatre in 1938. Today,
the murals and ceiling adornment are
still present, while a 40-foot screen has
been added in front of the proscenium.
Photo from Latchis family archives.

Bringing Regional Archivists Together

Editing 16mm film
in a University of
Kentucky Cinema
Studies Course.
Photo courtesy of
Kentucky Special
Collections and
Archives.

by Lisa Carter, University of Kentucky

Even as regional archivists focus
inward on preserving and present-
ing the local components of the
national audiovisual heritage, they must
also reach out to build a community of
peers. Joint effort will ultimately decide
the fate of the national collection.

Winter 1999 brings at least two good
opportunities to meet and share ideas.

One is the annual conference of the
Association of Moving Image Archivists,
slated for December 7-12 at the
Fontainebleau Hilton in Miami Beach,
Florida. The second is a virtual meeting
place: a resource page being developed
for regional audiovisual archivists on the
World Wide Web.

The 1998 AMIA Conference has
plenty to offer the regional audiovisual
archivist seeking to learn and to get
connected. Two sessions stand out. The
Regional Archives Interest Group Meeting
(1 1 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. December 8) is
part of a day of interest group and com-
mittee meetings. Later in the week, among
the concurrent sessions, is "Regional
Audio- Visual Archives," scheduled from
1 1 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on December 11.

Here, emphasizing ways that
archivists from different regions can
work together, panelists from three
countries will look at the challenges of
regional leadership, the development of
programming, and the impact of
national plans on regional archives.
Participants include David Cleveland, of
the East Anglian Film Archive; Chris
Gebhart, Saskatchewan Archives Board;

this writer; and Karen Glynn, Center
for the Study of Southern Culture.

Both meetings will be followed by an
informal lunch in a nearby restaurant, af-
fording an opportunity to get acquainted
and pursue the discussions.

Conference Sessions

Many other sessions at the conference
will engage the regional archivist — a
good example being "Stretching a
Budget: How to do More with Less."
Pre-conference workshops include the
ever-popular "AMIA Basic Training
Workshop," and sessions on grant
writing, cataloging, and technical issues
in amateur film, led by Alan Kattelle.

Meetings of other interest groups, such
as the News and Documentary and the
amateur footage group, Inddits (a French

word meaning "unpublished"), will also
reward the regional archivist. Finally,
throughout the conference, the develop-
ment of the national preservation plans
will be discussed.

The conference is hosted by the Louis
Wolfson II Media History Center, the
regional audiovisual archives in southern
Florida. AMIA will celebrate the 50th an-
niversary of local television with a plenary
session featuring broadcasters from WTVJ.
For more information, visit the AMIA
website at http://www.amianet.org/.

Paging Regional Archives
Collaboration among regional archivists
can't be a once-a-year process. One vehicle
for ongoing cooperation is the Regional
Audiovisual Archives Interest Group Page
being developed for the AMIA website.
The page will be a clearinghouse for
information affecting regional archivists,
including links to archives that offer on-
line collections access.

To place information on this page or
obtain a link to your website, contact me
by e-mail at LisaC@pop.uky.edu or by
phone at 606 257-9672. B

ollections Guide:

Moving Image Collections
of Northeast Historic Film

r*his 64-page illustrated guide
I presents detailed information on
200 film and video collections. Call
800 639- 1636 to order.

"It is the ability to make compara-
tive analyses that allows us to tease
apart the social fabric of families and
human interaction. Although many
amateur films arc representations of
shared experiences, they are not just
repetitive birthday parties or holiday
celebrations. They are countless

expressions of human creativity from
both behind and in front of the
camera. The viewpoints are unique
to the individual and informed by
gender, ethnicity, region, socioeco-
nomic status and all those individu-
als and experiences which shape tin-
way we each view the world."

From the Preface by Pamela Wintlt,
Human Studies Film Archives,
National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution.

continued from Page 1

Woody Allen to Jerry Zucker. But there's
more to the story than NHF's quest for
quality. For one thing, Boston Light &
Sound has a particular expertise in the
vintage projectors that will make the
Alamo projection room a working
exhibit. For another, co-founder Chapin
Cutler has special affection for the state
of Maine.

"My mother is a Waterford girl," says
the 54-year-old Cutler. His firm has
worked with NHF since its early days,
and he was pleased to learn about two
titles in the archives that were made in
that beautiful western Maine town.

One is the collection of amateur films
shot at Birch Rock Camp in the 1950s
[MIR, Summer 1997]. Cutler attended
the camp in 1950s. The other was the
1922 drama Timothy's Quest. "My
mother, who is now well into her 80s,
remembers when that movie was being
shot," he says. "It was quite a kick
watching it with her."

Another Maine connection hits still
closer to home. Before it even had its
name, the first work Boston Light &
Sound ever did was helping open die
Magic Lantern Theater, in Bridgton.
There, Chapin says, "I met their
business manager, a woman named
Deborah Ceilings, whom I later
brought back to Boston and married,"
he says.

So they've been together "as long as
there has been a Boston Light &
Sound," which name Deborah con-
tributed.

See How They Run

Cutler and Larry Shaw founded BL&S
in 1977, capitalizing on their experience
in stage and film production. For years
they had been collecting, refurbishing
and renting out projection equipment.
Suddenly that began to pay off.

"We found diat there was a need for
someone to supply dailies equipment for
film production snooting on location,"
Cutler says. They struck paydirt widi two
shoots in the Hub: See How She Runs, a
made-for-TV film starring Joanne
Woodward, and The Brink's Job, with
William Friedkin directing a name cast.

Location work remains a mainstay,
but Cutler, Shaw and staff will tackle
nearly any job involving projection,
lighting and/or sound reinforcement.

The company is singularly well suited to
a client like NHF, which needs both
vintage and state-of-the-art technology.

With a window revealing them to
visitors entering the auditorium, two
Super Simplex 35mm projectors with
RCA 9030 sound heads and Strong X-
16 Xenon lamphouses will shed light on
not only the silver screen but on vintage
projection practices. Bill Templeman of
BL&S is renovating the projectors,
which came from the Gayety Theatre in
Van Buren, once Maine's largest theater
north of Bangor. Dayton Grandmaison,
whose grandparents founded the
cinema, donated the projectors.

Even without a historical mission, old
projectors are a good investment, Cutler
says. Lots of them are still around, he
explains, parts are still available, "and
they will project an image as good as, if
not better than, most of the projectors
coming off the assembly line today."

NHF, like odier archives and many
media arts centers, will retain the reel-to-
reel film projection system, rather than

the platter system found in new cinemas.
The platter system demands diat reels be
spliced together, a destructive practice at
odds with a film archives' mission.

A Leader in Projection

Completion of the auditorium is
expected in 1999. Stage and house
lighting will be expanded, along with
exhibition lighting on the side walls.
Most important, the Simplexes will be
ready to roll, complete with lenses and
other fittings enabling NHF to project
film in several 35mm formats, from
silent to CinemaScope.

The installation of the Simplexes will
bring NHF into the ranks of Maine
cinemas aspiring to the best in projec-
tion facilities. Cutler says the state has
an unusually high commitment to
quality projection, especially among
independent cinemas.

"For some reason, Maine is a leader in
what I would call big-quality film
projection systems," he says. "It's great."

Archives Abroad:

Digital Video Dominates Discussion in Florence

by Samuel Suratt

At the annual meeting of the Inter-
national Federation of Television
Archives (FIAT), more than 100
television organizations met in Florence,
Italy, to witness the beginning of a
"Brave New World" of digitized and
compressed video signals, used both as
an archival medium and as an entry to
the Internet.

"Renaissance and Revolution: Audio-
visual Archives in the Digital Era," was
the theme of the conference held amidst
the treasures of the Medici palaces.
Broadcasting organizations and vendors
demonstrated a variety of sophisticated
systems for processing audio and video
to make them compatible with current
Internet and other computer applica-
tions. Among them were visual indexing
and retrieval devices for videotape that
used representative frames, compressed
and arrayed in sequence on the screen.

Compression Issues

Some participants warned against the

use of compressed images for longterm
archival preservation because of the
potential danger of losing sequences of
pictures upon which compression
algorithms are based, and the changing
compression technologies, which may
not be compatible in the future.

Experts also pointed out that the
technology for digital storage was
getting cheaper each year, thus making
compression of audio and video signals
unnecessary for archival storage.

Regional Cooperation

A session of particular interest addressed
the subject of regional and worldwide
cooperation in preserving audiovisual
archives. Some success has been
achieved by the groups focusing in the
Balkans and the Mediterranean, particu-
larly in sharing information on collec-
tions that overlap national boundaries,
and assisting each other in technical
knowledge.

The 1999 meeting of FIAT will be in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next fall. H

Partnerships: Bringing 'Song' to Light

A fragment of a lost film is
back in the public eye,
thanks to a coast-to-coast
collaboration led by NHF.

The archives recently located a six-
minute portion of The Rogue Song, a
1930 musical that is the only major lost
title in MGM's sound-film output. This
fragile fragment of nitrate film, found in
very good condition, has been preserved
in a cooperative project with the UCLA
Film and Television Archive.

In December, the fragment will be
shown as pan of a tribute to Technicolor,
broadcast by Turner Classic Movies.

Film historian Alan Kattelle, a member
of the NHF Advisory Board, presented
the rarity to Northeast Historic Film
with a collection of 28mm and 35mm
films. Kattelle previously helped NHF
save such rare works such as the 1 909
Edison Spring Log Driving in Maine.

"We look forward to adding a new
piece to the puzzle of a once completely
lost motion picture," says UCLA Film
and Television Archive Curator Eddie
Richmond.

A 'Rasch' Decision

One of the American Film Institutes "10
most wanted" lost films, The Rogue Song
is important for a number of reasons.
Musical history is one. The film may be
best-known as a Laurel and Hardy
vehicle (and a fragment depicting them
turned up in the 1980s), but director
Lionel Barrymore actually intended it as
a showcase for singer Lawrence Tibbett.

"Tibbett was probably the major
American baritone in opera at that time,"
says Richard P. May, Vice President of
Film Preservation for Warner Bros.
(Time Warner holds the copyrights on
the pre-1986 MGM catalog.)

Technically, too, the film is significant.
It was shot in two-color Technicolor, a
process last used in 1933.

The Rogue Song also represents an
early stage in the evolution of the
musical. "You've heard the 'all-singing,
all-talking, all-dancing' expression," says
May. "So many of these musicals were
made when sound first came in that most
of them were really quite bad. They
became box-office poison." Only in

Frame enlargi

1933, with 42nd Street, did Hollywood
find the magic formula.

The Rogue Song -was released in two
versions — one with sound on film and
one with sound on disc, to accommodate
theaters still being adapted for talkies.
The found fragment is a ballet scene that,
May believes, features the Albertina
Rasch company, which often worked for
MGM. "At the end of the performance,
all the dancers dissolve into swans, and
the curtain comes down, and that's the
end of it," May says.

"I've seen it two or three times, and it's
fun. The dancers are OK but in some
cases, if you are anything of a ballet
aficionado, some of them are so bad that
they're entertaining."

Lost at Sea?

What happened to The Rogue Song?
Being doubly obsolete, as two-color
Technicolor and a musical of the "box
office poison" period, it may simply have
been thrown out as worthless. Warner has
the complete soundtrack, but aside from
that, the only record in the old MGM
film library was a card file for the negative.

One entry for 1937 says, "Shipped,"
May explains, but lists no destination.

"So it may have been shipped to the
Pacific Ocean, I don't know."

That's why there are film archives. Part
of a regional archives' mission is to
provide safe passage to a good home for
materials that don't fit the collecting
mission. The match with the UCLA
archives was clear especially because it
and NHF share the desire to ensure
public access to moving image history.

Working relationships among regional
archives, national archives and film
copyright holders are mutually invalu-
able. Collaboration with the major
archives diat preserve so many of
Hollywood's negatives "is very impor-
tant," says May. "We'll help support
them, we'll pay for some of the preserva-
tion work and at the same we get
commercial use of the material. And the
audience out there gets to see it."

Another key part of that equation is
the relationships regional archives have
with historians like Kartelle. "We're
happy for them to do this, we're happy
for them to offer the material," May says.
"It can be an advantage to us and a big
thank-you to them."

"If they hadn't done it, this stuff would
end up in the ocean." I

Forgotten Maine

I any believe that in Maine and
other northeastern states,
business interests and politi-
cians are selling out traditional commu-
nity life for an easy buck.

A new film created by two Mainers,
one of them an NHF Director, states
that view with impassioned eloquence.
"Maine is my native land," says Michael
J. Fiori, executive producer of The
Forgotten Maine. "And sometimes if
you're a person who really believes in
your native land you can't sit idle and
watch things happen to it."

Working with director Bill Chinnock,
of Fairfield, Maine, Fiori has documented
what he calls the "erosion of our economic
heritage." From Aroostook potato fields to
the docks at Stonington, the hour-long
film presents real working families as
symbols of Maine life at its best.

Growth at Any Cost?

Fiori, of Readfield, is a businessman and
president of the E.Y.E. Foundation, a
charitable organization supporting the
elderly, youth and the environment
(hence die title). Like most lifelong
Mainers, he grew up hearing die war cry
of "economic expansion."

But growth, he believes, can't come at
any cost. It must respect and nurture its
setting. Today, instead, what Fiori sees is
the industries that once defined Maine —
the fisheries, the clothespin factories, die
dairy farms — disappearing into an
expanse of strip malls.

"These were all things diat were
peoples lifestyles, and we traded diem
off," he says. "Did we make a major
effort to protect that — and even protect
it at some cost? No."

The film was premiered in July at die
first annual Maine International Film
Festival, in Waterville. Members of die
audience were eager to talk about what
they had seen.

That's Fiori's goal. He wants to take
die film on die road to stimulate discus-
sion and, hopefully, .evoke new ideas
about community development.

"I think the best solutions will come
at the local level," he says. "We need
bigger mouths out at the community
level and bigger ears in Augusta [Maine's
capital]." H

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, workshop on preserving home movies — Lynanne Rollins, Dwight Swanson,
DavidS. Weiss, Natalie Kattelle, Alan Kattelle, Toni Treadway, Catherine Cormon, Melvin Peter Holmes,
Karan Sheldon, Bob Brodsky. Also present, Jack Bruner, Brian Graney, Carol Radovich. Photo by John Kattelle.

Travel Award

Northeast Historic Film's Alamo
Theatre displays its first travel award,
perhaps proving that "sidewalk supervi-
sors" are easy to please. The 1916 cinema
renovation is still definitely a work in
progress, but Boston Magazine's New
England Travel Magazine 1998 recom-
mends Northeast Historic Film for
consistent quality and excellence.

In July New England Travel editors
selected top attractions from each of the
New England states. Travel writers are
beginning to include NHF — as the

archives endeavors to promote moving
images as a cornerstone of "cultural
tourism." Some citations: Maine: An
Explorer's Guide, Christina Tree and
Elizabeth Roundy; Frommer's Northern
New England, Wayne Curtis; Mobil
Travel Guide '98, Northeast, with a
listing, "What to See and Do: Exhibits
present 1 00 years of moviegoing, from
nickelodeons to mall cinemas. Video
and film presentations interpret regional
culture." H

Letters

I just wanted you to know how
impressed I am with your latest
newsletter. It is informative and clearly
written on subjects most organizations
do not seem to want to tackle. I
believe that a goodly number of folks
who have not known much about
preservation — and regional archives —
will begin to understand the issue as a
result of reading this publication.
Good for you!

Audrey Kupferberg,
Moving Image Consultant/ Appraiser

Well, you have done it again. The
Moving Image Review is a testament
what can be done by a regional
moving image archive that has its act
together. It is simply great. It serves to
educate the membership about what is
going on in the institution, introduce
staff and their function, and even
educate about film and preservation.

James Lindner, VidiPax

I read it cover to cover. . . a wonderful
read. Your newsletter is creating a
network of NHF film-lovers and is full
of good ideas for other archives.

Annette Melville,
National Film Preservation Foundation

onservation Resources

Icdia Alliance has just published
the Magnetic Media Preservation
Sourtebook, edited by Mona
Jimenez and Liss Platt.

It contains resources for video and
audio conservation, with the goal of
helping people "find a place to clean
your videotapes afflicted with sticky
shed syndrome, or reclaim the sounds
of your favorite tunes," and also to "find
like-minded people with whom to share
information and skills while engaging
in your next preservation project."

Media Alliance, c/o WNET
356 W. 58th St, NY NY 10019
212 560-2919
http://www. mediaalli

continued from Page 16

instant response in her own heart, and
daily her affection for him had grown;
and diere was Thornton — diis man
beside her, whose companionship
somehow she seemed to crave for,
who, in his grave, quiet manliness,
seemed sort of inspiration to her, who
seemed in a curious way to appease a
new hunger that had come to her for
association, for contact with better
thoughts and better ideals.

What was it? Environment? Yes;
there must be something in that. It
was having its effect even on Pale
Face Harry and the Flopper. What
was it that Harry [who left New York
an emaciated dope-fiend] , a surpris-
ingly lusty farmhand now, had said
to her a week or so ago: "Say, Helena,
do you ever feel that while you was
trying to kid the crowd about this
living on the square, you was kind of
getting kidded yourself? I dunno! I
ain't coughed for a month — honest.
But it ain't only that. Say — I dunno!
Do you ever feel that way?"

The film, produced by the Mayflower
Photoplay Corporation, and released by
Paramount, is missed most particularly
by Lon Chancy enthusiasts.

There was critical enthusiasm on its
release, as in Moving Picture World:
"Pictorially, the drama is a succession of

Other resources in the field include:
Association of Moving Image Archivists
A professional association for moving
image archiving.

AMIA-L, an online discussion forum
relating to the preservation of moving
images. Send message to listserv@lsv.
uky.edu Subscribe AMIA-L [your
name].
http://www.amianet.org/index. html

Brodsky and Treadway

8mm and Super 8mm information and

transfers to videotape.

PO Box 335

Rowley, MA 01 969-0735

978 948-7985

compositions that have true artistic
form. The conception and handling of
the scenes in which The Frog is the
central figure. . .are daring and masterly.
Only in the drawings of Dor^ for Victor
Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame can
such criminal monstrosities be found."
"It is a picture of crooked lives made
straight, of sordid lives made bright, by
the wholesome sway of die country and
an old man's trust in men." (1919
promotional materials.) H

Library of Congress
National moving image preservation
plans (Film, 1994; Television and
Video, 1997).
http://lcweb.loc.gov/film/
Film Storage White Paper, Keeping
Cool and Dry: A New Emphasis in
Film Preservation
http://lcweb .loc.gov/film/storage.html

VidiPax, Inc.

Audio and video repair, transfer, and

other services.

450 West 3 1st Street

New York, NY 10001

212 563-1999

http://www.vidipax.com

Further Reading:

Dona Brown, Inventing New England,
Smidisonian Inst. Press, 1997.

John C. Mirsalis, http://members.aol.com/
ChaneyFan/1 13.htm.

Frank Thompson, Lost Films, Citadel,
1996.

AlamoThea
Store

DavulS. Weiss. Mr.
and Mrs. Hiram P.
Maxim, II. The
Maxims presented 25
reels of 16mm film,
adding to the Maxim
Collection, work of
H.P. Maxim (1869-
1936), founder of the
Amateur Cinema
League.

New Members

New Members and Members

Associates

Alan Baker
Judy Davis
Robert Shwier

Nonprofit Organizations

Aroostook Band of Micmac

Indians

Atlantic Productions
Raquel Boehmer
Boothbay Region Middle/

Elementary School
Hancock County Planning

Commission
Charlotte E. Hobbs Memorial

Library

Penobscot Shores
Railroad Square Cinema
The Trustees of Reservations
Orono Public Library

Households

Rob Hayes & Gretchen Adams

Richard & Pat Judd

Charles S. Payson

Gertrude Porter

Louise Gulick Van Winkle

Individual Members

Don Ballon
Rayleen Berry
Alden Bodwell
Peter A. Bragdon
Mary M. Dietrich
Loren Fowler
Roswell Hebard
John D. Knowlton
Sandra Joy Lee
Elizabeth A.. Low
Michael Lund
Hiram Percy Maxim, II
Bob Mclntire
Michael Moore
William O'Farrell
Norma Patterson
Fred Perkins
Christine T. Prado
Robert Studley, Jr.
Peter Tilton
Robert Wickman
Rebekah Yonan
GeoflFZenrz

Educator/Student

Dr. John H. Ahlin
Susan Bradford
Rose Breslin
Sara Buck
Waldo Caballero
Ann Gallagher
Mike Gillis
Samuel J. Harvey
Paul Herrick
Marcia R. Jacobs
Jeffery Klenotic
JefTKoopman
Steve Orlikoff
Peggy Parker
Donald Pattershall
Jeffery Smith
Dwight Swanson
Sue Ann Tymoczko-
Baker

Champion

Membership

Challenge

Champion International Corp.
will match, dollar for dollar, all
new or increased memberships up
to $5,000 this year.

Your help is needed to unlock
this pledge. Join, renew — and
think of memberships for holiday
gifts!

Thanks to Champion, your gift
will go twice as far, helping NHF
preserve northern New England's
moving image heritage.

Historic Provincetown, 1916. Frame enlarge-
ment by Leon Kouyoumjian, Color Works.

Collections:

Historic Provincetown

In June 1998, the Oregon Historical
Society, after determining that it was
unique material requiring preserva-
tion, donated 400 feet of 35mm nitrate
film, Historic Provincetoum (1916), to
the archives. The film is in fragile
condition, and NHF is presently the only
moving image archives in die region.

By an unknown director, it depicts the
community that was known then, as
today, as an artistic retreat. "Narrow and
crowded streets lined with cottages, make
this the quaintest and most un-American
town in our country," reads one interti-
de. The views include town, "typical
Provincetown characters," local crafts,
and "The famous mariners' beacon,
Highland Light."

The film is of interest, among other
reasons, because it was shot in the village
during the summer of 1 9 1 6 when
playwright Eugene O'Neill first joined
the Provincetown Players and produced
his one-act play about a dying seaman,
Bound East for Cardiff. O'Neill is one of
the most important figures in American
letters, and significant in New England
film history because of the feature films
produced from his plays. The archives is
most interested in the New England
context in which he lived and worked as
depicted in this film. H

Staff

Advisors

David S. Weiss
Executive Director

Samantha Boyce

Member Services

Jane Berry Donnell

Distribution Coordinator

Dan Gottlieb

Production Services

Paige Lolly

Collections Manager

James Sweet
Cataloging

PhilYates

Technical Services

NHF Board of Directors

Deborah Joy Corey, Castine, Maine.
Author of Losing Eddie, winner of Canadian
best first novel award, dramatized and
broadcast on CBC radio. Was owner of
Toronto modeling agency. Board, Witherle
Library, Castine.

Michael J. Fiori, Readfield, Maine.
President of E.Y.E Foundation. CEO of
ODV, Inc., manufacturers and distributors of
narcotic identification equipment.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, Maine.
President, E Media, Kennebunk, specializing
in manufacturing technology and electronic
media.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, Maine.

Maine State Archivist, administrative head of
the State Archives. Directs Maine's Historical
Records Advisory Board. Education includes
a Ph.D. in political science from Emory
University.

Alan J. McClelland, Camden, Maine.
Retired defense electronics executive from
Ford Aerospace and Gilfillan ITT. Volunteer
archivist and photographer, Owls Head
Transportation Museum.

Martha McNarnara, Orono, Maine.

Assistant Professor of History, specializing in
Cultural History and the History of New
England, University of Maine, Orono. Ph.D.
in American & New England Studies,
Boston University. Director of the Society of
Architectural Historians, New England
chapter. Maine Historic Preservation
Commission member.

Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, Maine.
Champion International Bucksport Mill,
Vice President and Operations Manager.
Lives in Penobscot with family.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, Maine.
Co-founder of Trio Software Corporation,
and an independent property assessment
consultant. Was staff producer and director at
WMTWTV; studied film at George
Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, Maine.

Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architectural
design, urban design, and planning for
worldwide projects — educational and
exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, Maine.
Owner, Rosen's Department Store,
Bucksport — third generation owner. Vice
President of the board of Bucksport Regional
Health Center, and past president of the
Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, Maine.

Co-founder of NHF. Board, Maine Folklife
Center and Friends of Fogler Library,
University of Maine. Co-chair, Committee
on the US National Moving Image
Preservation Plans.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Pordand,
Maine.

Television professional, 1983-1998 with
Maine Broadcasting Company. Member of
the family-owned media group that in 1 998
sold NBC affiliates WCSH and WLBZ to
Gannett Broadcasting. Connecticut College
graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, Maine.
Executive Director and co-founder of NHF.
Previously media producer in Boston after
graduating in film and semiotics from Brown
University. Serves on Maine's Historical
Records Advisory Board.

Pamela Winde, Washington, D.C.
Founder, Smithsonian Institution Human
Studies Film Archives. Co-chair, Association
of Moving Image Archivists' amateur film
group, In ddits. Family roots in Skowhegan,
Maine. I

The Advisors of Northeast Historic Film are
individuals who have an interest in the work
of the moving image archives as an organiza-
tion with a vision for film, video, and digital
preservation, with broad public access.

The establishment of the Advisors group is
based on the archives' need to move into new
territory for public programs, archival
storage, and educational outreach. Advisors'
leadership is needed to assist the staff and
board in making decisions and connections
in order to achieve these goals.

Gillian Anderson, musicologist, conductor,
and author of Music for Silent Films, 1894-
1929. Washington, D.C, and Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon
Theaters and Their Music, a history of the
Thanhouser Company, and other books.
Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This Way:
A Journey Through the Lives of the Underclass,
and director of the documentary feature
Hearts and Minds. Castine, Me.

Alan Kattelle, author of a forthcoming
history of amateur film and cinematographic
researcher. Hudson, Mass.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving Image and
Audio Conservation at the National Archives
of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor,
Department of Visual and Media Arts,
Emerson College, Boston. Author of "Bold!
Daring. Shocking! True": A History of
Exploitation Films, 1919-1959 (Duke
University Press). Boston, Mass.

Samuel Sur.it t, Archivist for CBS News for
25 years. Archivist of the Smithsonian
Institution. Founding member of
International Federation of Television
Archives. New York, NY.

Robert W. Wagner, Ph.D. Emeritus professor
of history and audiovisual communication
with an interest in amateur film, archiving
and nontheatrical film. Arlington, Ohio, and
Readfield, Me.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D. Professor of
Cinema and Photography. Roy H. Park
School of Communications, Ithaca College.
Author, Reel Families: A Social History of
Amateur Film (Indiana University Press).
Ithaca, NY. B

Reference by Mail Selections

I embers of Northeast Historic
Film are invited to borrow from
the FREE circulating loan
collection, Reference by Mail. There is
never any charge for borrowing. We will
even pay for shipping the first time you
borrow — up to three tapes in this first
shipment! After this there is just a $5
shipping charge for each loan.

Member Information and Order Form
opposite. For an 8-page Reference by
Mail list call 800 639-1636. Or check
our website, www.acadia.net/oldfilm/
reference.html.

Public Performance

Videotapes listed here are offered as a
reference service. Where possible, public
performance rights are included. Please
be sure to check each tape's status: PERF
means public performance rights are
included. No admission should be
charged for events where Reference by
Mail videos are being shown. Where
there is no PERF, the tape is for home
use only, or face-to-face classroom
instruction. If you have a date in mind,
call Samantha Boyce at 207 469-0924 to
ensure availability.

Videos for Sale

Many of these tapes are available for
purchase through NHF. Please call for a
free catalog of Videos of Life in New
England, or check www.acadia.net/old-
film/Catalog/catalog.html.

Return Instructions

The borrower is responsible for return
postage via First Class mail or UPS.
Tapes must be on their way back to
NHF five days after they are received.

Fisheries

Basic Net Mending, how to repair fish
nets. 1951. 16 mins., col., sd. PERF

Fence in the Water, weir fishing for
herring in Penobscot Bay, Maine, by
independent filmmaker Peg Dice. 1980.
45 mins., b&w, sd. PERF

It's the Maine Sardine, catching, packing
and eating Eastport fish. 1949. 16 mins.,
col., sd. PERF

Live Lobster: Maine Lobsterman, Phil
Alley shows how he catches lobsters,
what he eats, and you learn about the
lobster's annual cycle. By Peg Dice. 1 976.
24 mins., col., sd. PERF

Maine's Harvesters of the Sea, fisheries
including shrimp, cod, and lobster. 1968.
28 mins., col., sd. PERF

The Maine Lobster, lobster fisheries and
consumption with unusual footage
including the assembly of lobster TV
dinners, ca. 1955. 30 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Our Fishing Heritage, Grand Banks dory
fishing, stop-seining mackerel and
herring, and lobstering. 60 mins., b&w
and col., sd.

A Tale of Two Fisheries, fishermen tell a
tale of two fisheries in Maine. 1997. 16
mins., col., sd.

Tuna Fishing off Portland Harbor, Maine,
off-shore fishing with a Maine sea and
shore warden, ca. 1930. 10 mins., b&w,
si. with intertitles. PERF

Turn of the Tide, drama about formation
of a lobster cooperative; from the
Vinalhaven Historical Society. 1943. 48
mins., col., sd.

Under Water, Out of Sight: An Ecosystem
Case Study, shows how underwater
marine communities are changing as a
result of ever-growing fishing pressures.
1996. 15 mins., col., sd.

Woods

Cut and Run, health and safety in the
woods in the era of mechanization, by
Richard Searls. 1980. 40 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Forest Wan, "Can we have our wood
products and our forest too?" 1996. 72
mins., col., sd. PERF

From Stump to Ship: A 1930 Logging
Film, complete look at the long-log
industry from forest to on board a
schooner bound for New York. 1 930. 28
mins., b&w, sd. PERF

In the Public Interest: The Civilian
Conservation Corps in Maine, the federal
work program from Acadia National
Park to Cape Elizabeth. 1987. 58 mins.,
sd., col. and b&w.

King Spruce, harvesting pulpwood,
includes horses and mechanical log
haulers, ca. 1940. 23 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Last Log Drive Down the Kennebec,
documentary about Scott Papers last log
drive. 1976. 30 mins., col., sd.

Little Log Cabin in the Northern Woods,
amateur film of a young woman's
hunting trip near Brownville, Maine,
with a professional guide, ca. 1930. 13
mins., b&w, si. PERF

The Maple Sugaring Story, children's video
with teacher workbook. 1989. 28 mins.,
col., sd. PERF.

Our White Pine Heritage, how the trees
are harvested for use in construction,
papermaking, etc. 1948. 16 mins., b&w,
sd. PERF

Pilgrim Forests, Civilian Conservation
Corps work in New England — Acadia
National Park and White Mountain
National Forest, ca. 1933. 10 mins.,
b&w, si. PERF

River Run, Machias River watershed and
the log drive, ca.1951. 15 mins., col., sd.

Shingles Made in Maine, the process of
cutting and installing white cedar
shingles in East Corinth, Maine. 1990.
30 mins., col., sd. PERF

So You Want to Be a Woodsman? compila-
tion of 1940s training films including
Use and Care of a Bucksaw and Twitching.
58 mins., col., sd. PERF

Then It Happened, 1947 forest fires that
devastated Maine. Focuses on aftermath
in southern Maine. 20 mins., col., sd.
PERF

Timber is a Crop, pulpwood harvesting in
the 1940s- 1950s, from the Brown
Company Collection, Berlin, NH. 66
mins., col., sd. PERF

Woodsmen and River Drivers, "Another
Day, Another Era, "unforgettable individ-
uals who worked for the Machias
Lumber Company. 1989. 30 mins., col.
and b&w, sd. PERF

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 15% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England; and on moving-image related merchandise from
the catalog and Alamo Theatre Store.

Membership Levels and Benefits Please check one:

D Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

U Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

D Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

D Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

ID Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

HI Corporate Membership, $100 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

H Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

H Patron, $ 1 ,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

Name

Address .

City

State

Zip.

Phone

DNew D Renew

d I do not wish to receive the premium.
Please charge my credit card: D MC D VISA

Account #

Exp. date

Signature of cardholder

D My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable to
Northeast Historic Film.)

Gift Membership

I would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become
involved with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail/Members ONLY

Titles:

Shipping $5

Membership/ Specify level

TOTAL

The Miracle Man

lost film, The Miracle Man in the early part of the century.

(1919), judging from surviving Frank L. Packard's novel, from which

)licity materials and the original George M. Cohan derived his play and

story, offered notions about the idealiza- George Loane Tucker his film, depicts

tion of rural New England and its natives the town of Needley, Maine — a stop on

Mayflower Photoplay Corporation

Prtstnts

George LoaneTucker's

Production

The Miracle Man*

From the play by GeorQe M. Cohan
Based on the story by Frank L.Packard

1919 promotional material. Q. David Bowers Collection, NHF.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Change Service Requested

the Bar Harbor Express train — and its
effect on city schemers and their marks.

The fable resonates today, as towns
such as the fictional Needley seek
"revenue not counted on or thought of
before," income imagined that would not
effect deleterious change. Faith and
illusion wrestled then and now.

Mr. Marvin, newly healed, recounts his
experience to Madison, the chief crook:
"I'm going home myself in another
week — better than ever I was in my
life. It was stomach with me, you
know — doctors said there wasn't any
chance except to operate, and that an
operation was too slim a chance to be
worth risking it." He got up and
laughed, carefree, joyous. "God-given
place down here, isn't it? Clean — that's
it. Clean air, clean-souled people,
clean everything you see or do or hear.
Say, it kind of opens your eyes to real
living, doesn't it — it's the luxuries and
the worries and the pace and the
damn fooleries that kill. Well, I'm
going along back now to get some of
Mrs. Perkins' cream — clean, rich
cream — and home-made bread and
butter — imagine me with an appetite
and able to eat!"

The miracle-cure scam turns out to be a
spiritual healing, with what we might
now call a Martha Stewart setting. The
female lead, named Helena in the novel,
examines her cure:

What was it? A week, another, two
more, a month had slipped away since
Thornton had returned, and there had
been so much of genuineness crowded
into this sham part of hers that it
seemed at times the part itself was
genuine. She had come to love that
little room of hers, love it for its dear
simplicity, the white muslin curtains,
the rag mat, the patch-quilt on the
bed; those daily duties of a woman,
that she had never done before, that
she had at first looked at askance,
brought now a sense of keen, house-
wifely pride; the gentle patience of the
Patriarch, his love for her, his simple
trust in her had found a quick and

continued on Page 11

1 Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Dedicated to the Preservation
of Northern New England
Motion Pictures

Summer 1999

New Advisors Fuller & Gomery 4
Educational Bridge Building 5
NHF Members 8

Movie Queen, Groton 9

In Memoriam: Danny Pact 10

Moving Image Revieu> is a semiannual

i publication ot Northeast I listoric Film,
l!O. Box 900, Buclcsport, Maine 04416.
David S. Weiss, executive director
I )oug Hubley, writer and editor.
ISSN 0897-0769.

E Mail OLDFII.MC<"acadia.net
Web http://www.oldfilm.

1 Davis Family
Foundation Grant

-J-

• m

iie core function of Northeast
Historic Film, preservation of
moving images, is being supported
by The Davis Family Foundation of
Falmouth, Maine, with a grant of
$15,000.

The funds go toward purchase of
compact shelving — racks on rails, which
allow for efficient use of space. The new
shelves will increase capacity in die
climate-controlled storage area by 40%,
sufficient for the next 3 years.

In these years NHF prepares to build
an additional storage building, diree
stories tall, behind the Alamo Theatre.
The current vault is adjacent to die
curatorial space and study center, and
will continue to be used after the new
storage facility is completed.

Fragile Master Film & Video Materials
The collections in the climate-controlled
storage vault serve many people. The
films and videotapes are artistic and
historical material copied for use in
cultural programs in libraries and
schools, and in new productions. NHF
collaborates with individual artists whose
materials reside in the vault, with
nonprofit organizations depositing
materials, and with many groups offering
public programs based on these
resources. These original materials are
entirely unique; they are fragile master
films and videos not preserved anywhere
else. M

Bridging Time and Space

Preparing this issue of Moving Image
Review took us from coast to coast — the
Tacorna Narrows Bridge to Deer Isle. It
reminded us of archivists' and scholars'
gatherings in Montreal and Los Angeles. It
involved interviewing people as near as
Maine's capital city and as far away as
Manchester, England.

We dedicate this issue to the theme of
bridging time and space. We cross the bridge
of memory to Groton, Mass., in 1939. We
look at steel and concrete bridges in
Washington and Maine. We join hands
with educators as they help youths connect
with the past. And we stand proudly with
11 other organizations preserving
"Treasures of American Film Archives. "

Community Cinema Opens

In 1956 Bucksports Alamo Theatre
closed its doors. On May 1, 1999, NHF
opened the Alamo Theatre and revived
the tradition, started in 1916, of a Main
Street cinema and community center
offering popular entertainment.

A program committee meets the first
Wednesday of each month. The group is
guided by NHF s mission to collect,
preserve, and make available to the
public film and videotape of interest to
the people of northern New
England — and by our educational and
community center objectives. The first

continued on Page 2

A promotional notion for a 1923 Pine Tree Pictures film, directed in Maine by Dell Henderson from a James
Oliver Curwood story. One spectacular reel, all that survives of Jacqueline or Blazing Barriers, has been
preserved by the National Archives of Canada and will be shown this summer at the Maine International
Film Festival in Waterville and at NHF. From a press book, Q. David Bowers Collection, NHF.

continued from Page 1

challenge is to build an enthusiastic
regular audience after this 43-year pause.

Committee members are students
Brian Sullivan, Bucksport High School,
Adam Lacher, Hampden Academy;
teacher Scott Woodward, Bucksport
High School; Diane Lee, WERU
community radio; George MacLeod,
Rob Carmichael, Jr., Bucksport; Lee
Lehto, Blue Hill; Jim Phillips, NHF
Board of Directors; Jane Berry Donnell
and Phil Yates, NHF staff. Meetings are
open to the public.

Current popular films will play in the
theater Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m.,
and Sunday at 2 p.m. On additional
nights during the summer, special
screenings will feature guest presenters
and classic films.

Music is also part of the Alamo
offering. A Sunday jazz series starts July
25. On Wednesday evenings during the
summer, Masanobu Ikemiya's Arcady
Music Festival will bring classical and
ragtime music.

Tickets for a single performance or a
series can be purchased by calling
469-69 1 0 during office hours. Or stop
by the Alamo, or BookStacks, Main
Street, Bucksport. H

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, p nd make-

available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the peopi
northern New England.

Activities include but are nor limited
to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation of
educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
die film and video production com-
munity, through providing a study
center, technical services and facilities.

Executive Director's Report

Photo by Karin Bos, Merieten Studios.

The place is hopping. What was once
a pile of dirt, being worked by a
back hoe widiin massive brick walls,
is now an elegant theater space welcom-
ing middle school students' drama
projects, high school fieldtrips, a college
class screening and pizza party. And these
visits are just within the last week.

We're looking forward to meeting die
many research trip requests from teachers
and students who are traveling to
Bucksport from as far away as
Manchester, New Hampshire. College
and university teachers from die
University of Maine and Bowdoin
College, among others, are interested in
bringing their students on field trips and
initiating internship programs. High
school internship, screening, and research
projects are lining up.

As Marc Curtis, Bucksport
Superintendent of Schools says, "access
to the vast resources of this organization
helps our students meet many of die
objectives outlined in Maine's Learning
Results."

Now that we're on die community's
radar, on the scopes of die regions
educators, and looking forward to a busy
summer season, our most urgent priori-
ties for die dieater are: a curtain ($8,000),
pedestal-mount xenon 16mm projector
($10,000), and a marquee ($7,000).

Our Funders

The community cinema project has been
funded by die Champion International
Corporation, die Town of Bucksport,
Camden National Bank, a memorial gift
from die friends of John Grant, die W.K.

Kellogg Foundation, the Board of
Northeast Historic Film, with an in-kind
contribution from Boston Light &
Sound, and support from many mem-
bers and friends of the archives.

We have wonderful news from die
Anna Marie and John E. Thron Fund
and the Brimstone Fund of die Maine
Community Foundation (MCF). Bodi
will be making $ 1 ,000 grants to support
Sunday night jazz music at die Alamo
Theatre. Thanks to the MCF for making
the connections, and to Lee Lehto for
planning the music events.

Farewell to Alan McClelland and
Deborah Corey

At our annual meeting we bid farewell to
two esteemed board members. Alan
McClelland joined the board in 1993. He
lives in Camden with his wife Eleanor —
they travel enthusiastically and were last
seen in the British Isles. Alan established
and led our Long Range Planning
Committee — without which I can truly
say we wouldn't be where we are today.
Deborah Corey joined the board in
1995. She and her husband Bill Zildjian
live in Castine with their young daugh-
ters. Deborah is an important link to the
peninsular community; Bucksport's
Main Street and the Alamo served
Castine in the first half of the century
and Deborah helped to revitalize that
connection for us.

Reference by Mail

Reference by Mail, NHF s free video loan
services for members, has grown to 2 1 0
titles. These videos are organized in 26
categories, among them American
Indians, Artists and Audiors, Home
Movies, and Woods. The list is available
on our website and also on paper
through the mail. Just ask!

New Internet Addresses

You can now find us at www.oldfilm.org,

and our cinema schedule is at

www.alamotheatre.org.

Collections Policy: Books, Photos & Ephemera

Non-moving image materials
present a challenge to an archives
like Northeast Historic Film.
What should we keep among print
materials, still images and ephemera,
things that are neither film nor video?

Like NHF's moving-image collecting
policy, the non-moving image guidelines
place the highest priority on materials
that are:

• Related to northern New England
through location, subject, maker,
source, or other connection;

• Unique, or inaccessible to the north-
ern New England population;

• Otherwise likely to be damaged or
lost;

• Of excellent quality, and in a condi-
tion that will not put at risk other
collections;

• Well-documented as to provenance
and significance.

The policy also lays out guidelines
showing how collections should relate to
the archives' broad mission. Reference
works help staff better curate the collec-
tions, and assist researchers in the use of
moving images. Examples include works
on genres such as documentary and
avant-garde, and selected biographies.
Baseline periodicals might include a
full run of Amateur Movie Makers, Film
Daily Yearbook, and Moving Picture
World.

Making the Case

The case for selective acquisition of non-
moving image items was easy to make.
Film historian Douglas Gomery, a new
Advisor (see Page 4), said it best. "This is
an appropriate extension of what you've
always done, because, once you try to
acquire moving image materials, you
then have to put them into context."

Some Advisors advocate an open mind
about potential donations of non-moving
image materials. "Don't use collection
guidelines or policy to reject [materials]
prior to proper appraisal," said William
O'Farrell, of the National Archives of
Canada. "The main point here is never
to reject something sight-unseen, based
upon a phone description."

The trick, then, is saving the right

Vwia Ogden on the cover of
sheet music based on a theme
from Way Down East, 1920.
"Old Miss Randall just laved
scandal. Gossiped all the day;
She just roasted, panned and
toasted All who came her way. "
Q. David Bowers Collection.

documentary support
while not cheating film
and video preservation.
What materials are
wrong is apparent. Paper
materials that are severely
deteriorated, moldy or
infested are not wel-
come. Materials offered
only under restricting
conditions are undesir-
able.

And what's right?
"Researchers like me
need the most primary
of the materials,"
Gomery said. "Peoples'
descriptions, newspaper
write-ups, diaries, all the
ephemera of the world
that's always worked for stories of the
distant past."

Silent Era and Early TV
Gomery believes that the most endan-
gered materials are those, first, about
silent-era film, and second, about early
television. "Most of the [silent] films that
were shown in Maine we don't have
copies of," he said. "We just have
descriptions of them, so we need as good
a description as possible."

The same is true for TV's Golden Age,
when local broadcast was active.
Kinescopes or other copies of such
programs are rare, leaving archives to
seek oral history and ephemera that can
help fill in the blanks.

Exhibition History

Personal items, like diaries, audiotapes or
scrapbooks, that shed light on films or
videos in the collection are must-saves. So
too are materials that represent the history
of film exhibition, theaters and movie
reception in northern New England —

Rased on the
CHAITER-BOX theme

Jrom

£W.Grig\Ms masterpiece

'WAY DOWN EAST

T B.HAPMJ

business records and correspondence,
programs, postcards, posters and lobby
cards, lantern slides, photographs.

A single box of business papers from
a long-gone, small-town theater or a
minor distributor can be a treasure trove,
said Kathryn Fuller, a film historian and
new Advisor (see Page 4). "That gives
the context so well, and no one else
[in historic preservation] would care
about that."

Often the regional is the national.
Nationally disseminated items like
magazines and posters often speak to
films with a New England focus. Fuller
and O'Farrell believe that NHF is already
so strong in relevant non-moving image
materials that it should run with that
strength. "Your study center will become
a mecca in its own right, if you continue
to build it the way you have to date,"
said O'Farrell. "The library has quite a
few unique volumes, and I was knocked
out by the stuff that David Bowers, for
example, has donated." H

Film Historians Join NHF Advisors

Northeast Historic Film welcomes
two new Advisors with much in
common, including great stories
about an improbable subject — old business
records. Kathryn Fuller and Douglas
Gomery are both film historians, longtime
friends of NHF and, to take a slight
geographical liberty, residents of the
Washington, D.C., area. (Fuller actually
lives in Richmond, Va., but what's 80 or
90 miles?)

Kathryn Fuller.

Gomery and Fuller each contributed to
the development of NHF's Going to the
Movies exhibit in die early 1990s. Both
came away impressed. Running a facility
like NHF "requires an immense amount
of dedication and resourcefulness," says
Gomery, a professor in the College of
Journalism at die University of Maryland.

Fuller came to New England in
October 1991 to do field research widi
Karan Sheldon, who was expecting a
child at die time. Fuller, now an assistant
professor of history at Virginia
Commonwealdi University, likens die
experience to the film Thehna and
Louise — without die gunplay. "This
pregnant lady and this graduate student
were running around to small towns,"
Fuller says, "talking to 80-year-old people
who ran nickelodeons, doing research in
historical societies and digging up old
theaters. It was great."

Following die Money

Douglas Gomery brings an economist's
perspective to film history. That's only
logical in an industry where the money
flow assumes tidal proportions.

In the late 1960s, doing post-graduate
work in economics at the University of
Wisconsin in Madison, Gomery was
amazed to learn that "there were 25 film
societies on campus showing 1 6mm
films," he says.

Though he went on to earn his
master's degree in the dismal science, the
movie bug had bitten. He began writing
about film for the student paper and
serving on film programming commit-
tees. The two disciplines
came together for him with
the discovery of 32 years'
worth of financial records
from United Artists,
donated to the State
Historical Society of
Wisconsin.

Gomery realized that his
future lay in UA's past. "I
went over to the
Communication Arts
Department and said, 'Can
you get a Ph.D. in such
things?'" Gomery recounts.
The answer was yes, and he
wrote his dissertation on the advent of
motion-picture sound, making heavy use
of the UA papers.

At that point the study of film history
was in its infancy, to say nodiing of the
study of Hollywood economics. Gomery
says, "I think my contribution has been
to help people understand the role of
cinema as a business, which, in the end,
is what it is."

Gomery has taught at the University of
Maryland since 1981. He has written
some 600 articles, has written, co-written
or edited a dozen books, and has made
countless contributions to others, many
of them industry reference works.

Nevertheless, he is modest in describ-
ing his role as an NHF Advisor. "My
goal is to help them where I can, and
where I can't, find somebody who can,"
he says.

Meet Me at die Movies
Kadiryn Fuller approaches the movies as
a social historian. Her particular interest
is in the role movies and cinemas played
in the social life of towns back before the
Mailing of America — a unifying role that

Douglas Gomery.

gave viewers a meeting place and a set of
shared aspirations.

"I feel very fortunate," she says. "It's a
pretty hot area these days, studying film
exhibition and film audiences, and I
couldn't do it without Northeast
Historic Film."

Fuller first learned about NHF during
a 12-month fellowship at the
Smithsonian Museum of American
History, home of such Hollywood
treasures as Dorothy's ruby slippers.
There she found records from the Bon
Ton theater in the Maine town of
Mattawamkeag (pop. 550).

Her curiosity piqued, Fuller turned to
NHF on the advice of a Smithsonian
archivist. That led to a research fellow-
ship from the National Endowment for
the Humanities, lectures and an article
for NHF's Going to the Movies project,
and ultimately a book, At the Picture
Show: Small Town Audiences and the
Creation of Movie Fan Culture
(Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996).

Old business records may sound dull,
but they provide an invaluable resource
for historians. "I've been able to use them
as a window into this entire world of
small-town film exhibition," Fuller says.

She strongly advocates the preservation
of such documents by regional media
archives like NHF. "No one else is
doing this," she says. "And I know that's
selfish of me, because this is my area of
academic research, but I think they're
providing incredible service to the
historical film community, as well as
the public." H

Focus on Education: Beyond the Textbook

History teachers at a University of
Maine conference last October
had a valuable opportunity to hear
peers discuss the moving image as a
teaching tool.

Three teachers from Maine public
schools and an archivist from the state's
far north spoke and showed clips for
"Moving Images in the Classroom."
NHF co-founder Karan Sheldon orga-
nized the session.

The conference was the fourth in an
annual series dedicated to teaching
history in Maine. The daylong "Beyond
the Textbook" event was put together by
Martha J. McNamara, an assistant
professor of history at the university and
NHF Board member.

Three strengths unique to the moving-
image media emerged during die hour.
First, moving images speak directly to
regional identity, which is a hot-button
issue among Mainers. Mike Wood, from
Deer Isle-Stonington High School,
discussed his use of the film Turn of the
Tide [MIR, Summer 1998] to add a
historical dimension to the everyday lives
of his students.

The film is a quasi-documentary from
the 1 940s advocating the creation of
lobster-fishing cooperatives in Maine.
"The whole history behind this diing is a
real eye-opener to the kids," many of
whom are from lobstering families, said
Wood. "It's a fabulous way of bringing
history alive."

The moving image can reinforce a
regional identity defined in Maine
literature, said Rae Pelletier, of Boothbay
Harbor Middle School. Using the work
of Maine authors "to teach history gives
us an authentic view of Maine people
and who we are as Mainers," she said.
Pelletier used clips from films relating
to author Sarah Orne Jewett to illustrate
the concept.

The second strength of the moving
image is related to that concept: Its
appeal to the imagination, effective even
where the written word fails to resonate.
"Using the film you hit the whole wide
range of diese kids," said Pelletier, "from
the ones who need a book on tape to the
kids who can read anything."

Finally, because the moving image itself

Teachtn Rae Pelletier,

Mike Wood,

Tamara Philbrook, and

William Baker at

"Moving Images in

the Classroom;" off camera,

an involved group of

75 teachers from

around Maine.

is a product of many converging arts, it's
the gateway to multidisciplinary teaching.
For example, Tamara Philbrook, of
Orono High School, explained her use of
a student's oral history videotape project
to teach a Maine dialect to her drama
students — pan of her carefully structured
literature curriculum using video excerpts
throughout.

Lisa Ornstein, director of the Acadian
Archives/ Archives acadiennes, in Fort
Kent, showed how a film became the
centerpiece for a major cultural initiative
in Maine's St. John Valley. Ornstein said
she "became aware of the enduring
resonance of Longfellow's Evangeline as a
cultural icon in Acadian communities
diroughout North America" and played a
role in restoration of the 1 929 film
Evangeline (a UCLA project).

Ornstein's segment also made obvious
how schools can benefit from robust
educational programs offered by such
regional collections as the Acadian
Archives and NHF.

None of which was to say that using
the moving image as a teaching tool is an
unmixed blessing, as the Q&A period
revealed. The question of film ratings,
age-appropriateness and what some
might call censorship drew especially
strong responses.

New "Twist" to Film History
NHF Advisor Patricia Zimmermann,
professor in the department of cinema
and photography at Ithaca College, found
NHF footage to be an invaluable resource

in presenting a paper at a symposium in
Los Angeles last December.

The symposium, "The Past as Present:
The Home Movie as the Cinema of
Record" at the Getty Research Institute
for the Arts and Humanities, was
organized by Karen Ishizuka, of the
Japanese American National Museum,
also in Los Angeles. (Ishizuka's
"Homemade Movies," a screening
program at UCLA, included sound
home movies from NHF s Archie
Stewart Collection.)

Zimmermann is an innovator in the
study of amateur film whose works
include the book Reel Families (1995,
Indiana University Press), which weaves
provocative political and social considera-
tions around a history of home movies.

Zimmermanns contribution at the
Getty symposium was a 40-page paper
titled "Morphing History into Histories:
From Amateur Film to Digital
Imaginaries." The paper proposed an
intervention into traditional film histori-
ography that dispenses with old polari-
ties— slick studio productions vs. sloppy
amateur films, for example — and takes
economic, social and ethnic pluralities
into full consideration.

"To look at amateur film,"
Zimmermann said, "we are looking at a
notion of histories, rather than history."

She turned to NHF for one of four
films discussed in the paper. Doing the

see Focus On Education, Page 10

Grants in Action: Twelve Happy Archives

NHF is one of twelve U.S. film
archives sharing in a $500,000
National Endowment for the
Arts award for the preservation and
presentation of so-called "orphan films."

The "Treasures of American Film
Archives" initiative, announced in
February, is one of the NEA's six
National Millennium Projects. The
National Film Preservation Foundation,
working in concert with the archives,
organized the initiative.

Designed to celebrate the country's
entry into the next millennium, the six
NEA projects are community oriented
and range from film to music to die
design of a human settlement on Mars.

Matching Funds Needed

NHF s budget for the laboratory
preservation work includes $4 1 ,696
from the NEA. The project total calls
for $9,400 still to be raised by NHF
from a corporate or foundation partner.
The films to be preserved and dissemi-
nated by NHF are:

Amateur Exemplars, a compilation of
significant home movies from the
1920s and 1930s by Archie Stewart,
Hiram Percy Maxim, the Meyer Davis
family, and others;

Aroostook County, 35mm footage from
Maine comprising scenes of die gabled
barn community of New Sweden,
dairy farming and an agricultural fair
in the 1920s;

Cary Maple Sugar Company, a 1 927
documentary on Vermont maple
sugaring;

The Hackett Collection, 1934 footage
showing daily life and holiday festivi-
ties at a Maine tuberculosis sanatorium
[MIR, Summer 1998];
Historic Provincetoum, a travelogue
shot in that Massachusetts town in
1916;

A Vermont Romance, a social morality
tale about an orphaned country girl
forced to take factory work in town.
The film was produced in 1916 by the
Vermont Progressive Party.
NHF is in illustrious company with this
grant. The four largest grants went to the
UCLA Film and Television Archive, die

George Eastman House, die Museum of
Modern An, and NHF. (Grant size
depended stricdy on the scope of the
preservation project, and the matching
requirement increased with grant size.)

Other regional organizations taking
part are the Alaska Film Archives, the
Minnesota Historical Society and the
West Virginia State Archives.

Orphan films are unprotected by any
commercial interests and therefore
dependent on public support. The films
covered by the NEA grant include
newsreels, avant-garde works, home
movies and orphaned studio produc-
tions. The "Treasures" project will pay for
new preservation and access copies of the
selected films, public screenings and a
video set for distribution to libraries and
sale to the public.

Monhegan Preserved in Lab Grant

As part of its continuing effort to
preserve amateur film of the region,
NHF during the winter received in-kind
support worth $2,000 from the Los
Angeles-based film lab Cinetech, in
partnership with the National Film
Preservation Foundation.

The film benefiting from the grant is a
1 ,000-foot selection from the Albert
Benedict home movies. The entire
collection totals 20,000 feet of original
35mm film shot by Albert Benedict in
the 1920s. Alberts son, Herbert
Benedict, of Bradford, NH, donated the
collection in 1998.

It was shot largely on the Maine coast
and in particular on the island of
Monhegan, famed as an artists' colony
since the early 1900s.

The grant consists of lab work from
Cinetech — specifically, cleaning the black
& white positive, preparing it for
copying, and creating a 35mm duplicate
negative and 35mm print.

Collections Guide Update

Thanks to a grant from the Maine
Historical Records Advisory Board
(MHRAB), NHF will update its
Collections Guide, first published
in 1995.
During the intervening years, explains

Collections Manager Paige Lilly, the
number of collections has doubled from
the 195 listed in the original guide. Lilly
is leading the update effort.

The update will not be comprehensive.
The $1,500 grant from the MHRAB,
requiring a match, is enough to update
the guide with most of the new Maine-
related collections. There are over 100.
But a similar number of collections from
other states must await other funding to
be included.

Due in the fall, the update will be an
addendum to the original guide created
by Patricia Burdick, Crystal Hall Cole,
and Karan Sheldon.

The Maine Historical Records
Advisory Board is a state agency that
makes grants to historical societies,
archives, museums and the like. (Lilly
and NHF Executive Director David
Weiss serve on the board.) Like its sibling
agencies in the other 49 states, the
MHRAB disburses money from the
National Historical Publications and
Records Commission, a federal grant-
making body that promotes preservation
and dissemination of valuable historical
documentation.

The current round of MHRAB grants
addresses a theme embraced in Maine's
capital in recent years: cultural tourism.
The state's smaller museums and histori-
cal societies in particular, says Lilly, are
seeing increased demand on their
limited resources.

"There's more pressure being brought
on these small collections and volunteer
organizations," she explains. Specifically,
the grants will help create finding aids
such as the Collections Guide update. For
NHF, the grant addresses more than the
immediate need for a more accurate
guide. It also helps shrink a backlog of
so-called "collections-level" catalogu-
ing— creating descriptions for entire
collections — for which there are never
enough staff hours in the budget. 9

Winning Support: The Sample Reel

// ^"\ how 'em, don't tell "em." That
.advice is taken to heart by
'anyone with a story to get
across. Not just novelists and filmmakers,
either: In winning new supporters,
nonprofit organizations, too, need to find
the most direct way to explain what they
do.

Moving-image archives have a built-in
advantage: Everyone likes moving
pictures, and there are plenty to show. In
helping create a sample reel for Northeast
Historic Film, two WGBH-TV staffers
discovered last summer that the hard part
is deciding what to leave out.

"It was really captivating," says Steve
Audette, senior Avid editor for the
Boston public television station. (Audette
does like his work, but Avid is the trade
name for a digital editing system.) "We'd
start out looking for a specific shot, and
end up watching for an hour."

Audette worked with Robin Parmelee,
coordinating producer for the news
program Frontline, on the sample reel.
Parmelee co-produced the piece with
K.ir.in Sheldon, and narrated it.

Mysterious Parade
What they came up with is short but
sweet. The piece begins with the late great
Maine humorist Marshall Dodge playing
train conductor, naming all the Maine
Central stops between Bucksport and
Vanceboro. It ends with a parade of top-
hatted men from the Maher Collection.
The narrative arc in between packs a
one-two punch, conveying both the
range of the collections and their emo-
tional appeal. Here are key facts of life in
the Northeast: the water, the woods, the
winter, the people at work and at play.
Parmelee's voiceover drives home the
simple truth that these moments were
saved once, by someone with a camera,
and deserve to be saved again.

Music by Paul Sullivan
Music heightens the impact. Robert
Schumann's Kindenzenen convey the
scent of the past in a performance by
pianist Carol Rosenberger. A new piece
composed for this compilation by Maine
pianist Paul Sullivan mirrors the images
in a more complex mix of emotions.

"There was poignancy to
it, and irony, and fun," says
Sullivan, of Sedgwick.
Sullivan, a performer and
recording artist, has known
Karan Sheldon and David
Weiss since they all had
offices in Noel Paul
Stookey's henhouse studio
in Blue Hill.

The sample reel is NHF s
best introduction to
potential supporters,

Schooner Doris Hamlin in Harrington, Maine, 1919 from the Edna
Frye Collection. Frame enlargement by John E. Allen, Inc.

Sullivan adds. "They have such a wildly
eclectic collection of stuff," he says, that
words aren't adequate to the job of
describing it. "This distills what the
organization is about."

Communicating Internationally
In making a case for support, archives
have an image problem to counter, says
Jeannette Kopak. She runs the English-
language television archives at the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Most people don't understand what
[moving image archives] are doing," she
says. "There is a sense, when you use the
word 'archives,' that it's just closing the
door and keeping it rotting, out of sight,
out of mind."

A sample reel shows that there's life in
the old films yet. Kopak knows that
acutely well, having gotten great results
from her own board with a reel of CBC
"greatest hits." She is using the NHF reel
as a model for provincial archives and
regional CBC affiliates.

Hours of Enchantment

Parmelee and Audette put perhaps 1 00
hours into the piece. But the time didn't
drag. "We both became enamored and
enchanted with the footage, and the life
from northern New England in a bygone
era that it so eloquently showed," says
Parmelee.

"It's like looking at our memories of
families and good times in our own
experience, brought to life through the
lives of others on film," says Audette.

It was evocative indeed, he found.
Audette takes his wife and three boys
camping every year on the Maine coast.
"While I was watching the film," he says,

"I could remember the smell and the feel
of the water, the sunlight." H

• a copy of NHF's sample reel,
Culture, Identity, Imagination,
Moving Images, call 207 469-0924.

Regional Audio-Visual
Archives Interest Group

Almost by definition, the work of the
regional archivist can be isolating, says
Maryann Gomes, director of one of
England's premiere moving-image
archives. "It's a hard struggle," says
Gomes, of the North West Film Archive
at Manchester Metropolitan University.
"One of the really nice things is that there
can be some kind of mutual support."

Gomes (pronounced "gomez") put
those sentiments into action at the 1998
conference of the Association of Moving
Image Archivists (AMIA) last December
in Miami. The conference resulted in the
founding of the Regional Audio- Visual
Archives Interest Group (RAVA).
Gomes stepped up to the plate and
agreed to chaii the interest group.

The first order of business after Miami
was establishing a listserv for the RAVA.
With Gomes' facility hosting, the service
was up by January. A RAVA website will
follow this year.

Two RAVA program proposals have
been accepted for the 1999 AMIA
conference in Montreal: a plenary session
and a public screening.

To subscribe to the RAVA listserv, send
the following message to nwfa-rava-
request@mmu.ac.uk: subscribe nwfa-rava
<your name> •

Northeast Historic Film Members

Patrons

Michael Fiori

Fred Oettinger

Ed Pert

James & Rita Phillips

Dr. & Mrs. H. Sheldon

Nathaniel & Margaret Thompson

David Weiss & Karan Sheldon

Friends

Q. David Bowers
Champion International

Corporation
Judy Davis

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Ives
Robert L. Jordan
Sally Lupfer

George & Kati MacLeod
Joan & David Maxwell
Mr. & Mrs. Alan J. McClelland
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Marville
Dorothy Morrison
Richard Prelinger
Richard Rosen
Clare H. Sheldon
Allene White
Pamela Wintle & Henry Griffith

Charles G. Tetro & Beverly Bibber
Vern & Jackie Weiss

Corporate Members

Acadia Pictures, Inc.

Archive Films

Thomas Bakalars Architects

Bucksport Veterinary Hospital

Clements Family Charitable Trust

Crosby's Drive In

The Enterprise

Fellows, Kee & Tymoczko

J. Gordon Architect

Lewis & Malm

Maine State Archives

Margaret Chase Smith Library

Center
Modular Media

Huey & Judith Wentzell

Richard & Sue Jagels

Tedd Johansen

Eithne Johnson & Eric Schaefer

Richard & Patricia Judd

Dr. Richard Kahn

Alan & Natalie Kattelle

Dr. Gaylen Kelley

Susan & Chip Kimball

Betty Ann & Donald Lockhart

Kenneth & Cheri Mason

Suzanne Massie & Seymour

Papert

David G. Madiiasen
Judith F. McGeorge
Betsy Montandon & Keith

Davison

organ & Alan ^

i'*vv*m ^a*f* iigima iviuigaii ot /TIHJ

RamsdeU Auto Supply Barbara & Geoff Neiley

DL Sage Productions. - John A. O'BriajuF

DL Sage Productions.
Tyson & Partners, Inc.
Robert Wardwell & Sons

Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Associates

Richard C. & Mary Alden

Alan Baker

Paul Cady & Christine Bowditch

Joseph F. Condon

Mr. & Mrs. Darwin Davidson

Dwight B. Demerirti JE/!;;;

Marcia Fenn

Bill Gross

Ernest & Kathryn Gross

Dr. Parker E Harri*^

Mr. & Mrs. Francis W. Hatch

William A. Haviland

C. A. Porter Hopkins

Richard A. Kimball

Don MacWilliams

Morton & Barbara Mather

Don & Patrisha McLearPIII

Martha McNamara & Jim

Bordewick
Henry H. Moulton
Neil D. Novello
Desmond & Joan O'Hara
Kathryn J. Olmstead
Charles R. Ryan
Dorothy & Elliott Schwartz
Wendy & Ken Schweikert
Robert M. Schwier
Peter & Ann Sheldon

Households

Mr. & Mrs. Robert

/^William H. Allen III ^

Carter & Linnea Andersson-Winde
Eric Benke & Frances Merritt

Thompson

Patricia & Thomas Berry
Paul & Molly Birdsall
Gr^pry Bottone
Edward & Joan Bromage
Gregory N. Brown
Dr. &Mrs. John M.R. Bruner
Mr. & Mrs. Neal Butler
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Carmichael, Jr.
Michaela & JeffColquhoun
Deborah Joy Corey & Bill Zildjian
Ruth & Joel Davis
James & Leila Day
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Dean
Peg & John Dice
Stewart & Jean Doty
Mr. & Mrs. G. Clifton Eames
Katy Eberhardt
Mr. & Mrs. Allan Fisher
Thomas, Christian & Galen

Gaffhey j^M^lHHll
Peter T. Gammons, Jr.

John A. O'Brien

Charles S. Payson

Audrey Peasley

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Perlman

Ron & Carol Pcrrv

Wesley Pipher

Mary Ann Porreca

Gertrude Porter

Nathaniel Porter & Susan Sala

Mr. & Mrs. David Pugh

Mr. & Mrs. Terry Rankine

Dr. Ned Rendall

George & Barbara RoilesS8j-;j|

rrl- L^^L C- -J_l

Elizabeth Saudek

Tom & Pat Schroth

Peter & Lucy Sellers

Irving & Nancy Silverman

Philip C. F. Smith

Samuel T. Suratt & Judith Hole

Suzanne & Samuel Taylor

Charles & Catherine Thompson

Dr. Philip P. Thompson

Louise Gulick Van Winkle : .

Seth H. Washburn

Jon Wilson & Sherry Sweeter

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Weinberg

Elizabeth & Frank Wiswall

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbe Museum

Aroostook Band of Micmac

Gerald & Rosemary Garland^^;: Indians

I"'ia Gilmore Atlantic Productions

nald C. Hammond

Miriam Hansen & Michael Geyer

Rob Hayes & Gretchen Adams

Roy V. Heisler & Esther Bissell

, Wendell Hodgkins

, & Mrs. John C. Howard

Bagaduce Music Lending Library
Bangor Historical Society
Bangor Public Library
Belfast Free Library
Blue Hill Public library

Raquel Boehmer
Boothbay Region

Middle/Elementary School
Bridgton Historical Society
Brooksville Historical Society
Buck Memorial Library
Calais Free Library
Cape Elizabeth Historical

Preservation Society
Joanne Cassida
Castine Arts Association
Certified Logging Professional
Charlotte E. Hobbs Memorial

Library
Cherryfield Narraguagus

Historical Society
Chichester Town Library

Worldwide, Inc.
Cinematheque Quebec-disc
Eldercare of Hancock Country
Ellsworth Historical !
Ellsworth Public Libr
Farmington Public Libr
Fine Arts Cinema
Foxcroft Academy
Friends of the Southp

Historical Society
Friends of Witherle Memorial

Library

Fryeburg Historical Society
Hall Elementary School
Hancock County Planning

Commission

Indiana Historical Society Library
Institute for New Hampshire

Studies
Katahdin Area Chamber of

Commerce

Kennebunkport Historical Society
Maine Film Office
Maine Folklife Center

• ; • *yn*/*-*Ti at1

Maine State Library
Maine State Museum
Marine Patrol
Marriner Library
Memorial Middle School
Moosehead Historical Society
Morrill Historical Society
Nashua Public Library,

Music-Art-Media Dept
New England Museum of

Telephony

New Sharon Historical Socie
Newport Historical Society
Northeast Harbor Library
Oak Grove Nursing Care Center
Orland Historical Society

continued on Page 12

Local Initiatives: Another Queen Crowned

working on the preservation effort since
1996. In addition to seeking funding,
Bruner has been taping oral history
interviews with other participants, such
as Lefty Perrin, who drove the kidnap-
pers' getaway car.

The pair has also been trying to dig up
more about the mysterious Showalter,
also known as Margaret Cram.

Bruner says, "These films, although
they were promotional for those particu-
lar towns, also give a cross-section of a
community at that particular time."
Showalter's voracious camera could
capture a significant proportion of the
population of a town like Groton,
which had fewer than 2,500 inhabitants
in 1939. Johnson can reel off the names
of many participants as they appear on
the screen.

Showalter caught place as well as
people. "In the town of Groton, for
example, the main street was like a
cathedral," Bruner says. "There were
stately elms on both sides, and they
would meet in a great arch above the
street. They all died in the 1950s." B

^^^•hanks to two men in Groton,

Mass., another film in the Movie

I Queen series is being restored.
And one of die pair, LeRoy Johnson, has
a particular stake in die film: he appears
in it.

The 1 6mm film has been in Johnson's
family since it was made, in 1939.
Johnson and Dr. Jack Bruner secured
$1,100 for its preservation from the New
York Women's Film Preservation Fund
and $900 from the Town of Groton.

As previously reported in these pages,
the Movie Queen series appears to have
been a one-woman venture. Margaret
Cram Showalter went from town to town
in die Northeast drumming up local
funding and players for her productions.
NHF has preserved Movie Queens made
in die Maine towns of Newport, Lincoln,
and Lubec; and Middlebury, VT.

The productions consisted of a stage
play followed by a movie. The standard
plot, which arced through the play and
the film, was a comedy adventure
culminating with the heroine's kidnap-
ping, a mad chase and the rescue by
her beau.

In Groton, the American Legion post
sponsored Showalter. Johnson's father
was a prominent Legionnaire, and
LeRoy — an impressionable 1 1 -year-
old — saw it all. During her Groton stay,
Showalter let Johnson lug the camera and
took meals with the Johnsons. She even
bathed there, as her rooming house had a
feeble hot water supply.

Showalter directed, ran the camera, did
the makeup. LeRoy Johnson remembers
a young woman who was "very efferves-
cent," he says. "Pretty girl. Long red hair,
very slender, small. Thinking back on it,
as I have many times, she seemed to have
things pretty well in hand, was able to
develop the talent that she had to work
with, and it went off without a hitch."

"When it was over, Margaret left the
film with Roy's father," says Jack Bruner,
a physician. He and Johnson have
known each other for years. Bruner
inherited an interest in old cameras from
his father, who bought his first movie
camera in 1927.

Bruner and Johnson have been

Staff Portrait:
Collections Manager
Paige Lilly

phone call some time back deepened
e Lilly's insight into the role of a
moving-image archives.

The call came from a woman whose
father had been interviewed about his
experiences as a Maine woodsman. The
caller had never seen the program
featuring her father, says Lilly. "He'd
passed away some years ago, and she'd
always intended to follow up."

It turned out that David Weiss and
Karan Sheldon had interviewed the man
for the 1989 documentary Woodsmen
and River Drivers. All the interview
footage, some 1 50 minutes, was in the
vault at NHF.

"When I let her know, she was practi-
cally in tears on the phone," says Lilly. "It
was so important to her that she have
that film to look at."

In other words, while NHF gets the
most ink for its national activities, it
also contributes on the most personal
level. Lilly feels that making such
connections may be the best part of her
job. Its "a lot of what we are and should
be about," she says.

This Blue Hill resident brings a
lifetime of library and collections
experience. Starting as a teen-ager at the
Patten Free Library, in B.ali , Lilly has
made her mark as a researcher and
archivist at some of Maine's best-
respected historical institutions.

Central to the collections manager
position is processing new accessions,
which appear on average once a week.
Put another way, the overall film and
video collection, now occupying about
800 linear feet of storage, grows by 150
linear feet annually. If that doesn't seem
like much, imagine 1 0 bookshelves, each
1 5 feet long, in your living room.

Lilly believes that, especially in the
academic community, the greatest strides
in interpreting the century's moving-
image legacy are yet to come. H

Collections Manager Paige Lilfy Photo by Karin Bos,
Meriden Studios.

In Memoriam: Danny Patt

s we strive to save artifacts of the
moving image era, amid the
Lheaps of tapes and films and
books it can be easy to overlook our most
precious resource: the living memory.

Danny Pan, though, could never be
overlooked. He was an original, a pianist
who first played along with silent films
when he was 12 and film itself wasn't yet
30. After the silents faded away, Danny
built a musical career that put him over
the national airwaves, into the White
House and onto the cover of Life
magazine.

In 1989 Dr. Richie Kahn connected
Danny Patt with Northeast Historic Film
for a screening in Union, Maine. Patt
accompanied silent films, screened by
NHF and others, well into the 1 990s.
Danny gave his last performance four
days before he died, last Christmas Eve,
at 86.

Danny first coaxed music from a
keyboard, a pump organ, when he was
seven. He was living in Union. His
eagerness made Danny one of a kind,
says Lynn Cadwallader, a producer and
director who included Danny in Sounds
of the Silents, her forthcoming docu-
mentary about live music for film.

"He started to play for movies at such
a young age, taught himself to do it —

following in his sisters footsteps — and
put himself forward to do the job widi
such zeal diat die local film exhibitor
finally had to hire him at age 12," she
says.

By the time Danny was 1 5, The Jazz
Singer had arrived and the silent era had
departed. By 1 936, Danny had gotten
up a band, the Maine Lumberjacks.
Radio star Lowell Thomas caught a
Lumberjacks show in Jackson, NH, liked
what he heard, and signed the band to a
contract. Thomas put the Lumberjacks
on the radio and in front of some famous
fans, including Kate Smith, Babe Ruth
and President Franklin Roosevelt, with
whom they shared the 1938 Life cover.

Danny returned to Maine in 1965 to
care for his parents, but never stopped
making music. He once told a reporter
that he could play some 5,000 songs
from memory. His core following was in
the Portland area, where he setded, but
his performances — which increasingly
included film-accompaniment work for
NHF and others — took him statewide.

"He loved the films, got completely
caught up in them and saw his work as
an important pan of the experience for
the audience," says Cadwallader.

Patt s legacy is considerable. It includes
his collection of film scores, which his

Danny Patt, 1912-1998.
Photo by Thomas R. Stewart.

family donated to NHF. They are
unforgettably personalized. Patt, who
was losing his eyesight toward the end,
made pages of large-type cues when he
was no longer able to read musical
notation.

That's an important addition to NHF's
Study Center. "Silent-film music is
growing partly because more and more
silent films are being restored every year,"
says Cadwallader. "All of this material
needs music."

"There are now many well-known
silent films that have more than one
score, and you will find real fans debat-
ing which scores work," she adds. Not all
musical accompaniments are appropri-
ate. "Some are overpowering," she says.
"Danny always let the film lead." I

Focus on Education

continued from Page 5

Twist is a selection from 8mm home
movies shot by a Maine woman, Gladys
Steputis, in 1961. The film is a docu-
ment of family fun over the holidays:
Isolated by heavy snow, the Steputis
daughters dance the Twist to bring the
family closer togedier around the
Christmas tree.

Zimmermann deconstructed die film
to reveal its function as an intersection of
feminist and family-culture issues. She
construed Doing the Twist as a fantasy
of family togetherness diat could also be
read as a complex web of power relations
within and beyond the family.

The film shows, she writes, "how the
family, rather than [being] isolated from
culture, is actually a nodal point for the
condensations of youth cultures, weather,
domestic space, region, nation." H

Local Connections: Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse

Some Maine residents look for local
fingerprints on national excite-
ment. When the Library of
Congress named the 1 998 selections for
the National Film Registry, those
Mainers no doubt brought magnifying
glasses to bear immediately.

Easy to spot was Twelve O'clock
High, which featured Gary Merrill, in his
later years a Portland resident. A little
harder was The Ox-Bow Incident, based
on a book by Maine native Walter Van
Tilburg Clark.

But most observers likely don't know
about the link between Maine and
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse, a
1 940 documentary filmed in Washington
state. This 16mm film captures die
dramatic failure of a suspension bridge
linking Tacoma and Gig Harbor.

The 5, 939-foot-long Tacoma Narrows
Bridge opened to traffic on July 1 , 1940,
and collapsed during a storm on Nov. 7.
In between, its undulations and gyrations
earned it the name "Galloping Gertie."

On windy days, it was not unknown
for motorists on die 2,800-foot middle
span to lose sight of vehicles ahead of
diem as die roadway twisted and rolled.

Lightness, Grace . . . Ooops

In an era of design when lightness and
grace were the suspension-bridge ideals,
Leon Moissieffs design for Tacoma
Narrows raised diose virtues to an
acclaimed degree. Moissieff used plate-
girder construction to support the bridge
deck rather than the more cosdy web-
truss method. The girder construction
was weaker than die truss and, crucially,
offered more wind resistance.

That decision played into an unhappy
tendency of suspension bridges. Under
certain circumstances they oscillate,
getting "into a rhythm," says Everett
Barnard, a bridge maintenance engineer
widi the Maine Department of
Transportation. "It gets worse and worse
and worse. It won't check itself."

So on that fateful day, under 42 mph
winds, MoissiefFs creation rocked, rolled
and pretty much fell into die water.
Because authorities had closed the
bridge, die only loss of life was a dog
named Tubby, owned by a newspaper

Jjrr.7 Si-,-

i * r >

The Deer hle-Sedgwick Bridge, built in 1939. Courtesy Maine Department of Transportation.

editor who had driven onto the bridge
just before it gave way.

The collapse was an incredible sight.
Fortunately, among the bystanders was
one Barney Elliott, of die Camera Shop
in Tacoma. Elliott, who died in 1 997 at
die age of 90, caught it on film — having
earlier documented die construction of
die bridge. The spectacular collapse
footage was picked up by the newsreels
and shown all over the world. And its
significance hasn't dimmed, as the
Library of Congress selection proves.

Rolling, But Not Tumbling
That significance reaches to Maine.
South of Bucksport we have our own
version of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Officially called the Deer Isle-Sedgwick
Bridge, the structure was built in 1939 to
cross Eggemoggin Reach and connect
Deer Isle widi die mainland.

The designer was David Steinman,
who also created the suspension bridge
that links Prospect and Verona, visible
from Bucksport. Like MoissiefF,
Steinman was going for both grace and a
low budget, and like MoissiefF, he went
for stiffening-girder construction.

Adding character to die design was die
Coast Guard request diat it accommo-
date die passage of sailing vessels. This
resulted in a 6.5 degree gradient to either
side of the center, creating the unsettling
impression that you are about to drive off
the edge of something. (There's at least

one tale of strangers waiting all day at
one end because they thought it was an
open drawbridge.) The bridge also talks
to itself, as do people who cross it
frequendy.

The Tacoma fiasco had Maine rever-
berations in 1 94 1 , when winds generated
1 2-foot oscillations in the Deer Isle
bridge. Engineers beefed up the structure
immediately, and it went along mutter-
ing to itself and not falling down until
the 1970s.

In February 1972, the "Groundhog
Gale" set up oscillations diat broke some
of the girders. In June 1978, sudden
unseasonably warm air slackened cables,
allowing for a fit of wobbles that closed
the roadway, buckled some plates and
stranded a lot of people in Deer Isle,
including Joan Mondale, wife of the vice
president.

Since then, with the ghost of Tacoma
Narrows never far from their minds,
engineers have continued to devote
money and attention to the bridge. The
Tacoma disaster gave bridge engineers a
new awareness of aerodynamics, and in
recent years that has manifested itself in
the form of fairings on the Deer Isle
bridge that cut wind resistance.

So, one hopes, the Deer Isle-Sedgwick
Bridge will pass a quiet 60th birdiday. All
the attention, says Barnard, "has kind of
quieted it down." I

: Library

;

Orono PublicJ

Otisfield Historical Society

Owls Head Transportation 1

Robert E.
AJison E. Burke

. Burke
en M. Burns
Charles Burwell

Railroad Square Cinema Edmund C, Cabot

Rangeley Public Library llil^usan^^^ill^

Remick Museum
Scarborough Historical Society
Simmons College Library
South Parish Congregational
Church

Thomaston Historical Society
Thorn

Dorothy Carter
fKfe- •is^KaifJsi:--':."
Thomas J. Cash

Michel Chalufour

onulikc Library, College of Meredith Charest

the AtJMjjplp;.' Brent Chasse

Trustees of Reservations Reginald R. Ctark

Vinalhaven Historical Society Brenda J. Condon

Waterville High School Dr. Richaid Condon

Witherle Memorial Library Ben Crocker

Women Unlimited Hank Cmteau

York Public mm!l& Richard E. Cu

Individffl Membetfji

Corajane J. Adams';/?

Fred Curtis

jr.

Kathy Anderson
Thomas M. Armstrong
Richard Atkinson
Scott Atkinson

Sheila O
Larry Dakin
Polly Darnell
apt. Marion
er Davis
Dean

A Peter DeCarlo
Orville B. Denison, Jr.
Sally Denning
jjf?|eannene S. Dennison

Althca Ballentine Paul M. Densen
RaymonStettF-^'' • nl B nk~

Elsie Balano
Victoria Ballard

Don Ballou
Erik Barnouw
Jean T. Barrett
Otis Bartlett
Sally Beaudette
Henry Becton, Jr.
William Bell
Arnold Berleant
Chris Berry
Darren Bishop
Robert Blake
Maureen Block
Benjamin Blodget
Richard Bock
Alden Bodwell
Frances Bos
Peter A. Bragdon
Joan S. Branch
Marcia Beal Brazer
Victor Brooks
Diane Brown
Carol Bryan
Lynwood Bryant
Richard Burby
Will Burden
Patricia Burdick

i*"
ficrDcrtemont

losephine H. Detmer
Ernest J. Dick
Mary M. Dietrich
Jefferson Dobbs
Mary Dolan
Leon J. Doucette
Neal C. Dow
Frank Drewniany
Stanley Earle
Albert Eaton
John G. Edgerly
Deborah Ellis
Jonathan Ellsworth
Anna Mary Elskus
Bill Elwell
Elaine Emery
Charles Emond
Sandra L. Erlebach
Lynn Farnell
Dr. David B. Field
Tom Finson
Richard Fitz
David Folster
Marion C. Foss
Ann Foster
Loren Fowler

Ellen Fox
Karen Frangoi
Betty Fraumeni
Jim Freeman
Ann M. Frenkel
Marian J. Fretz
Ed Friedman
Kathryn H. Fuller
Samuel Fuller
Liz Fulton
Phyllis Gardiner
Lindy Gifford
Martha U. Goldner
Dr. Douglas Gomery
Henry Grandgent
:on Grandmaison

Grant
H.irry Greenfield
Arnold Grindle
Ernest H. Groth
Mary Stewart Hafer
Mike HalB
Thomas Hall
Clarence Hamilton
Eric W. Handley
Joseph rfanley
James O. Hanna
Robert Hanscoitt''
Robert E. Hardy
Charles Harmon
Elizabeth C. Harmon

A. Hartman
rothy Hayes
Ivory Heath
Roswell Hebard
Arlene Hellerman
James Henderson
Mark Henry
Susan Herlihy
James L. Hills
Nancy Hoff
Russell Holmes
Karen Hopkins
Charles Houston
Sally Howe

Stanley R. Howe, Ph.D.
Doug Hubley
Tom Hulce
Diane Huning
James Hunnewell
Pearl Hunt
David M. Huntley
Roderick Huntress
Douglas H. Ilsley
Ann Ivins
Jeffrey Janer
Mary B. Jessup
Gerald Johnson
Victoria Johnson
John C. Jones
Leon Jones
Thomas F. Joyce

: Dr. Richard Kahn

JohnJ. Karol.Jr.

Barry J.Kelley

Dr. Robert O. Kellogg

Robert Kelly

George Knowles

John D. Knowlton

Judith Koome
t Kajfen Kristoff

Margaret M. Lacombe

~ fey Lee LangstafF
1 Betty Larson

Tom Larson

B. E. Larsson

Percy Maxim Lee
.:;-:5»ndra Lee

Richard D. Leggee

Robin Linn
„ Bill Lippincott

Dorothy C. Liscombe

Little Tree

Bonnie Lounsbury

Elizabeth A. Low

Michael Lund

Janet I. Lydick

Edward C. Lynch

Rob Lyon

Colleen Mace

John MacFadyen

Don Mac Williams

John Mankiewicz

Louis Marstaller

Prof. Eugene Mawhinney

Hiram Percy Maxim II

Valerie Felt McClead

Caren McCourtney

Gertrude L. McCue

Catherine McDowell

George H. McEvoy

John D. McEwan, Jr.

John T. Mcllwaine

Bob Mclntire

Linda McLain

Patrick T. McSherry

Jim Meehan

Joan F. Meserve

Bruce Meulendyke

Gerald E. Michael

Rev. Edward G. Miller

Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Clifford Miner

Ellen Mitchell

Douglas Monteith

Michael Moore

Charles B. Morrill

Alva Morrison

Geer Morton

Sumner E. Moulton

Margaret W. Myers

Alfred Noyes

William O'Farrell

John O'Keefe

George R. O'Neill

Kathryn J. Olmstead

David E. Outerbridge

Norma Patterson

Fred Perkins

Geoff Phillips

Anne Phillips

Court Piehler

Eddie Potter

John Potter

Christine T. Prado

Nancy Pratt

Richard Pratt

Alice W. Price

Dr. Lloyd F. Price

David J. Quinn

Joseph L. Quinn

Avis Rairigh

Elvie M. Ramsdell

William Rand

Patricia Ranzoni

David Raymond

Joyce A. Reed

Stanley Reed

Frederick Reynolds

Steve D. Reynolds

Dr. Carol Rice

Susan Richardson

Paige W. Roberts

Windsor C. Robinson

Sydney Roberts Rockefeller

James Rockefeller, Jr.

Lynanne M. Rollins

Libby Rosemeier

Robert Rosie

Michael Sacca

David Sanderson

Paul Santomenna

RedSarna

Karen Saum

Bob Savoy

Eddie Sawyer

Clint Schaum

Ronald F. Schliessman

Betty Schloss

Edwin R. Schneider

Laurie Schoendorfer

Jennifer L. Shallenberger

Frank F. Shanton III

Richard Shaw

Bernard A. Shea

Milt Shelter

Joan Sheldon

Harold B. Simmons

Laurence P. Sisson

Gary O. Smith

Dr. Marshall Smith, Jr.

William S. Souza

Bob Spaulding

Amy B. Squibb

Alex Stevens

John S. Stillman

Robert Studley, Jr.
Eve Stwenka
William H. Swan
Cynthia Taplin
Jean Templeton
Dr. Philip P. Thompson
Robert A. Thompson
Peter Tilton
Don Tirabassi
Jonathan Titcomb
Steve Trimm
Alston C. Tuttle
Lucie Tyler
C. Robert Tyler
R. Bruce Underwood
Mary Valliere
Joanne J. Van Namee
Pete Van Note
Sheila Varnum
Arthur C. Verow
Robert Waite
Julia Walkling
Robert Wasson
Jean M. Weber
Jean Webster
Lucy Webster
Michael Weeks
Dianna Weigel
Heidi Wells
Ginia Davis Wexler
James Wheelden
Virginia W. Whitaker
Christopher White
Heather White
Dr. Richard E.G. Whin
Phil A. Whitney
Jane Whitten
Robert Wickman
James Russell Wiggir
Bruce Williams
Deborah Williams
Bonnie Wilson
. Betty Winterhalder
Bruce Wintle
Edith Wolff
Bob Woodbury
Aagot C. Wright
Rebekah Yonan
Geoff Zentz
Marguerite Y. Zientara
Richard R Zvingilas

Educators/Student
Members

Dr. John H. Ahlin
Timothy W. Allison-Hatch
Mark L. Anderson
Rosemary Anthony
Judy Arey

Prof. William J. Baker
Henry Barendse
John Baxter

Stephanie R. Beck
Joyce Bell
Frank Bisher
Alice Bissell
Deborah Blanchard
Maureen Block
Dolly Bolduc
Susan Bradford
Eugene Breslin
Richard Brucher
Sara Buck
Richard F. Burns
Waldo Caballero
William Carpenter
Terry W. Christy
Joanne D. Clark
Judith Clough;-
DebraCl
Ann Cohen
Selene Colhurn
Phil Cony
Paul A. Cyr
Devon Damonte
Kristin Dawiey
David Dean
Robert Dow
Melinda A. Duval
Dr. Joel W. Eastman
David EllenbeiJgw,

Jeff Koopman
Walt Krauser
Karol P. Kucinski
Yvon Labbe
Bev Laplant
Lee Lento
Douglas V. Luden
Barbara A. MacEwan
Richard A. MacKinnon
Nancy MacKnii
Paula Mak«r.:
Barbara Maim
Peter Mascuch
Rev. Shirley Mattson
James Mckee
Margo Merrill
Mary F. Meskcrs
Cheryl Mills
Beverly Mobley
Peggy Muier
Andrew Mullen
Charles Prentiss Ogilvii
Steve Orlikoff
Linda M. Paquette
Peggy Parker
Donald Pattershall
Sanford Phippen
Lynda Pietroforte
Joan Radner
Lynne Richards
Michael Rondi
Rene Roy

R. Shibles
ley Shorey

Carlton G
Joanne Freck
Ann Gallagh
Dan Gandin
Mike Gillis
Lawrence Gi

Joe

Cors/Tj
Judy Hakola
Samuel J. Harvey
Jane Havey
Paul Herrick
Judi Hetrick
Melanie S. Hitchcock
Marcia Howell
Beverly Huntress
Margery Irvine
Marcia R. Jacobs
Wendy Jacobs
Scon Jacqmin
Richard D. Jenkins

A, Kanes
Polly Kaufman
Zip Kellogg
Tom Kinsky
Jeffery Kknotic
Sarah White Knoch

Kate St. Denis
Giflfbrd Stevens
Dwight Swanson
Linda Swasey

David C. Switzer

cy Tarpinian
Truax

.Tymoczko Baker
Juris Ubans
Richard C Valinski
Abigail A. Van%ck
David H.
Tinky Weisblat
Philip C. Whitney
Seth Wigderson
Steve Wight
George Wildey
Robin Wiley
Donald Wilken
AnneWi
C. Bruce Wright

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director
Frank Berry, Archives Assistant
Samantha Boyee, Member Services
John Chapin, Business Manager
Jane Berry Donnell, Distribution

Coordinator

Dan Gottlieb, Production Services
Paige Lilly, Collections Manager
James Sweet, Cataloging
Phil Yates, Facilities Manager

NHF Board of Directors

Michael J. Fiori, Readfield, ME.
President of E.Y.E Foundation. CEO of
ODV, Inc., manufacturers and distribu-
tors of narcotic identification equipment.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, ME.

President, E Media, Kennebunk, special-
izing in manufacturing technology and
electronic media.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, ME.

Maine State Archivist, administrative
head of the State Archives. Directs
Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board. Ph.D. in political science from
Emory University.

Martha McNamara, Orono, ME.
Assistant Professor of History, Cultural
History and the History of New
England, University of Maine, Orono.
Ph.D. in American & New England
Studies, Boston University. Director of
the Society of Architectural Historians,
New England chapter. Maine Historic
Preservation Commission member.

Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, ME.

Vice President and Operations Manager,
Champion International Bucksport Mill.
Lives in Penobscot with family.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, ME.

Co-founder of Trio Software
Corporation, and an independent
property assessment consultant. Was staff
producer and director at WMTW TV;
studied film at George Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, ME.

Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architec-
, tural design, urban design, and planning

for worldwide projects — educational and
exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, ME.

Owner, Rosens Department Store,
Bucksport — third-generation owner.
Maine State Representative. Vice
President of the board of Bucksport
Regional Health Center, and past
president of the Bucksport Bay Area
Chamber of Commerce.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, ME.

Co-founder of NHF. Board, Maine
Folklife Center and Friends of Fogler
Library, University of Maine. Co-chair,
AMIA Committee on the U.S. National
Moving Image Preservation Plans.

Nathaniel Thompson, Soudi Portland,
ME.

Television professional, 1983—1998 with
Maine Broadcasting Company. Member
of the family-owned media group that in
1998 sold NBC affiliates WCSH and
WLBZ to Gannett Broadcasting.
Connecticut College graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, ME.

Executive Director and co-founder of
NHF. Previously media producer in
Boston after graduating in film and
semiotics from Brown University. Serves
on Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board.

Pamela Winde, Washington, D.C.
Founder, Smithsonian Institution
Human Studies Film Archives. Co-chair,
Association of Moving Image Archivists'
amateur film group, Inedits. Family roots
in Skowhegan, Maine. gj

Advisors

The Advisors of Northeast Historic
Film are individuals who have an interest
in the work of the moving image archives
as an organization with a vision for film,
video, and digital preservation, with
broad public access.

Gillian Anderson, musicologist, conduc-
tor, and author of Music for Silent Films,
1894-1929. Washington, D.C, and
Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon
Theaters and Their Music, a history of the

Thanhouser Company, and other books.
Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came
This Way: A Journey Through the Lives of
the Underclass, and director of the
documentary feature Hearts and Minds.
Castine, Me.

Kathryn Fuller, Ph.D. Assistant
Professor, History, Virginia
Commonwealth University, author of At
the Picture Show: Small Town Audiences
and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture
(Smithsonian Institution Press).
Richmond, Va.

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor,
College of Journalism, University of
Maryland. Author of Shared Pleasures: A
History of Movie Presentation in the
United States (University of Wisconsin
Press). Chevy Chase, Md.

Alan Kattelle, author of a forthcoming
history of amateur film, Home Movies - A
History of the American Industry 1897-
1979, and cinematographic researcher.
Hudson, Mass.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving Image
and Audio Conservation at the National
Archives of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor,
Department of Visual and Media Arts,
Emerson College, Boston. Author of
"Bold! Daring! Shocking! True": A History
of Exploitation Films, 1919-1959 (Duke
University Press). Boston, Mass.

Samuel Suratt, Archivist for CBS News
for 25 years. Archivist of the Smithsonian
Institution. Founding member of
International Federation of Television
Archives. New York, NY.

Robert W.Wagner, Ph.D. Emeritus
professor of history and audiovisual
communication with an interest in
amateur film, archiving and nontheatri-
cal film. Arlington, Ohio, and Readfield,
ME.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D. Professor
of Cinema and Photography, Roy H.
Park School of Communications, Ithaca
College. Author, Reel Families: A Social
History of Amateur Film (Indiana
University Press). Ithaca, NY. H

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England; and on moving-image related merchandise from
the catalog and Alamo Theatre Store.

Membership Levels and Benefits Please check one:
D Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

H Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

Zl Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

U Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

U Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

D Corporate Membership, $100 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

U Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

D Patron, $1,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

Name.

Address .

City

State

Zip.

Phone

DNew D Renew

d I do not wish to receive the premium.
Please charge my credit card: D MC D VISA

Account #

Exp. date

Signature of cardholder

D My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable to
Northeast Historic Film.)

Gift Membership

I would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address

City .
State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become
involved with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is online at www.oldfilm.org/reference.html

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference bv Mail/Member* ONLY

Titles:

Shipping $5

Membership/Specify level

TOTAL

A Vermont Romance, 1916, from WCAX-TV. One of the films being preserved as part of the National Film
Preservation Foundation project, "Treasures of American Film Archives, " with funds from the National
Endowment for the Arts. See Page 6. Frame enlargement by Leon Kouyoumjian, Color Works.

Friends and colleagues helped identify fibns: Philip Cjirli. Rob Edelman,
Kathryn Fuller, Suul Funnier, Jgn-ChristOfher Horak, F.ithtie Johmn, Audrey
Kupferberg, John Lowe, Mac McKinley, Donna Ross, Eric Schaefer, Zoran

Smohiitt, John Skillin.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Change Service Requested

Sony Pictures
Entertainment Gift

J^ gift from Sony Pictures
Jr^Entertainment, courtesy of Grover
Crisp, vice president for asset manage-
ment and film restoration, leads the way
for access to New England's motion
picture story. The 35mm prints include
Little Women, with Susan Sarandon as
Marmee, the fourth iteration of this film
(1919, 1933, and 1949). Other films
donated to the archives are To Die For,
Jumanji, The Spitfire Grill, Mrs.
Winterbourne, and To Gillian on Her
37th Birthday.

"Thanks to this gift, we can look at
how movie audiences see New England,
from the industrial site in Jumanji, to
the rural cafe in The Spitfire Grill," says
Karan Sheldon, NHF co-founder. "We're
grateful for this opportunity to discuss
common perceptions of New England
character and landscape."

A few features, some diought lost, have
been found in farflung archives. Readers
are invited to consult die list at www.old-
film.org/N.E.Featurefilms/ to help bring
home films and associated materials diat
relate to New England identity.

Identifying feature films with New
England diemes has been an ongoing
project of die archives. In 1997 we
published a list of 1 90 features related to
die region. Appearing in diese films from
1 9 1 5 to 1 999 are Yankee characters
including die rube, die waif, and the
gossip. Small-town life contrasts with city
values, seafaring tales abound, there's a
genre of North Woods dramas, and
throughout we find Godiic elements
with strong strains of nasty family
secrets and the supernatural.

The list now stands at more than
270 titles, with growth attributable to
new films (e.g, Affliction, The Ice
Storm, and Message in a Bottle), and to
continued vigilance among archivists and
researchers. The 35mm theatrical facility
and die opportunity to work widi
students and teachers on perceptions of
New England provides an added impetus
to seek out these tides. H

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

IMAG

REVIEW

Knowledge on Tap

Dedicated to the Preservation
of Northern New England
Motion Pictures

Winter 2000

Film-tO-Film Practices 5

New NHF Members 8

Worm's Eye View 1O

TV Preservation Gift 11

TV Bibliography 13

Moving Image Review is a semiannual
publicacion of Northeast Historic Him,
P.O. Box 900, Kucksport, Maine 04416.
David S. Weiss, executive director
Doug Hubley, writer and editor.
ISSN 0897-076').

E Mail OLDFILM@acadia.net
Web http://www.oldfilm.org

k little learning is a dangerous
thing," Alexander Pope
warned in An Essay on
Criticism (1711). "[S] hallow drafts
intoxicate the brain," Pope said — but
drinking deeply "sobers us again."

It's still a good lesson. It must be,
because we keep having to learn it.
Whether its the artsy dilettante or the
politician reducing innovative policy to
the flavor of the month, someone's
always running aground in the shallows
of human thought.

That includes, of all people, us. Film
archivists from coast to coast popped
champagne corks after die National Film
Preservation Foundation and the NEA
announced new funding for our efforts.
But now it's the morning after: As we
dispatch our precious films for preserva-
tion copying, it's dawning that we, don't
know enough about the film-to-film
process, the film labs or even, heaven
help us, the films themselves.

Meanwhile, in between deliveries from
studios, the labs are opening boxes of
home movies, and saying, "Hmmm."
Maybe it's time we all got to know each
other better.

The central figure in The Making of
an American puts Pope to the test and
determines his correctness through die
evidence of a broken leg. Such things
happen around open elevator shafts
when you can't read warning signs. What
the Connecticut Department of
Americanization was communicating via
film in 1920 was that immigrants benefit
by learning English. Its a simple piece of

wisdom that activists on both sides of the
immigration-assimilation issue have been
trying to obscure with polemics for a
century now.

Another film in the NHF collection
offers a reminder that, as Neil Young said
about rust, the absence of knowledge
never sleeps. It's dynamic. When Ivan
Flye shot Maine Marine Worm
Industry in 1942, he showed us all we
really needed to know about sandworms
and bloodworms, those polychaetes so
popular with deep-sea anglers.

But when Bucksport worm diggers
petitioned the state for relief in 1999,
accusing mussel draggers of wrecking the
worms' mucky habitats, it came out that
no one in Augusta has really given the
worms much thought since 1970. Maybe
it's time to do some more digging.

If Andrea McCarty were into marine-
resources policy instead of film, you can
bet that researchers would be all over
those mud flats like a cheap suit. Their
loss is our gain. When McCarty joined
the Alamo staff last
summer as Theater

The Making of an
American, / 920, from tin-
Aim KatteUe Collection,
NHF. l-rame enlargement
by Dale Gervaii, courtesy
Natin'iiil. -\rcln:

,inri I/WT on I'age 3.

Manager, she brought along a thirst for
knowledge that has taken her to Paris, a
world capital of cinema, and the Selznick
School of Film Preservation, one of few
U.S. teaching institutions in that field.
She's generous widi what she knows and
we're happy to partake.

A similar passion for learning created
the Porter Collection. The films of wild
birds shot by John Porter, brother to
painter Fairfield and photographer Eliot,
embody the allure of learning. To find out
more about kittiwakes or puffins, Porter
was willing to make the long journey to
the Gaspe peninsula or spend hours in a
blind. The images he captured are as
telling now as they were 60 years ago.

Thanks to filmmakers like John Porter
and donors like his family, those images
and coundess others remain on tap in
our collections. And so we dedicate this
issue of Moving Image Review to a
simple act: quenching the thirst for
knowledge. Drink deeply. There's plenty
for everybody. I

Executive

Director's Report NHF at the Academy: University Conferences

Along every organization's path are
shifts from adolescent beginnings
toward adulthood. Northeast
Historic Film made a transition on
May 1, 1999, when we opened the
Alamo Theatre as a community cinema
for regular weekly movies.

A community film program committee
meets every month to help select what we
will show. Phil Yates projects trailers of
new movies and the group enjoys free
refreshments from the candy counter. The
discussion ranges freely, including how to
treat R-rated movies, whether the local
audience will enjoy subtitled films, and
what young people, seniors and neighbors
might like to see in the coming month.
Bucksport's biggest-drawing tides have
been Life is Beautiful, Netting Hill,
Sixth Sense and Message in a Bottle.

Besides regular Hollywood entertain-
ment the program this summer included
two wonderful films separated by 50 years:
the 1919 Mary Pickford film Daddy Long
Legs, accompanied on the piano by Philip
Carli, and Sony Pictures Entertainments
restored Easy Rider. Both special
engagements overflowed our 1 25 seats and
emotionally engaged our audiences.
Northeast Historic Film members
receive the monthly calendar, and $ 1 ofF
the already reasonable ticket price of $4.50
(seniors and students pay $3.50). We will
keep movies on the screen each weekend
through the winter and plan to hold the
price as long as the audience continues to
grow. Cinema Manager Andrea McCarty
(see Page 4) is running a volunteer
program and has instituted "The Archival
Minute," a program opener drawn from
the archives' collections.

New Staff

The growth of the organization is also
reflected in our staff and their experience.
Newcomers include Don Radovich,
technical services, from Rochester; Marko
Schmitt, membership director, from Palo
Alto; and Jane Beal, stock footage and
access, from Boston. Each would be
delighted to hear from you. I am so
pleased to welcome them to our team.

Two national conferences welcomed
Northeast Historic Film in the
latter half of 1999: those of the
University Film and Video Association
(UFVA) and the Consortium of College
and University Media Centers.

Hosted by Emerson College, in
Boston, the annual UFVA event began
on Aug. 3. The UFVA calls itself an
organization where film and video
production meet the history, theory and
criticism of the media. Its membership of
nearly 1 ,000 includes archivists, librari-
ans, businesses and creators, as well as
members of the academic community.

NHF's participation included an
evening screening on the opening day
and contributions to two papers by
Eithne Johnson and NHF Advisor Eric
Schaefer in the panel "Regional
Archives/Regional History." NHF
showed works in a variety of genres from
Massachusetts: Student Uprising at
Harvard, \969,Provincetoum, 1916,
znA Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 1926.
Dr. Schaefer, an assistant professor in the
Visual and Media Arts Department at
Emerson College, introduced the session,
which focused on the provenance of
these materials and their uses in acade-
mic and public settings.

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but are not limited
to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation of
educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
the film and video production com-
munity, through providing a study
center, technical services and facilities.

Orphans No More

Two months later, the Consortium of
College and University Media Centers
(CCUMC) convened in Burlington, Vt.
NHF's screening was called "Orphans
No More: Regional Film and Video as
Resource."

The CCUMC promotes the role of
media and instructional technology
services in facilitating the work of
teachers and students in higher educa-
tion. The conference opened with a
keynote speech by Bill Schubart, head of
Resolution, Inc., a video and intellectual
asset management company in South
Burlington. Schubart emphasized the
moral implications of business and
technological decisions in regard to

access.

Other speakers included Oksana
Dykyj, head of visual media resources at
Concordia University, who gave a
detailed presentation on moving-image
preservation in academic media centers.

NHF's session was introduced by
University of Vermont media librarian
Martha Day, CCUMC board member
and conference co-chair. Karan Sheldon
presented excerpts from the collections,
along with how each holding was
preserved and an overview of NHF s
function in connecting donors, academic
and public audiences. For more informa-
tion about the organizations, see
tvww.ufra.org3.nAnninv.ccumc.org. B

At the Fryeburg Fair farm museum, October 1999,
a happy NHF customer with his new video copy of
Bush Pilot.

Collections: The Making of an American

In its 100 or so years of existence, the
term "Americanization" has gathered a
lot of political baggage.

On its face, the process of
Americanization might seem as innocent
as learning English, discovering the thrills
of die Super Bowl, and one sunny day
taking the oath of citizenship. But, oddly
enough in this land of newcomers,
nothing draws controversy like immigra-
tion and its attendant issues.

At one extreme, immigrant-advocates
argue against assimilation on the basis of
preserving cultural identity. At die
extreme of that extreme, Americanization
is even likened to what one observer
called "a gen trifled form of ethnic
cleansing."

At the other pole, your more rabid
nativists see any immigration as akin to
an invasion and any assimilation as
merely the penultimate phase of die
takeover.

A film from NHF's Alan Kattelle
Collection takes a kinder, gentler and
more uplifting view of the question. "Any
process which makes a man or woman a
loyal, active, and intelligent citizen is
Americanization," die Connecticut
Board of Education wrote in 1 92 1 , and
ih.it straightforward goal is all that The
Making of an American hopes for.

The Connecticut Department of

Americanization produced The Making
of an American in 1 920 to help moti-
vate non-English speakers to learn the
language. Its the story of a man who
does just that.

"Attracted by the hope of greater things
dian Italy can afford him," the opening
intertitle states, "Pete has taken the great
step and landed in America." But, not
knowing any English, Pete lands instead
at die bottom of a factory elevator shaft,
breaking his leg, in an accident caused by
his inability to read a warning sign.

At this point he realizes that things
aren't working out so well in America.
Inspired by another sign — one that, in
Italian and Polish, advertises English-
language classes — he decides to take
action.

You don't need a crystal ball to predict
what happens next. But the film treats
Petes up-by-the-bootstraps effort, his
English classes and consequent ascent in
the world, widi lyrical optimism. At one
point, now a manager in die factory, he
finds himself advising a new immigrant
to take English-language classes. Later he
becomes a popular and effective local
politician.

It was an effective message. A report
located by Connecticut State Archivist
Mark H. Jones shows that some 1 12,540
persons saw the film in Connecticut, and

it was screened in other states as well. In
one six-month period, 63 factories in
Connecticut established Americanization
classes, a movement stimulated by
stipends paid to factory directors by a
Connecticut industrial association.

Other factors encouraged business
owners too. As the U.S. Commission on
Immigration stated in a 1995 publica-
tion, fervent nationalists saw
Americanization as a way to "inoculate"
immigrants against what they considered
dangerously radical ideas from some
political quarters. This impulse reached
its peak in the years after World War I —
that is, around the time The Making of
an American was made.

But none of diat seeps into the film. In
fact, one of its most touching scenes
depicts Pete and his wife in a happy
encounter by a grapevine lush with
foliage and heavy with fruit. That's an
extraordinarily powerful symbol of the
old country. It says clearly that no one's
making immigrants give up their native
culture. All that's asked is that they learn
to function in this one. H

The ten-minute video is available free of
charge to NHF members through the
Reference by Mail loan program, and may
also be purchased for $15. Contact Jane
Donnell at 207 469-0924.

The Making of an American, 1920. from the Alan Kattelle Collection, NHF. Frame enlargements by Dale Gervais, courtesy National Archives of Canada.

<£,.>/

•!*

?arnEn|Jli!

/Wend the Public tveni
[School Nearest tour I

autelj lingua In

hezsiepo

<*'•

r*,"

Unanimous Recognition of
I Public-spirited Work of
Leading Citizen for

Staff Portrait: Cinema Manager Andrea McCarty

• love to go to the cinema," says
I Andrea McCarty, "and in the
I back of my mind I've always
thought, Wouldn't it be neat to open up
your own little art house?"

Since last summer McCarty has come
much closer to realizing that dream. She
divides her time between managing the
cinema at the Alamo and assisting with
archival operations.

McCarty arrived in Bucksport in July
to work as an archival intern. But the
workload at the cinema, which opened in
May, proved pressing enough that she
soon found herself selling tickets and
shoveling popcorn. From there it was a
short hop to helping plan the program-
ming and booking prints.

Now that die Alamo staff has mastered
the steep learning curve in operating a
community cinema, die next goal is to
streamline and systemize die operation.
In effect, McCarty says, "we want the
dieater to run by itself."

As intern, McCarty's first major
assignment was assessing die Harry Shaw
Collection. Donated in 1993, the
collection consists of 70 reels of 35mm
material accumulated by Shaw, a former
projectionist at die Biddeford Drive-in,
in Biddeford, Maine.

NHF took special interest in one
aspect of die collection, the ads and
house promotions that preceded the
features. Teasers for the concession stand
and entertaining "snipes" counting down
the minutes until show time were an
integral part of the drive-in experience.
And ads for local businesses, including
their Christmas promotions, document
the economic and civic life in this Maine
mill town.

In fact, after repair and preservation,
some of this material will precede feature
presentations at the Alamo just to offer a
glimpse of the drive-ins' glory days.

Jump Into the Cinema
McCarty's current situation, working at
NHF and living in a converted barn in
the town of Morrill, is quite a remove
from a previous lifestyle. Just a few years
ago she was living in France, taking
classes, teaching English and waiting on
tables in a Parisian notion of an

American eatery, the Chicago
Meatpackers Restaurant.

Toward the end of her four-
year French adventure McCarty
earned a certificate, the equivalent
of a bachelor's degree, in film and
audiovisual studies at the
Universite de la Sorbonne
Nouvelle. Throughout her stay
she lived the foreign-student-in-
Paris dream, even residing in a
sixth-floor garret in the heart of
Paris — for which she paid rent of
an hour of ironing each day.

As a student at Bowdoin
College, in Brunswick, Maine,
McCarty spent her junior year in
France. It was a double conversion
experience: She fell in love not
only with the country but — in the
land of Renoir, Truffaut and the
magazine Cahiers du Cintma —
with film.

"When I got to France, there
was so much cinema there, and it
was so important to the culture in
general," McCarty says. "It's
definitely seen as more than just
Friday-night-at-die-multiplex
entertainment."

She adds widi a laugh, "And being a
foreigner, if you're having a hard time
making friends at the beginning, you can
also jump into the cinema."

That short time abroad prompted
McCarty to change her major from Asian
studies to European history and French
literature, with a minor in film studies.
Soon after she graduated from Bowdoin,
in 1 994, she returned to France.

Her two years at Meatpackers were
eye-opening in their own way. Cultural
identity was something of an issue. For
one thing, McCarty was a vegetarian
serving big burgers and ribs to French
citizens in an "American" eatery. For
another, she was the only American
server there, the rest being English, Irish,
even Danish.

"A lot of French people, when they
listened to me speak English with the
English or Irish people, wouldn't believe
that I was American," she says.

Back in the States, McCarty picked up
yet another academic credential, a

Andrea McCarty. Photo by Karin Bos.

certificate in archival training at the
Jeffrey Selznick School of Film
Preservation at the George Eastman
House, in Rochester, N.Y. The school
offers one of this country's very few
programs devoted to the physical
medium of film, rather than filmmaking
practices, aesthetics or film history.

There she met Karan Sheldon, who
was giving a talk at the school. McCarty
was about the only New Englander in
her class, and Sheldon's descriptions of
NHF's regional mission and its collec-
tions struck a chord. McCarty jumped at
the chance to do an internship at the
Alamo.

Now, settled into Bucksport and
Morrill, she likes everything about her
situation — from New England to
Bucksport s location on the coast, from
the people she's working widi to the
variety in her assignments.

But right now, McCarty says, "I think
I'm having the most fun really learning
how a theater works." •

Practices: Film-to-Film

Suddenly, it seems, there's a lot
more funding around for film-to-
film preservation projects. By any
standard, that's good.

But it's not necessarily straightforward.
In putting diat money to work, some
archivists are discovering that hearing a
tune and getting up to dance are two
different diings. They've realized,
sometimes with a stumble, that they
don't know near enough about their
dance partners: the film restoration labs.

"NHF and a lot of odier small archives
don't have die kind of experience as
clients that it might be nice for us to
have, to know exacdy what to ask for,"
says NHF Executive Director David
Weiss. "You need to know what ques-
tions to ask in advance. And you need to
know what is technically possible.

"It would be nice to depend on die
labs to assess your problems and come up
widi an appropriate solution," he
continues. "But diere is a certain amount
of partnering, I diink, that has to be
done."

Because smaller archives can never give
as much business to the labs, in dollar
terms, as Hollywood does, die burden of
building partnerships falls to die
archivist. "You've got to know what die
labs are good at, what they're used to
doing," says Weiss. "And you've got to
specify, given the limitations of technol-
ogy, which diings are most important to
you."

There's more dian one way to do die
job of film preservation, but much of die
new support for our efforts mandates
film-to-film copying. The practice is
funded by much-publicized grants from
die National Film Preservation
Foundation (NFPF) and die National
Endowment for die Arts, in its Treasures
of American Film Archives millennium
initiative.

The growdi in film-to-film funding is
impressive. Weiss estimates diat in total,
NHF put between $30,000 and $40,000
into film-to-film preservation during die
period 1986-1998. Just during 1999, it
has dedicated closer to $50,000 to die
practice, largely due to die Treasures
millennium initiative. The labs have
played a role in that increase, making

I lit shrinkage gauge and
some 35mm film.

'in Hoi.

generous in-kind donations of dieir
services available though die NFPF.

And die labs are feeling die impact.
"Four or five years ago I had die impres-
sion that 1 6mm — from our viewpoint, as
far as work and projects — was essentially
disappearing," says Alan Stark, Vice
President of Film Technology Company,
Inc., of Hollywood, one of die nation's
foremost restoration labs. "And exacdy
die opposite has happened. We're seeing
it coming from all sorts of directions."

Do Your Homework

The very first question for die film
archivist is whedier film-to-film is even
die way to go. Because of its expense and
die complexities of the archive-lab
relationship, one NHF Advisor feels,
film-to-film should not be viewed as a
preservation panacea.

Instead, it should be undertaken
deliberately, as part of a comprehensive
preservation plan and according to firm
criteria, says William O'Farrell, Chief of
Moving Image and Audio Conservation
at die National Archives of Canada. If
you're going for film-to-film, O'Farrell
advises, know exactly why you're doing
it.

O'Farrell believes film-to-film is
strongly warranted in just a few situa-
tions: a serious direat from deterioration,
an obsolete film format, an access plan
t li.n mandates screening copies.

Odierwise, he says, seriously consider all
preservation options.

"I'm definitely saying film-to-film is
worth doing," O'Farrell emphasizes. "But
I'm saying, make sure you're judicious in
your selections."

Arguing for film-to-film are die
ephemeral qualities of bodi video formats
and magnetic tape itself. These are
especially compelling in light of die
extraordinary longevity predicted for new
film diat's stored archivally.

And, of course, die funder's say-so is
die ultimate argument for film-to-film.

Do some homework. Learn as much as
you can about the physical condition of
the material to be copied. For instance,
O'Farrell says he's surprised at how few
archives have a shrinkage gauge. "If you
don't know die shrinkage of your film,"
he asks, "dien how can you talk to the lab
about it widi any sense of what die
potential options might be, and how die
lab might try to handle your films
specific problems?"

To begin, find out which labs can do
what. Film processing technology has an
answer for nearly any problem. Many
different film stocks are available. The
wet-gate process can make copies
reducing die original's scratches. Prints
may be made from a contact process,
which allows for die most faithful

Continued on next page

Preservation Practices: Film-to-Film

Continued from previous page

contrast, or an optical process. Exposures
may be timed or "one-light." And so on.

Say you have a film with .7 percent
shrinkage and a bad base scratch. Because
the shrinkage isn't severe, a contact print
will work. Because of the scratch, you
want an immersion process. Because a
contact immersion printer is so expen-
sive, not all labs will have one. And
because you want to be sure they do, you
have to ask.

In short, the lab is responsible for the
work it does, but the archivist is responsi-
ble for the work it asks for. "You also get
into a situation where the archives says to
the laboratory, 'Look, we don't have the
skill sets and you guys are the experts,' "
says O'Farrell.

"And that's partially true and it's

Archives, to laboratories,
are nuisance clients. You go to
all the trouble of restoring the
film, and the archives makes,
what — one print? Two? This is
not a money-making proposi-
tion for a laboratory, mm

front of a house. The footage is
valuable, but the exposure is poor.
The lab determines that the
copying process can render either
the children's faces or the architec-
tural detail on the house. Not
both.

"You have to make a choice,"
Weiss says. "When you come up
with a situation like that, there are
times when you need to make it
clear" — directly to the person controlling
the exposure, called the timer — "what it
is about the images that you're trying to
preserve."

We're finding that the
[archives] projects are much,
much more difficult to do,
and were finding that they re
extremely labor-intensive. MM

—William OTarrell

partially not true, because the archives, I
think, is the expert when it comes to the
value of that film image."

For labs, films from smaller archives
are often problematic. Amateur films,
Alan Stark explains, have "a far greater
range of cinematography, if you will — in
that some of it's very good and some of
it's, frankly, all over the map."

"So you have to deal with the expecta-
tions of what you can get out of tJiat and
what you can't get out of it," he says.
"You have to establish that understand-
ing. You would not encounter that, for
example, in a feature film from a studio."

David Weiss offers the example of
footage that shows children playing in

Coming up to Speed

Restoration labs are enjoying something
of a boom, and not just because of

smaller archives. Hollywood,
too, is feeling the call of
restoration.

Again, no one would call this
a bad thing, but it does
complicate matters. For one
thing, O'Farrell says, the new
business has encouraged some
processing labs that are
inexperienced in restoration
work to jump aboard the
bandwagon.

For another, because major
studios operate on a financial
plane a few orders of magni-
tude above your typical
regional archives, good
business sense dictates that
labs align themselves, first and
foremost, to Hollywood's needs.

"Archives, to laboratories, are nuisance
clients," says O'Farrell. "You go to all the
trouble of restoring the film, and the
archives makes, what — one print? Two?
This is not a money-making proposition
for a laboratory."

"We're finding that the [archives']
projects are much, much more difficult
to do, and we're finding that they're
extremely labor-intensive," says Alan
Stark.

Even labs with long standing in the
field may not be equipped for the kind
and amount of smaller-format work
coming their way. Fortunately, the
increase in such business will likely

— Alan Stark

encourage labs to gear up for it. Only
now, says Stark, has the demand for
16mm processing increased to the point
where he's adding certain capabilities.

Labs, too, are re-examining their rate
structures and business practices. "If we
got an order five or six years ago, pretty
much, we did the job and we sent the
bill," Stark says. "Today we are almost
always inspecting materials up front" and
doing an estimate.

"That's to see what we're up against if
people want to know how much it's
going to cost. Which is a perfectly
reasonable question," he laughs. "But
we're seeing it much, much more."

The studios and major archives, Stark
says, have the experience and the bucks
to plunge right into restoration projects
without a lot of back-and-forth, "whereas
the smaller archives, they're kind of
coming up to speed."

The Association of Moving Image
Archivists has acknowledged the need for
a higher level of technical education
among members. At last November's
annual conference, the organization for
the first time offered an intermediate-
level workshop that adds more in-depth
technical matter to the grounding offered
in the Basic Training Workshop.

Labs and preservationists alike are
espousing the importance of building
long-term relationships and improving
their dialogue. "Preferably you want the
same person that you're dealing with all
the time, instead of six different people,"
says O'Farrell.

Alan Stark agrees. "If you have a long-
standing client you do projects with all
the time, that's very easy. You know what
they want, they know what you're doing,
especially after you've been around once
or twice." H

Collections: The Porter Birds

A collection of 16mm films
accessioned last summer adds
another dimension to die story
of a family well-known in Maine arts. At
die same time, die films donated to
NHF by die wife and children of die late
naturalist John Porter paint a priceless
picture of die wild birds that inhabit this
corner of the world.

The Porter Collection's 27 films span
more dian four decades and include
work made by John and by his fadier,
James F. Porter. John's contribution,
which is die lion's share, includes footage
shot at the family's summer compound
on Great Spruce Head Island, in Maine.
But much of his work — and certainly die
work to which John Porter devoted most
of his movie-making hours — is die bird
footage he captured in Maine, Canada
and near his home in Bronxville, N.Y.

Born in 1910, John was die youngest of
five siblings. Nancy, die first-born, is 100
years old and die sole survivor today. The
odiers were Eliot, Edward and Fairfield.
By most reckonings, photographer Eliot
and painter Fairfield rank highly among
artists widi a Maine connection.

John, who died in 1 993, was a teacher
who made die 16mm camera his expres-
sive tool. He used his bird films to
illustrate lectures that he gave in and
around Bronxville. David Porter, die
youngest of John and Trudy Porters three
children, believes his father embraced
film not just as a tool for documenting
nature, but as an artistic medium diat
"wouldn't compete, perhaps, with his
talented older brothers."

Bonaventure Adventure
John was an intrepid cinematographer,
willing, for example, to spend hours in a
blind for a few minutes' footage. In 1938
he and brother Eliot made the long trip
to Bonaventure Island, a birdwatcher's
paradise off Quebec's Gasp^ peninsula.
Now a popular provincial park, this
rugged island is a globally important
seabird habitat.

Its northern gannet colony is North
America's largest, with more than 32,000
breeding pairs counted in 1994.
Bonaventure's 10 seabird species also
include common murres, black guille-

Atliintic Puffins,
Matmi

mots, razorbills, and Adantic puffins — all
of which Porter captured on film.

John's interest as a filmmaker "was
mosdy nature, and then incidentally the
family," says Trudy, now 89 and a
resident of Blue Hill, Maine. In addition
to die bird work, John devoted long,
loving minutes to views of Maine
sunsets, breakers smashing into the rocks,
the spruce and fir trees spiking up against
sky and water.

But the family scenes are engrossing.
While locations include Bronxville and
several Maine sites, much of the footage
covers family summers on a Maine island
bought in 1 9 1 2 by James Porter. Still in
the Porter family, preserved largely in a
wild state, Great Spruce Head sits in East
Penobscot Bay.

We see Trudy and Fairfield Porter's wife
Anne among those relaxing on James
Porter's motor yacht, the Hippocampus.
And a Caterpillar tractor, driven by
longtime island caretaker Rupert
Howard, pulling a trailer filled with kids.
"That was, in my recollection, one of the
important functions of that tractor,"
laughs David.

Now 58 and a professor of botany at
the University of Georgia, in Athens,
David too appears in the later family
films — "the little fuzzy-headed blond kid
with die squinty eyes," he says — along
with brother Edward and sister Anina.

Roasting Away

After the kids moved out, the films were
stored. "I had these pictures in my attic,"
says Trudy. David offered to have them

transferred to video. But he wasn't
satisfied widi die commercial transfer
services he tried out, and the project
stalled.

"So that was how we got started" with
NHF, Trudy says. "David had die films
in Georgia, and diey were roasting away
down there, so I didn't know if they had
gone beyond saving." Fortunately, they
hadn't.

The link between die Porters and
NHF was Robert Saudek, a broadcasting
pioneer who served as founding president
of the Museum of Television and Radio
and as head of die Library of Congress's
broadcasting division. Saudek, who died
in 1997, was a good friend to both NHF
and John and Trudy Porter. It was
through him that Trudy learned of the
archives.

As a documentary record, the Porter
Collection follows two lines of historic
interest — the natural and aesthetic
worlds of die Northeast — that flow from
a single source. James F. Porter was a
player in Chicago real estate development
who was successful enough to support his
children in their artistic and intellectual
pursuits. (His portion of the Porter
collection consists of film shot during a
family trip to North Africa in the 1920s.)

David theorizes that James, in rebelling
against his own father's strict religiosity,
became an avid humanist and naturalist.
He says, "The purchase of the island was
in great part a hope — and I think it was a
successful activity — to instill an interest
in and a respect for the natural world in
his children." •

New Members and Members Renewed at a Higher
Level Since the Summer 1999 Moving Image Review

A complete list of current members will be published in the next issue.

Patrons

Richard & Kimberly Rosen

Associates

Lynn R. Hickerson
Paul & Evelyn Liebow
Peter K. Lindsley
BobNeal

Corporate Members

E.D.O. Construction
Fossil Works Inc.

Households

Chris Berry & Family

Richard Bock

Robert & Linda Braun

Mr. & Mrs. E. Bruns

Bob & Cleo Cottrell

Peter Davis

G. Malcolm & Sally A. Denning

Ann & Everett Foster

William Fretz

Frederick & Mary Stewart HafaT: :

Bente Hartmann

Ruth Heffron & John Vernelson

Gerald H. Herman

Alison D. Hildreth

Eithne Johnson & Eric Schaefer

Bob & Kelly Jones

Michelle R. Klein

John Paul & Milissa Lalonde

Mr. & Mrs. Hiram Percy MaximJI

Mary & Dewey Meteer

William & Ruth Pfaffle

James Rockefeller, Jr.

Mrs. Elizabeth Saudek

Neil & Sally Sawyer

Joseph & Valerie Sulya

Janwillem Vandewetering

Lawrence & Lorna Wahl

Robert & Julia Walkling

Nonprofit Organizations

Bowdoin College, Film Studies
Bucksport Adult & Community

Education

Curtis Memorial Library
Maine Public Broadcasting
Pejepscot Historical Society
John Stark Regional High School
Sumner Historical Society

Individual Members

George Atwood
Rob Baldwin
Jane Beal
William Beardsley
Rev. John E. Berger
Virginia Bourne^**
S.i ii 1.1 1 1 1 1 i.i C. Boyce
Judith Clough
Susan Comeau
Rick Coughlin
David Crosby
Adam Day
Clayton L. Dearth
NodDechar
id Edfors
n H. Etter
'endy Gallant
th Gilbert
r Gilmore

ice R. Grindle
John Halberstadt, Jr.
Martha Harmon
Laura Harmon
John Hes?
Nick Kurzon
Yvon Lablxf
Gregory Lamson
Dennis Levesque
John P. Lowe
Keith B. McClelland
Charlotte Miller

Maryann M. Mroczka
Margaret Parker
Martha B. Peterson
James A Petrie
Ralph Pettie
Jerriann C. Pollard
W. Mark Ritchie
Dea Dea Robbins
Carolyn Rourke
Holly Shaw
William Stone
Eric Swenson
Mary Taylor
Dante B.
ohn W. L. White

Educ
MemtMTs

Rick Barter
Charlotte M. Bridges
Carla Bumham
Judith Chase
Joseph Christiansen
Dr. Patty A. Coleman
p ,t,-;. ; , i Y-jTJifcs?

Patricia F.

Rose French
John Gardner
Donna Gilbert
Ruth Gomes
Cynthia Grindle
Don G. Harris
Mrs. B. Haskell
Bob Hayes
W. Daniel Hill
Kathryn King
David King
Shirley LaBranche
Lucie Laplante
Nancy Marcotte
Mary Moynihan
Leslie Murauckas
Peter Palmiotto
Susan Bishay Peters
John Porterfield
Karin Porterfield
Catherine Russell
Patrice Slattery
Kathy Sob«igfjZ~|
Brenda Su
Tracy Travcrs
Pauline G. Woodward

Champion Membership Challenge

Champion International Corporation will match, dollar for dollar,
all new or increased memberships up to $5,000. This is the third
year of their offer. We met the challenge in the previous two years.
Our goal this year? To unlock die match with your help.

Please join, or renew at a higher level! And give gift memberships
to friends, schools, libraries, and historical societies.

Thanks to Champion, your gift will go twice as far, helping NHF
preserve northern New England's moving-image heritage.

Summer Letters

Friends from as far away as Washington, D. C., and as near as Bucksport let
NHF know what they thought about our efforts.

SUSAN M. COUJNS

WASHINGTON.

August 16, 1999

•"""• ""SUS****

TV Honorable Richard Rosen

P.O. Box 877
Bucksport, ME 04416

Dear Friends:

success in the future.

Sincerely,

Susan M. Collins
United States Senator

from

r. Weiss,

u -

ings.

Sincerely,

Bucksport

Collections: Worm's Eye View

The people of rural Maine are
famously ingenious at making a
full-time living from part-time
jobs. A breadwinner may work on a
lobster boat in June, rake blueberries in
August and make balsam wreaths in
November.

In those charming examples the world
sees an idealized Maine. The reality of
making your living in such a piecemeal
manner is less charming. It's hard. Take
marine-worm digging, one of the many
Maine occupations represented in NHF's
collections. Worm digging lacks the
tourism appeal of blueberries and lobster,
but it shares with those products back-
breaking work and concerns about die
health of the resource.

Why would anyone buy bloodworms,
alluringly named for their color, and
sandworms, known for their many legs?
They're great bait for sea fishing, dial's
why. Maine is so important a source for
marine worms that Ivan Flye supplied
worms to buyers as far away as Italy and
soudiern California. He shipped 13
million worms in his best year.

Flye, of Damariscotta, finished his film
Maine Marine Worm Industry in
1942. He started as a digger in 1938 and
retired in 1985 as one of the states major
shippers. In diat year Flye, now 83, sold
his Maine Bait Company to a Maryland
firm, Mike's Wholesale Bait. Still
operating under its original name in
Damariscotta, die company generates
some 55 percent of Mikes wholesale
revenues, says owner Mike Baldear.

Flye also ran a photography business in
the town of Newcastle until 1986. In
1 94 1 , he decided to make a film about
worm-digging. Why? "Because I was
digging 'em," he says.

The Digger's Day

Flye s 1 3-minute documentary examines,
step-by-step, a business diat could pay a
digger $100 a week from March to
December, as an intertide states. The
film generates a fascination out of
proportion to its homely subject, thanks
to Flye's solid reporting, humor and fine
eye.

Flye leaves no doubt about die diffi-
culty of the work. We see die workers

bent over and digging in the muck,
harvesting sacks of sea grass for packing
material, counting worms by hand for
shipping. But he has a light touch ("Mud
is washed from worms — also from
digger," one intertide observes).

In addition, shooting on Kodachrome
that retains plenty of punch, Flye
captures striking images, such as the stark
shot of the diggers' feet as they cross a
railroad trestle to work. In his renderings
of the Sheepscot River estuary, he
suggests that there was enough beauty in
the digger's day to offer at least some
relief from hours in the mud.

Flye resumed filming Maine Bait
Company operations after he returned
from Air Force service during World War
II. He became as involved in video in the
1 980s as he had been in photography.
And he hopes someday to find someone
to edit together the film and video that
he has amassed and that he donated to
NHF in 1992.

New Research Unlikely
Flye is convinced that worm-digging is in
big trouble. "It's getting seriously
depleted," he says. "And also, the price of
the worms is so high that people can't
afford to fish."

Maine's 1 ,000 or so diggers might
agree with. his first point. Mussel draggers

who work the intertidal zones, they say,
are ruining worm habitat. The diggers
have petitioned the state for an end to
intertidal dragging.

But the state, at this point, has little
current research to bring to the dispute,
even though the industry generated more
than $3.35 million in diggers' gross
earnings in 1998.

Ted Greaser, a scientist for the
Department of Marine Resources,
confirms that marine worm landings
have declined. Bloodworms hit their
peak in 1970, with 37 million worms
landed; sandworms in 1963, at more
than 32 million. The 1998 landings were
more than 21 million for bloodworms
and nearly 7 million for sandworms.

"We're not certain what that means,"
Creaser says. He explains that it's easily
possible mussel dragging hurts worm
habitat. The layer of ooze the draggers
scrape away provides food for all worms
and habitat for juvenile worms. In
addition, the dragging seals off burrow
entrances though which water circulates,
bearing nutrients and oxygen.

Creaser believes that intertidal drag-
ging should somehow be controlled to
better protect that habitat. Yet, he adds,
it is not a fatal threat. Worms living past
the intertidal zone form a "biological

Continued on next page

Maine Marine Worm Industry, 1942.

Grants in Action: The Rines/Thompson Fund

In November, Northeast Historic Film
received a major assist in its effort to
preserve Maine's surviving television
record. A $12,320 grant from the
Rines/Thompson Fund at the Maine
Community Foundation will be dedi-
cated to preserving and cataloging the
Maine Broadcasting System Collection.

The MeBS Collection is Maine's
largest surviving body of television film
and videotape, encompassing some
784,500 feet of film and 486 hours of
tape. These materials came to NHF from
two stations of the former Maine
Broadcasting System: WLBZ, in Bangor,
and WCSH, in Pordand. The stations,
both NBC affiliates, were purchased two
years ago by one of the nation's leading
media companies, Gannett Co., Inc.

The WLBZ materials cover the years
from 1 970- 1 993 and include a month-
by-month newsfilm record for die period
1975-80. Among die programming are
promotional spots, local series and
documentaries, and coverage of commu-
nity events, sports and news.

The WCSH holdings span the years
from 1956-1989. Forty-six videotapes
document die story of the late Samantha
Smith, the young girl from Manchester,
Maine, whose efforts to defuse U.S.-

Soviet tensions made her an inspiration
to millions around the world.

There's a priceless sports archives put
together by J. Donald Mac Williams, a
WCSH sportscaster and Pordand
historian. And 1 1 years' worth of
distinctive Mainers and Maine towns are
profiled by Clif Reynolds in his "People,
Places, and Things" series.

The Rines/Thompson Fund grant will
defray the costs of preservation staff work
and archival supplies, including film cans,
leaders and cores. Descriptive cataloging
will help make die materials accessible.

It's not pure coincidence that die
Rines/Thompson Fund stepped forward
to support die MeBS Collection project.
Administered by die Maine Community
Foundation, die Rines/Thompson Fund
was established by die family that founded
and owned die Maine Broadcasting
System for decades. Its goal, says NHF
Board Member Nat Thompson, is to
continue die tradition of charitable giving
begun by his grandfadier, Henry Rines,
who founded WCSH radio in 1925.

Nat is one of the Rines descendants
who owned the Maine Broadcasting
System until die sale to Gannett.
Formerly in charge of commercial
production at WCSH, he is now presi-

Collections: Worm's Eye View

Continued from previous page

reserve" that would forestall a serious
depletion of the resource.

But at bottom, so to speak, no one
really knows what's happening widi either
die resource or die industry. Creaser
speculates diat under-reporting of worm
landings distorts the statistical picture.
And he agrees widi Flye on one point:
"From all I can detect," he says, diggers are
"pricing themselves out of existence."

The most recent worm data are from
1970, at die end of Greaser's five-year
study. Clearly, new research is needed to
pin down impacts on die resource, from
draggers and odier potential threats. But at
diis point, given limited funds and marine
worms' lowly spot on die priority list, a
new research effort doesn't seem likely.

During his study, incidentally, Creaser
made his own film about marine worms,
a 30-minute piece now stored in the
department's archives. Especially in view
of die current situation, its good to
know these films exist. Flye's Maine
Marine Worm Industry is important to
NHF's record of the too-often over-
looked experience of New England
people — a record made by those who
know the life intimately.

As an angler, Flye was a sandworm
man. "They made a more attractive bait
dian bloodworms, because they were
larger and they would flutter in the
water," he says. And he ought to know.

"I had a big choice of worms,"
he says.

dent of Maine Radio & Television Co.,
which provides mobile broadcasting
facilities all along the East Coast. (Recent
projects included the Macys
Thanksgiving Day Parade and the
opening of ABC's new Good Morning
America studio in Times Square.)

Nat's uncle William was die first general
manager of WCSH-TV, which hit die
airwaves in 1953. Mary Rines Thompson,
Nat's mother and Henry's daughter, ran
die Maine Broadcasting System into die
mid-1980s, when her son Frederic took
over. Nat is proud of his family's history, its
pioneering role in Maine broadcasting and
its contributions in die public realm.

"We have been known as a family that
gives back to dieir community," he says,
"and this is just another way diat we can
do diat."

Largest Gift of Materials and Rights

Thompson was instrumental in persuad-
ing Gannett Co. to turn the MeBS
Collection materials and all rights over to
NHF. "This is the largest gift of materials
and rights we have ever received," says
Executive Director David Weiss. "A deed
of gift of this nature has significance
fieldwide. We hope it will help advance
archives-station relationships in general."

Thompson helped sell odier station
owners on die idea of similar donations.
Station owners benefit from the arrange-
ment, he points out, because they retain
access to the footage without the consid-
erable expense of indexing it and
providing archival storage.

Of course, it's too late for a lot of
footage. When WCSH moved from die
former Congress Square Hotel to its new
location nearby, Nat says, coundess cans of
newsfilm were destroyed to cut moving
costs. "I think diey ended up using diem
for the silver content," he laments.

Such stories are common. If you're a
station owner focused on day-to-day
operations, he explains, "you don't see
the value when you've been sitting on
diese things for a long time."

He adds, "I feel strongly diat
Northeast Historic Film is the place to
take these things. There really is no other
place to go that makes sense." 9

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director
Jane Real, Access and Stock Footage
John Chapin, Business Manager
Jane Donnell, Distribution Coordinator
Paige Lilly, Collections Manager
Andrea McCarty, Theater Manager
Don Radovich, Technical Services
Marko Schmitt, Membership Director
James Sweet, Cataloging
Phil Yates, Facilities Manager

NHF Board of Directors

Michael J. Fiori, Readfield, ME.
President of E.Y.E Foundation. CEO of
ODV, Inc., manufacturers and distribu-
tors of narcotic identification equipment.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, ME.

President, E Media, Kennebunk, special-
izing in manufacturing technology and
electronic media.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orrs Island, ME.

Maine State Archivist, administrative
head of the State Archives. Directs
Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board. Ph.D. in political science from
Emory University.

Martha McNamara, Orono, ME.

Assistant Professor of History, Cultural
History and the History of New
England, University of Maine, Orono.
Ph.D. in American & New England
Studies, Boston University. Director of
the Society of Architectural Historians,
New England chapter. Maine Historic
Preservation Commission member.

Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, ME.

Vice President and Operations Manager,
Champion International Buclcsport Mill.
Lives in Penobscot with family.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, ME.
Co-founder of Trio Software
Corporation, and an independent
property assessment consultant. Was staff
producer and director at WMTW TV;
studied film at George Eastman House.

Back row,

left to right:

Andrea McCarty,

Phil Yates,

Karan Sheldon,

David Weiss,

Marko Schmitt,

Don Radovich.

Front row,

left to right:

John Chapin,

Jane Beal,

Jane Donnell,

Paige Lilly.

Photo by Karin Bos.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, ME.

Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architec-
tural design, urban design, and planning
for worldwide projects — educational and
exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, ME.
Owner, Rosens Department Store,
Bucksport — third-generation owner.
Maine State Representative. Vice
President of the board of Bucksport
Regional Health Center, and past
president of the Bucksport Bay Area
Chamber of Commerce.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, ME.

Co-founder of NHF. Board, Maine
Folklife Center and Friends of Fogler
Library, University of Maine. Co-chair,
AMIA Regional AV Archives Interest
Group.

Nathaniel Thompson, S. Portland, MR

Television professional, 1983-1998 with
Maine Broadcasting Company. Member
of die family-owned media group that in
1998 sold NBC affiliates WCSH and
WLBZ to Gannett Broadcasting.
Connecticut College graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, ME.

Executive Director and co-founder of
NHF. Previously media producer in
Boston after graduating in film and
semiotics from Brown University. Serves
on Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board.

Pamela Winde, Washington, D.C.

Founder, Smithsonian Institution
Human Studies Film Archives. Family
roots in Skowhegan, Maine.

Advisors

The Advisors of Northeast Historic Film
are individuals who have an interest in
the work of die moving image archives as
an organization with a vision for film,
video, and digital preservation, with
broad public access.

Gillian Anderson, musicologist, conduc-
tor, and author of Music for Silent Films,
1894-1929. Washington, D.C, and
Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, audiorof Nickelodeon
Theaters and Their Music, a history of the
Thanhouser Company, and other books.
Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came
This Way: A Journey Through the Lives of
the Underclass, and director of the
documentary feature Hearts and Minds.
Castine, Me.

Continued on next page

NHF Advisors

Continued from previous page

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor,
( 'ollegc of Journalism, University of
Maryland. Author of Shored Pleasures:

A History ofMoi'ie Presentation in the
United States (University of Wisconsin
Press). Chevy Chase, Md.

Alan Kattelle, author of a forthcoming
history of amateur film, Home Movies -
A History of the American Industry
1897 - 1979, and cinematographic
researcher. Hudson, Mass.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving
Image and Audio Conservation at the
National Archives of Canada. Ottawa,
Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Assistant
Professor, Department of Visual and
Media Arts, Emerson College, Boston.
Author of "Bold! Daring! Shocking!
True ": A History of Exploitation Films,
1919-1959 (Duke University Press).
Boston, Mass.

Samuel Suratt, Archivist for CBS
News for 25 years. Archivist of the
Smithsonian Institution. Founding
member of International Federation of
Television Archives. New York, NY.

Robert W. Wagner, Ph.D. Emeritus
professor of history and audiovisual
communication with an interest in
amateur film, archiving and nonthe-
atrical film. Arlington, Ohio, and
Readfield, Me.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D.

Professor of Cinema and Photography,
Roy H. Park School of
Communications, Ithaca College.
Author, Reel Families: A Social History
of Amateur Film (Indiana University
Press). Ithaca, NY. •

A Brief Television Bibliography

By Mike McCauley
Assistant Professor, Department of
Communication and Journalism,
University of Maine

Following is a brief listing and descrip-
tion of five books on television — mainly
the American variety. I chose these books
to satisfy three criteria: that they were
published fairly recently; that they come
from respected academic or trade
publishers; and that they approach the
topic from angles that are fresh, innova-
tive and, in some cases, controversial.

Making Local News

By Phyllis Kaniss. University of Chicago
Press, 1991.

Billed as the first comprehensive study of
local print and broadcast journalism, this
book focuses on coverage of government
and policy issues.

In treating television, Kaniss questions
the low priority given to such stories, and
why the ones that do make the cut seem
sensational or sexy. Kaniss uses an
analysis of local news in Philadelphia to
demonstrate that reporters prefer punchy
sound bites over detailed dissections of,
say, complicated budget issues.

Important stories often give way to
coverage of isolated crimes, fires and
accidents, along with feel-good features
and messages that promote the stations'
image as a good citizen. Indeed, Kaniss
shows that the chase for ratings and an
affluent audience is the most important
factor in shaping local news.

These results are hardly surprising. But
there is value in seeing empirical evi-
dence for trends some of us have long
suspected. Media activists may find
Kaniss' book helpful in analyzing the
stations in their own market — in fact, it
might be useful in holding news direc-
tors accountable for favoring fluff over
substance.

Rich Media, Poor Democracy:
Communication Politics in
Dubious Times

By Robert McChesney. University of Illinois
Press, 1999.

This book is the best synthesis to date of
McChesney's work on the political
economy of American mass media.

McChesney argues the media have
become a significant anti-democratic
force, contrary to the lofty images that
media organizations often create for
themselves. Much of diis has to do with
the continual consolidation of media
into huge transnational conglomerates, a
process that has accelerated sharply in
recent years.

The author points out the trend for
TV networks, production companies and
local stations to roll their operations into
those of larger parent companies —
conglomerates that also own cable
channels, music labels and various print
publishing firms. (It's worth noting that
this book was published before the recent
deal between Viacom and CBS).

McChesney contends that all this
corporate consolidation is drastically
reducing the number of independent
voices in the American media industries.
He shows how astronomical profits are
possible when products are cross-
promoted among various branches of
one media giant. And, contrary to
popular expectations, McChesney argues
that diese trends will only deepen with
further development of the Internet and
other digital technologies.

In the end, he argues that citizens who
care about the future of democracy in
our country must organize for the
purpose of restructuring television and
other media industries.

Make Room for TV:
Television and the Family
Ideal in Postwar America

By Lynn Spigei. University of Chicago
Press, 1992.

This book was an easy choice, since I use
it in my course on telecommunications
history. Aside from diat ringing endorse-
ment, Spigei s work offers a highly
original treatment of postwar media
history in America. Her research
questions are simple, yet effective: How
did TV become part of peoples daily
routines? How did people experience the
arrival of TV in their homes? What did
they expect from this new medium?

Spigei ignores the traditional political-
economic approach — that "following the

Continued on next page

A BriefTelevision Biography

Continued from previous page

money trail" will reveal all about the
behavior of media industries. Her
disdain for this approach is a scholarly
weakness, yet Spigel does make some
interesting observations. By combing
through women's magazines, trade
magazines and TV-set advertisements,
she shows how television helped draw
die family into a new, if superficial,
sphere of togetherness.

At the same time, it also helped anchor
many women into their all-too-familiar
domestic role. By portraying TV sets
successively as pieces of furniture,
entertainment centers and selective
"windows" on die world of Ozzie &
Harriet and their ilk, Spigel argues
convincingly that television did more in
die 1950s to keep women in their place
than liberate diem from onerous house-
work. Furdier, she situates diese devel-
opments quite well within die context of
Americas craving for security and
stability in the postwar period.

Screen Tastes: Soap Opera to
Satellite Dishes

By Charlotte Brundson. Routledge, 1997.
Screen Tastes consists of essays by an
important figure in the field of British
cultural studies. While Brundson uses
the television and film industries as a
platform to explore British culture, she
writes enough about U.S. television and
film to engage an American readership.
Brundson helps validate die study of
television through feminist eyes. For
instance, she argues diat some com-
monly derided program types — includ-
ing soap operas — may constitute
legitimate vehicles for a new (feminist)
TV aesthetic. In die end, we learn diat
die phrase "quality television" may mean
different things ... to different genders.

Live, Direct and Biased?
Making Television News in
the Satellite Age

By Brent MacGregpr. Arnold, 1997.
Last but not least, here's a book diat will
resonate widi diose who believe televi-
sion news has become more a circus dian
a vehicle for serious journalism. In sum,
MacGregor's argues that "more" is often
not the same as "better," when it comes

Reference by Mail Transportation Selections

I embers of Northeast Historic
Film are invited to borrow
from die FREE circulating
loan collection, Reference by Mail.
There is never any charge for borrowing.
We will even pay for shipping die first
time you borrow — up to diree tapes in
diis first shipment! After this there is just
a $5 shipping charge for each loan.

Member Information and Order Form
opposite. For a paper copy of the full
Reference by Mail list call 800 639-1636.
Or check our website for more than 200
titles: tvurw.oldfilm.org.

Transportation

The Bangor ejrAroostook Railroad, a
documentary on Maine railroads. 1 99 1 .
30 mins., col., sd.

The Batteau Machias, a student project
on construction of a traditional river-
driving boat. 1990. 22 mins., col., sd.

Gee Bee Airplanes, the sport planes that
made a fabulous entrance into the
aviation scene in the early 1930s.
60 mins., b&w and col., sd.

to electronically transmitted news.

An academic and former TV news
producer, MacGregor examines various
theories about the relationship between
the TV industry and the new technolo-
gies that obsess it. Along the way, he
delivers case studies of huge media events
including the Gulf War, the fall of the
Berlin Wall, the O.J. Simpson trial, and
the Oklahoma City bombing.

MacGregor concludes that in their
haste to be "firstest with the mostest,"
producers in major TV organizations
have largely abandoned responsible
journalism. Instead, they tend to
bombard audiences with constant
streams of titillating content — exacdy
the sort of programs that are most likely
to result in corporate profit. If you don't
believe MacGregor, ask Rupert
Murdoch! ™

Road to the Sky, the Mount Washington
Auto Road. 1991. 25 mins., col. and
b&w, sd.

Moving History: Two-foot Rail Returns to
Maine, antique trucks haul the Edaville
Railroad trains to Portland. 1993.
48 mins., col., sd.

Northern Railroads: Vermont and Her
Neighbors, steam era footage, stories by
railroaders and historians. 1995.
60 mins., col. and b&w, sd.

Ride the Sandy River Railroad, one of the
country's best two-foot-gauge railroads.
1930. 30 mins., b&w, si. with intertitles.

Tales ofWood and Water, visits to boat
builders and sailors up and down the
coast of Maine. 1991. 60 mins., col., sd.

New Video for Sale

Maintenance of Steel

dr Motor Power

Attention railroad enthusiasts! This is your

chance to see two rare and extremely detailed

informational films produced by the Bangor

and Aroostook Railroad in the 1960s.

Big Muscle Offers a behind-the-scenes look
at track maintenance on the B&A Railroad.
Men and machines fight to keep a cargo of
paper, pulpwood and potatoes moving down
die line.

Giants of the Roundhouse The repair and
rebuilding of rail cars from start to finish —
workers show off the parts and equipment
that keep the trains in top condition.

LVHS. 36 minutes, color and sound. $19.95.
Photo courtesy Richard Sfrague.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Invitations to special "Members" events.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England; and on moving-image related merchandise from
the catalog and Alamo Theatre Store.

• Several premiums ranging from mugs, free movie tickets
and T-shirts to Video History Sets and free dinners are
awarded depending on your level of membership.

Membership Levels and Benefits Please check one:
O Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

O Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

O Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

G Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

3 Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

O Corporate Membership, $100 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

O Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

D Patron, $1,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

If you would like more information about our Membership programs

please contact Marko Schmitt, our Membership Director.

Email marko@oldfilm.org or Phone 800-639-1636.

Name

Address .
City

State _

Phone

Zip

New a Renew

O I do not wish to receive the premium.
Please charge my credit card: O MC O VISA

Account #

Exp. date

Signature of cardholder

0 My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable to
Northeast Historic Film.)

Gift Membership

1 would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Or fax to (207) 469-7875.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become
involved with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving
image heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is available through NHF's website. Go to www.oldfilm.org.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail /Members ONLY

Tides:

Alternate Title:

Membership /Specify level

TOTAL

Step One in any project
is moving boxes. In
winter, mittens are
optional indoors.

Photo by Karin Bos.

Study Center Report

urrently your archives and
your research for the Going
to the Movies project has
made you the premier archives of pre-
1930, or nickelodeon era, or even overall
film exhibition and movie-going in the
nation. NHF has been very active, and
very successful, at demonstrating that the
Native American and immigrant

communities have a moving image
history, and are impacted by depictions
of their groups, as much as Yankees. Pat
yourselves on the back and keep going
for die complexity of your society." So
says historian Kathryn H. Fuller about
NHF's growing collections and interpre-
tive work.
But NHF urgently needs a facilities

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Change Service Requested

upgrade to be able to continue. The
second-floor library is unfinished, it's full
and it's not safe. There are no quiet
spaces for study. Staff, volunteers, and
researchers work in challenging condi-
tions without adequate heat or cooling,
lighting, finished walls or ceilings.
NHF has focused on:

• Collecting rare and unseen research
resources for understanding northern
New England.

• Preserving materials within a
regional, national and international
context.

• Maintaining low overhead and high
flexibility.

• Emphasizing access and meeting the
needs of underserved users.

Demand for NHF's services is acceler-
ating. "We offer museums and other
organizations moving-image resources
for exhibitions of all kinds, and we work
with producers all over the world," says
Executive Director David Weiss.

"But if visitors and staff can't make safe
and effective use of our materials, it
doesn't matter how valuable the materials
are. We need $300,000 to finish the
second floor and outfit it to serve
researchers, students, educators and
others who use the collections."

The new facility will provide viewing
carrels, terminals and tables in a well-lit,
comfortable space. "If die collections are
like a gem," says Weiss, "its time we
provided die setting." H

Northeast Historic Film

MOVING

REVIEW

TV outdoorsman BudLcavitt. BHS/WABI Collection.

Study Center to Become a Reality

Work Will Begin Thanks to Kings

One of Maine's foremost charitable
foundations has donated $200,000 to
Northeast Historic Film for the
creation of the Study Center for Maine
Moving Images.

The Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation
announced the grant, die largest in NHF's 14
years, in April. The donation enables the
archives to begin work on the long-awaited
Study Center this summer. The center will be
die place for students, educators, media
professionals and the public to explore the
archives' collections of film, videotape and
supporting materials.

"I'm very excited, very excited," NHF
President Richard Rosen said shortly after die
grant was announced. "The effort that has
gone into NHF, from the founders all the
way through the membership, has been just
incredible. And it's a great reward to diem to
see a major in-state foundation like this one
recognize die importance of this work."

Located in Bangor, where Mr. and Mrs.
King reside, die Stephen & Tabitha King
Foundation supports a broad range of
cultural and social initiatives, primarily in
Maine. A particular focus falls on projects
that strengthen community life in the state.
Educational and intellectual resources such as
libraries are also emphasized, not surprising
from a couple well-known for their writings.

With completion projected for die end of
200 1 , die Study Center will provide a
comfortable, productive environment for
research on die second floor of the 1916

Alamo. Facilities will include reference copies
of NHF's moving-image holdings, viewing
equipment, and finding aids, as well as a
library of books and periodicals unmatched
in northern New England.

The King grant will come in four install-
ments. The first goes to work this summer,
paying for preliminary structural work at die
Alamo and an information system for
collections research and educational program-
ming — sort of a "virtual Study Center," as
Executive Director David Weiss described it.

"We cant do the whole job without the
physical space, but we can start doing some
of it," Weiss said. "So we're making one stride
on the construction, and the other is on the
technological infrastructure for learning."

The budget for the Study Center is
$288,000. The significance of the King
Foundation grant to the fund-raising effort is
obvious.

"Even though NHF has a regional and
really almost a national mission," Rosen said,
"we're in die Kings' back yard, and it's a very
important endorsement for the rest of the
philanthropic community to see that the
Kings view this as an important resource."

He added, "I'm personally grateful for the
way the King Foundation and the King
family over the years have supported a variety
of different causes in Maine. It's just great to
have some of our own be successful and stay
members of the hometown community and
to continue to share that good fortune with
the state."

"Folks are very grateful, I think, for that." 1

Federal Grant to
Help Preserve
TV Collections

A grant from the federal govern-
ment will help create public
access to the largest single
category of NHF's collections: Five decades
of Maine television images.

The National Historical Publications and
Records Commission (NHPRC) announced
during the spring diat it would grant more
than $120,000 to support access and
preservation processing for NHF's seven TV
collections. The project, whose total cost will
exceed $241,000, involves archival cans for
16mm film, cataloging, and copying
videotapes.

Continued on Page 6

Summer 2000

Silent Film Festival 3

HOME: The Story of Maine 4

NHF in Education 5

Planned Giving 7

NHF Members 8

Moving Image Review is a semiannual

publication of Northeast I listoric Film,
I!O. Box WO, BiKk.spon, Maine 04416.
IXivid S. Wciv,, cxivutivv director
Doug Hubley, writer and editor.
ISSN 0897-07o9.

1 M.ulOI 1)1-11 MO'. K.ulia. net

Preserving and Making Accessible Northern New England's Moving Image Heritage • www.oldfim.org

Summer's a Time for Growth

Anyone who knows northern New
England knows a simple truth: its
the best place to be in the summer,
and summers the best time to be in New
England.

Even year-round residents never quite
get used to what happens here between
April and June. (Many of us live for it.)
Gaunt branches disappear into masses of
shiny new foliage. Bird gossip awakens
you before dawn and lilac scent soothes
you at day's end. Stripers and blues
crowd the coast. Fresh produce appears
first in a trickle, then a rush of intensely
red strawberries, crisp sugar-snap peas,
petite new potatoes.

This year, summer's potency has even
permeated the old brick walls of the
Alamo Theatre. Everywhere we look,
Northeast Historic Film is facing new
growth. The success of our cinema, now
in its second summer, has inspired us to
take the bold step of launching a silent
film festival, one of the few in the nation.
(By scheduling our first-ever Summer
Symposium for the weekend before the
festival, we hope to encourage film buffs
to take a week's vacation in Down East

Northeast Silent Film
Festival Schedule

THURSDAY, JULY 20
8p.m. Old Ironsides (1926)

FRIDAY, JULY 21
2 p.m. Children's Program,
featuring Charlie Chaplin in The
Rink and The Sailor's Sacrifice,
starring Jean the Vitagraph Dog.
7:30 p.m.

The Making of an American ( 1 920)
and South (1919)

SATURDAY, JULY 22

6:30 p.m. South (19\9)

9 p.m. Behind the Door (1919)

SUNDAY, JULY 23

6:30 p.m.

The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917)

Maine and discover summer for them-
selves.)

Important relationships have strength-
ened with the warming weather. In May,
our new partnership with Maine Public
Broadcasting Corporation was reflected
in the decision to use the Alamo for the
season premiere of Home, MPBC's
television series exploring Maine's
history. Footage from our collections
helped make that history a little more
vivid for viewers of the series.

We continue to work with educators
like Anne Welles, who turned to the
Ernest Stillman Collection to help her
third-graders envision Southwest
Harbor's past. And with the national film
preservation community, which gathered
at the National Gallery of Art to see
images preserved in the "Treasures of
American Film Archives" initiative.

Support for our mission, too, has
grown tremendously. A very generous
gift from the Stephen and Tabitha King
Foundation will enable us to begin
structural work on our long-awaited
Study Center for Maine Moving Images.
Another major grant, this time from the
National Historical Publications and
Records Commission, will ensure the
preservation of Maine's surviving
television record.

Summer ends, of course. We can't help

South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance
Expedition. Photo courtesy Milestone Film
and Video.

but celebrate the season's generosity now,
while it's all around us — but it's also
important to remember that generosity
when we're back into the long weeks of
cold wind, bare branches and brown
fields.

We're grateful now, and we'll be
grateful then. M

Calendar Highlights

July 15

Summer Film Symposium at the Alamo

July 19, Aug. 2, 9, 16, 30

Arcady Music Festival performances at the Alamo

October 1-8

NHF at the Farm Museum, Fryeburg Fair

October 8

Ragtime Revue at the Alamo with Glenn Jenks and Richard Zimmermann

November 13-19

Association of Moving Image Archivists annual meeting, Los Angeles

Dates TEA

National Film Registry Tour at the Alamo

December 2

Spirit of the Holidays, Bucksport

First Annual Silent Film Festival and Film Symposium

Communities that host silent film
festivals are rare. There's San
Francisco, there's the Italian town of
Pordenone — and this summer, for the
first time, there's Bucksport, Maine.

In July, this Penobscot River town will
welcome film buffs from all over for the
first annual Northeast Silent Film
Festival. The event, northern New
England's only festival exclusively
dedicated to silents, is scheduled for July
20-23 at the Alamo Theatre. It's preceded
on July 1 5 by another first, a daylong
symposium exploring issues in moving-
image preservation.

NHF is playing some strong cards for
its debut in the festival realm. One is
Mary Pickford, "Americas Sweetheart,"
whose Daddy Long Legs sold out the
Alamo last August. Pianist Philip Carli,
whose accompaniment helped make that
occasion so memorable, returns for the
festival. Another highlight is the regional
premiere of the acclaimed documentary
South: Ernest Shackle ton and the
Endurance Expedition (1919).

A maritime theme runs though die
program, which also features die sea
adventures Old Ironsides and — ranked
among the very best American silents —
Behind the Door. All films will be shown
from newly restored prints, supplied by
Milestone Film and Video, the George
Eastman House and the Library of
Congress, which is restoring Behind the
Door. Note too that the Alamo is one of
North America's few cinemas equipped to
screen silents properly.

The program, as the saying goes, has a
little something for everybody. With
Daddy Long Legs playing to an SRO
house and netting a spot on CBS Sunday
Morning, a Pickford reprise seemed
appropriate. In 1917s The Poor Little
Rich Girl, America's Sweetheart plays an
1 1 -year-old neglected by socially ambi-
tious parents. The film is distinguished
by a fantasy sequence set in "the land of
happy children."

South is an amazing artifact of an
amazing story. In 1914, Sir Ernest
Shackleton's Antarctic expedition was
threatened by pack ice that trapped, and
eventually crushed, his sailing ship
Endurance. Setting out for help in an

IV-hind the

n I'icrure

ienca.
Photo n
Al,irgtf Comfton.

open boat, Shackleton ultimately
returned to rescue his men. This stun-
ning film was shot by photographer
Frank Hurley, whose stills from the
expedition found their way into a widely
publicized book and exhibition last year.

The maritime thread continues with
Old Ironsides (1926), an all-ages
adventure in which Wallace Beery lures
Charles Farrell s young innocent into the
seafaring life, complete with scary pirates.
Philip Carli, who recommended Old
Ironsides, says it "sets the audience
ablaze." Female lead Esther Ralston, by
the way, was born in Bar Harbor.

And it's Beery redux for the edgy
Behind the Door. Hobart Bosworth
plays a Maine taxidermist who becomes a
ship captain during World War I. Beery
is the malevolent captain of the German
sub. "Everybody we've talked to," notes
theater manager Andrea McCarty, "has
said that it's absolutely spectacular," even
in this incomplete version.

Of course, no silent film event would
be complete without at least a nod to
Charlie Chaplin. His film The Rink is
paired with The Sailor's Sacrifice,
starring Jean the Vitagraph Dog, in a July
21 children's program presented with the
Bucksport Area Childcare Center.

The NHF vaults will open for The
Making of an American, a bit of social
engineering from 1920 (MIR, Winter
2000), along with other short treasures.

But, says McCarty, "As the years go on,
we'll be programming more and more
out of the collections."

Support for the festival includes a
$ 1 ,200 grant from Giffbrd's Ice Cream, a
Maine firm that steers a portion of its
profits into supporting Maine tourism;
and $2,000 from the state's New Century
Program (see related story, Page 6).

Philip Carli, who started accompany-
ing silent films at the age of 13, has
performed throughout North America
and Europe, including such venues as the
Museum of Modern Art in New York,
the National Gallery in Washington,
D.C., and the National Film Theatre in
London.

"Film accompaniment should serve the
film above all," Carli told us last August.
"In my performances, the audience
should be caught up in the excitement,
humor or pathos of the drama, without
explicit awareness of the music, even
while that music is helping them to
understand the film's emotional mes-
sage."

Film Symposium

Meanwhile, the weekend before the
festival, the public is invited to the
Summer Film Symposium. On July 1 5,
NHF's Board and Advisors will gather

Continued on Page 9

Teamwork Makes for 'Home' Run

On May 13, two significant pre-
mieres took place at the Alamo
Theatre. One was the second-
season debut of Home: The Story of
Maine, a television series created by the
Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation
(MPBC).

The other was the introduction of a
partnership between MPBC and
Northeast Historic Film — an arrange-
ment whose first fruit was the new season
of Home.

Home, launched in May 1999, is
televisions first ongoing series devoted to
Maine history. This season's four episodes
viewed that history through the lenses of
agriculture, tourism, transportation and
electrification. One key to its creation
was archival footage from NHF.

About 120 people attended the May
1 3 screenings, coming from as far away
as Portland and Presque Isle. On hand
were MPBC President Rob Gardiner and
Home Project Manager Tami Kennedy;
friends of NHF and another notable
partner in Homes production, the Maine
State Museum; the museums director,
Joseph R. Phillips, and Chief Curator Ed
Churchill; and Seth Bradstreet, state
director of the U.S. Department of
Agricultures Rural Development
program, which funded the series.

In a conversation after the premiere,
Bradstreet, whose agency's programs
strengthen the rural economy and quality
of life, expressed Rural Development's
rationale for funding Home. "This is
getting into some of our culture that we
think rural Maine should know a little
bit about," he said.

The agency is striving to expand
cultural opportunities in rural areas, and
supporting Maine's only statewide
television broadcaster is an important
way to do diat. And, Bradstreet
explained, issues of rural living have been
central to themes explored in Home.

They Were Riveted

Rob Gardiner, in his first visit to the
Alamo, was pleased at die rare opportu-
nity to gauge an audience's immediate
response to an MPBC program. "People
were just riveted," he said afterward.
"They sat there through an hour and a

Eliza,

beth Woodman Wrights home movies are included in Home: The Story of Maine.

half of programs that they would not
normally sit through without wriggling
or interruptions or losing attention."

Gardiner added that the premiere
afforded "a chance for the state museum,
Northeast Historic Film, Rural
Development and us to all stand up as
partners at one time, in one place, and
express our appreciation to each other"
- the first time the four parties had
gotten together in one room.

While Kennedy, contacted after the
premiere, had clear favorites among the
archival borrowings from NHF, one in
particular stood out. It came from the
film The Bangor drAroostook
Railroad. The sequence shows a fireman
stoking his locomotive, pausing to drink
from a stoneware jug — "that was his
Poland Spring bottle," says Kennedy —
and then returning to the back-breaking
work of shoveling coal. "It is a tremen-
dous piece of film," said Kennedy. Like
much of Home, it's a penetrating
reminder of how much harder working
life once was.

Kennedy hoped that Home would
open more eyes to NHF's work. (The
reverse will also occur, as Home has been
added to the Reference by Mail loan
program.) "You know, it's so easy to
watch a television show and to see the

images go by and not think about where
they came from," she said. "Well, this is
where many of them came from."

In fact, as Gardiner told MIR, the
series "could not have been done without
Northeast Historic Film." While still
images, interviews and re-enactments all
have a place in their visual toolbox, the
creators of Home agree that actuality
footage brings the viewer closest to
history — or, as Gardiner put it in his
remarks at the premiere, the archival
material gave life to the series.

But programming like Home does the
same for historic moving images, as
NHF Executive Director David Weiss
told the crowd. After all, why collect this
material if no one sees it? "It was won-
derful to see the footage used in such a
way that the context breathes life into the
footage, and gives it a point, gives it an
audience," Weiss said later.

Mutual Benefit

This understanding of mutual benefit
helped bring about the agreement that
MPBC and NHF reached early this year.
"We have complementary missions, and
we're each in a position benefit from the
other's assets," Gardiner told MIR.
"We're just delighted with the relation-
ship and how it continues to grow." H

NHF in Education: A Town Then and Now

If all politics is local, as Tip O'Neill
famously said, much of education
ought to be.

And in fact, two third-grade teachers in
Southwest Harbor, Maine, found the
Ernest Stillman Collection to be an
excellent tool for introducing their pupils
to the town they live in. Footage taken
by Dr. Stillman, who summered on
Mount Desert Island in the 1930s and
40s, was one of the devices Anne Welles
and Robin Sattler used in the study unit
they designed for the Pemetic
Elementary School.

With the curriculum requiring a unit
about Southwest Harbor, the pair
decided they needed something more
engaging than teaching from dry adult
texts, the previous approach. Welles and
Sattler took as their model Islands and
Lighthouses, a published fourth-grade
unit that takes pupils on a virtual journey
along the Maine coast from the Isles of
Shoals to Eastport. Assuming a 19th-
century identity, each student performs
activities that earn points, and the points
"pay" their passage along the coast.

"I never had a student that didn't like
it," says Welles.

Encouraged by instructional grants
from School Union 98, the teachers
spent last summer developing Southwest
Harbor: Then and Now, a 10-week unit
that, in the manner of Islands and
Lighthouses, takes students through 10
significant sites in Southwest Harbor.

The activities are designed with two
functions in mind: to get the factual
material about the town across, and to
take the kids through a variety of
academic subjects and research tech-
niques. So, for example, they might see
what they can learn about a local clan of
long standing from the family graveyard.
Or gather oral history from older
residents. Or visit the former site of a
dam, check the water quality, and sketch
what it might have looked like when the
sawmill was still there.

Boats Full of Herring

Welles heard about NHF first from a
water-quality workshop whose leader
used ice-harvesting footage to make a
point. Then, during the winter, she

Mount Datrt bland fisheries, i,/. !'>•<(). Ernest Stillman (.'ullfttinn.

attended a Hancock County teachers'
workshop at the Alamo, "Maine Moving
Images: Launching Points to Past and
Future," given by Karan Sheldon. Welles'
original intent was to use the Stillman
footage to shed some light on past
livelihoods in and around Southwest
Harbor.

Which the Stillman material does very
well. While offering glimpses of lumber-
ing and other shore-based trades, Dr.
Stillman devoted many minutes to
commercial fishing. To a society accus-
tomed to news of dwindling fisheries,
some of the images are amazing — such as
the open boats so full of wriggling herring,
caught in seines for the sardine trade, that
they have scant inches of freeboard.

But, while showing the footage to
older residents to get their input, Welles
realized that it would also teach her
young people plenty about broad
changes over time. For example, from
their research the kids know that Manset
was the original hub of the town. The
NHF film bears that out, showing the
old docks and working buildings along
the waterfront that are now gone.

Similarly, the nature of harbor traffic is
quite different. Then it was working
vessels. Now it's largely recreational
boats. These days, Welles says, "You can

almost walk across the harbor on the
mooring balls."

A Place to Start

The moving-image component was a hit,
Welles reports. "I asked the kids if they
thought it was valuable and if I should
show it next year," and they approved it
unanimously. (An added treat was the
cartoon excerpts that Stillman cut into
the film as visual punchlines to his own
intertitles. "I guess he had a sense of
humor," Welles says.)

In a media-saturated age, the moving
image is indispensable to reaching young
people. "It speaks to the kids, really,"
Welles says. "They're so used to seeing
things right before them that they're
maybe not as used to creating images in
their own minds."

"This helps give them a place to start,"
she says, with that kind of imagining.

Welles adds that she and her colleagues
are tantalized by the educational possibil-
ities that reside in NHF s storage vault.
In fact, she knows of one teacher who is
thinking of applying for a grant in order
to spend time at the Alamo and catalog
the holdings that might be useful to
educators on the island. B

Grants in Action

Continued from Page 1

Access is one of the major issues the
project will address, says Executive
Director David Weiss. Until now, there
simply haven't been staff members
enough to index these materials, which
total nearly 1.5 million feet of film and
some 2,260 videotapes.

Where cataloging elsewhere in the
collections has opened up holdings
predating World War II, Weiss explains,
this project will "unlock a new period —
from the 1 950s to the 1 990s — in a way
we really haven't been able to before."
Even though it will take two years to
finish the project, access will start
improving almost immediately after
work starts this fall.

Especially for a society so attuned to
the tube, these are images much too
important to keep hidden. Produced by
stations in Bangor, Lewiston, Portland
and Presque Isle, they constitute Maine's
television record from the period 1953-
1996. They depict events that are locally,
nationally and even globally significant.
Urban renewal, the controversial 1 965
Clay-Liston heavyweight title bout, the
peacemaking efforts of Manchester's late
Samantha Smith are covered — and so
too are the small stories that preserve a
sense of how Mainers really lived in die
second half of the previous century.

The project encompasses all of Maine's
known surviving 1 6mm news film and
2-inch broadcast videotape. Because the
TV stations were out shooting every day,
Weiss points out, "one TV collection is
typically 1 00 times bigger than our
biggest amateur collection."

The National Historical Publications
and Records Commission is a program
within the National Archives and
Records Administration. Its job is to
ensure understanding of Americas past
by promoting the identification, preser-
vation, and dissemination of essential
documentation.

New staff for die television work will
be recruited during the summer. Leading
the way in the drive for matching funds
is a $13,323 grant from a historic
stakeholder in the project, the
Rines/Thompson Fund. As reported in
these pages during the winter, this fund

was endowed by the family that founded
stations in Portland and Bangor. The
project will be completed in 2002.

Old Films for
a New Century

NHF has won two grants from the
Maine Communities in the New
Century Program, a state initiative that
emerged last year. The program is the
brainchild of a consortium of state and
private cultural agencies, which won
more than $3 million from die
Legislature to support a wide spectrum of
projects, from library preservation to
community arts activities.

A $2,000 grant is helping to produce
the Northeast Silent Film Festival (see
story, Page 3). The grant came from the
Community Arts & Heritage fund
within the New Century Program.
Jointly administered by die Maine Arts
Commission and the Maine Humanities
Council, the fund supports projects that
strengthen cultural resources at the
community level.

A New Century Preservation grant of
$8,000 will go toward work on An
Amateur Exemplar, NHF's compilation
of excerpts from the collections that
represent the historic and aesthetic value

of amateur film. The New Century grant
will match funds received last year from
the "Treasures of American Film
Archives" initiative (see story, Page 11).

He Got It for Us
Wholesale

Archival storage capacity at the Alamo
increased by one-third in March, and a
foundation in Maine and a friend in
New York City deserve the thanks.

A stalwart supporter of Maine cultural
organizations, the Falmouth-based Davis
Family Foundation granted the archives
$15,000 for the installation of space-
saving compact shelving in the Alamo's
storage vault. You've probably seen this
kind of shelving: The shelf units sit on
metal tracks, cuddle up close together,
and roll apart compliantly to let you get
what you're after.

The project was originally estimated at
$21,600, including shipping and
installation of the shelf units. But NHF
member Bill Gross, president of Bill
Gross & Associates, New York, graciously
obtained the shelves for NHF at cost.
His generous effort enabled NHF to
bring the entire project in for die amount
of the Davis Foundation grant. 8

ffw mobile shelving units for second-floor storage areas.

In Memoriam:

Jim Petrie, Filmmaker

NHF notes widi sorrow the loss of
a longtime friend. James Arthur
Petrie was a

filmmaker and raconteur
whose own life would have
made a fine full-length
feature. His legacy includes
a remarkable film record of
Maine, Massachusetts and
New Hampshire from the
late 1940s into the 1970s.

Jim Petrie was born in
1912, in Boston's Chinatown, and
succumbed to pneumonia on January 4
of this year in Harvard, Mass., where he
resided most of his life. According to The
Harvard Post, Jim had told a friend, "I'll
see in the new millennium, and then
that's it."

The U.S. Navy gave Jim his start in
movie-making. In 1947, he went to work
for producer Louis de Rochement as a
location scout. De Rochement made his
name as the creator of the March of
Time newsreels, known for their re-
enactments of news events. Jim told
NHF that de Rochement had gotten into
the newsreel business in 1915 widi
footage of a sheriff in Vanceboro, Maine,
re-enacting the arrest of a German
saboteur.

Jim worked for de Rochement when
the latter was known as a producer of
socially conscious dramatic films, often
shot in New Hampshire, where de
Rochemont lived. One of the best-
known is Lost Boundaries (1949), a
pioneering civil rights film portraying the
struggles of an African- American doctor
and his family.

De Rochemont also made travelogues,
industrials and promotional films for
social-service agencies, a genre Jim stayed
with when he formed his own produc-
tion company, Potter, Orchard & Petrie.
During his career, he worked as a
director, director of photography,
producer and film editor.

A Final Gift

The BUI Wilson Story, produced by de
Rochement and directed by Petrie, offers
intriguing insights into the social-services

The Biil
James Petrit <

realm at mid-century. (And the views of
old Portland are worth die price of
admission.) Created for the Greater
Portland Community Chest, a forerun-
ner to the present United Way, it uses the
story of a family's breakdown to show
what help awaited people in need.

Poor old Bill Wilson is a city bus driver
whose son is acting out in rejection of
Bill's second wife. Bill is too proud to
admit there's a problem — until the boy
gets into trouble and the wife is hospital-
ized with a nervous breakdown. Where a
lesser man would have gotten into the
bus and headed for Las Vegas, Bill visits
Child and Family Services and sets his
family back on the road to happiness. It's
a sweet and fascinating glimpse of a past
that's almost close enough to touch.

NHF owes much to Jim. His dona-
tions over the years ranged from a "bug-
eye" Moviola film editor to the James
Petrie Collection of films. The collection
includes de Rochement productions,
including Lost Boundaries and other
features, as well as outtakes from de
Rochement's and Petrie's production
companies. Petrie's fastidiousness was as
much appreciated as his generosity: His
material donations to NHF were always
in immaculate condition and well-
documented.

His final gift to this organization was a
$25,000 bequest, gratefully received.
About two-thirds of the bequest will
support the capital campaign, while the
rest goes into the Alamo cinema, paying
for two new CinemaScope lenses and
two up-to-date soundtrack readers. A
fitting way, we hope, to commemorate a
man who loved making movies. H

Planned Giving and NHF

As NHF works to ensure that New
England's moving-image legacy will
always be around, the organization
depends on support from its many
friends and members. That's obvious.

What's not so obvious are the many
avenues of donation that exist in the
non-profit realm. If it's easiest for you to
simply whip out the checkbook, that's
fine with us — but it may interest you to
know that options exist that can leave
you with more than a good feeling. In
particular, the types of donation catego-
rized as "planned giving" can help you
substantially at tax time, earn you money
and give you peace of mind.

"Some can be effective even for a
relatively modest gift," says Executive
Director David Weiss. "You don't have to
be King Midas to take advantage of some
of these techniques."

While planned giving is usually
understood to mean bequests and other
posthumous gifts, many of today's
donation choices take effect while you're
still around to watch them work. For
example, gift annuities are investment
instruments that will generate income for
you while you need it, and then benefit
NHF once you don't.

Tax savings are a powerful motivation
for planned giving. Charitable remainder
trusts, for example, allow you to sell a
business, appreciated securities or other
assets without incurring a capital gains
tax. Donations to a charitable trust diat
are deductible now can be parlayed later
into income-generating instruments for
retirement.

There are ways, as well, to make your
gift do double duty. A bequest will help
NHF and reduce the estate taxes
imposed on your survivors. A gift
annuity can provide an income for an
elderly parent or other loved one.

And so forth. Your lawyer or financial
advisor can help match your current
needs with your long-term goals. Then, if
a long and productive life for New
England's moving-image record is among
those goals, David Weiss will be pleased
to hear from you. I

Northeast Historic Film Members

Call Marko Schmitt, Membership Director, at 800 639-1636 to join or renew.

Patrons

Mr. & Mrs. Alan J. McClelland

Fred Oettinger

Ed Pert

James & Rita Phillips

Richard & Kimberley Rosen

Dr. & Mrs. H. Sheldon

Clare H. Sheldon

David Weiss & Karan Sheldon

Friends

Dr. Parker F. Harris

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Ives

Mr. Robert L. Jordan

Sarah Lupfer

George & Kati MacLeod

Robert & Janet Marville

David & Joan Maxwell

Dorothy Morrison

Pamela Wintle & Henry Griffin

Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Corporate Members

Acadia Pictures, Inc.
Thomas Bakalars Architects
Margaret Chase Smithr-Library

Center

Crosby's Drive In ,;". ;
E.D.O. Construction
The Enterprise -
Fellows, Kee &c Tymoczko
Fossil Works Inc. : :
J. Gordon Architect
Bill Gross & Associates
Maine State Archives
Ramsdell Auto Supply
Robert WardweMf& Sons, Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. Francis W. Hatch

William & Anita Haviland

Lynn Hickerson

C. A. Porter Hopkins

Eithne Johnson & Eric Schaefer

Kathleen Kenny & Dave Hunt

Richard A. Kimball, Jr.

Paul & Evelyn Liebow

Peter K. Lindsey

Mr. & Mrs. Don McLean

Patrick Montgomery

Henry Moulton

Bob Neal

Desmond & Joan O'Hara

Mrs. John Porter

Mr. & Mrs. Terryjtahkine

Charles R. Ryan

Elizabeth Saudek

Allen & Cynda Schauffler

Pefer & Ann Sheldon

Alan Stark

Samuel T. Suratt & Jui

Mrs. Nathaniel Thompson
* & Mrs. Charlie Tyson

rn & Jackie Weiss

les Russell Wiggins

MaryAiden

iiilifcta--^

nek & Martha

Associate Me

Richard &

Alan Baker ;'.'

Jim Bordewick & ]

McNamara
Will Burden
Robert E. Burgess
Joseph F. Condon
Keith Cunningham
Darwin &C Jackie Davidson
Dwight B. Demeritt, Jr.
Marcia Fenn
Kathryn H. Fuller, Ph.D.
Bill Gross & Alicia Condon
Kathryn Gross

mprofit Organizations
idia Filmvideo

rrt Babcock

Boothbay Harbor Memorial Libi
BowdoiaCollege, Film Studies.- ;
Bucksport Adult & Cornjytnity Education
Calais Free Librar^'
Castine Arts Association
Centering Thru Movement Dance School
Cherryfield Narraguagus Historical Society
Giichester Town Library
The Community Television N
,j$Skrtis Memorial Library
Joyce Duncan
Fisher Museum of Forestry,
Friends of Witherle Memorial Library
Hancodf'Co'unry Pijejids of the Arts
Indiana Historical Society Library
John Stark Regional H.S. Librarian
Kennebunkport Historical Society
Maine Film Office
Maine Folklife Center
Maine Public Broadcasting
Maine State Library
Moosehead Historical Society^;:;;/;;/
Morrill Historical Society JK/&&:

Nashua Public Library, Music Art Media Dept

New England Museum of Telephony, Inc.

Orland Historical Society

Pejepscot Historical Society

Penobscot Marine Museum

Penobscot Shores

Rangeley Public Library

Simmons College Library

Stanley Museum

Mr. Robert Studley, Jr.

Sumner Historical Society

Thomaston Historical Society

Thorndike Library, College of the Adantic

* * «-•'»* •'*-*1¥;ff"njllH^^^fc_

Vinalhaven Historical Society

terville High School, Media Center
reld Historical Society
Witherle Memorial Library

Households

r. & Mrs. Robert Allen

Jam H. Allen III
r. & Mrs. Fred Almquist

Carter & Linnea Anderssor£Wintle

Robert Bellerose ^r

Frances Thompson & Eric Benke

Chris & Esther Berry

Thomas & Patricia Berry

Paul & Molly Birdsall

Richard Bock ;M

Robert & Linda Brau

Carolyn Brennan-j'

Robert W. Brewer

Edward & Joan Bromage
ijjjjjk Mrs. John M.R. Bruner
. Mr. & Mrs. E. Bruns

Mr. & Mrs. Neal Butler
_ -8ii|?t: Mrs. Robert

Mr. Robert Carmichael

Mr. & Mrs. John P. Chapin
r & Betsey Coe

r***rt' .1 *»»rxrr *^so??; •

James Coleman & Judith Wentzell
Deborah Joy Corey & Bill Zildjian
Bob & Cleo Cottrell
Judy Davis

j-v »—\ . '"-"^r? •••-'l~:''*^*Z2zV*

Peter Davis

Ruth & Joel

Keith Davison & Betsy Montandon

James & Leila Day

Clarence R. De Rochemont

Mr. & Mts,;l»n Dean

Sally & G. Malcolm Denning

Continued on Page 12

'American'

There's more to the story of The
Making of an American than we
explained in the Winter 2000
Moving Image Review.

Early this year, two musicians expert in
silent-film accompaniment assembled a
score for the film, which the state of
Connecticut produced in 1920 to
persuade new immigrants to learn
English. NHF Advisor Gillian Anderson,
a conductor and musicologist, initiated
the project. Professor James Luke, retired
from the Drake University music faculty,
selected works from a vast archive at
Drake that he oversees.

"I was moved by
the film and knew
that it would be
shown more

frequendy if it had an accompaniment
from the period," says Anderson, who
divides her time between Washington,
D.C., and the Italian city of Bologna.
She analyzed and timed the scene
structure of die film, and sent the results
to Luke, who lives in Des Moines. She
plans eventually to create standard
orchestral parts for the film, complete
with metronome markings and scene
cues to help the musicians stay in synch
with the action.

Luke was clearly the man for this job.
For 20 years he has led the Bijou Players,
a small orchestra that exists just to play

along with silent films. He also adminis-
ters the Hundling Silent Motion Picture
Film Music Archive at Drake, composed
of more than 4,000 titles. The bulk of
the collection — nearly 3,000 titles —
was discovered during the 1 980s, in a
movie palace dressing room in Newton,
Iowa.

Paul Vely's "Tragic Theme" supports
the scene in which poor Pete, the Italian
immigrant, realizes that he's trapped
behind the language barrier. Gaston
Borch's "Joyous Allegro No. 25," on the
other hand, ends the film telling us that

Pete and Mrs. Pete are not only
Americanized but happy about it, thanks
to their English lessons.

Luke sees the music as a nearly equal
partner to the visual component. "What
we want to do is support the action on
the screen — not intrude, but also not
necessarily be subservient to it," he says.
He was pleasantly surprised to discover
The Making of an American, which
came to NHF with the Alan Kattelle
Collection. "I think its really a very
lovely film, a very touching film," Luke
says. "I had no idea such a thing
existed." U

Silent Film Festival

Continued from Page 3

with members and educators from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. Informal discussions and
screenings will shed light on film
preservation, outreach and education —
and NHF s role in it all.

Advisor Eric Schaefer, assistant
professor in the department of Visual
and Media Arts at Emerson College, will
moderate (and perhaps take the opportu-
nity to plug his recently published
history of exploitation films, Bold!
Daring! Shocking! True!). Panelists will
include Advisors Kathryn Fuller, associ-
ate professor of history at Virginia

Commonwealth University, and William
O'Farrell, chief of moving image and
audio conservation at the National
Archives of Canada; Tricia Welsch, chair
of the Film Studies Department at
Bowdoin College; and Jim Henderson,
vice president of NHF and Maine State
Archivist. To reserve your spot at the
symposium, and a lunch, call 207 469-
0924 with Visa or MasterCard, or send a
check for $12 to NHF.

Tickets for each film in the Northeast
Silent Film Festival are $ 1 0 and $8 for
seniors, students and NHF members.
They may be purchased at the Alamo
Theatre box office, 379 Main Street, •

TRAVEL GUIDE

M.iim-d .in Kditor's Pick by Yankee
Magazine and New Engknd.com.

"Stop in 10 browse tin.- archive., study
a: m </r, and exhibits, plus the store. . .

Collections
Guide Update

Thanks to a grant from a Maine state
board dedicated to the preservation of
historical records, the NHF Collections
Guide has been updated for the first time
since its publication.

The update adds 85 listings to the
guide, all for collections with a signifi-
cant Maine angle. A $1 ,500 grant
supporting the work, which Paige Lilly
began last fall, came from the Maine
Historical Records Advisory Board. The
Board promotes the preservation and
presentation of historical records with
grants, advice and information, training,
and assistance with grant requests to the
National Historical Publications and
Records Commission. (In the interest of
full disclosure, it should be noted that
NHF Executive Director David Weiss
sits on the Advisory Board.)

The NHF Website (www.oldfilm.org)
will offer access to the update starting
this summer. High costs of production
and printing will limit hard-copy
publication to photocopies of the
database listing, which will be distrib-
uted to libraries and similar facilities
upon request.

The original Collections Guide was
printed in 1995. Each of its 195 entries
summarizes a given collection — the
moving-image materials it contains, who
made them (along with when and where,
as far as that can be determined), and
what they depict. The update is another
step in the slow but steady march toward
full intellectual access to NHF holdings.

An estimated 200 collections of
donated film and videotape await
processing for the next Collections
Guide update, with more coming in
every day.

the

Continued from Page 16

largely on 16mm footage shot by Israel,
who died in 1996.

"It was just beautiful," Shopsowitz
says. "My dad had dreamed of being a
professional cameraman, and then he got
sidetracked into the family business. So
he never ended up going further than
just being a really good amateur."

"The thing with my dad's stuff," she
adds, "is that it wasn't just dealing with
the family, it was looking at the world
outside." Realizing that there must have
been many filmmakers like her father,
Shopsowitz decided to show the evolu-
tion of amateur film and to celebrate its
makers.

There was plenty of material around,
even from her own crew. Her camera-
man, Antonin Lhotsky, provided footage
of his parents' wedding in 1941, in Nazi-
occupied Prague. "There's a picture of
Hitler on the wall behind them,"
explains Shopsowitz. "Its just because
every public building had to have that
picture.

"So one of the things that I look at is
the way history creeps into the frame
inadvertently," she says. "And that
becomes really interesting in terms of the
context that it takes on after."

Back Stories

An hour long, My Father's Camera will
be telecast, shown in schools and
submitted to festivals. It will feature
NHF footage from the Hilda and Meyer
Davis, Hiram Percy Maxim, Blanche
Geer and Kitty Clements collections. In
visits to the Alamo last year, Shopsowitz
dug into the film and paper archives,
interviewed staff, and through NHF met
sources such as Advisor Alan Kattelle and
film donor Kitty Clements.

Her experience demonstrated the
usefulness of bringing together viewable
footage with supporting material such as
shot lists and the filmmaker's journals or
notes. "Being able to look at the footage
and then see what the back stories are
behind it," she says, "is great."

In the broader sense, too, NHF
resources helped round out Shopsowitz's
understanding of amateur film. It's not
all backyard barbecues and Christmas
morning. In reality, she says, "amateurs
were actually making little dramas, little
travelogues, they were making little
documentaries. They were experimenting
with the medium."

O.P. Geer's Poem ofMontclair, a
1 933 film that compresses a day in the

life of a big-city lawyer into four reels,
particularly impressed Shopsowitz.
Another favorite is the Meyer Davis
family's Miss Olympia, a funny 1 939
drama about a family duped by someone
impersonating a sports star.

It was a revelation to her, too, just how
far back amateur filmmaking goes. NHF
provided the earliest amateur film she
excerpted, a production of Snow White
staged at a Maine country club in 1916
and captured on film by F.B. Richards.

In short, Shopsowitz says, NHF was
invaluable. "I don't know how I found
them exactly," she laughs. (Actually, it
was on the Web.) "But I realized that
these are definitely the right people to be
talking to."

"Their knowledge and their accessibil-
ity and what they have to offer are
amazing."

Incidentally, if My Father's Camera
pays one kind of tribute to filmmakers
like Israel Shopsowitz, his daughter is
involved in another as well. Using his old
Super 8 camera, she films her own
"home movies" as she travels.

And it has been intriguing to compare
her road trip photography with her
father's, Shopsowitz says. "It's scary.
They're very similar — like identical
shots." H

Recent Collections Donated to Northeast Historic Film

Alaska Moving Image Preservation Collection,

A Question of Values
Richard Anderson Collection, Newfoundland to

Maine: Return of the Caribou and other videos
Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Collection, ^-inch

videotapes
Elvira Bass Collection, 8mm amateur and

commercial films
Herbert Benedict Collection, 35mm amateur films

from 1924-1933

Shaun Bennet Collection, The Mountain and the Sea
James F. Butler Collection, 16mm amateur films
Mary Grace Canfield Collection, 9.5mm films
Alexandra MacCallum Clark Collection, 16mm and

Super 8 amateur films
John O. Clark, Jr. Collection, 16mm film
Daphne Crocker Collection, 16mm amateur films
Colby College Collection, 16mm and 35 mm sports

films and other titles
Marion Dash Collection, 16mm amateur films

Jackie Davidson Collection, 16mm amateur films
Mary Dietrich and Ruth Gates Collection, 16mm and

8mm amateur films

Stephan Donnell Collection, industrial videotapes
Estella Doughty Collection, 8mm amateur films
Durham Public Library Collection, 1 6mm

educational films

Emanuel Family Collection, 16mm amateur films
Farnsworth Museum Collection, Island Funeral m&

other 16mm films
Georgetown Central School Collection, Boothbay

Camps and other 16mm films
Chet Gillingham Collection, 16mm amateur films
Marie B. Hatch and Richard H. Pratt Collection,

1 6mm amateur films
Bernie Huebner Collection, 3/4-inch video copy of

amateur films
James Lippkc Collection, 8mm and Super 8 amateur

films
Ed Lupfer Collection, 16mm amateur films

Maine State Library Collection, 1 6mm educational films
Kenneth Martin Collection, 3/4-inch video copy of

amateur films

McLaughlin Foundation Collection, 3/4-inch video
Fran Mitchell Collection, 8mm amateur films
John A. Monroe Collection, 16mm sports film
Tom Moore Collection, 35mm ads from cinema in

Farmington, Maine

The Movie Queen, Groton Collection, 16mm film
Nowell-Clark Collection, 16mm amateur films
Muriel Bacheller Schulte Parker Collection, 16mm

amateur films
Pawtucket Public Library Collection, 3/4-inch videotape

copy of 1940 Pawtucket, RI, film
William Pfaffle Collection, Land of Remembered

Vacations and other 1 6mm films
James A. Phillips Collection, Peyton Place and other

materials
David Porter Collection, Birds on Gnat Spruce Head

Island and other 16mm films

Continued on Page 13

NHF in Washington: 'Treasures' Hit the Screen

Two titles from NHF collec-
tions found themselves in
good company last spring as a
film series in the nations capital
celebrated the "Treasures of
American Film Archives" project.

The four-night series at the
National Gallery of An was the first
public screening of films selected
for preservation under the
"Treasures" project, an initiative
spearheaded by the National Film
Preservation Foundation and
underwritten by the National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
and The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Archives receiving "Treasures"
support last year included big
players like George Eastman
House, the Museum of Modern Art
and the UCLA Film and Television
Archive.

Regional archives were also repre-
sented. NHF received $35,000 to
preserve a variety of films, including the
two shown in a May 6 screening. The
travelogue Historic Provincetown
(1916) and Dog's Tea Party, a 1937
entry from the Archie Stewart Collection
of home movies, shared the program
with a varied program of shorts, selected
from the "Treasures" list by Peggy
Parsons, the National Gallery's curator of
film.

These ran die gamut from government
informational films (The Autobiography
of a Jeep, 1943) to cartoons by anima-
tion pioneer Ub Iwerks to The Private
Life of a Cat ( 1 947), Alexander
Hammid's poetic feline documentary
about parental guidance.

The three-hour program ended the
series, which began on April 27 with a
reception and screening. That gathering
drew some 350 guests to the I.M. Pei-
designed East Building, says Parsons.
Notables included Librarian of Congress
James Billington, NEA Chairman Bill
Ivey, and Roger Mayer, head of Turner
Entertainment and chair of the National
Film Preservation Foundation.

The public screenings drew viewers as
widely assorted as the films. "We had
families, we had students, we had many,
many film buffs," Parsons says. "We had

vme movie with sound I'atsey the tJo^ ,ittentis a ten thirty. Archie .'-rtion.

tourists of every possible stripe and style."
Parsons, who describes her own movie
tastes as eclectic, oversees ongoing film
offerings at the gallery that tie in with
current exhibits during the week, and on
weekends explore independent film,
classics and other less-traveled cinematic
avenues. She embraces the variety of
filmmaking styles preserved by

"Treasures" and similar initiatives.
"These films represent a very important
part of our visual culture," she says, "and
they also provide documentation of a
way of life that no longer exists in
America. And without them we've lost a
very vital part of our history."

A DVD set of "Treasures" material will
be distributed this summer. B

New Home-Movie Related Projects

Exhibitions, Meetings & a Book

For the Love of It, Amateur Film
Clubs of California.

Contact Melinda Stone,
amateurish^yahoo.com

Home Movies, from May through

August, 2000, part ot Milking ('hnica at
the Museum ot Modern Art, New York.

Pntau Anne Morra,
ne_Morra@moma.org

"Issues in Small Gauge Film" at the

Assoii.it ion ot Moving linage Archivists
confereiue, I os Angeles, Nmemher.

Contact Toni Trcadway, l'~s

Small Gauge Roundtable, a project ot
AMIA and the National Film
Preservation Board, June 17-18, 20(10.
Contact Toni Treadv

The Unseen Cinema: Early American
Avam-Garde Film 1893-1940

C ontact Bruce 1'osner,
posn@cyberportal.nei

Home Movies — A History of the
American Industry 1897 - 19~9.

A new hook.

( 'oniau Alan Kattelle. Alank.ut1

Mr. & Mrs. John Dice
Mr. & Mrs. G. Clifton Eames
Bill & Kary Eberhardt
John & Nancy Etter

r-ll . .11 n: I ^fllVfPllilP

Ellen & Allan Fisher

Ann & Everett Foster

Bill & Marian Fretz

Tom & Teresa Gaffhey & Family

Frederick & Mary Stewart Hafer

Marion Harriman

Bente Hartmann

Ruth Heffron & John Vernebon

Roy V. Heisler & Esther Bissell

Gerald H. Herman

Horace & Alison Hildreth

Mr. & Mrs. John C. '.

Richard & Sue Jagels

Karen Johnson

Bob & Kelly Jones

Richard & Patricia W. Judd

Dr. Gaylen Kelley

Peter Kellrnan & Rebekah Yowan

Chip & Susan Kimball

Michelle R. Klein

John Paul & Milissa Lalonde

Donald & Betty Ann Lockhart

Morton & Barbara K. Mather

Mr. & Mrs. Hiram Percy Maxim II

Nina & Philip McCarty

Judy McGeorge & David Williams

Mr. & Mrs. Dewey Meteer

Lauritz & Mary Nilson

Blue Frost Farm

William O'Farrell

Kathryn J. Olmstead

Philip & Lydia Osgood

Seymour Papert & Suzanne Massie

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Perlman

Ruth & Bill Pfaffle

Kenny & Sharon Pickering

Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Pipher

Mr. & Mrs. David Pugh

Dr. Ned Rendall

Mr. & Mrs. James Rockefeller, Jr.

George & Barbara Rolleston
Dewitt Sage
Neil & Sally Sawyer
Tom & Pat Schroth
Dorothy & Elliott Schwartz
Peter & Lucy Bell Sellers
Marcia Smith
Philip C. F. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Sulya
(j/;i/£:Dwight W. Swanson

Samuel 6c Suzanne Taylor
Charles G. Tetro & Beverly
Bibber

Louise Gulick Van Winkle
Janwillem Vandewetering
Lawrence & Lorna Wahl
Julia & Robert Walkling :-
Ken & Holly Weinberg
Jon Wilson & Sherry Streeter
Frank & Elizabeth Wiswall

Individual Members

Corajane J. Adams
Paul D. Allan
Rosemary Anthony
Thomas M. Armstrong
George Arwood
Ernest T. Bagley, Sr.
Prof. William J. Baker
Elsie G. Balano
Rob Baldwin
Raymond Ballinger
Jean T. Barrett
JaneBeal
William Beardsley
Rev. John E. Berger
Arnold Berleant
Darren Bishop
Robert Blake
Benjamin Blodget
Alden Bodwell
Frances Bos
Virginia Bourne
Q. David Bowers

rown

Samantha C. Boy
Marcia Beal B
Fred Brown
Carol B
Jason Cabral
Lynn Cadwallader
Sara Cairns
Mary Grace Canfield
Robert J. Carnie
Murray Carpenter
Thomas J. Cash
Michel Chalufour
Reginald R. Clark
Brian Clough
Warrenlt
Susan Comeau
Brenda J. Condon
Richard Condon
Floyd Coolidge
Debra Cortrell
Rick Coughlin
Ben Crocker ';
David Crosby*
Richard E. Quran, Jr.
Fred Curtis J
Elizabeth Cudiffe
Larry Dakin
Phyllis Daniels
Polly Darnell
Adam Day
Clayton
Noel Dechar
Jeannene S. Dennison
Paul M. Densen
Josephine H. Detmer
Dr. Mary M. Dietrich
Jefferson Dobbs
Daniel Donovan
Leon J. Doucette
Neal C. Dow
Stanley Earle
David Edfors
David Ellenberg
Deborah Ellis

Day
an L. Dearth

The Alamo Theatre sold its ten-
thousandth movie ticket in May, one year
after opening the renovated cinema.
Theatre manager Andrea McCarty
congratulates ticket buyer Jim Bishop.
Photo by Don Radovich.

Anna Mary Elskus
Elaine Emery
Lynn Farnell
Joan Federman
David B. Held
David Folster
Patricia Foster
Ellen Fox
Karen Frangoulis
Betty Fraumeni
Daniel Frederick
Jim Freeman
Ed Friedman
Sam Fuller
Fulton

'endy Gallant
Peter T. Gammons, Jr.
Ruth Gilbert
Roger Gilmore
Martha U. Goldner
Douglas Gomery, Ph.D.
Henry Grandgent
Dayton Grandmaison
Mary Grant
Arnold Grindle
Gene B. Grindle
Terrance R. Grindle
Marilyn Groth
Kathryn Grover
John Halberstadt
EricW.Handley
Robert Hanscom
Reet Harkmaa
Charles Harmon
Elizabeth C. Harmon
Laura Harmon
Martha Harmon
Donna Hatch
Rob Hayes
Mark Henry
John Hess
Wendell Hodgkins
Nancy Hoff
Dr. Charles Houston
Edwin Howard
Dr. Stanley R. Howe
Doug Hubley
Heidi H. Ilsley
Ann Ivins
Jeffrey Janer
Tedd Johansen
Gerald Johnson
John Jones
Thomas F. Joyce
Dr. Richard Kahn
Laurie Kahn-Leavitt
JohnJ. Karol,Jr.
Alan Kattelle

Robert Kellogg

Robert Kelly

Lewis Kibler

Judith Koome

Diane Kopec

Karol P. Kucinski

Nick Kurzon

Yvon Labbe

Gregory Lamson

Percy Lee Langstaff

Ragnhild I .u kins

Ernest Larson

Percy Maxim Lee

Dennis Levesque

Donald Link, Jr.

Robin Linn

Dorothy C. Liscombe

Bonnie Lounsbury

John P. Lowe

Janet I. Lydick

Colleen Mace

Don MacWilliams

Howard Mansfield

Prof. Eugene Mawhinney

Keith B. McClelland

Caren McCourtney

Valerie Felt McClead

John T. Mcllwaine

Bob Mclntire

Linda McLain

Joan F. Meserve

Capt. Bruce Meulendyke

Charlotte Miller

Rev. Edward G. Miller

Ellen Mitchell

Ellen H. Mitchell
Alva Morrison
Frank Morse
Sumncr E. Moulton
Maryann Mroczka
Margaret W. Myers
Ms. Marianne New
Ms. Martha Nielsen
George R. O'Neill
Margaret Parker
Norma Patterson
Byron Peck
Tammy Pelletier
Ted Peterson
Ralph Pettie
Geoff Phillips
Court Piehler
Winfield Pipher
Jerriann Pollard
Mary Ann Porreca
Richard Pratt
Alice W. Price
Dr. Lloyd F. Price
David Quinn
Elvie M. Ramsdell
W. Mark Ritchie
Dea Dea Robbins
Paige W. Roberts
Windsor C. Robinson
Lynanne M. Rollins
Libby Rosemeier
Robert Rosie
Carolyn Rourke
Michele Royal
Robert B. Russell, Jr.

Harold Sargent
Karen Saum
Clint Schaunv
Edwin R. Schneider
Wendy Schweikert
Mike Seager
Holly A. Shaw
Richard Shaw
Bernard A. Shea
Milt Shefter
Harold B. Simmons
Laurence P. Sisson
Gary O. Smith
William S. Souza
Bob Spaulding
Christine Spratt
Amy B. Squibb
Timothy Stone
William Stone
Eve Stwertka
Eric Swenson
Mary Taylor
Dante Tedaldi
Peter Templeton
Dr. Philip P. Thompson
Martha Thurlow
Don Tirabassi
Lucic Tyler
Mrs. Marie Un
Mary Valliere
Joanne J. Van Namee
Sheik Varnum
Arthur C. Verow

Recent Collections

Continued from Page 10

Mr. & Mrs. Frederic Reynolds Collection, 16mm film of Par in Garden

Donald Saunders Collection, 16mm amateur films

George Sawyer Collection, 8mm amateur films

Neil G. Sawyer Collection, Scenes of Boston and Portage Lake, Maine, ca. 1934

Nicholas Smith Collection, 16mm amateur films

Ralph L Snow Collection, Orlando F. Snow, 1945-1965. 8mm

William Stone Collection, Super 8 amateur films

Joseph Sulya Collection, Super 8 amateur films and VHS vi

Marie Underwood Collection, 16mm amateur films and comi

James Wait Collection, 16mm amateur films

William Wasson Collection, 16mm amateur films

John W.L. White Collection, Building the MoUymauk. 8mm

Norma Willard Collection, VHS video copy of amateur film

Whipple Legacy Collection, 1 6mm amateur films

Robert Woodbury Collection, 8mm amateur films

Deeds of gift signed since January 1999.

Besides the donations listed, significant deposits were also received during this period.

Jean Webster
Heidi Wells
Virginia Whitakcr
Heather White
John W. L White
Phil A. Whitney
Phil Whitney
Jane Whitten
Donald Wilkcn
Bruce Williams
Deborah Williams
John Williams
Bonnie Wilson
Betty Winterhaldcr
Bruce Wintle
Edith Wolff
Aagot Wright

Educator/Student
Members

Tim Allison-Hatch
Sue Ann T. Baker
Henry Barendse
Rick Barter
Susan Bishay Peters
Frank Bisher
Maureen Block
Robin Bray
Charlotte Bridges

i l.i Burnham
Ron Canter
Charlotte Carrier
Judith Chase
Joseph Christiansen
Terry Christy
Joanne D. Clark
Paul A. Cyr
Peter Digiovanni
Melinda A. Duval
Joel Eastman
Alison England
Rev. Carlton G. Foster
Scott Frazier
Joanne Frecker
Rose French
Judith Frost
John Gardner
Donna Gilbert
Christopher Glass
Ruth Gomes
Rita A. Goodwin
Cora C. Grecr
Cynthia Grindle
Judy Hakola
James D. Hanna
Don G. Harris
B. Haskcll
Bob Hayes

.la Ani

-lanna C'h

arris Peg

r.u

i<^

Linda Hazard
Donna Hcrlihy
W. Daniel Hill
Melanie Hitchcock
Prof. Jay Hoar
Beverly Huntress
Margery Y. Irvine
Ron Jackson
M.IK LI R. Jacobs
Wendy Jacobs
Richard D. Jenkins
Candice Kanes
Shawn Keller
Zip Kellogg
David King
Kathryn King
Tom Kinsley
JefFcry Klcnotic
David H. Knight
Sarah White Knoch
Ms. Shirley LaBranche
Lucie Laplante
Lee Lehto
Barbara MacEwan
Richard A. MacKinnon
Nancy Marcotte
Beth McCann
Cheryl Mills
Mary Moynihan
1 .eslie Murauckas
Mark Neumann
Peter Palmiotto
Lynda Pietrofbrte

Catherine
Wesley Shorey
Patrice Slartery
Pam Smith
KarJhySobel
Giffbrd Stevens
Beth Stinchficld
Brcnda Surabian
Linda Swasey
SamTeel
Tracy Travers
Juris Ubans
Richard C. Valinski
Abigril A. Van %ck
Peta VanVuuren
TinkyWeisblflt
Anne L. Welles

ristopher White
Peggy Wight
Pauline G. Woodward
C. Bruce Wright

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director

Peggy Coreson, Business Manager

Jane Berry Donnell, Distribution Coordinator

Andrea McCarty, Theater Manager

Don Radovich, Technical Services

Marko Schmitt, Membership Director

James Sweet, Cataloging

Phil Yates, Facilities Manager

NHF Board of Directors

Thomas Bakalars, Boston, MA

President, Thomas Rakalars Architects, PC.
Architecture, urban design and project manage-
ment services, specializing in theater and audito-
rium environments. Master of Architecture from
Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, ME

President, F. Media, Kenncbunk, specializing in
manufacturing technology and electronic media.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, ME

Maine State Archivist, administrative head of the

State Archives. Directs Maine's Historical Records

Advisory Board. Ph.D. in political science from

Emory University.

Martha McNamara, Orono, ME

Assistant Professor of History, Cultural History
and the History of New England, University of
Maine, Orono. Ph.D. in American & New
England Studies, Boston University. Former
director, Society of Architectural Historians, New
England chapter. Maine Historic Preservation
Commission member.

Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, ME

International Paper Bucksport Mill, Vice President
and Operations Manager. Lives in Penobscot with

family.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, ME

Co-founder of Trio Software Corporation, and an
independent property assessment consultant. Was
staff producer and director at WMTWTV; studied
film at George Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, ME

Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architectural design,
urban design, and planning for worldwide
projects — educational and exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, ME

Owner Rosen's Department Store, Bucksport.
Maine State Representative and member of the
Utilities and Energy Committee. Board member
Bucksport Regional Health Center.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, ME

( 'o-rounder of NHF. Governance Committee.
Hancock County Cultural Network. Co-chair,
AMIA Regional Audiovisual Archives interest
group.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Portland, ME

President of Maine Radio and Television Co.,
LLC. Owns and operates CSP Mobile
Productions, based in Portland. Member of the
family-owned media group that in 1998 sold
\B( : affiliates WCSH and WI.HX. to Gannett
Broadcasting. Connecticut College graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Executive Director and co-founder of NHF.
Previously media producer in Boston after
graduating in film and semiotics from Brown
University. Serves on Maine's Historical Records
Advisory Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington, D.C.

Founder, Smithsonian Institution Human Studies
Film Archives. Founding chair, Association of
Moving Image Archivists' amateur film group.
Inedits. Family roots in Skowhegan, Maine.

Advisors

The Advisors of Northeast Historic Film arc-
individuals who have an interest in the work of
the moving image archives as an organization with
a vision for film, video, and digital preservation,
with broad public access.

Gillian Anderson, musicologist, conductor, and
author of Music for Silent Films, 1894-1929.
Washington, DC, and Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon Theaters
and Their Music, a history of the Thanhouser
Company, and over three dozen other books.
Antiquarian, business executive. Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This Way: A
Journey Through the Lives of the Underclass, and
director of the documentary feature Hearts and
Minds. Castine, ME.

Kathryn Fuller, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
History, Virginia Commonwealth University,
author of At the Picture Show: Small Town
Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture
(Smithsonian Institution Press). Richmond, VA.

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor of Media
History, College of Journalism, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD; author of 1 1
books, including Who Owns the Media? and
Shared Pleasures: A History of Motion Picture
Presentation in the United States. Current interest
in the history of the coming of television to the
US, including New England. Chevy Chase, MD,
& Allenspark, CO.

Alan Kattelle, author of a history of amateur film,
Home Movies — A History of the American
Industry 1897 - 1979, and cinematographic
researcher. Hudson, MA.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving Image and
Audio Conservation at the National Archives of
Canada. Board of Directors of the Association of
Moving Image Archivists. Ottawa, Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor,
1 )epartment ot Visual and Media Arts, Emerson
College, Boston. Author of "Bold! Daring!
Shocking! True": A History of Exploitation Films,
1919-1959 (Duke University Press). Boston, MA.

Samuel Suratt, Archivist for CBS News for 25
years. Archivist of the Smithsonian Institution.
Founding member of International Federation of
Television Archives. New York, NY.

Robert W. Wagner, Ph.D. Emeritus professor of
history and audiovisual communication with an
interest in amateur film, archiving and nontheatri-
cal film. Arlington, Ohio, and Readfield, ME.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D. Professor of
Cinema and Photography, Roy H. Park
School of Communications, Ithaca College.
Author, Reel Families: A Social History of Amateur
Film (Indiana University Press) and States of
Emergency: Documentaries, Wars, Democracies
(University of Minnesota Press). Ithaca, NY. Bi

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Invitations to special "Members" events.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England; and on moving-image related merchandise from
the catalog and Alamo Theatre Store.

• Several premiums ranging from mugs, free movie tickets
and T-shirts to Video History Sets and free dinners are
awarded depending on your level of membership.

Membership Levels and Benefits Please check one:
G Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

O Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

O Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

O Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

O Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

CJ Corporate Membership, $150 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

O Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

n Patron, $1,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

If you would like more information about our Membership programs

please contact Marko Schmitt, our Membership Director.

Email marko@oldfilm.org or Phone 800-639-1636.

Name

Address

City
State

Zip.

New a Renew

Phone

O Yes. I wish to receive the premium.

Please charge my credit card: O MC D VISA

Account #

Exp. date

Signature of cardholder:

Name as you wish it to appear on membership list:

0 My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable to Northeast Historic Rim.)

Gift Membership

1 would like to give a gift membership at the
level to:

Name

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Or fax to (207) 469-7875.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become involved
with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving image
heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is available through NHF's website. Go to www.oldfilm.org.

Reference by Mail /Members ONLY

Titles:

Alternate Title:

Membership/Specify level

TOTAL

'iss Olympia, a home drama, 1939, from the Hilda and Meyer Davis Collection.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Change Service Requested

Mining the Archives:
My Father's Camera

As we come to grips with the actual
creation of the Study Center for
Maine Moving Images (see Page
1), it may be helpful to see how the
current facilities are being used. Karen
Shopsowitz offers a good example.

Shopsowitz is a Toronto-based docu-
mentary filmmaker. Her films have
turned up on television and at festivals
from California to Montreal to Tel Aviv.
"She has a wonderful, engaging way of
telling personal stories, yet incorporating
a lot of information," says Silva
Basmajian, the producer of Canada's
National Film Board who works with
Shopsowitz.

Funded by the Film Board,
Shopsowitz will finish a piece this
summer that has an even stronger
personal touch than usual. The title, My
Father's Camera, is the tip-off: It was
the movies made by Israel Shopsowitz
that inspired his daughter to look more
deeply into amateur film.

Shopsowitz used her father's work as
the departure point for a larger explo-
ration of amateur film, concentrating on
the period from 1916 to 1949. She
tapped private sources and institutions
such as the National Archives of Canada
and the Human Studies Film Archives
for footage. A key source was Northeast
Historic Film.

All in the Family

My Father's Camera is rooted in a pair
of circumstances. One was Shopsowitz's
visit with a sister-in-law who had just
had a baby. "She was lying in bed, breast-
feeding with one hand, and shooting
with a video camera in the other,"
Shopsowitz says. "So I thought, OK —
something's going on. Why are we so
obsessed with capturing all of these
images?"

The second impetus grew out of an
earlier project. Shopsowitz's award-
winning 1989 film, My Grandparents
Had a Hotel, tells the story of a summer
resort north of Toronto that Israel
Shopsowitz's parents owned and ran
from 1935 to 1949. The film is based

Continued on Page 10

\oniirasT msTonr i n.nrs ir,m v

MOVING

IMAGE

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in Big Business, on

the National Film Registry Tour in Bucksport,
December 2, 2000. Photo courtesy Hallmark
Entertainment/ RH I, Museum of Modem Art Film
Stills Archives.

Gift to Theater is _

Sound investment National Film Registry Tour

When the Alamo Theatre began
regular screenings in May
1999, NHF's objective was to
get up and running with the best picture
quality possible. Now a gift from a Maine
foundation will ensure that the cinema
experience here is as agreeable to ears and
rears as it is to eyes.

Pentagoet, a Portland-based foundation,
has donated $100,000 to finish and
upgrade the cinema. Improvements will
include new seats; a stage curtain and screen
masking; Dolby Digital sound equipment; a
new video projector, and an assisted-
listening system for the hearing-impaired.

Pentagoet's mission is to promote, help
develop and support sustainable, healthy
Maine communities. Its beneficiaries
range from the Jackson Laboratory, a
genetics research facility in Bar Harbor,
to a regional community economic
development program in Western Maine.

The assisted-listening system is espe-
cially noteworthy. It translates film or stage
sound into infrared pulses that are beamed
to headsets, whose wearers can then boost
the volume to suit their comfort.
Meanwhile, the improved digital sound
system will wring every last auditory
nuance from new Hollywood features.

At about $ 1 8,000, including a capacity
increase from 1 25 to 1 35, the new seats are
the single biggest item on the upgrade
budget. NHF bought the present seats for
$2 each from the Powers Theatre, in
Caribou, Maine. Worn as those seats are.

A simple truth drives the Library of
Congress Film Preservation Tour:
There's no stronger advocate for
film preservation than someone who has
seen a great film as it was meant to be

seen.

From Anchorage to Tampa, from
Honolulu to Brattleboro, the Library of
Congress has put that principle to work
in nearly every corner of the nation.

In December, Northeast Historic
Film's Alamo Theatre will host the tour,
presenting programs that combine gems
of U.S. film heritage with treats from
NHF's archives.

Among the presenters confirmed at
press time are singer Don McLean
("American Pie"), a Maine resident who
will introduce two films by Maine native
John Ford, film editor Mary Lampson,
Bowdoin College film department
chair Tricia Welsch, Emerson College's
Eric Schaefer, and Wellesley's Eithne
Johnson.

The Tour's offerings include familiar
features such as Roman Polanski's
Chinatown (1974) and seminal silent
films, cartoons and other shorts, like the
1914 cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur and
the 1944 jazz shonjammin' the Blues.
American Movie Classics has sponsored
the Film Preservation Tour since 1999.

The Tour is the outreach component
of a congressionally mandated national
preservation initiative, explains Patrick
Loughney (pronounced lock-ney), head
of the Library's moving-image section. It
presents the best available prints of films
selected from 37 titles on the National
Film Registry, the 300-tide list of films
deemed significant by the Librarian of
Congress.

Continued on Page 5

Winter 2001

though, one constituency of viewers
may be sorry to see them go. They're
roomy enough for little kids to curl
right up in them.

"We'll have to save some, because
there's already a generation of kids
that feels fondly about them," says
Executive Director David Weiss. I

Imagining NHF: What's the Ideal? 4
Frederick Wiseman's Alamo Visit 6
R Ratings & Teens 9

Museum Uses of Moving Images 1 0
Membership Form 15

Website Update 16

Moving Image Review is a semiannual
publication ot Nonhe.ist Hisioru l-'ilm.
RO. Box 900, Bucfaport, M.ii
Daviil S. XX1 civs, executive dircuor
Doug Hubley, wrilei and editor.
ISSN 0897-(W>.

Mail OI. Uril Mi.''.u.idia.n«

Preserving and Making Accessible Northern New England's Moving Image Heritage • www.oldfim.org

Executive
Director's Report

The sum and substance of my
report this issue is to thank those
who have made contributions to
our capital campaign and to thank hard-
working board members and staff who
have made calls, written letters, distrib-
uted packets, and told our story.

Our current engineering report tells us
that we must act soon with new struc-
tural support for the first and second
floors in the front of the building.

The capital campaign goal is $4.5
million. We have raised $2.7 million,
and have $1.8 million to go. Please make
a donation or pledge today.

Sharing the View

UX£^>r

$1,000,000

Anonymous

$200,000+

Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation

$100,000+

Pentagoet

$50,000+

International Paper Bucksport Mill
The Town of Bucksport

$25,000+

Anonymous
James Petrie

$10,000+

Davis Family Foundation
Alan & Eleanor McClelland
James & Rita Phillips
Karan Sheldon & David Weiss
Nathaniel & Margaret Thompson

$5,000+

Boston Light & Sound
Camden National Bank
Francis & Serena Hatch
Fred & Lisa Oettinger
Richard & Kimberley Rosen

Here's a model for an organization's
growth: It starts with you, maybe
a few others, and your view from
the mountaintop. The view is fine, too
good to keep to yourselves, and so you
spread the word. You measure your
progress by the growing number of
people who share your vision — and,
just as important, the number who share
their visions with you.

Hence die theme for this issue of
Moving Image Review — sharing views.
Northeast Historic Film has always been
a collaborative organization. We couldn't
do our work in a vacuum, lacking
constant interaction with our members
and supporters, educators and students,
researchers and moving-image producers.
And during the past year it has felt like
our exchanges have increased by an order
of magnitude.

Take the new relationships we've
forged with donors such as Pentagoet
(see cover story), the Stephen and
Tabidia King Foundation, an anony-
mous New England foundation, and
other new donors to our capital cam-
paign. Yes, their support brings our goals
closer to fruition, but this is also a
dialogue. We are furthering supporters'
visions of our function and of the future

Continued on Page 11

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public, film and
videotape of interest to the people of
northern New England.

Activities include but are not limited
to a survey of moving pictures of
northern New England; Preserving
and safeguarding film and videotape
through restoration, duplication,
providing of technical guidance and
climate-controlled storage; Creation of
educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and
in touring programs; Assistance to
members of the public, scholars and
students at all levels, and members of
die film and video production com-
munity, through providing a study
center, technical services and facilities.

for the community we have in common.

The national moving-image preserva-
tion effort may be the broadest dialogue
in which NHF participates. The
National Film Registry Tour brings
results of that process to every state in the
nation. Bucksport gives Maine its turn in
December, as the second cover story
explains, when NHF and the Library of
Congress will collaborate with local
people to deliver a fun and memorable
week of films.

We're already looking ahead to next
summer's Symposium and Northeast
Silent Film Festival. The symposium is
open to people at every level of participa-
tion in NHF, from our Directors and
Advisors to the teenagers who frequent
Friday night movies at the Alamo. Those
young people are a special concern of
ours: At a community meeting last May,
we heard that we had more work to do in
keeping parents up to speed on what
their kids might be watching. We heard
and responded, as explained on Page 9.

The Bucksport community also has a
keen interest in the new Alamo Theatre
sign that will make it neon-clear who we
are and what we're doing here. With a
historic building like die 1916 Alamo,
there's a delicate line to walk between
preserving beloved old qualities and
living in the present. We think Director
Tom Bakalars' ingenious design finds
that balance.

What provoked this philosophizing
was a question, addressed on Page 4, that
every enterprise ought to kick around:
When this organization is at its zenith,
what will it be? An equally crucial
question is, who will the organization be?
Who will be sharing a vision with us?
Well, it's you — you reading this, you in
the cinema seats, you the donors,
teachers and students, you using our
Website. And your friends, we hope.

Let's keep climbing. We hear there's a
great view up ahead. H

Collections: The Television Record

The joke about newspapers is that
today's big story will line
tomorrows bird cage. But in
truth newspapers aren't quite so
ephemeral. Anyone who wants to see
yesterday's papers, or those from 1950 or
1 900, can probably find them at the
public library.

The 6 o'clock news from yesterday or
last year is a different story, though.
Television and Video Preservation 1997, a
Library of Congress report, estimated
that some 90 percent of local news film
and video is gone. For entertainment and
other types of local programming, the
casualty rate may be even worse.

That's the bad news. The good news is
that initiatives to preserve surviving
materials are gaining momentum, in
Maine and on the national level. Here in
Bucksport, Maine's extant television
record is in the hands of a man who
helped create much of it. A broadcast
journalist familiar statewide, Russ Van
Arsdale is tackling a project to preserve
and make accessible NHF'sTV holdings.
Described in the Summer 2000 Moving
Image Review, the project has been
funded in part by a $ 1 20,000 grant from
the National Historical Publications and
Records Commission (NHPRC).

Meanwhile, the Association of Moving
Image Archivists (AM LA) and the
National Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences have joined hands to launch
Preserving Local Television, an initiative
to organize national preservation efforts.

Bud and Ted, Together Again
NHF's television holdings total nearly
1.5 million feet of 16mm film and about
2,300 videotapes. They cover the years
from 1953, when Maine's first TV
station hit the airwaves, to 1996. They
come from seven producing organiza-
tions in Maine — three of which
employed Van Arsdale during his three
decades as a print and broadcast journal-
ist.

The 52-year-old Brewer resident
started at NHF in July, working with
videotapes from Bangor station WLBZ
and Presque Isle's WAGM, both of which
employed him as a reporter and photog-
rapher. Van Arsdale did similar work for

WABI, also in Bangor. (At WAGM, his
first job after graduating from the
University of Maine, Van Arsdale "was
one-half of the news department," he
laughs.)

The preservation project is budgeted at
more than $241,000 and encompasses
archival repackaging, copying and
cataloging the films and videotapes. Van
Arsdale spent the late summer and fall
going through tapes to check and correct
labeling.

Physically in good condition, the
materials include finished stories, a few
entire newscasts, election coverage,
promotional and community service
spots, even commercials. But raw
unedited footage is dominant by far.

"One of the great tragedies, not only in
Maine but across the country, is that
complete newscasts as aired have not
been preserved," says Van Arsdale. The
reasons aren't news to him. He explains
that television stations typically lack the
resources to maintain complete and
orderly news archives. Tapes are expen-
sive and bulky, so they're routinely reused
instead of being stored. Reporters' notes
are discarded after a decent waiting
period, obliterating context for the
images. And tape labels often aren't much
help in identifying the contents.

"So there's a little bit of detective work
that goes into what I'm doing here," he
says. "And what I'm finding in many
cases is, there are little
hidden treasures."
Because tapes were
reused so much, a
cassette labeled as a
hockey game might also
include footage of the
governor or a moose by
the roadside. On one
tape, in a section
without a video signal,
Van Arsdale could hear
two familiar voices
bantering about bread:
baseball star Ted
Williams and Maine
outdoors writer Bud
Leavitt, once popular
pitchmen for a regional
bakery.

Van Arsdale is the right man for that
detective work, says Executive Director
David Weiss. He brings to NHF not
only insight into the workings of a TV
newsroom, but first-hand knowledge of
30 years' worth of Maine news.

Thoughtful and soft-spoken, Van
Arsdale finds the work engrossing. "It is
intriguing to look at something that was
news and is history now," he says. "If
we've had any kind of interest in what's
gone on around us, we've seen these
moving images on TV night after night,"
and he feels lucky to be able to reexamine
them in light of what's happened since.

All News is Local

The other part of the TV preservation

project, Weiss notes, is the drive to raise

Continued on Page 13

Sunny I istini working out in Maine, /
16mm bcrw>iltnt film. H

Fntme

enlargement by Andi

Portrait: Doug Hubley

By Virginia Wright

"I think I must be an innate preserva-
tionist," says Doug Hubley. "I have 125
reels of audiotape of my friends and me
making music that I have kept and
cataloged since I was a teenager. It seems
I've always had this historical mindset
relating to media."

Until recently, however, Hubley was
only vaguely aware of his preservationist
tendencies. His interest in safeguarding
historical records, especially those on film
and videotape, has come into focus
largely as a result of his work as editor
and writer of NHF s Moving Image
Review for the past three years.

A freelance journalist, Hubley, 46, writes
for diverse publications, including The
Portland Newspapers, the Portland Phoenix,
Mainebiz, the Bates and Bowdoin college
alumni magazines, and Around Town, the
Web portal for Road Runner of Maine. The
work he enjoys most, however, is the work
he does for NHF.

"It's important to me on a number of
different levels," he says. "It's sentimental:
You're seeing these images of real people
from die past. It's very moving to see
something that has come up to our
period of time through all those years.
Also, on an intellectual level, it's a really
important thing that NHF does because
you can understand history in a very
immediate way."

As a child growing up in the Portland
area, Hubley got an early introduction to
broadcasting through his father, Ben
Hubley, a sales manager for WCSH-TV.
Later, at the University of Southern
Maine, Hubley indulged his affinity for
languages and history as a Western
European Studies major.

Hubley, who lives in Portland, has
been playing guitar, singing, and writing
songs as a member of one rock band or

Doug Hubley,

Moving Image

Review writer and

editor.

Photo by Jeff
Stanton.

another for 30 years. His current project
is Howling Turbines, a trio he formed
with his longtime partner Gretchen
Schaefer on bass and friend Ken
Reynolds on drums.

Tempted by 'May West'

As a writer and editor, Hubley has a
reputation as a stickler for accuracy and
detail, honed during his four years as a
part-time copy editor for The Portland
Newspapers in the late 1980s. His first
— and especially memorable — contact
with NHF came a few years later when
he was the features editor at Maine
Times, where he oversaw the alternative
newspapers arts and lifestyle content.

An NHF news release declaring "May
Wests" (sic), a popular Canadian confec-
tion, the official snack cake of an Alamo
Theatre film series so tickled Hubley's
dry sense of humor that he immediately
telephoned NHF co-founder Karan
Sheldon and spoke with her at length
about the cakes. A few days later, a box of
May Wests arrived on Hubley s desk.

"It was bribery," Hubley says with a
smile. But did he eat the treats? "Of
course! I was corrupted."

Hubley stayed in touch with NHF
through his work as a project editor for
Deep River Publishing, a Portland-based
Web site and CD-ROM publisher. His
decision in 1997 to work freelance
serendipitously coincided with NHF's
need for a newsletter editor and grant-
writing assistant.

Sheldon and Hubley develop article
ideas for Moving Image Review together,
then Hubley does the bulk of the research
and writing. The work has put Hubley in
touch with film preservationists and
historians in the United States, Canada
and Europe, as well as NHF donors like
David Porter, nephew of artists Fairfield
and Eliot Porter, and Percy Maxim Lee, a
descendant of the Maxim machine gun
inventor. "It's always interesting," Hubley
says. "Every story for NHF is interesting
without fail."

Virginia Wright is a freelance writer and
editor. She lives in Cumberland, Maine. H

Imagining NHF:
What's the Ideal?

A friend recently posed a question
that started us thinking. "When
Northeast Historic Film is at its
zenith," he wondered, "what will the
organization be?"

Naturally we know why we do what
we're doing — but at the same time,
dealing every day with the ABCs of it, it's
easy to lose sight of the distant XYZs. (Z
for "zenith," naturally.)

Put on the spot, we offered a stock
reply: Our goal is to drive up the price of
films at flea markets. Sounds like a joke,
but there's a straight message behind it. If
NHF and its sister archives do their jobs
right, society will someday see much
more value in moving images that now,
likely as not, will land in a landfill.

Tuning our Zeniths a little more
carefully, we channeled in some other
visions of the consummate NHF. The
obvious place to start was with our
Directors and Advisors, and their
conceptions were encouraging.

"At its zenith, NHF would be the
preeminent regional film archives in the
nation," Advisor Eric Schaefer told us.
(Directors and Advisors are further
identified on Page 12.) That means a
number of things.

First, it means that NHF would perfect
as far as possible the performance of its
primary mission, the preservation and
presentation of the region's film and
video record. NHF, Schaefer said, "would
be a mecca for those scholars, educators
and individuals interested in New
England's past as preserved in moving
images."

"Its collections availability as a research
asset should be second to none —
[through] both conventional retrieval
and electronic retrieval," added Director
Thomas Bakalars.

More than that, Schaefer continued,
the apogean NHF would "serve as the
model (and logically the lead) in what
would ideally become a network of
regional and/or state archives around the
country, assuming that leadership
through its successful preservation efforts

Continued on Page 8

National
Film Tour

Continued from Page 1

On our schedule is a silent film day,
Dec. 5, featuring Oscar Micheaux'
Within our Gates, the earliest surviving
feature by an African American director.
By Maine native John Ford are two
Westerns, The Searchers and My
Darling Clementine, slated for Dec. 3.

While the Film Tour itself has done
much to boost public awareness of film
preservation issues, Loughney also credits
regional archives such as NHF. "It does
take regional and other archives getting
involved in this business, because there's
still a great deal of work to be done to
locate and to save these films for future
generations," he says. "And Northeast
Historic Film is one of the major regional
archives in the country. It's a model."

While NHF's presentations were still
being finalized in early October, when
these pages went to press, among the
early confirmations is a 1919 Prizma
color film of American Indians found in
a fraternal hall in Maine this year.
"Archival Minutes," selections from the
vault, will precede each feature, a practice
that has become standard at the Alamo.

Loughney praises American Movie
Classics for its work in raising awareness.
The feeling is mutual. "We couldn't have
found a partner that was more in synch
with our own passion for this cause" than
the Library of Congress, says Laura
Masse, AMC's vice president of market-
ing. Along with sponsoring the Film
Preservation Tour, AMC devotes a

Darling

•'".?
1 1 rni ;

Gertie the Dinosaur. Winsor McCoy, 1914.
Photo courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art.

weekend of programming to film
preservation each year.

Loughney, who has been involved with
the Library's national film preservation
initiative since the beginning, has
attended 25 Film Preservation Tour
events, pitching for the cause and fielding
questions about preservation efforts.
Audiences tend to be impressed by two
things, he says. One is the diversity of
American film and the length of its
history. And the other is the sheer magic
of restored film on the big screen,
compared to video. "People say, 'You
know, I've seen this film X number of
times on video, but now I feel like I've
seen it for the very first time,' " he says.

Film Preservation Tour Calendar

This is not the final calendar. Please see
our Website at www.oldfilm.org, or call
207 469-0924 for updates. Tickets and
reservations will be necessary for some
programs.

Saturday, December 2

Spirit of the Holidays

1 2: 1 5 pm Big Business, 1 929 (free 30-

minute children's show with live music)

Sunday December 3

John Ford Day

Don McLean presents

4 pm My Darling Clementine, 1 946

7 pm The Searchers, 1956

Monday, December 4
6:30 pm Ninotchka, 1939
9 pm Chinatown, 1 974

Tuesday, December 5
Silent Film Day

Tricia Welsch, Bowdoin College, presents
— with live musical accompaniment —
7 pm The Great Train Robbery, 1903;
Gertie the Dinosaur, 1914
Within Our Gates, 1919
9pm The Cheat, 1915

Wednesday, December 6

7 pm All Quiet on the Western Front,

1930

Thursday, December 7

Mary Lampson, film editor, presents

2 pm Harlan County, USA (student

workshop)

7 pm On the Waterfront, 1954

Friday, December 8

Film Preservation Gala and Screening

Saturday, December 9

Eric Schaefer, Emerson College, presents

7 pm Out of the Past, 1947

9 pm Raging Bull, 1980

Sunday, December 10

Festival of Shorts

Eithne Johnson, Wellesley College,

presents

2pmJammin'theBlues, 1944; What's

Opera Doc, 1957; Duck Soup, 1933

4pm 16mm: Meshes of the Afternoon,

1943; Eaux d'Artifice, 1953; Castro

Street, 1966

35mm: The March of Time, 1938; The

River, 1937

7 pm Sunrise, 1927

Collections: Joan Baldwin

It always impressed Joan R. Heller that
her friend Joan Thurber Baldwin could
keep shooting a film without needing
to check earlier footage from the project.

The late Baldwin had the artistic eye,
her friend says. "She knew what she was
seeing," Heller explains. "She knew what
she was putting on the film. It was a part
of her visual, artistic sense."

Baldwin was creatively voracious, a
poet and amateur architect as well as a
filmmaker. But she may be best known as
a Maine painter. She was a dedicated
member of the Ogunquit Art
Association, a professional group with
roots in the Ogunquit art colony begun
in the 1 920s by painters like Charles
Woodbury.

Baldwin, who lived from 1927 until
1990, was born in New Jersey but spent
time in Maine every year of her life. She
did most of her filmmaking during the
1950s. In 1978, she and Heller moved to
Cape Neddick. Heller, retired from a New
York career in advertising and marketing,
has devoted considerable effort to preserv-
ing Baldwin's artistic legacy.

Last summer Heller donated her
friends films to NHF. Mostly 16mm,
much of it in sound and color, this body
of work includes drama, comedy and
documentary work, as well as Baldwin
family film from the 1 920s.

A trust fund enabled Baldwin to
pursue her creative interests without
financial pressure. Painting came first.
"This was her lifelong self-identity,"
Heller writes mjoan Thurber Baldwin —
A Maine Painter, a gorgeously produced
catalog of Baldwin's art.

Sea Mark, Monhegan Island, Maine, the Joan
Baldwin Collection. 16mm color sound film.
Frame enlargement by Andrea McCarty.

Baldwin moved back and forth among
visual media, and between representation
and abstraction, but bold colors and a
decisive line were common to all her still
artworks. She cherished Maine's natural
beauty and often found inspiration there.

"With all of her work she was an
experimenter who tried to learn absolutely
as much as she could about whatever field
she was in," Heller says. For example,
when paint became available in spray cans,
Baldwin went through 20 or 30 test
canvases to master that difficult medium.
Which she did — and then, as usual,
went on to something else.

"She was finished with that problem,
so she would not go on and try to repeat
herself," Heller explains.

Film was a diversion for Heller. "But
since she was talented and serious, and
put a lot of work into it, the films are all
terribly good of their type, for an
amateur," Heller says.

Film was also a social focus, a reason for
parties, which Baldwin held, first, in die
barn on her Old Oak Farm, and later in the
studio (complete with projection booth) at
her second Cape Neddick residence.

Baldwin brought to filmmaking the
same combination of thoroughness and
restlessness that she did to painting. "The
16mm medium really intrigued her,"
Heller recalls. The artist amassed and
absorbed a library of technical and how-
to books. But again, she jumped from
genre to genre.

A Change of Scene was a drama filmed
in South Carolina. Sea Mark, Heller's
favorite, was a "documentary/story" that
captured Maine's Monhegan Island. The
Face of Fall was an anti-hunting tract.

And then there was Some Glimpses of
"Our Town. " This play-within-a-movie
used friends from Maine and New York
to spoof the physical mannerisms and
gee-whiz dialogue of the Thornton
Wilder classic. Though dramatic scenes
filmed in the Old Oak barn constitute
most of the footage, there are also
establishing shots that document
Ogunquit in 1956.

Heller heard about NHF through a
Monhegan contact made when she
wanted to donate a video copy of Sea
Mark to the island historical society.

'Belfast' Comes
To Bucksport

Frederick Wiseman and Andrea McCarty.

By Andrea McCarty

NHF Curatorial Department

On August 20, documentary film-
maker Frederick Wiseman traveled
from his summer residence in
Northport to present his latest film,
Belfast, Maine, to an enthusiastic
audience in Bucksport.

Belfast, Maine debuted last winter at
Lincoln Center and on PBS (and in the
town of Belfast itself) to a warm recep-
tion from national critics. The New York
Times called it a "spellbinding" portrait
of the coastal town, a film that "bursts
with glowing images of fall foliage,
autumn sunsets and Halloween decora-
tions."

Local reaction was positive, but some
residents questioned Wiseman's depiction
of Belfast, which is adjacent to
Northport and about 20 miles south of
Bucksport. Wisemans Alamo visit
allowed residents to discuss the film with
him, and a provocative question-and-
answer session followed the screening of
the 4-hour documentary. Questions
touched on the editing process, privacy
issues and "objectivity" in documentary
filmmaking.

Continued on next page

Another friend, Larry Miller, put her in
touch with NHF. The archives is the
perfect solution to her worries about
preserving Baldwin's film legacy. "I just
think that these things may have some
historic value, and I'm delighted to see
them used and preserved," Heller says. I

Continued from previous page

After eight weeks of location filming,
Wiseman spent 14 months in the editing
room. Only 3 percent of the footage
made the final cut. "There are 6,400
residents of Belfast," Wiseman said.
"Even in a 40-hour movie, I couldn't
have covered it all."

Someone asked, "Why Belfast?"
Wiseman countered, "I've been visiting
Belfast for 25 years. And I wanted to
make a film where I could stay at my
own house while filming."

Wiseman explained that the organiz-
ing principle of his film is work. The
piece examines local factories and shops
as well as Belfast's bedrock institutions,
from Town Hall to the hospital to the
schools.

Wiseman's long interest in social
institutions is reflected in some of his
best-known documentaries, such as
Tttticut Follies, Hospital, and Public
Housing. His 1969 film High School is
listed on the National Film Registry of
the Library of Congress, and his Alamo
visit coincided nicely with die news that
the theater would be Maine's host for the
Film Preservation Tour (see Page 1).

Wiseman returns to Boston in the fall
to continue work on a project about
domestic violence.

"Thank you for a brilliant film," said
one fan at the close of the question-and-
answer session. H

Summer Symposium &
Silent Film Festival

NHF held its first Summer Film
Symposium on July 1 5 of this
year. The 2001 edition, slated
for July 25, will screen and discuss home
movies and their relation to perceptions
of sex roles. For information and to
register, call Karan Sheldon at 207 374-
2109 or write karan@acadia.net.

Following that first Symposium was die
first annual Northeast Silent Film Festival,
with a maritime theme. The 2001 Festival
is scheduled for July 20-24, with family
favorites The Lost World ant\ Pass the
Gravy already on die calendar.

Silent Film Festival 2000
We opened with Old Ironsides, from
George Eastman House. Philip Carli, a
pianist from Rochester, NY, accompa-
nied that film and others in the festival.

There was a free children's matinee and
an evening program with short films
found by Northeast Historic Film, The
Making Of An American and The Simp
and The Sophomores.

South: Ernest Shackleton and The
Endurance Expedition, from Milestone
Film and Video, attracted overflow audi-
ences on two nights; we could have shown
it every night for most of die summer.
Rounding out the weekend were
Behind The Door, a 1919 film from the
Library of Congress
with Hobart
Boswonh as a
Maine taxidermist
who goes to sea;
and Mary Pickford
in The Poor Little
Rich Girl.
The festival was
made possible by a
Community Arts
and Heritage Grant
from the New
Century
Community

Program, a statewide cultural initiative
funded by the people of Maine, and by
Giflfbrd s Ice Cream, a family business in
Skowhegan.

Symposium 2000

The Symposium was initially planned as
a means for the Board of Directors and
Advisors to share current information
about film preservation, study and use.

Eric Schaefer, Assistant Professor in die
Department of Visual and Media Arts,
Emerson College, served as moderator.
Kathryn Fuller, Associate Professor of
History at Virginia Commonwealth
University, talked about moviegoing in
rural communities. She shared research
into Depression-era cinema promotions,
in particular "Dish Night."

Tricia Welsch, Associate Professor and
Chair of the Film Studies Department,
Bowdoin College, gave a presentation on
her research into the Fox Film Co. With
excerpts from Tol'able David and The
Seventh Day, she discussed the work of
director Henry King and film depictions
of rural life.

Jim Henderson, head of the Maine
State Archives and director of Maine's
Historical Records Advisory Board,
summed up the state of media and
archiving technologies in the region.

Bill O'Farrell, Chief of Moving Image
& Audio Conservation at the National
Archives of Canada, showed the recently
preserved 9.5mm Pathex Hints, blown
up to 35mm, an introductory reel for
home projectionists. He also showed
Seaside Holiday, a 1 934 production
made in York, Maine, and other exam-
ples of Amateur Cinema League films.

O'Farrell brought a rare artifact, too:
the highest award given to amateur
filmmakers, The Hiram Percy Maxim
Memorial Award (this one awarded in
1938). •

Harry Lanqdon sets out in Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
(1926), with Joan Crawford. True to the Navy,
with Clara Bow, and Lois Weber's Where are fay
Children? are scheduled for the July 20-24 festival.

Photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Am dr Sciences.

New Mernbe

Level Since l|ie;.;Siii^ltiMr

ffr'itafo'ilj

Call Lin Calista, Member

. & Mrs. Don McLean

'*'

rporate Mem

Adamant Music Schoo!

iP»ttaii '•*'*»/• tliii?54iitt/??K:?L**-'*i?:'P-J

Renewed at a
OO Moving Ima

Director, at 800 639-1636 to join or renew.

Muraukas & Roderick Chase
Martha Peterson
Jane Van Arse

Bob Myers
FranklinJp
Peggy Raphael

tjljjjjjiigjfjjiftlljfll
Ellis Rowe

Alice W. Price
Mr. & Mrs. James
Joanne J. VanNamee

Households

Warren Berkowitz
Doug & Posie Cowan
Phillip C. Curtis
Susan Davis & Mary J
Mr. & Mrs. David
Sam & Sandra

'lie A _£•";:•"•"•"•'":
flj|»ertAp!if#::::;;;/

oc Battles
££#& Jarnes BIaj£
Arnold Berleant

::BJJJS$k

»:££$!$

xfitimlGL

Richard Wai
Harold C. Weeks
bung
Landry Zappala

Daniel Conte
Justin Cooper
Leland Den net i
Judith A. Fogg
Chester Gillen, Jr.
Robert E.Grin

Educator/Student Members

Paula V. Mhderson
M. Paula Bedell
David CJfigan
Richard JJCallahan,
Carol Cl

" >nte ;;llf

^^^iiil!iimiP:

Jeffrey Janer & Maggie Sanfrjeben

Etta Kralovec & Frank Davis

Bill, Mary, Adam, and Sam Kuykendall

. T^i!f»/> T •illxr X/ psnitllv

Michele W. Inglis

Elaine^v-Jacobson

David

Jeffr.

: Hannah L. Viano

David & tfef IpTte Miller

Imagining NHF

Continued from Page 4

[and] public outreach."

Advisor Gillian Anderson saw NHF's
influence transcending a regional-
archives network, inspiring major
archives to open dieir collections policies
to home movies and other media that are
now often sidelined. And, she wrote,

Historical societies [will hire]
NHF as consultants for the storage,

preservation and dissemination of the
moving images in their collections.
Libraries and otJier public institu-
tions will repeat the model estab-
lished by NHF's connection to die
public schools . . . Television stations
(if there still are TV stations) will
regularly deposit their materials in
regional moving image archives.
Filmmakers will regularly use diese
moving images in their films, and die
patina of everyday life in die early

21st century in the United States will
be preserved and documented.

Lofty predictions indeed. Yet they all
seem to lie along die trajectory NHF has
begun. And we're still listening: Your
contributions to diis "Zenith" process are
invited. Please send your thoughts to
Northeast Historic Film, PO Box 900,
Bucksport ME 04416; or via e-mail to
oldfilm@acadia.net. ™

Forum Tackles 'R' Ratings and Teens

^^Wie "R" in the movie ratings system
stands for "Restricted." As in,

I admission to certain films is
restricted to people above a certain age.
But a better meaning might be
"Responsibility" — as in, who is respon-
sible for deciding which young people
see which films?

Last spring, a community forum at the
Alamo took up the perennially thorny
issue of whether and how to keep
unwholesome imagery from the young.
The spur was a letter in the local newspa-
per expressing shock and dismay about
NHF's decision to screen Magnolia,
Paul Thomas Andersons acclaimed film
about the cascading consequences of
family violence: drug addiction, sexual
promiscuity and cult misogyny, depicted
in unflinching detail.

Writing anonymously in The
Enterprise of April 13, the correspondent
expressed particular distress at seeing
teen-agers at the screening. "Whatever
innocence these kids may have had
before they entered die theater was
certainly lost by the time they came out,"
the letter stated.

On May 9, after a flurry of dialogue in
the pages of The Enterprise, the newspa-
per, NHF and the Bucksport Health
Advisory Committee sponsored the
public forum to discuss Magnolia and
the broader issue of movies, morality,
young people and the community's well-
being.

Castine resident Peter Davis, an author
and filmmaker, moderated die discussion.
Participating were Theater Manager
Andrea McCarty (who has since returned
to NHF archival collections); Mary Jane
Bush, of the Health Advisory Committee;
and Enterprise editor-publisher Sharon
Bray. The group of about two dozen also
included Bangor Daily News reporter
Alicia Anstead and NHF co-founders
Karan Sheldon and David Weiss.

McCarty articulated Alamo policy
about young people and movies rated R.
While there is no legal mandate to
uphold, she explained, the cinema
admits no one under 1 7 to an R-rated
film without parental permission — even
if that means holding up the ticket line
to phone the folks at home. McCarty

added that she is happy to advise parents
about a particular film. But ultimately,
she said, she can't judge films for others.

Take Time to 'Screenit'
The discussion symbolized the delicate
old balancing act that community arts
presenters inevitably face. For some
speakers, disturbing imagery and
language have no justification, period.
"Sick is sick," said one resident. For
others, such as local filmmaker Diane
Lee, artistic intent can justify nearly
anything. "People who are having
intense and passionate feelings are often
those who make movies, who paint
pictures, who write poems," said
moderator Davis. "And I'm afraid that
the world is stuck with these people."

Faith Webster, of die Hancock
County Domestic Violence Project,
reminded the room that disturbing
media images reflect the greater violence
in society. She was less worried, she said,
about violence on the screen than

by Great

violence in the home (the theme of
Magnolia, after all). But at the same
time, she said, "sometimes it surprises me
that there are films out there with a lot of
violence in them that get no objection
from parents whatsoever."

The forum suggested that parents must
bear primary responsibility for images
their children see, but that NHF might
provide better guidance. In its print
calendar, through the newspaper, on its
Website and in a binder in the Alamo
lobby, NHF now tells filmgoers more
about its offerings, including descriptions
from Screenit.com, a Web service for
parents. And as it always has, NHF
welcomes members of the community to
the regular meetings at which film
programming decisions are made — at
4:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each
month. H

For a transcript of NHF's community
forum, visit our Website at
unuw. oUfilm. org

° cold winter ni^' *" *» thi.
Maine hiscorjhts< -ting popcorn

work.

Sincerely,
Joh" H. stapies

Users: Vermont Museum & Traveling Exhibit

It's one thing to display old ice-cutting
tools, says Darlyne Franzen, associate
director of the Billings Farm &
Museum. But the whole point of this
farm life museum in Woodstock,
Vermont, is to show how things got done
a century ago. And that's why the
museum will incorporate footage from
NHF into its ice-harvesting exhibit for
the 2001 season.

Ice harvesting "is a concept that's very
hard to understand unless you see it,"
Franzen says. "We thought it would be
useful for people to actually see ice-
cutting taking place, particularly the
non-mechanical way. And this film does
it beautifully."

The museum is housed at an 1871
farm that is also a working Jersey dairy.
Its exhibits depict the seasonal cycle of
farm living circa 1 890. Ice cutting, still
demonstrated at Billings, was high on the
winter chore list. In those days before
mechanical refrigeration, ice was essential
to a farm that specialized in butter.

NHF supplied primarily amateur
footage shot in the 1 930s at the Good
Will-Hinckley School in Hinckley,
Maine. The school was a residential farm
for boys (it's now co-ed) whose founder,
George W Hinckley, espoused religion,
intellectualism, society and physical
fitness as pillars for sound education. The
material Billings is using records the
"Armstrong Method" of ice-harvesting
— that is, men cutting ice with long
saws and handling it with tongs.

The same footage appears in Ice
Harvesting Sampler, a narrated NHF
compilation of film from Portland,
Bangor and Mount Desert Island as well
as Hinckley. Billings has sold the
Sampler video in its gift shop for years.

Such moving images are invaluable at
museums like Billings, Franzen says. It's
the only way most people will ever see ice
cutting done in earnest rather than as a
demonstration. And considering the
prominence of ice in New England's
1 9th-century economy, that's worth
understanding. Even in the era of the
Frigidaire.

Ice harvesting at the Good Will Hinckley School. 16mm
color sound film. Frame enlargement by Andrea McCarty.

Working Class History

NHF footage figured in a traveling
exhibit that first stopped in September at
the Salt Institute for Documentary
Studies, in Portland. Building: A
Celebration of Maine's Working Class
History was created by the Southern
Maine Labor History Project and
sponsored by the Maine AFL-CIO, the
Portland Central Labor Council and the
History Department of the University of
Southern Maine.

"Our purpose was to put together an
exhibit which would have labor people
tell labor stories," says Peter Kellman, a
North Berwick resident who coordinates
the Maine chapter of the Program on
Corporations, the Law, and Democracy.

"If labor is to have a future it needs to
tell its own history and not have other
people tell it," Kellman explains.
"Because it's from the stories of the past
that the future is built."

Building integrated paintings and
historical photographs, documents and
other artifacts to convey Maine's history
of organized labor. Kellman assembled
materials about Maine paperworkers,
focusing on the 1987-88 strike at the
International Paper Company in Jay. His
display included leaflets, posters and a

19-foot long banner, donated to the Jay
strikers by the Boston painters' union,
that reads, "Solidarity — Stop Corporate
Greed." Ten thousand people rallied
behind the banner in Jay, Kellman says.

At the exhibit opening, the paper-
workers' table also featured video footage
taken during the strike by IP workers.
The original tapes now constitute the
Peter Kellman/Jay Strike Collection at
NHF. (The collection conservation is
funded in part by royalties from Pain on
Their Faces, a collection of strikers' essays
published by the University of Maine.)
For the exhibit, Kellman put together
scenes from a demonstration early in the
strike, a meeting with progressive leader
Jesse Jackson, and a workers' meeting.

The footage will become a permanent
part of the exhibit, Kellman says.
Having such material available at
archives like NHF is vital, he adds. "As
labor is reawakening and spending more
and more time looking at its own
history, and as it thinks about the
future," he says, "having archival
material readily available is of the
utmost importance." H

Alamo Renovations: Times of the Sign

Sam Hands misses the great days of
outdoor signage.

Hands got into the signmaking
business just before the 1973 energy
crisis darkened most of the classic electric
signage in this country. The best signs
were art. They pulsated, swirled, walked
and glowed in every color that neon
science could conjure up.

"People were willing to invest money
into these systems that would look great,
that made a statement," says Hands, who
started out in Cleveland and now owns
Sign Services, Inc., in the Maine town of
Stetson. "Not like nowadays when
everything's just sort of blah."

So imagine Hands' delight at being
asked to bring a taste of Golden Age
cinema signage to Bucksport. "I jumped
right out of my shorts," he says, when he
got a look at the plans for a new sign for
the Alamo Theatre. "I was ecstatic."

Hands' company started the project
during the autumn and will complete it
this spring. Tom Bakalars, a Boston
architect who joined NHF's Board of
Directors diis year, designed the piece.
And where many first-time visitors find
themselves missing the Alamo as they
drive up Main Street, the new sign will
make it as plain as the nose on your face.

"The whole point is to say, 'Whoopee,
here's a fun thing!'" says Executive
Director David Weiss.

The bottom of the sign is a marquee
that, seen from above, resembles a wedge.
"Reader boards" will advertise film
offerings. A vertical sign will spell out
"Alamo" in bold letters. A panel
showing the Northeast Historic Film
logo will cap the structure. Neon and
other lights will bring the whole
works to life after dark.

The sign should solve a number of
problems for NHF. A big one is the
prevailing confusion about who
occupies the building and what goes
on there. The new sign should make
plain that it's die Alamo Theatre,
where NHF does its work, which
includes showing movies and hosting
community programs.

Visibility is another issue. The sign
should add a visual spark to the
Alamo, a 1916 building that's historic

but aesthetically underwhelming. NHF,
says Bakalars, wanted a design that would
advance the building's identity while
being respectful of it. That required the
use of transparent structural materials
and a fine hand with proportion.

While a dazzling bauble of a sign may
seem jarring on an 84-year-old building,
it's actually a good fit if the building is a
movie theater. In classic American
cinema design, gaudiness is authentic —
as is a sense of cultural dislocation, which
may be the only way to explain what an
"Alamo" is doing in a Yankee town like
Bucksport in the first place.

"If you talked to the designers of the
time, they would be telling you that
they're selling a fantasy, and that made it
legitimate," says Bakalars. "So we did the
same thing, which puts it into a historical
context, in my opinion."

Downtowns need lively signage, adds
Sam Hands, whose business, family
owned and run, puts up signs through
much of the Northeast. If downtown is
drab, he says, don't blame people for
going to the mall. Brilliant signage has a
pump-priming effect: by suggesting
excitement, it invites excitement, a
sentiment shared by Buckport's town
government.

Besides that, the Alamo job affords an
unusual creative opportunity. "You just
don't get the opportunity very many
times to build something that's going to
look so nice," he says. U

Main Strret, Bucksport, ca. 1950. Postcard from the
NHF collection.

Executive
Director's Report

Continued from Page 2

$3,000+

Anonymous

$2,000+

Q. David & Christine Bowers
Paul & Deborah Gelardi

$1,000+

Anonymous

Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Epstein

Michael Fiori

In Memory of John Grant

James Henderson

Bobby & Sandy Ives

Richard, Pat & Lily Judd

in Loving Memory of Jennifer Judd
Dorothy & Terry Rankine
Lillian Rosen

$500+

Benjamin & Jeannette Blodget
Hiram P. & Martha J. Maxim

in Memory of Hiram Percy Maxim
Nancy A. Nolette
Frederic & Norma Reynolds
Clare Sheldon

$300+

Carter & Linnea Andersson-Wintle

Dr. & Mrs. John M.R. Bruner

Mary E. Grant

Pamela Wintle & Henry Griffin

Martha & Lloyd Harmon

Valerie Felt McClead

Patrick & Jerilyn Montgomery

Marianne New

Ned Rendall, M.D.

Marcia R. Smith

John & Karen Wardwell

Up to $300

Mary Ann Borkowski

Castine Inn

Reginald & Nancy Clark

Mary M. Dietrich, M.D.

Polly Darnell

Dr. Charles Houston

David L. Moulton

John & Shirley Pierce

Alice W. Price

Edwin & Justine Schneider

Henry Schreiber & Patricia Daly I

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director
Lin Calista, Membership
Peggy Coreson, Business
Jane Donnell, Distribution
Kim Hawkins, Theater
Andrea McCarty, Curatorial
Marko Schmitt, Web Design
Russ Van Arsdale, Curatorial
Phil Yates, Projection and Facilities

NHF Board of Directors

Thomas Bakalars, Boston, MA

President, Thomas Bakalars Architects,
PC. Architecture, urban design and
project management services, specializing
in theater and auditorium environments.
Master of Architecture from Harvard
Graduate School of Design.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, ME

President, E Media, Kennebunk, special-
izing in manufacturing technology and
electronic media.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr., Castine, ME,
and Manchester Center, VT

Board member, Holbrook Island
Sanctuary, Brooksville, Maine. Chairman
of John Merck Fund. Board member,
Center for Reproductive Law & Policy.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, ME

Maine State Archivist, administrative
head of the State Archives. Directs
Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board. Education includes a Ph.D. in
political science from Emory University.

Martha McNamara, Orono, ME, and
Boston, MA

Assistant Professor of History, specializing
in Cultural History and the History of
New England, University of Maine,
Orono. Ph.D. in American & New
England Studies, Boston University.
Former director, Society of Architectural
Historians New England chapter. Maine
Historic Preservation Commission
member.

Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, ME

International Paper Bucksport Mill, Vice
President and Operations Manager. Lives
in Penobscot with family.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, ME

Co-founder of Trio Software
Corporation, and an independent
property assessment consultant. Was staff
producer and director at WMTW-TV;
studied film at George Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, ME

Board member, Owls Head
Transportation Museum. Founding
principal of Cambridge Seven Associates,
Inc. Work includes architectural design,
urban design, and planning for world-
wide projects — educational and exhibi-
tion facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, ME

Owner Rosens Department Store,
Bucksport. Maine State Representative
and member of the Utilities and Energy
Committee. Board member, Bucksport
Regional Health Center.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Co-founder of NHF. Advisory board
member, Maine Folklife Center and
Friends of Fogler Library, University of
Maine. Chair, Small Gauge Film
Preservation Task Force, AMIA.

Nathaniel Thompson, S. Portland, ME

President of Maine Radio and Television
Co., LLC. Owns and operates CSP
Mobile Productions, based in Portland.
Member of the family-owned media
group that in 1998 sold NBC affiliates
WCSH And WLBZ to Gannett
Broadcasting. Connecticut College
graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Executive Director and co-founder of
NHF. Previously media producer in
Boston after graduating in film and
semiotics from Brown University. Serves
on Maine's Historical Records Advisory
Board.

Pamela Winde, Washington, D.C.

Founder, Smithsonian Institution
Human Studies Film Archives. Founding
chair, Association of Moving Image
Archivists' amateur film group, InEdits.
Family roots in Skowhegan, Maine.

Advisors

Individuals with interest in the work of
NHF as an organization with a vision for
film, video, and digital preservation, with
broad public access.

Gillian Anderson, Conductor and
musicologist. Director of the Colonial
Singers and Players and author of Music
for Silent Films, 1894-1929.
Washington, D.C., and Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of
Nickelodeon Theaters and Their Music, a
history of the Thanhouser Company,
and over three dozen other books.
Antiquarian, business executive.
Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This
Way: A Journey Through the Lives of the
Underclass, and director of the documen-
tary feature Hearts and Minds. New
York and Castine, Me.

Kathryn Fuller, Ph.D. Associate
Professor, History, Virginia
Commonwealth University, author of At
the Picture Show: Small Town Audiences
and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture.
Richmond, Va.

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor of
Media History, College of Journalism,
University of Maryland, College Park,
MD; author of 1 1 books, including Who
Owns the Media? and Shared Pleasures: A
History of Motion Picture Presentation in
the United States. Chevy Chase, Md. &
Allenspark, Co.

Alan Kattelle, author of a history of
amateur film, Home Movies — A History
of the American Industry 1897-1979, and
cinematographic researcher. Hudson,
Mass.

Continued on next page

NHF Advisors

Continued from previous page

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving
Image and Audio Conservation at the
National Archives of Canada. Board of
Directors of die Association of Moving
Image Archivists. Ottawa, Ontario.

Samuel Suratt, Archivist for CBS News
for 25 years and Archivist of the
Smithsonian Institution. Founding
member of International Federation of
Television Archives. New York, NY.

Patricia Zunmermann, Ph.D. Professor
of Cinema and Photography, Roy H.
Park School of Communications, Ithaca
College. Author, Reel Families: A Social
History of Amateur Film and States of
Emergency: Documentaries, Wars,
Democracies. Ithaca, NY. H

The Summer Symposium, 2000: Eric Schaefrr, Jim
Henderson, Tricia Wetsch. Bill O'Famll Alan
Kattelle, Kathryn Fuller with Maxim Award for
amateur cinema.

The Television Record

Continued from Page 3

additional tens of thousands of dollars to
match the NHPRC grant. That effort
began last year with $ 1 2,320 from the
Rines/Thompson Fund at the Maine
Community Foundation. Those funds
were dedicated to the Maine
Broadcasting System Collection, from
two stations of the former MBS: WLBZ,
in Bangor, and WCSH, in Portland.

The MBS Collection will answer
anyone who questions the national
relevance of local television. Take the
sports archives put together by J. Donald
MacWilliams, a WCSH sportscaster and
Portland historian. Among its contents is
footage of events preceding the 1965
world heavyweight bout in Lewiston,
Maine, between Sonny Liston and the
boxer just beginning to call himself
Muhammad Ali. From today's perspec-
tive, watching the 16mm black & white
footage is like a lesson in race relations,
exploitation, and the strange world of
sports.

We're lucky to have such footage.
There's so much we don't have. At the
federal level, the need to preserve local
programming has been recognized since
the 1970s.

AMIA/NATAS Initiative

And now there's the national TV preser-
vation initiative begun by AMIA in
association with die
National Academy of
Television Arts and
Sciences. The long-term
goal of Preserving Local
Television, according to a
proposal for funding
released in June, "is to
implement a new strategy
for preserving and provid-
ing access to the American
local television heritage,"
in all its forms.
In the near term, goals
include: creation of a
nationwide database of
local television collections;
publication of a series of "case studies" to
offer guidance in such areas as materials
acquisition or rights for usage (NHF's
Weiss is leading that case-study group);

and to hold a national symposium that
will assemble, for the first time, represen-
tatives from both the archival and
broadcasting communities.

It's obvious that a strong partnership
between the archivists who preserve and
the broadcasters who actually create the
material is crucial to a comprehensive
preservation effort. As reported here last
summer, NHF has embarked on such a
partnership with the Maine Public
Broadcasting Corporation, in the form of
an arrangement streamlining the passing
of materials between the two organiza-

nons.

Which brings us back to Russ Van
Arsdale. His expertise will be invaluable
in interpreting broadcasters' needs for
archived footage, Weiss believes. "Hiring
Russ will ensure that we're able to deliver
even more than we thought we'd be able
to back to the stations and other users,"
he says.

Website Update

Continued from Page 16

"Information design is a passion for
me," Schmitt says. He came to NHF in
1999 with seven years of experience in
interactive multimedia, most of them at
3Ring Media, a firm he co-founded in
the microchip mecca of Palo Alto. (Why
"3Ring"? Because Schmitt was once an
itinerant circus performer.)

This former high-tech CEO is revved
about the Website's potential to build
NHF's reputation as a new-media player.
But Schmitt, who previously ran NHF's
membership program, also values the
increased opportunities for dialogue
opened up by the Internet. "You just
can't think about the Web without
talking about interactivity," he says.

He relishes the challenge of designing
software that makes it easier for people to
manage the barrage of data and turn it
into meaningful information. "This is a
cutting edge for my field," he says.
"Figuring out how to provide access to
rich media, with sound and video, in the
world of library science, this is like
Everest. This is what we want to do here
at NHF." •

Bucksport Fetes Its Queen — Movie Queen, That Is

By Andrea McCarty

NHF Curatorial Department

In the second evening of the
Northeast Silent Film Festival, July
23, the Alamo Theatre was packed.
Inside the auditorium, it was standing
room only for the acclaimed documen-
tary South: Ernest Shackleton and the
Endurance Expedition.

But another 1 00 people were gathered
out front to celebrate a purely home-
grown phenomenon: Bucksport Movie
Queen 2000, in its world premiere. The
festivities commenced in style as the
film's star, 16-year-old Bucksport resident
Marissa Denis, rolled up in a 1 949
DeSoto used in the film.

Completed in July, this silent NHF
production was shot in Bucksport. Denis
heads a local cast of all ages, including
students, a former mayor, journalist
Sharon Bray, and Richard Rosen, state
representative and President of NHF's
Board of Directors. Don Radovich,
NHF's technical services man, and this
writer co-directed the film.

The inspiration was the original Movie
Queen series, created by Margaret Cram
Showalter in the 1930s. Showalter
traveled through New England making
essentially the same film in different
towns, with local residents as the players
and merchants as sponsors. In her stock
plot, the Movie Queen's triumphant
return home is interrupted by a gang of
villains who kidnap her. A young hero
valiantly rescues the town's brightest star.

Bucksport Movie Queen 2000, Marina
Denis. 16mm b&w silent film.

Frame enlargement by Andrea McCarty.

Patrick LaLonde (the hero) and bad guys Jarrett Melendez and
Andy Lather. Photo courtesy of The Enterprise.

Movie Queens were made in
Bucksport and several other Maine
towns; the version from Lubec is sold on
videotape by NHF and the Lubec,
Lincoln and Newport Movie Queens are
available on loan through Reference by
Mail. (Bucksport Movie Queen 2000
videos and T-shirts are also available.)

Although the original Bucksport
version is considered lost, NHF
Distribution Coordinator Jane Donnell
has a connection to it: Her great aunt,
Rosalie Fellows, played the Movie Queen
in 1935. Jane's family has donated to
NHF Fellows' scrapbooks, with clippings
about the film, along with a prop "key to
the town of Bucksport." That key was
reused in the new film.

Daniel Gottlieb, a former NHF staffer,
offered his services as cameraman, and
shooting began in April. "We wanted our
film to stay true to the spirit of the
original, but still reflect
Bucksport as it is right now,"
says Radovich.

The project drew press
attention as far afield as
Boston, whose WCVB-TV
sent reporter Art Donahue to
Bucksport.

The premiere was a smash,
thanks in part to accompani-
ment by pianist Philip Carli,
of Rochester, NY. Residents
filled the theater to boo the
bad guys, cheer the good guys,
and to see themselves, their
friends and their town. H

These videos ALL available free to
members through Reference by Mail.

NEW VIDEO CATALOG

Northeast Historic Film's catalog is just out —
•jith many fine videos for teaching and
•njoyment. Great gifts!

Videos of
in New E

Evangeline, with Dolores Del Rio in a newly
'stored edition. Film restoration by UCLA Film
• Television Archive, video by Milestone Film &
•o. From Longfellow's epic poem, an Acadian

love story. 90 min., tinted, music. $29.95

Lumberjack Sky Pilot, a best-seller at the
Fryeburg Fair! Experiences oj lumberjacks
during the 1950s and 1940s as filmed by
Reverend Frank Reed, one of many itinerant
preachers who visited lumber camps in the North
Country. 60 min., color and bfjrw, silent with
arration. $19.95

Bucksport Movie Queen 2000 is available on
video for $12.50. Special deal — the
commemorative T-shirt and video for just $20.

To order one of these tapes, or for your copy of the
catalog, call 800 639- 1636.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Invitations to special "Members" events.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England; and on moving-image related merchandise from
the catalog and Alamo Theatre Store.

• Several premiums ranging from mugs, free movie tickets
and T-shirts to Video History Sets and free dinners are
awarded depending on your level of membership.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS AND BENEFITS PLEASE CHECK ONE:

d Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

d Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

d Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

d Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

d Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

d Corporate Membership, $150 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

d Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

d Patron, $ 1 ,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

If you would like more information about our Membership programs

please contact Lin Calista, our Membership Director.

Email oldfilm@aol.com or Phone 800-639-1636.

Name.

Address

City
State

Zip.

Phone

d Yes. I wish to receive the premium.

Please charge my credit card: d MC d VISA

Account #

Exp. date

d New d Renew

Signature of cardholder:

Name as you wish it to appear on membership list:

d My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable to Northeast Historic Film.)

Gift Membership

I would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Or fax to (207) 469-7875.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become involved
with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving image
heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is available through NHF's website. Go to www.oldfilm.org.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail/Members ONLY

Titles:

Alternate Title:

Membership/Specify level

TOTAL

Now Maying at tht Mono Thtotre

Autumn in New York

FriiiY u< Srturfay 6:3O,m ui 8:45,M, Snfay ?p»

Ootobcr 12,2000

Welcome to Northeast Historic Film

Dedicated to preserving the moving image history of
northern New England, Northeast Historic Film is an
archives, a theater, and study center located in Bucksport,
Maine. We are a leader in preserving and promoting the
historical value of home movies, safeguarding and making
available one of the largest collections of amateur film in North
America. We offer a free video lending library for members,
plus a catalog of Videos of Life in New England. Click here
for more info..,.

Current Exhibits

'Going to the Movies: A Century of Motion Picture

Audiences in Northern New England."

Mural - a visual timeline of places where people saw

movies.

Postcard Exhibit - movie-theater postcards, donated by

NHF Advisor Q. Oavid Bowers

QUICK SEARCH the NHF

I llm Kci;lMr\

The Library
of Congress

:ilm Preservation "

Th« Mir«d« M»n (1919)
portar rap

Oocunent I

The NHF Study Center has
received a $200,000 grant from
the Stephen & Tabitha King
Foundation... click for more info,...

Alamo
Theatre

December 2-9 j

ortheast Historic Films 15th Year

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 0441 6

Change Service Requested

NHF Website
Update

Even as NHF begins the bricks-and-
mortar renovation of the Study
Center, Marko Schmitt is perfect-
ing another entree to the collections —
this one for an audience too numerous
for the Alamos second floor.

In September Schmitt cut the virtual
ribbon on NHF's new site on the World
Wide Web (http://www.oldfilm.org).
The site, scheduled for full functionality
by early 2001 , reflects the full spectrum
of the organizations makeup and
services, from the current Alamo movie
schedule to back articles from Moving
Image Review. And it comes in a sleek
Internet package, easy to view and to
navigate.

The full-blown Website will let visitors
do many things you might do during a
flesh-and-blood visit to the Alamo. You'll
be able to open a membership, make a
Reference by Mail request, or share an
opinion with Kim Hawkins, the Alamo
Theatre Manager.

In addition, the site expands NHF's
"exhibit space" for intriguing materials
from the collections. Theater post cards
from the Q. David Bowers Collection,
for example, appeared through autumn
2000. Texts such as essays and transcripts
from NHF events are also available.

Most important, the site will tap the
databases that catalog NHF's collections,
allowing researchers anywhere to work
with NHF without stirring from their
chairs.

"The Study Center is the concept of
making our collections available to the
broadest variety of people that we can,"
says Executive Director David Weiss.
The physical location that houses the
materials and provides space for people
to meet them is just part of that concept.

"So until the Study Center is physi-
cally up and running, this is a chance to
provide increased access for people,"
Weiss says. "And even after die Study
Center is running, this will be an avenue
that we'll increasingly use to share our
materials."

Continued on Page 13

Northeast Historic Film's 15th Year

MOVING

IMAG

REVIEW

Silent Festival To Explore
Rural Places/Lost Worlds

How does time change our perspec-
tive on die cultural landscape?
That question drives Rural
Places/Lost Worlds, die second annual
Northeast Silent Film Festival.

The festival takes place at die Alamo
Theatre in Bucksport from Friday, July 20,
through die 24di. Films range from
comedic gems to special-effects master-
pieces. Pianist Philip Carli returns as film
accompanist from Friday through
Monday.

Newly rediscovered, Captain Salvation
(1927) stars Lars Hanson (The Wind],
and depicts the small-town hypocrisies
provoked by a Boston prostitute, spectacu-
larly played by Pauline Starke. Warner
Bros, had a beautiful print, which Richard
P. May, vice president of film preservation,
was glad to loan.

"I'm surprised this film has not been
considered one of die better of die late
silent era," May says. "It is well-pho-
tographed, especially well-edited. It really
moves."

The Bon-Ton Salon Orchestra will
accompany Captain Salvation. Bangor
pianist Clayton Smith will lead the small
ensemble in music collected by his
grandfather, Delbert White, who led a
dance band in die Bangor-Brewer area.

Where Is Our Lost World?

The festivals rural places range from the
South America of Arthur Conan Doyle

to imaginary coastal towns in Maine and
in China. But long-ago rurality doesn't
equal nostalgia. These are difficult places,
thorny with cultural conflicts and
stereotypes — way stations on a road
we're still traveling.

In Shadows (1922), praised in its time
for advocating racial and religious toler-
ance, Lon Chancy stars as a Chinese
laundryman in a small and troubled
Maine town. Sharing die bill is The Toll
Of The Sea (1922), the first full-color
feature film. Set in coastal China, this
heart-rending drama is based on Puccini's
Madama Butterfly.

Newly restored by the Library of
Congress, Where Are My Children?
(1916) is a landmark film dealing with
issues of birth control and the balance of
power between husband and wife.

For adventure seekers, diere's not
only South — the 1 9 1 9 documentary
about Sir Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic
expedition — but The Lost World
(1925), which one critic called the
"granddaddy of all prehistoric monster
movies."

Max Davidson, an e"migre" German
Jewish film star, stars in Pass The
Gravy, a 1928 Hal Roach short. This
National Film Registry entry has been
called "one of die funniest movies
you've never seen."

Captain Salvation, 1927.

Courtesy Museum of Modern Art/Film Stills Archive.

From 'Stump' to This

n 1985, when large numbers were
watching Cheers and marveling at the
Macintosh, who could have seen a
potential hit in a 55-year-old logging
documentary?

"It wasn't until Karan and David took
From Stump to Ship out on the hustings
that we realized the full power of this
thing, because the audiences that showed
up were huge," says Dorothy Schwartz,
director of the Maine Humanities
Council then and now.

"That was a great starting point," she
says. It sure was: What started modestly
as a film restoration project, done under
contract to the University of Maine, was
die impetus for todays Northeast
Historic Film.

Continued on Page 6

Summer 2001

Continued on Page 3 \

Symposium & Festival

NHFat 15

Industrial Film: Textile Mills

leachine History

New Collections

( 'observation Center

Moving Image Rft'ieiv is a scmianiui.il
publication nl Northeast Historic Film,
I'O. Rox'HH), BiKksport. M.m
David S. V. utive director

Doui; I lulv nil editor

ISSN 0897-1

HmailOI DI:IIi\k-':uadia.nct

Preserving and Making Accessible Northern New England's Moving Image Heritage • www.oldfilm.org

Executive
Director's Report

Spring arrived this year with a
blizzard — but it has not slowed
the construction crew working
inside the front of our Alamo Theatre
building.

A large excavator is roaming where our
Going to the Movies exhibition used to be
on display. If I stepped into my old office
overlooking Main Street I would land on
new concrete after a drop of about 18
feet.

Suffice it to say we are rebuilding the
entire internal structure forward of the
auditorium, from the basement to the
roof. By the time you read this, the new
floors will be in place and the theater
open again. The reopening is scheduled
for May 11 — check our Website or call
207 469-6910 for the cinema calendar.

Despite the disruption we are trying to
maintain business as usual. Picture the
staff wearing enormous medals for
bravery under extraordinarily trying
conditions. Special decorations for Phil
Yates, Facilities Manager.

As the tempest swirls around us,
wonderful new collections have been
accessioned. See Page 1 3 for a summary.

I had the opportunity to testify before
the Maine Legislature in support of a bill
to exempt community theaters run by
nonprofit moving image archives from a
law prohibiting minors under 1 6 from
working in motion picture houses. This
1920s law made it impossible for students
to volunteer at NHF or participate in
internships. Thanks to Board President
(and State Representative) Richard Rosen
for introducing the legislation.

Warm thanks also to Board member
Nat Thompson for hosting our screening
at the Portland Museum of Art in
March. Over 1 00 people enjoyed a
program of Exceptional Amateur Films.

Nat made an elegant case for the
importance of the images and their
preservation. Martin Marks from MIT
accompanied the film program. We were
delighted with the response from old and
new friends.

2000 Capital Campaign Donation Report

$1,000,000

Anonymous

$200,000+

Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation

$100,000+
Pentagoet

$50,000+

International Paper Bucksport Mill
The Town of Bucksport

$25,000+
Anonymous (2)
Francis & Serena Hatch
James Petrie

$10,000+

Davis Family Foundation

Alan & Eleanor McClelland

James & Rita Phillips

Karan Sheldon & David Weiss

Nathaniel & Margaret Thompson

$5,000+

Boston Light & Sound
Camden National Bank
Fred & Lisa Oettinger
Richard & Kimberley Rosen

$3,000+

Anonymous
Baneor Savings Bank
Ed Pert

$2,000+

Q. David & Christine Bowers

Paul & Deborah Gelardi

$1000+

Anonymous

Mr. & Mrs. Paul M. Anderson

Jeannie & Henry Becton, Jr.

Caroline Crooker

Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Epstein

Michael Fiori

In Memory of John Grant

Joan R. Helter in Memory of Joan T. Baldwin

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic Film
•illect, preserve, and make available
to the public, film and videotape < it
interest to the people of northern New
England.

ivities include but are not limited to
a survey of moving pictures of northern
New England; Preserving and safeguarding
film and videotape through restoration,
duplication, providing of technical
guidance and climate-controlled storage;
Creation of educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and in
touring programs; Assistance to members
of the public, scholars and students at all
levels, and members of the film and video
production community, through provid-
ing a study center, technical services and
facilities.

James Henderson

Bobby & Sandy Ives

Richard, Pat & Lilyjudd in Loving

Memory of Jennifer Judd
Alan Kattelle in Memory of Natalie Kattelle
Judy McGeoree in Memory of Arthur

McGeorge,Jr.
Dorothy & Terry Rankine
Lillian Rosen

$500+

Benjamin & Jeannette Blodget

Eileen Bowser

John & Jane Chapin

Erik Clark Jorgensen & Tamara M. Risser

Hiram R & Martha J. Maxim in Memory of

Hiram Percy Maxim
Nancy A. Nolette
Ted & Lea Pedas
Frederic & Norma Reynolds
Clare Sheldon
Allene White

$300+

Carter & Linnea Andersson-Wintle

Dr. & Mrs. John M.R. Bruner

Lena & Joe Condon

Peter Gammons

Dr. Fred & Martha Unobskey Goldner

John & Denise Gordon

Mary E. Grant

Pamela Wintle & Henry Griffin

Kathryn Grover in Honor of Marion

Bugbee Grover
Martha & Lloyd Harmon
Dorothy Hayes
Mollie & Bill Heron
Donald & Betty Ann Lockhart
Valerie Felt McClead
Patrick & Jerilyn Montgomery
Marianne New
Ralph P. Pettie
Ned Rendall, MD
Marcia R. Smidi
Joanne J. Van Namee
John & Karen Wardwell
Gail Wippelhauser & Bob Mclntire

Up to $300

Robert & Bundy Boit

Mary Ann Borkowski

Frances M. Bos

N. H. Bragg & Sons

Marcia BeaTBrazer

William C. & Edith S. Bullock

Castine Inn

Reginald & Nancy Clark

Elizabeth D. Copeland

Phillip C. Curtis, Jr.

Polly Darnell

Josephine H. Detmer

Mary M. Dietrich, MD

Jeff Dobbs Productions

Neal C. & Dolores M. Dow

Mr. & Mrs. David Edfors

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Gilbert III

Dr. Charles Houston

Mr. & Mrs. Don MacWilliams

George McEvoy

David L. Moulton

Howard B. Peabody

John & Shirley Pierce

Alice W. Price

Sydney Roberts Rockefeller

Betty Schloss

Edwin & Justine Schneider

Henry Scnreiber & Patricia Daly

Albert & Eve Stwertka

Julia & Robert Walkling

Silent Film Festival Symposium Focuses on Amateur Film

Continued from Page 1

In a comic evaluation of flapper-era
feminism, True To The Navy (1930) puts
"It Girl" Clara Bow behind the soda
fountain and into die midst of amorous
sailors. Meanwhile, Tramp, Tramp,
Tramp (1926) has race-walker Harry
Langdon competing for $25,000 and die
heart of Joan Crawford. Class issues and
the role of newsreels in small-town
cinemas come into humorous play.

Screening prints come from archives
around the United States. Most are
seldom seen. Short films from NHF's
collections and die Library of Congress
will be included.

The second annual Summer Film
Symposium follows die festival on
Wednesday, July 25 (see story, diis page).

A silent-film appetizer turns up on June
22 at an Art Deco cinema in Bar Harbor,
when NHF shows The Seventh Day
(1922) at die Criterion. Henry King shot
diis fictional clash between big-city
hedonism and small-town virtue in
Pemaquid, Maine. Arcady Music Festival
players will accompany die screening,
which is supported by die Bar Harbor
Chamber of Commerce. H

ben should we reveal
' home movie footage
to a public that was
never meant to see it? How did
the Twist wriggle into our
living rooms? And what were
those little packages Dad got
in the mail, anyway?

These are just a few of the
questions likely to come up
during NHF's second annual
Summer Film Symposium, as
presenters tackle the dieme of
"Home Movies & Privacy."

Coming on the heels of the
2001 Northeast Silent Film
Festival, die Symposium takes
place at the Alamo Theatre from 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on July 25. Tricia Welsch, a
new NHF Advisor and chair of Bowdoin
College's Film Department (see story,
Page 9), will moderate.

Long on scholarship and short on
jargon, aimed at educators and die
public, the symposium will consist of a
series of presentations, each followed by
discussion. The day ends widi an evalua-
tion, planning for next year, and dinner.
Next year's symposium may center on
regional archives and media literacy.

This year's event looks at theoretical
and practical issues revolving around
amateur film. Selected by last year's

Northeast Silent Film Festival

Friday, July 20

7:30 p.m. The Lost World (^25. 101 min.)

Saturday, July 21

2:00 p.m. South: Ernest Shackleton and
the Endurance Expedition (1919. 88 min.)
7:30 p.m. Shadows (1922. 70 min.; 16mm)
with The Toll Of the Sea (1922. 41 min.)

Sunday, July 22

7:30 p.m. True to the Navy (1 930. 71 min.)

«.m. Where Are My Children? (W\G. 65 min.
nday, July 23

7:30 p.m. Pass the GraYy(1928. 23 min.); with
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926. 62 min.)
9 p.m. South: Ernest Shackleton and the
Endurance Expedition (1919. 88 min.)

Tuesday, July 24

7:30 p.m. Captain Salvation (1927. 87 min.)

For tickets and information, contact Northeast
Historic Film at 379 Main St., Bucksport, ME
04416(207)469-0924

Film Sources

George Eastman House

Library of Congress

John Mirsalis

UCLA Film and Television Archive

Milestone Film and Video

Museum of Modern Art Film Departn

Warner Bros.

Greenville, Maine, John D. Knowlton Collection.
Frame enlargement from 8mm film, Andrea McCarty.

participants, the theme is timely; the
genre, says Welsch, "raises issues that are
being looked at in this decade with a
great deal more seriousness" than
previously.

"NHF is on the cutting edge of that
development in film studies," she says.

This year's presenters are:

Patricia Zimmermann, Professor at
Ithaca College and author of Reel
Families: A Social History of Amateur
Film, probably die best-known book on
the social history of home movies. Her
presentation is titled "Morphing History
into Histories: Amateur Film and the
Gendered Lens."

Mark Neumann, Associate Professor at
University of South Florida, who will
present "Home Movies On Freud's
Couch: An Exploration of Spontaneous
Performance, Gender, and Latent
Meanings in Amateur Films."

Eric Schwartz, Esq., Smith & Metalitz,
LLP. Counsel to the National Film
Preservation Board and the National
Film Preservation Foundation, he will
discuss intellectual property law and
rights of privacy relating to home movies.

Eric Schaefer, Assistant Professor,
Emerson College. His presentation is
"Plain Brown Wrapper: Adult Films for
the Home Market, 1930-1970," based
on a study of 8mm films. B

Collections: 'Great Spirit'

Film Preservation Tour

Pleased by a 1999 donation of film in
a rare early color format, NHF was
doubly delighted to receive more of
the same print last winter — from a
different donor.

As Boston Globe film critic Jay Carr
explains in the adjacent piece, Rob
Lagueux's discovery of a piece of Land of
the Great Spirit footage brought the
young donor and his parents, Robert and
Elaine, to the Alamo during the Film
Preservation Tour gala in early
December.

The visit was a real eye-opener for
these residents of Stoneham, Maine,
especially Rob, a senior at the University
of Southern Maine and a film fanatic. He
remains amazed that these images were
ever shown in his community. "It was
bringing faraway lands and peoples to a
teeny, tiny town," he says. "It must have
been something quite extraordinary."

Rob's passion for film led him to this
fragment of rare Prizma Color footage in
1998. Told by his mother that the
Knights of Pythias lodge in East
Stoneham once held film screenings, Rob
searched the lodge for traces.

He and his father, a past grand chan-
cellor there, discovered the lodge's well-
concealed projection booth, complete
with films and 35mm projector. "It was
almost as if, whenever the last movie was
shown, everybody just shut the lights off
and walked out and left it diere," Rob
says.

And the partial reel of film, one of the
few that hadn't deteriorated seriously,
followed him home.

Last year, having decided to donate the

Here, in monochrome, an image from a color
fragment, possibly Land of the Great Spirit, 1919.
James E. Morrison Collection.

fragment to NHF, Rob was surprised to
learn that 300 feet of the film had already
turned up — donated by Jim Morrison,
whom die Lagueuxs knew well.

Also of Stoneham, Jim became a good
friend to NHF through his visits to our
display at the annual Fryeburg Fair. Like
Robert Lagueux, Morrison was a past
grand chancellor of the K of P, and he
had cleaned out the boodi after the
Lagueuxs' visit. In exchange for NHF
videos, he gave the Prizma Color film to
NHF along widi the Powers projector.

We were deeply saddened to learn that
Jim passed away in late January.

NHF sent Jim's segment of the film to
George Eastman House to be copied at
the Haghefilm laboratory in Holland.
The footage is of great historical impor-
tance as relatively few Prizma films
survive, and this one documents indige-
nous peoples, says silent-film historian
David Pierce.

In the teens, "technical problems for
effective color photography and projection
were nearly insurmountable, and only
Prizma and the better-known Technicolor
managed to deliver a commercially
acceptable result," Pierce notes.

The Prizma system used emulsions on
both sides of die film base, one toned
red-orange, the odier blue-green. "The
process was developed about the same
time as Technicolor, with each company
premiering their first films in 1917,"
Pierce says — but Prizma was out of
business by 1923.

In East Stoneham, Maine, the Hiawatha Knights of Pythias lodge
showed movies regularly in the early 1920s,

By Jay Carr

During the Library of Congress Film
Preservation Tour's visit to the Alamo, a
gala on December 8 showcased work such
as Evangeline and The Making of an
American. Boston Globe film critic Jay
Carr helped present the event and offers the
following observations of the evening.

Film is our amber, stopping time, at
least for a while. It is life caught on
the run. Who'd have dreamed
there'd be such a treasure trove of it in
Bucksport, a town hitherto associated
widi lumber and paper?

Northeast Historic Film turns out to
be a hotbed of sophisticated and dedi-
cated energies, kept humming by my
kind of maniacs — lifers mad about film,
snatching it back from the brink of
oblivion, giving it a home and adding it
to a rich and ineffably moving tapestry of
what went before us.

In a culture determined to plow itself
under every few years, that's not only
reassuring, but therapeutic, essential and
pleasurable.

SoHo, Tribeca, Bucksport

The excitement of last December's film
preservation gala was perceptible upon
walking into the building, a vibe bounc-
ing off the newly whitewashed walls of
the Alamo Theatre — built in 1916,
allowed to crumble a bit, but back on the
upswing.

The 125-seat theater is as modern and
inviting as any screening room in SoHo
or Tribeca. And with better projection
equipment, capable of showing vintage
film. For vintage film, largely homemade,
is what the place is about.

Although the program unfurled a
handsome print of the 1929 Evangeline,
with its roots in a doleful piece of the
North American past, the expulsion of
the Acadians, that's not what remains
most strongly etched in the mind of one
viewer.

Cherryfieldis a 16mm film, shot in
1938, seemingly at random, which is
one of the things that makes it so

Continued on Page 11

Northeast Historic Film at 15

Sandy Ives, right, with retired woodsman Adin McKcoum, in 1986.

Sandy Ives

In 1985, the University of Maine
assembled a team to restore a logging
film found kicking around the campus.

Dr. Edward "Sandy" Ives, an oral
historian, folklorist, and folksong
collector, agreed to help — "not knowing
what I was getting into," he laughs. At
the time he chaired the Anthropology
Department and ran the Northeast
Archives of Folklore and Oral History,
which he founded in 1957.

Also on board were free-lance produc-
ers Karan Sheldon and David Weiss. A
great and rewarding friendship began
with From Stump to Ship.

Ives helped sort out Alfred Ames' 1930
footage and interpreted Stump at
screenings around Maine. (UMaine
historian David Smith made similar
contributions, and joined NHF's
founding Board of Directors in 1 986.)

Ives the oral historian "went into high
gear" when he realized the screenings
were attracting former lumbermen and
river drivers — including veterans of
Ames' Machias Lumber Company.
Followed by Weiss and Sheldon, and
their newborn daughter, he interviewed
several Machias River veterans.

Two videos resulted: the how-to piece
An Oral Historian's Work (1987) and

1989's Woodsmen and River Drivers,

which intercut Ames' footage with new
interviews.

Ives especially relished the opportunity
to do a little acting as he held a phone
conversation with no one actually on the
other end. "If I do say so myself, it was
surprisingly well done," he laughs.

Today, the folklore archives is the
Maine Folklife Center, and Sheldon
Weiss Productions has become Northeast
Historic Film, with ample guidance from
Ives. He and his wife, Bobby, live up the
road from the Alamo. Avid supporters,
they catch an occasional film and admire
the community outreach taking place
here.

On their first visit, they sat behind
people Bobby knew. One, she says, "was
my best friend growing up. She said, 'We
used to come to the movies all the time
here, and now we can again.'"

Dorothy Schwartz

Dorothy Schwartz has followed
Northeast Historic Film closely
during its 1 5 years.

"It's been a beautiful kind of evolu-
tion," says Schwartz, who had just
become executive director of the Maine
Humanities Council (MHC) when she
met David Weiss and Karan Sheldon in
1985.

Schwartz guided Sheldon in applying
for MHC money to support From
Stump to Ship. But where the University
of Maine had hired Sheldon Weiss
Productions merely to restore the film,
MHC predicated its grant on meaningful
public outreach. The result, which took
the logging film and expert interpreters
all over Maine, has been NHF's outreach
model ever since.

Such a project was new to the Council,
but it reacted quickly. "What was so
dazzling was the images of the long log
drive itself," Schwartz says. "When the
Council board saw that, it was an easy
sell."

After NHF's founding the following
year, MHC remained a close partner. A
particularly momentous collaboration
was Going to the Movies, the exhibition
and educational package that examines
the social history of moviegoing in
northern New England.

MHC grants helped NHF create diis
ambitious program. More important,
though, was the institutional develop-
ment the grants fostered, development
that made possible a $185,000 grant
from the National Endowment for the
Humanities.

Both agencies, says Schwartz, found
much to like in the project, including its
quality of scholarship, its regional scope,
and an outreach approach that Schwartz
suspects was a first for everybody —
installations in shopping malls in
Vermont and Maine in 1 996.

Today Schwartz looks at NHF with
justifiable pride. "It's a vibrant, growing
institution," she says, one that under-
stands its responsibility to the public and
the humanities.

"We're very lucky to have such an
organization in our state," she says. B

Grants in Action

An $8,000 grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts went
toward new exhibition prints of
two popular titles. The grant helped
purchase a 35mm print of the 1922
drama Timothy's Quest from the Library
of Congress, making for a marked
improvement over the 16mm print NHF
used previously.

The tale of two orphans seeking a
home in the Maine countryside,
Timothy's Quest is based on the novel by
Maine author Kate Douglas Wiggin.

The grant also supported preservation
work on original material from Dead
River Rough Cut, Richard Searls and Stu
Silverstein's vivid portrait of two Maine
woodsmen. The piece documents
vanishing livelihoods in Maine's far
backwoods — hunting, trapping and
logging with oxen.

A $6,400 grant from the National Film
Preservation Foundation is helping make
possible John E. Allen's lab work on two
16mm films, Maine Marine Worm
Industry (1942), and The Bill Wilson
5rory(1952).

Meanwhile, a $ 1 , 170 grant from the

Timothy's Quest.

New York-based Women's Film
Preservation Fund has matched preserva-
tion support from the National Film
Preservation Foundations "Treasures
From American Film Archives" project.
The grant is dedicated to two items:
footage filmed by Elizabeth Woodman
Wright on her farm in southwestern
Maine around 1930, and included on
the Treasures DVD set; and film of
Mahatma Gandhi taken by Adelaide
Pearson.

Continued on Page 10

From 'Stump' to This

Continued from Page 1

Schwartz was a friend from the start.
She guided Sheldon Weiss Productions
in obtaining MHC support. Anodier
friend was Dr. Edward "Sandy" Ives, the
dean of Maine oral historians, who was a
project scholar for Stump and would
make two more productions with
Sheldon, Weiss and NHF. (For more
about Ives, Schwartz and NHF s evolu-
tion, see Page 5.)

Friends too were the woodsmen and
river drivers who turned up at the Stump
screenings and said, "I did that work";
and the many people who said, "We have
some old movies."

The popularity of Stump revealed both
the cultural importance of the regional
moving image and the sheer quantity of
films that, without an NHF in their
future, were surely bound for the dump.
Today, NHF reproduces the Stump
process on a much greater scale, sharing

with educators, researchers and the
public as much as we can from our
collections — some five million feet of
film and thousands of hours of video-
tape.

And now, as we celebrate our 1 5th
anniversary, we can confidently say we're
entering our institutional maturity. A
glimpse through this issue of Moving
Image Review suggests what that means,
from previews of nationally recognized
summer events to glimpses of a
Conservation Center that will complete
our facilities for the foreseeable future.

From Stump to Ship started life as a
lumber dealer's memoir of long log drives
on the Machias River. Seventy-one years
later, Alfred Ames might have hoped that
his film would still tell that story. But he
could never have imagined the other
story that started with Stump. I

Portrait of a Member:
Howard Mansfield

Author Howard Mansfield thinks a
lot about how the past and
present connect. Those connec-
tions occupy much of his work. His book
In the Memory House (Fulcrum, 1993)
describes the erosion of our collective
memory, our sense of cultural orienta-
tion. Last year's The Same Ax, Twice
(University Press of New England) flips
the issue over, with vivid portraits of
people who restore old things as they
seek to renew that sense.

For this resident of Hancock, N.H.,
the Reference by Mail service has proven
valuable. Ben's Mill was the first video
Mansfield borrowed, for the book to
follow up Memory House and Same Ax.

Ben's Mill is a documentary about one
of New England's last water-powered
sawmills. "Just watching that," Mansfield
says, "you get more of a sense of die
whole technology than from reading
reams of anything."

For an article about Abenaki Indians,
to be published this fall in Yankee, a
number of loans came in handy. One was
The Silent Enemy, a 1 930 drama
featuring a Maine Penobscot, Molly
Spotted Elk, whose life and entertain-
ment career made her one of the state's
more intriguing personalities.

Paraphrasing historian Daniel J.
Boorstin, Mansfield points out "how
each era has its own false certainties —
something that everybody could agree
upon that doesn't really stand up over the
test of time." Part of the moving image's
power, he says, is that it reveals not just
bygone images, but the mindsets that
elected to capture those images and not
others.

As a true believer in moving images'
value to the historian, Mansfield says,
"the great thing is not only that NHF
collects them, but that they get them
circulated."

"Half the equation is preserving them,"
he says, "but the other half is having it as
an active part of the culture. And I'm
getting the impression that that's what
NHF is about." H

Collections: Goodall Mills

From the 1 920s through World
War II, the textile mills that
Thomas Goodall founded in
Sanford were one of Maine's great
industrial success stories.

The Goodall Company's Palm Beach
Suits were de rigueur summer wear for
gentlemen of means. Its durable, plush
mohair fabrics graced car, train and hotel
seats nationwide. At their peak, the
sprawling mills employed 5,000.

The Goodall story, says historian
Madge Baker, "was central to Sanford. It
put Sanford on the map and sustained it
for 80 years." Yet by 1954, this family
business had been sold and closed,
leaving behind an economically crippled
town.

Nine reels of 1 6mm film given to
NHF last fall offer a fascinating glimpse
into the mills' heyday. Donated by a
family member, Dorinda Verroust, the
Goodall Mills Collection includes
promotional films whose corporate pride
and optimism seem touchingly ingenu-
ous today.

The films first belonged to Thomas's
son George Goodall, who died in 1927.
Baker and her husband, Robert Wilson,
conveyed them to NHF. Shapleigh
residents, Baker wrote and Wilson
designed Woven Together in York County,
Maine, a well-received economic history.

She and Wilson, Baker says, "were
ecstatic" at die content and condition of

the materials. She used them as teaching
aids in a course last spring at the
University of Southern Maine's Senior
College program in Sanford. Her course
was based on Woven Together, which uses
the stories of three enterprises, including
the Goodalls', to trace the Industrial
Revolution's impact on York County.

One reel documents a factory picnic
on the beach. Another consists of family
footage that Baker believes was taken by
George Goodalls son-in-law William
Marland. Then there are two silent
promotional films, The Story of Chase
Velmo: The Perfected Mohair Velvet
and The Goodall Summertime: The
Story of Warm Weather Profits, which
pitches Palm Beach clodi.

Chase Velmo, apparently filmed in the
mid or late 1920s, depicts that fabric's
complex manufacturing process, leavened
by some good visual compositions and
footage of winsome angora goats.

Summertime dates from the early or
mid- 1930s. An instructional film for
menswear merchants, it aims for broader
appeal with a fictional story peg and
surprisingly high production values,
thanks to Caravel Films, Inc. A bonus is
one of the lead actors — though uncred-
ited, he's a dead ringer for John
Hamilton, aka editor Perry White on the
1 950s TV series The Adventures of
Superman. fli

\i Small Gauge
Theme at AMIA

By Karan Sheldon, Chair,

Small Gauge Film Preservation Task Force

(karan @acadia. net)

nen the annual conference of
' the Association of Moving
Image Archivists (AMIA)
gathers in Portland, Oregon, Nov. 5, a
big part of the program will be a Small
Gauge Film Symposium.

The sessions are for archivists and
curators, technicians, filmmakers, die
educational and scholarly community,
funders, and anyone else interested in all
manner of amateur and independent
films on gauges other than 35mm — in
particular 8mm and Super 8.

Participants will share knowledge on
the history of small gauges, technical
issues, topics relating to presentation,
appraisal, documentation, reuse and
ethics.

There will be a hands-on orientation,
and plenty of small-gauge film in The
Reel Thing, the fascinating technical
symposium. Look for special small-gauge
screenings:

• Amateur Cine Clubs. Presenters to
include Sid Laverents, creator of
Multiple Sidosis, a club hit named to
the National Film Registry in 2000.
Curated by Melinda Stone.

• Bringing the Greatest Stars to the
Home: Entertainment Films in Small
Formats. Curated by Rusty Casselton
and David Pierce.

• Visual Artists' Small-Gauge Films.

Curated by Steve Anker.

Continued on Page 10

(iootiall Mills ('oil,,

•ilar^emtnt h\ Ar.

Northeast Historic Film Members

Call 800 639-1636 to join, upgrade or renew.

Patrons

Dave & Christie Bowers

Mr. & Mrs. Francis W. Hatch

Mr. & Mrs. Alan J. McClelland

Fred Oettinger

James & Rita Phillips

Rosen's Department Store

Clare H. Sheldon

Dr. & Mrs. H. Sheldon

Mr. & Mrs. Nadianicl Thompson

David Weiss & Karan Sheldon

Friends

meCrookcr
Dr. Parker F. Harris
Bayard Henry
Bobby & Sandy Ives
Mr. Robert L Jordan
Sally Lupter
George & Kati Mai
Robert & Janet Marvillc
Mr. & Mrs. Don McLean
Dorothy Morrison
Noel & Betty Stookcy
Pamela Wintlc & Henry Griffin
Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Corporate Members

Acadia Picm
Adamant Music School
1 !mm. is BakaLns Architects
Crosby s Drive In
The 1

KCT S: Tymoi/ko
J. Gordon Architecture
BilH.r i.ites

The Iguana Division, Ltd.
International Paper Bucksport Mill
Ben I octcrman Productions
Maine Film Office
Maine State Archives
Modular Media
Ramsdcll Auto Supply
Margaret Chase Smith Library Center
Robert Wardwell & Sons, Inc.

Associate Members

Richard & Mary Alden

Alan L. Baker

Will Burden

Robert E. Burgess

Clements Family Charitable Trust

Joseph F. Condon

Darwin & Jackie Davidson

Dwight B. Demerit!, Jr.

Peter DiGiovanni

Kathryn H. Fuller-Sceley, Ph.D.

Kathryn Gross

William & Anita Haviland

Lynn Hickerson

C. A. Porter Hopkins

Eithne Johnson & Eric Schaeter

Kathleen Kenny & Dave Hunt

Richard A Kimball, Jr.

Paul & Evelyn Liebow

Peter K. Lindsley

David & Joan Maxwell

Josephine A. Merck

Patrick &.' Jerilyn Montgomery

Henry Moulton

Bob Nod

Joann & Desmond O Hara

Kaihryn J Olmstead

Mrs. John Porter

Alice W. Price

Terr)' Rankine

Mr. & Mrs. James Rockefeller, Jr.

Dcwiti

Elizabeth Saudek

Allen & Cynthia Schauffler

Wendy Schwcikc-rt

Peter & Ann Sheldon

Alan Stark

Samuel T. Suratt & Judith F. Hole

Charlie & Lynda 1

Joanne J. VanNamee

Vern& Jackie

Gail Wippelhauser & Bob Mclntire

Aagot Wright

Households

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allen

Tim & Susan Allison-Hatch

Fred & Ellen Almquist

Carter & Linnea Andersson-Winde

Henry Barendse

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bcllerose

Warren Berkowit?

Chris & Rayleen Berry

Thomas & Patricia Berry

Paul Birdsall

Mike & Lynne Blair

Robert & Linda Braun

Carolyn Brennan-Alley

Robert W. Brewer

Edward & Joan Bromage

Dr. & Mrs. John M.R. Bruner

Mr. & Mrs. Neal Butler

Robert & Margaret Carmichael

Robert & Michelle Carmichael

Woody & Jean Carville

Mr. & Mrs. John P. Chapin

Richard & Frcida Chase

Patricia & Jim Claus

Peter & Betsey Coe

James Coleman & Judith Wentzell

Deborah Joy Corey & Bill /.ildjian

Bob & Cleo Cottrell

Doug & Posie Cowan

Philip C. Curtis. Jr.

Frank Davis & Etta Kralovcc

Judy Davis

Peter Davis

Ruth & Joel I

Susan Davis & Mary Jane Bush

James & Leila Day

Sally & G. Malcolm Denning

Clarence R. De Rochemont

Mr. & Mrs. lolin i

Mr. & Mrs. G. Clifton Eamcs

Bill & Katy Eberhardt

Mr. & Mrs. Elmer Edelblutc

Mr. & Mrs. David Edlors

John & Nancy Ettcr

Mr. & Mrs. David B. Field

Ellen & Allan Fisher

Ann & Everett Foster

Bill & Marian l;rctz

Tom & Teresa Gafmc-y & Family

Carl Giannatto & Sharon i

Julia Gilmore

Roger & Elizabeth Gilmore

Sam & Sandra Glazerbrook

Dayton Grandmaison

Terry &i Cindy Grindle

Frederick & Mary Stewart Hater

Robert Hanscom

Marion Harriman

William & Bente Hartmann

Roy V. Heisler & Esther Bissel!

Melissa Rich Herman

Mollie & Bill Heron

Horace & Alison Hildreth

John & Betty Howard

Richard & Sue Jageis

Jeffrey Janer & Maggie Sanftleben

Karen Johnson

Richard, Pat & Lily Judd

Dr. Gaylen Kelley

Peter Kellman & Rebekah Yowan

Susan & Chip Kimball

Michelle R. Klein

Bill, Mary, Adam & Sam Kuykendall

The LaLonde Family

R. Niki & David Larkins

Paige Lilly & Family

Donald & Betty Ann Lockhart

Roland & Veronica Magnan

Mort & Barbara Mather

Madeline F. Matz

Mr. & Mrs. Hiram Percy Maxim II

Nina & Philip McCarty

j MiCourtncy &
Gabriella Wellman
Judy McGeorge & David Williams
Mr. & Mrs. Dcwey Mcteer
David & Charlotte Miller
Betsy Montandon & Keith Davison
Ron & Jean Mullenaux
Leslie Murauckas & Roderick Chase
Bob & Bonnie Myers
Geoff & Barbara Neiley
John O'Brien & Linda Ixmg
William O'Farrell
Ed Olander, Jr.
Kathryn J. Olmstead
Philip & Lydia Osgood
David E. Outerbridgc
Seymour Papert & Suzanne Massic
Larry & Nancy Perl man
Ted & Martha Peterson
Kenny & Sharon Pickering
John & Shirley Pierce
Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Pipher
Jim & Kirsten Potter
Dr. Ned Rendall
George & Barbara Rolleston
Dewitt Sage

Edwin & Justine Schneider
Dorothy & Elliott Schwartz
Peter & Lucy Bell Sellers
Marcia R. Smith
Philip C. F. Smith
Joseph & Valerie Sulya
Dwight Swanson
Mrs. Samuel Taylor
Charles Tetro & Teeter Bibber

Continued on Page 12

New Advisor:
Tricia Welsch

With NHF's Advisors scat-
tered from Los Angeles to
Bologna, Italy, it's somewhat
novel to find one living nearby. (Another
is Peter Davis, a resident of Castine.)

So meet Tricia Welsch, a native of East
Brunswick, N.J., and a resident of
Brunswick, Maine. Associate Professor
Welsch chairs the Film Studies
Department — in fact, she is that
department — at Bowdoin College,
where she has taught since 1993.

Welsch enthusiastically joined NHF's
Advisors during the winter. She had first
visited the Alamo to mine the paper
archives for information for her book
about the early years of the Fox Film Co.
(NHF finds included a beautifully
lithographed Fox promotional book from
the 1920s.)

Her Fox research brought Welsch back
for last years Summer Film Symposium,
where her presentation touched on Fox
director Henry King. His 1922 film The
Seventh Day is a staple of NHF screen-
ings. (She moderates the Symposium this
year. See Page 3.)

A second encounter with the archives
last year, in December, left Welsch
energized about NHF's usefulness to
educators. She brought 40 Bowdoin
students to the Alamo for a tour (con-
ducted by curatorial staffer Andrea
McCarty, a former Welsch student), visits
with NHF staff at work, and an evening
with the Library of Congress Film
Preservation Tour during its nine-day
Maine stand.

The students "were really, really
interested," says Welsch, and their
interests went in all directions, from
theater post cards in the Bowers
Collection to videotape preservation
issues. That reinforces a point she often
makes about a great virtue of film: its
pertinence to myriad disciplines, from
visual aesthetics to literature, from
intellectual property issues to chemistry.

"The more you know about film," she
tells her students, "the more you know
about all kinds of things." H

Thank-you card signed by Bowdoin College students.

Education: Teaching History in Maine

Once again, Northeast Historic
Film took part in a conference
for Maine teachers held in
November at the University of Maine.

Sponsored by UMaines Department
of History and the Maine Humanities
Council, the 2000 Teaching History in
Maine Conference took as its theme
"Every Student a Historian." Begun in
1996, the annual conferences offer fresh
methods and ideas for history curricu-
lums at the middle- and high-school
levels.

The conference was held Nov. 3 at the
university campus in Orono. NHF's
session was titled "New Audiovisual
Materials for Social Studies." Presenters
were co-founder Karan Sheldon and
Andrea McCarty, of the curatorial staff.

McCarty offered an overview of media
research tools, including Web sites such

as the Library of Congress's American
Memory project. Sheldon described
NHF's resources for educators, such as
the Reference by Mail service. She also
cited the National Film Preservation
Foundation's DVD set Treasures From
American Film Archives, which includes
materials from NHF's amateur film
holdings.

With Bucksport High School social
studies department chair Scott
Woodward absent due to a medical
emergency, they oudined his classroom
unit based on die film The Making of
an American. This piece from the
archives' Alan Kattelle Collection was
produced by the Connecticut
Department of Americanization in 1920.
Today it is effective in illuminating issues
of immigration and assimilation. H

Conservation Center

Continued from Page 16

Last fall, David Wexler hosted Terry
Rankine, Phil Yates, and David Weiss at
his Los Angeles facility. The visit, says
Terry, "was an eye-opener," revealing the
owner's knack for elegant and stunningly
simple solutions to technical problems
— problems that NHF faced with the
Conservation Center. "We were able to
take an awful lot of their thinking," Terry
says.

The Air in There

The conventional wisdom is to have a
single air handler built that regulates
temperature, humidity and cleanliness
for an entire building. But each storage
zone at Hollywood Vaults has small
independent units for each function.
This pays off in processing efficiency,
hardware longevity and added space:
Lacking a mechanical room and duct
network, there's that much more room
for storage.

Terry Rankine has refined the entire
Conservation Center design. Now
retired, Terry is a seven-year member of
NHF's Board of Directors and a resident
of South Thomaston, Maine. His astute
feel for local sensibilities, which has
informed all of our previous facility
designs, is at work here too.

Grants in Action

Continued from Page 6

Pearson, who founded the Rowantrees
pottery business in Blue Hill, visited
Gandhi in 1939 during a tour of India
that she documented extensively. This
footage is believed to be among the only
color film of the great leader from that
period.

Finally, NHF's long collaboration with
the Maine Humanities Council contin-
ued in December with the Council's
participation in the Library of Congress
Film Preservation Tour at NHF (see
related stories, Page 4). The Council
made a $ 1 ,000 grant to help support the
nine-day event, which brought scholars,
students and educators, and film enthusi-
asts to the Alamo from all over Maine
and well beyond these borders.

"We should be able to get a building
that's relatively friendly, which will relate
well to the community," he says. "At the
same time, we want to speak to its
efficiency, which is very, very important."

Function dictates that the storage
facility itself be windowless; in this case,
a cube. To soften the impact, Terry has
designed a glass-walled connector to
create a bright and welcoming focal
point for visitors and passers-by.

The first day of work in the
Conservation Center will be the last day
of Northeast Historic Film's beginnings.
It will mark our maturity as a cultural
resource for the region. The Center will
strengthen NHF in the most fundamen-
tal way, allowing us to do the work of
moving image preservation the way it
should be done. Mi

Small Gauge at AMIA

Continued from Page 7

• Home Movies: The Largest Body of
Work Produced by American
Filmmakers. Curated by Steve Anker.

The National Endowment for the Arts
supports the Symposium with a $5,000
grant to help underwrite travel and
honoraria for artists.

For more information, contact the
Small Gauge Film Preservation Task
Force Section Chairs:

Technical, Toni Treadway, 978 948-7985

Appraisal and Selection, Lynne Kirste,
lkirste@oscars.org

Symposium Program Planning, Steve
Anker, steveanker@aol.com.

To receive program and registration
materials by mail, contact the
Association of Moving Image
Archivists, 8949 Wilshire Boulevard,
Beverly Hills, CA 9021 1 . Or email
amia@amianet.org.

New Advisor:
David Wexler

M Jft Mien the talk turns to elegant
\f\§ design, the example of storage
W W space doesn't generally follow.
But with his company, Hollywood
Vaults, David Wexler has brought new
ingenuity and style to the mundane task
of storage.

The sleek functionality of this sanctuary
for film, tape and other media has made it
a favorite high up in the entertainment
and museum fields. And it's NHF's good
fortune that, as a new Advisor, David is
happy to share his expertise.

As reported elsewhere in this issue (see
back cover), David has a crucial role in
designing NHF's Conservation Center.
His ideas for insulation and for air
conditioning, in particular, will dramati-
cally cut construction costs while
boosting operational efficiency.

David's background presages a calling
like Hollywood Vaults. Growing up in
Hollywood, he spent summers working
with his father, an industrial cinematog-
rapher. David formally studied photogra-
phy and filmmaking, and developed
strong side interests in design and
building construction.

With his wife, Julie, he founded
Hollywood Vaults in Los Angeles in
1985. The media-storage picture then
was "pretty bleak," he explains, mostly
warehouse operations lacking tempera-
ture and humidity controls. Early on the
Wexlers embraced the cool-dry environ-
ment now considered essential for film
and videotape longevity.

Today, the company's clientele is well-
represented on the rolls of Grammy,
Emmy and Oscar winners. It's a self-
storage operation — but self-storage
taken to the nth degree, from the
computerized security system to the
Swiss-built vaults and compact shelving.

In terms of media preservation, David
sees much overlap between the missions
of Hollywood Vaults and NHF. "There
is a tremendous amount of educational
work still left to do," he says.

"I'm hugely impressed with the scope
of what NHF has been able to get done
in a relatively short period of time," he
adds. "For a small regional archive,
they're a shining example."

Staff Profile:
Dwight Swanson

The newest member of NHF's
curatorial staff, Dwight Swanson
brought a strong interest in small-
gauge film — home movies in particular
— when he arrived at the Alamo last
November.

"The immediacy is the main thing"
that appeals to him about the genre, says
Swanson. "The whole idea of document-
ing life, day-to-day existence — it just
really fascinates me to have something as
unmediated as possible."

Swanson brought a toolbox full of
valuable skills and experience, too. This
34-year-old Colorado native has an MA
in American Studies from the University
of Maryland. And, like his colleague
Andrea McCarty, Swanson took the
yearlong program at the L. Jeffrey
Selznick School of Film Preservation at
George Eastman House.

Swanson's curatorial experience goes
back to 1989. He worked with moving
images at the Colorado Historical
Society and the Alaska Moving Image
Preservation Association, in Anchorage.

"When I was there, we always looked
up to NHF as being more established
and what we wanted to be in a few
years," Swanson says.

But he was in touch with NHF well
before he went to Alaska, in 1999. "It
was the home movies that first attracted
me," he says, referring to the archives'
reputation for advocating the preserva-
tion and study of small-gauge and
amateur film.

Currently Swanson runs "Smallgauge,"
a listserv dedicated to those genres, and
has joined Karan Sheldon on the AMIA
Small Gauge Preservation Task Force (see
related story, Page 7).

Its "immediacy" again when Swanson
talks about his regard for NHF's endeav-
ors. "It all comes down to the direct
impact" that NHF facilitates among the
public, educators and the film and
television community, he explains.

Reference by Mail is a favorite exam-
ple. He says, "I diought that was just
fantastic that it was so open and there
was so much access." •

Film Preservation Tour

Continued from Page 4

unexpectedly touching and haunting.

Not just for the bygone quaintness of
the corner filling station or general store,
or boy with his steers, or even views of
pupils and teachers outside a rural
schoolhouse.The seemingly simple pose
of a man outside a general store, holding
three carrots splayed from the fingers of
each hand, becomes a rich and reverber-
ant text. The way he's dressed, in cap,
collar and tie, is a statement about the
way people presented themselves to the
world. We smile at the juxtaposition of
the cigarette in his mouth and the Notice
to Smokers sign nailed on the door.
Golden Heart Bread, advertised along-
side it, is long gone.

There's a lot to be learned from that
short film about life in that town 50
miles from Bucksport. And from the
many like it on videocassette in the
Alamo's shop.

Prizma Color Preservation

Meanwhile, upstairs, another little drama
was unfolding. It might have come
straight from one of the archive's old
two-reelers. One of the items on the
program was a few minutes of footage of
Blackfoot Indian people near Glacier
Park, filmed in 1 9 1 9 in an early color
process called Prizma Color. It was vivid,

Cherryfield, 1938, frame enlargement.
Cherryfield Narraguagus Historical Society.

although the swishing tail of a horse was
red-orange at the top of its arc and blue-
green at the bottom.

Why show a Maine audience a film
about Blackfoot Indians? Because it was
found in a Knights of Pythias hall in East
Stoneham (see related story, Page 4). As
we were readying die evening gala, who
should walk through the door but a
family with another few feet salvaged
from the hall. The new find was threaded
up, then slowly unreeled for inspection at
a splicing table.

A few seconds later, it was clear that
another piece of the past had made it
into the ark. Remember the Alamo,
Texans are fond of saying. How can I
ever forget this Alamo? fg

Universal Beauty Trip 1915

An exhibit currently at the Universal Studios commissary from images loaned to the Universal Studios Archives
rjr Collections department (Brigitte Kueppers and Nancy Pearce), from the NHF Q. David Bowers Collection.
In 1915, the year Universal City opened, the Universal Film Manufacturing Company held a beauty contest.
Each state's entrant joined a cross-country tour and received a commemorative scrapbook. These images survive
in the book of Una Hoepold, from Rhode Island.

Charles & Catherine Thompson
Frances Thompson & Eric Benke
Russ & Jane Van Arsdale
Janwillem &C. Juanica Van De Wetering
Louise Gulick Van Winkle
Lawrence & Lorna Wahl
Robert & Julia Walkling-
Seth H. Washburn
Ken & Holly Weinbcrg
David Westphal & Patty Ryan
Jon Wilson & Sherry Streeter
Frank & Elizabeth Wisw.il!

Nonprofit Organizations

Adams Grammar School

Belfast Boat Club

Blue Hill Memorial Library

Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library

Brooksville Elementary School

Bucksport Adult & Community

Education
( .'.ilais I rce Library
Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation

Society

Centering Thru Movement Dance School
Central Maine Technical College Library
Cherryficld Narraguagus Historical

Society

The Community Television Network

( 'urtis Memorial Library

Ear Say

Fisher Museum of Forestry.

Harvard 1'orcst

Gorham ( "ommunity Access TV
Great Harbor Maritime Museum
Hancock County Friends ot the Arts
Indiana Historical Society Library
Jed Proury Assisted Living Residence
Roslind Keshm Kittay Public Library
Leighton Images
Maine Folklife Center
Maine for ME
Maine PBS
Maine State Museum
Maine State Prison Library
Moosehead Historical Society
Merrill Historical Society
Nashua IHiblic Library
Nashua Public I ibrary. Music,

Arts & Media

New England Museum of Telephony
Orland Historical Society
Pejepscot Historical Society
Penobscot Marine Museum
Penobscot Shores
Simmons College Library
Stanley Museum

John Stark Regional High School
TV 3, PATHS

Thomaston Historical Society
Thorndike Library, College or the

Atlantic

University of Southern Maine
Vinalhaven Historical Society
Waterville High School Media Center
Weld Historical Society
The Weymouth Museum
Witherle Memorial Library-

Individuals

Corajane J. Adams
Michael Albert
Paul D. Allan
Thomas M. Armstrong
George Atwood
James Austin
Robert Aver
Prof. William J. Baker
Elsie G. Balano
Rob Baldwin
Raymond Ballinger
Jean T. Barrett
On, Harden
Joe Battles
JancBeal
Bill Bcardsley
Rob Berg

Rev. John E. Berger
Arnold Berlcam
Debrae Bishop
A. James Blair
Robert Blake
Benjamin B. Blodget
Richard Bock
Alden Bodwcll
Patricia Booth
Frances M. Bos
Virginia Bourne
Mabel Bowden
Margaret Branifr
Marcia Beal Brazcr
Donald Briggs
Fred Brown
Carol Bryan
Robert E. Burgess
Helen M. Burns
Jason Cabral
Lynn Cadwallader
Lin Calista
Mary Grace Canfield
Robert J. Carnie
Murray Carpenter
Thomas J. Cash
Michel Chalufour

Violet Channel!
Terry Christy
Jon Clark
Mearl V. Clark
Reginald Clark
Brian Clough
Warren K. Colby
Brenda J. Condon
Richard Condon
Daniel Come
Floyd Coolidge
Justin Cooper
Debra Cottrell
Rick Coughlin
David Crosby
Elizabeth H. Cutcliff<
Stephen H. CutclifFe
Phyllis Daniels
Polly Darnell
I )ave I )avis
Pamela Dean
Clayton I.. Dearth
I eland Dennett
leannefte V 1 }
Paul M. Dei,
Josephine H. Detmcr
Dr. Mary M. Dietrich
JeffDobbs
Daniel Donovan
Leon Doucette

Dow

Mclinda A. Duval
Stanley F.irle
David Ellcnberg
Deborah Ellis
1 lame Fmery
Lynn Farnell
John Faulkner
Joan Federman
Patrick Ferris
Judith Fogg
David Folster
Patricia Foster
George Fowler
M. Ellen Mousseau Fox
Karen D. Frangoulis
Betty Fraumeni
Daniel Frederick
Ed Friedman
Sam Fuller
Liz Fulton
Wend)- Gallant
Peter T. Gammons, Jr.
Chester Gillen
Roger Gilmore
Martha U. Goldner
J. Douglas Gomery

Henry Grandgent

Donald Link, Jr.

Mary E. Grant

Bill Lippincott

Arnold Grindle

Bonnie Lounsbury

Gene B. Grindle

John P Lowe

Robert Grindle

Colleen Mace

Ernest Groth

Barbara MacEwan

Kathryn Grovcr

Charles MacKay

Joseph Hafkenschiel

Don MacWilliams

Judy Hakola

Howard Mansfield

Dorothy Hamory

John Mathews

Eric W. Handley

Eugene Mawhinney

Robert Hanscom

Valerie Felt McClead

Reel Harkmaa

Keith B. McClelland

Charles Harmon

Bill McCue

Elizabeth C. Harmon

Gertrude L. McCue

M.mha Harmon

John T. Mcllwaine

Daniel Hascr

Linda McLain

Donna Hatch

John Merriman

Kim Hawkins

Joan F. Meservc

Rob Hayes

Kathy Messier

John Hess

Capt. Bruce Meulendyke

Barbara Hileman

Ann L. Miller

Wendell Hodgkms

Ed ward O. Miller, Jr.

Sylvia Holden

Ruth Miller

Dr Charles Houston

Ellen H. Mitchell

Edwin Howard

Paul H. Monahan

Dr. Stanley R. Howe

Alva Morrison

Doug Hubley

Frank Morse

Douglas Ilsley

Margaret W. Myers

Michele Inglis

Marianne New

Ann Ivins

Wendy Newmcyer

JoAnnc Ivory

Martha Nielsen

Elaine Jacobson

Nancy A. Nolette

Mary B. (essup

David E. Outerbridge

Tcdd Johanscn

Margaret S. Parker

"hnsnn

Norma Patterson

Gerald Johnson

Byron Peck

Thomas F. Joyce

Tammy Peiletier

Ur. Richard Kahn

Frank Peltier

JohnJ. Karol.Jr.

Franklin Perkins

Alan Kattelle

Ralph R Pcttie

David Kee

Court Piehler

Robert Kelly

Winfield Pipher

Susan Keppel

Mary Ann Porreca

Louis Kern

Richard Pratt

Lewis Kibler

Alice W. Price

Jeffrey Klenotic

Dr. Llovd F. Price

Joseph Kobak

David Quinn

Diane Kopec

Elvie M. Ramsdell

John C. Kurtz

Peggy Raphael

Nickolas Kurzon

Dr. Ned Rendall

Margaret M. Lacombe

Susan Richardson

Gregory Lamson

Dea Dea Robbins

Percy Lee Langstaff

Roberto Robles

Ernest Larson

Becky Rose

Percy Maxim Lee

Libby Rosemeier

Edward Lennon

Continued on next page

EveSrwertka

Bruce Wintle

Melinda A. Duval

Sarah White Knoch

Hik.irn l.iiii.iki

1 d.ih Wolff

Deborah FJlis

Barbara MacEwan

LisaTaplin

Thomas Yoder

Debbie F.scobar

Heather Makechnie

Mary Taylor

Lcn Young

Rev. Carlton G. Foster

Barbara Malm

MargorieThau

Susan I jndry Zappala

1 '.a i u LI Frazier

Nancy Marcotte

Merle Thompaon

Sum rrazier

Beth McCann

Or. Philip I! Thompson

Educator/

Joanne Frecker

Cheryl Mills

Martha Thurlow

Student Members

Rose French

Carole Myrkk

DonTir.ilussi

Paula Anderson

Judith Frost

Mark Neumann

Lucic Tyler

Rosemary Anthony

Sam Fuller

I.ynne Patterson

Marie Underwood

Sue Ann Tymoczko Baker

Christopher Glass

Susan Bishay Peters

Steve Ussclman

Sharon Bastille

Rita A. Goodwin

Eric Peterson

Garry Valentine

M. Paula Bedell

Daniel Grcenberg

Lynda Pietroforte

Slicil.i Varnum

Deborah Belyea

Cynthia Grindle

Jerriann C. Pollard

Arthur C. Vcrow

Frank Bisher

Fay Havey

Joan Radner

Charles Wade

M.uireen Block

Bob Hayes

Dr. Carol Rice

Robert Waite

Todd Bolint

l.inda Hazard

Martha D. Rowley

Kidurd Walthers

Amy Braitsch

Donna Herlihv

Catherine Russell

Bill Warren

Robin Bray

Mark Hibben

Wesley Shorey

Jean Webster

Carla Burnham

W. Daniel Hill

Pam Smith

Harold C. Weeks III

David Cadigan

Prof. Jay Hoar

Benjamin Soule

Tricia Welsch

Richard J.Callahan, Jr.

Margery Y. Irvine

Gifford Stevens

Dennis Wethcrby

Ardis Cameron, Ph.D.

Ron Jackson

Karen Stewart

Virginia Whitaker

Charlotte Carrier

Marcia R. Jacobs

SamTeel

Heather K. White

Judith Chase

Wendy Jacobs

Carol loner

Marian M. White

Carol Chetkovich

Richard D. Jenkins

Juris Ubans

I'hil Whitney

Joseph Christiansen

Adrianne Jorge

Richard C. Valinski

Jane Whitten

Joanne D. Clark

Harry Kaisierian

Peta VanVuuren

Steve Wight

Liz Coffey

Polly Kaufman

Hannah L.Viano

Donald Wilken

Dr. Patty A. Colcman

Shawn Keller

Anne L. Welles

Bruce Wilii.iim

Dorothy Conte

Zip Kellogg

Tinky Dakota Weisblat

John Williams

Finvola Drury

Theresa Kerchner

George Wildey

Bonnie Wilson

George Drury

Nancy Kerswin

Pauline G. Woodward

Bcity Winterhalder

Beth Dunning

David H. Knight

( :. Bruce Wright Hi

Robcn

Kevin Ross

Barbaia Irwin Rossow

C.irolvn Rourke

Fills U

Robert B. Russell. |r.

I'.Ukl S

Red Sarna
Elizabeth Sauls
Karen Saum
luiii Schioch
( 1ms Schulcr
\\ciulv Sihweikeit
John Patrick Scoll.m
Mike Scagcr
HoDyA-Shaw
Richard Shaw
Bernard A. Shea
RobertB. Shettcrly, Ji.
letVSi.is

Harokl B. Simmons
Laurence I' Sisson
Gary ( X Smith
'Anne Buxton SoU>l
James Sohns
William S. Souza
Mrs. Christine V. Spratt
Edward Squibb
John Sterling
Charlie Stewart
John S. Stillm.ui
Timothy Stone
William
Robert Studley, Jr.

Recent Collections Donated to Northeast Historic Film

Deeds of gift signed since April 2000. Compilation by Dwight Swanson,

Joan Thurbcr Baldwin Collection, 16mm amateur films

Bangor Hydroelectric Company Collection, 3/4-inch videotape, The New

Veazie C Station/Basin Mills: Energy far the Future
Richard Barnes Collection, 16mm film, Pioneering at Katahdin
Polly Bennell Collection, VHS videotape, Helen Nearing: Conscious

Living/Conscious Dying
Blue Hill Consolidated School Collection, Hi 8 videotape, Traveling

Through the Dark; A Day in the Life of Scott Grindle
Herbert R. Bucklin Collection, 8 mm and Super 8 film
Caribou Technology Center Collection, VHS videotape, Stan's — A Jewel in

the Crown of Maine
Thomas Cash Collection, VHS videotape, BurriUitiUe Memories: A Year

2000 Celebration

Jim & Maria Colbert Collection, Super 8 lumberjack competition films
Leonard S. Colyer, Sr. Collection, 16mm amateur films
Elizabeth Copeland Collection, 16mm amateur films
Peter Dennen Collection, 16mm amateur films
Art Donahue Collection, 8mm amateur films
Victoria Donaldson Collection, Super 8 amateur films
Harold I. Dowling Collection, VHS videotapes
Farm Team Collection, VHS videotape, Keeping the Tradition Alive:

One Town's Story

Films by Hucy Collection, 16mm film and 3/4-inch videotape
Paul Fournier Collection, 16mm educational films
Louise C. Fowler Collection, 16mm amateur films
Goodall Mills Collection, 16mm promotional and amateur films

Barbara Hobbie Collection, VHS videotape, Luthier in the Light of Science
Honey Tree Films Collection, 16mm film, The Ballad of Ida andDoob
George Kendrick Collection, 8mm amateur films
Knox-TV Collection, VHS videotapes, Out of Our Past
Steven Lang Collection, 16mm film, Tugboat
Rebecca J. MacQuinn Collection, 16mm and 8mm amateur films
Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Collection, 16mm educational films
Maine Windjammer Cruises Collection, VHS videotape, Windjammer!

Schooner Mattie

Pearl Mattson Collection, 8mm film
Patricia W. Messier Collection, 16mm amateur film
Monhegan Historical and Cultural Museum Association Collection, 3/4-inch

video copy of amateur films

MPBN Collection, 3/4-inch videotape, Great American Woodlots
MPTV Collection, VHS videotapes, Home: The Story of Maine
New Film Company Collection, 16mm and VHS videotapes of sailing films
Donald Saunders Collection, 3/4-inch videotape, Lombard Log Hauler
Wendy Schweikert Collection, VHS videotape, 150 Years of Bangor:

1834-1984

Richard Searls and Stuart Silverstein Collection, 16mm film
Garry Simpson Collection, 16mm Snowflake Bentley
Allan and Ruth Stinchfield Collection, 16mm amateur films
Ellen Strout Collection, 3/4-inch videotape, Milbridge: Centennial of 1948
Suny Folklife Collection, 8mm videotape and VHS videotape
John R. Williams Collection, 16mm & VHS videotape of Camdcn. Maine
Yates Family Collection, 35mm nitrate film.

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director

Angela Barker, Development Associate

I in Calista, Membership

Peggy Coreson, Business Manager

Jane Donnell, Distribution Coordinator

Andrea McCarty, Curatorial

Dwight Swanson, Curatorial

Kuss Van Arsdale, Curatorial

Phil Yates, Facilities Manager & Projectionist

Board of Directors

Thomas Bakalars, Boston, MA

men i

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoisi

main

Francis W. Hatch, Jr., Castine, Ml', and
Manchester Outer, VT

Vice ('resident

James S. Henderson, Orr's Islanii

Martha McNamara, Orono, ME, and
Boston, MA

'nimi. 1'h.D. in Aniep
Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, Mi

Treasurer

James A Phillips, Bangor, ME

studied filn :

Terry Rankine, South Th.oma.sion, ME
Board member, Owls Head Trans]

tural

President

Richard Rosen, Buckspon, Ml'.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill talk, Mi

uid Friend
Librarj

Film

HA.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Portland

bile

nett

David S. \Veiss, Blue Hill Falls, Mr

Pamela Winde, Washington, I >
Advisors

Gillian Anders-

aucho,

Wish

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon Theaters
and Their Music, a history of the Thanhouser

nd over three dozen other h<
juarian, bu- 'siH.

Peter Davis, an.

Journey Through ;/••

KathrjTi Fuller-Seeley, Ph

author of At th,

Douglas Gomer s

Mew

Alan Kattcllc. him,

hie

William O'FarrcIi
Eric Schaeti •

Samuel Sur

.ithsoiiMii 1;

Tricia \\ tlsi h

Biun-

David Wexler. rounder, owner and designer of

:isultam for cold
•dak.

Patricia Zimmermann. Ph.D. Pi

MIV H. Park School or
Communications, Ithaca College. Author, Reel

• History of Amateur Film (Indiana
i ul States of Emergency:

• Press). U;;

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Invitations to special "Members" events.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England; and on moving-image related merchandise from
the catalog and Alamo Theatre Store.

• Several premiums ranging from mugs, free movie tickets
and T-shirts to Video History Sets and free dinners are
awarded depending on your level of membership.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS AND BENEFITS PLEASE CHECK ONE:
G Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

G Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

G Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

G Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

G Associate Members, $ 1 00 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

G Corporate Membership, $150 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

G Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

G Patron, $ 1 ,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

Name

If you wo

u would like more information about our Membership progi
Email oldfilm@aol.com or Phone 800-639-1636.

Address

City
State

Zip.

G New O Renew

Phone

G Yes. I wish to receive the premium.

Please charge my credit card: G MC G VISA

Account #

Exp. date Signature of cardholder:

Name as you wish it to appear on membership list:

G My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable to Northeasl Historic Film.)

Gift Membership

I would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name.

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Or fax to (207) 469-7875.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become involved
with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving image
heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is available through NHF's website. Go to www.oldfilm.org.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail/Members ONLY

Titles:

Alternate Title:

Membership/Specify level

TOTAL

From right to left, Main Street, the 1916 Alamo Theatre, and proposed Conservation Center.
Drawing by Terry Rankine, F.A.I.A.

Northeast Historic Film Turns 15

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Change Service Requested

Conservation Center
Plans Take Shape

Science tells us that "colder and
dryer" is better when it comes to
media storage. We fall short: The
accepted standard is 45 degrees
Fahrenheit and 25 percent relative
humidity (RH), but the best NHF can
do now is 65 degrees and 40 percent
RH. Meanwhile, the more films and
tapes that are donated, the more we
wonder where to put them all.

Happily, a solution to our storage
questions is coming into focus. By late
winter 2003, we will move into a new
Conservation Center, a three-story
structure behind the Alamo enclosing
27,000 cubic feet of properly cool, dry
and secure storage.

Cold Storage is Hot

Plans for a new cold-storage vault have
been around for years. But it's on a front
burner now thanks to a pledge of
support, from an anonymous Maine
donor, to cover two-thirds of the centers
$1.5 million cost.

The gift is contingent on continued
progress in NHF s $5 million capital
campaign, whose current total this gift
will bring to $2.8 million. We are
looking to the National Endowment for
the Humanities, among other grantors,
to help build die Conservation Center.

Key intellectual contributions to the
project have come from two of our own.
Terry Rankine, a member of die Board
of Directors and a founding principal at
die renowned architecture firm
Cambridge Seven Associates, has redone
die center's design from top to bottom.
David Wexler, a new NHF Advisor (see
Page 10), is sharing innovations he
pioneered at Hollywood Vaults.

Our facility will feature security, air
purification and fire suppression systems.
But the most important pieces of the
puzzle are the temperature and humidity
controls. Simply by depriving chemical
reactions of the molecular motility and
water vapor they need, a cool and dry
environment slows the decomposition of
film and magnetic tape dramatically.

Continued on Page 10

IILSTOriC FILITL

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

School field trip arrives at Northeast Historic Film.

NEH Awards
$500,000
Challenge Grant

^^^•he National Endowment for die
Humanities on Dec. 12

I announced award of a $500,000
Challenge Grant to NHF. The award was
made in the context of a $5 million
capital campaign that has raised $2.8
million. The grant was made to help
build NHFs planned Conservation
Center and to establish an endowment.

The new Conservation Center will
provide space for current materials and
20 years of new accessions. The building
will achieve the best conditions for long-
term storage, with maximum efficiency
in space and energy.

The endowment must be built to
$800,000 in the next three years to
unlock all of the NEH Challenge funds.
Half of the revenues from that fund will
support humanities programming such as
the annual summer symposium and
proposed visual literacy workshops. The
other half of the endowment will help
underwrite Conservation Center operat-
ing costs, an entirely new expense for the
organization.

We have raised $ 1 million in anticipa-
tion of the Challenge Grant, but still
have nearly $500,000 to go. Everyone is
invited to help: a pledge form is included
on Page 15. •

Recovering the
Television Record

^^P*'K' Maine Television Collections
Project is in full swing, with NHF

I staff members immersed in
processing 1.5 million feet of film and
2,700 videotapes — that's five decades of
Maine television images — and transfer-
ring them to preservation masters.

"We're now watching and listening to
the film for the first time," said Project
Director Dwight Swanson, who
explained that the first few months were
dedicated to assessing the condition of
the films and making repairs so they
could be transferred.

Poorly labeled, if labeled at all, the
films and tapes are full of surprises, often
yielding "hidden" content after die
primary materials, but what has most
impressed Swanson is the way they
reflect the evolution of local television
programming.

"One thing that has been particu-
larly interesting to me, especially with
the period we are transferring now —
the late 1960s and early 1970s — is
the change in television news," he
said. "The interviews dien were much
longer and had more depth compared
to the sound bites that dominate
today." An interview with former
Governor Ken Curtis, for example,
runs an incredible four minutes.

Portland Museum of Art Event —
21 March

The public will share in the findings on
Thursday, March 2 1 , when NHF
presents an evening of Maine TV History
Highlights at the Portland Museum of
Art, the first screening from all of Maine's
known surviving 16mm newsfilm and 2-
inch broadcast videotape. Excerpts will
include broadcast work from Presque Isle
to Portland.

Governor Angus King has been invited
to speak if his schedule allows. Political
commercials comprise an important
sector of the television history of the
state, and the Governor was host of local
public television's Maine Watch.

Continued on Page 1 1
/inter 2002

;eme: In the World/Changing 2

Symposium & Silent Film Festival 3

Renovations, Solid Results 5

Grants in Action 6
PI

'ledge Form

Moving Image Rfncic is .1 semiannual
publication of Northeast lliMmu I'ilm.
P.O. Box 900, Bucltspon, M.iiiu- 0
David S. \\ciss. i:\ixiui\v din..
Virginia Wright, writer .uul editor.

\ 0897-0769.

! oldhlni^.n.adi.i.nct
\Vcb lmp://\v\v\v.oldhlm

Preserving and Making Accessible Northern New England's Moving Image Heritage • www.oldfilm.org

Executive
Director's Report

There is plenty of activity at NHF
these days, but one of the most
important and exciting projects is
getting underway behind the scenes.

The biggest project NHF has ever
attempted, both in terms of total cost
and in importance to the long-term
mission of the archives, is quietly
ramping up.

I am talking about the Conservation
Center, and while there is still some time
before ground is broken, the process has
begun in earnest. Funds that allow
preliminary design work are in hand.
Grant writing and solicitation to com-
plete the total funding is Number One
on my list of priorities.

And in the meantime the design and
construction team has been assembled,
pens are being put to paper in architec-
tural and engineering offices, equipment
is being specified, surveyors are survey-
ing, and geotechnical engineers are ...
well, doing whatever it is that geotechni-
cal engineers do.

Yes, these are exciting times at
Northeast Historic Film, and the most
exciting project is still nearly invisible!

In the World/Changing

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic Film
is to collect, preserve, and make available
to the public, film and videotape or"
interest to the people of northern New
England.

Activities include but are not limited to
a survey of moving pictures ot northern
New England; Preserving and safeguarding
film and videotape through restoration,
duplication, providing of technical
guidance and climate-controlled storage;
Creation of educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and in
touring programs; Assistance to members
of the public, scholars and students at all
levels, and members of the film and video
production community, through provid-
ing a study center, technical services and
facilities.

^^^•he world is changing
rapidly," says teacher
• Barbara Greenstone,
Technology Literacy Integrator at Mt.
Ararat Middle School in Topsham, "and
kids will no longer accept the sage on the
stage. They know teachers aren't the only
purveyors of knowledge. They won't
accept us as knowing all the facts."

Today students are as likely to turn to
the Internet for information as they are
to open an encyclopedia. They may
express ideas better through computer
animation than in a term paper. "Some
kids who are not engaged with text are
engaged with images," Greenstone says.
"We are becoming more and more
multimedia oriented."

This reality doesn't negate the impor-
tance of reading and writing, but it does
underscore the need for schools to
embrace technology as they strive to
nurture "clear and effective communica-
tors," a Maine Learning Results stan-
dard. "Communication comes in many
forms," Greenstone says.

No wonder, then, that Greenstone was
delighted to discover Northeast Historic
Film last summer. Already she is putting
together a Maine economy unit using
our footage including ice harvesting and
logging. Moving images of political
campaigns might illuminate a future
unit on elections.

"One thing I really like is that a lot of
your moving images are available for
reuse," she enthuses. "You can send us
footage that we can digitize, so kids can
use it in their own productions. And as
kids produce video, they become better
consumers of video.

"I just see so many possibilities."

Service is our Purpose

It would be easy, in the rarefied world of
an archives, to focus on the immediacy
of the work in front of us — the repair-
ing and the copying, the labeling and the
cataloging — and lose sight of the
possibilities. Instead, we strive to reach
out to die larger world, to people like
Barbara Greenstone, who give Northeast
Historic Film its purpose and continu-
ally remind us that the possibilities are

endless.

Take the Maine Television Collection
Project, which is making available to the
public a treasure trove of historic and
cultural images (Page 1). Through it, we
have already made new connections near
and far. Some of our television footage
has traveled clear across the country to be
used in a nationwide broadcast. Other
images are being shown to a much
smaller, specialized community close to
home.

We are also excited about the possibili-
ties in our new partnership with Road
Runner of Maine (Page 7). By posting
sample clips on Road Runners Website,
we are inviting the world to share what
we do in a particularly moving (pun
intended) way.

We reach out, too, through the
Symposium and Silent Film Festival,
which have brought together scholars
and movie lovers for two summers now.
Plans for the third Northeast Silent Film
Festival are already in the works. In the
meantime, the Alamo Theatre continues
to touch the local community in a way
that a megaplex never will.

As we continue to extend our reach,
we're also improving the facility so we
can invite more people into our world.
We are putting the finishing touches on
our renovations to the Alamo building,
resulting in an improved Study Center
for students and other researchers.
Meanwhile, plans for our new
Conservation Center, which will enhance
the quality and longevity of the region's
preservation efforts, continue to take
shape.

Like Barbara Greenstone, we see so
many possibilities. H

Thanks to Judy McGeorge at The Learning
Barn, and to Principal Bette Manchester,
for connecting NHF and Mt. Ararat
Middle School.

Summer Symposium & Silent Film Festival

NHF's second annual Northeast
Silent Film Festival and Summer
Film Symposium earned high
marks from an independent evaluator
who attended both programs at the
Alamo Theatre last summer.

The Silent Film Festival, Rural
Places/Lost Worlds, distinguished itself
with its presentation of lesser-known
silent films and its emphasis on regional-
ism and place, according to evaluator
Dan Streible, Assistant Professor of Film
Studies at the University of Soudi
Carolina. "Identifying and screening
together a group of films involving the
Maine landscape and the state's local
communities is the sort of activity
archives should do," Streible wrote.
"NHF does it in a way that is a model to
other regional archives."

Knowledge for the Public Good

Streible called the Symposium, Home
Movies and Privacy, "an obvious success"
that allowed the four speakers ample
time to address the theme and encour-
aged subsequent discussion. Streible
particularly liked the way the symposium
explored ways to expand the ideas
generated about home movies into public
education and media literacy projects.
"Putting new knowledge to work for the
public good is what a humanities council
and an archive should be doing," he said.

The programs were funded in part by
grants from die Maine Humanities
Council ($5,000) and the Marshall
Dodge Memorial Fund ($2,000). "This
project was an obvious match for the
Marshall Dodge Fund," said Andrea
Perry of the Maine Community
Foundation, which manages the fund.
"They look for projects that are done in
the Bert & I tradition, the kinds of
projects Marshall Dodge would have
supported when he was alive — oral
history programs, storytelling programs,
theater, puppetry and some film, but
they have to be community-based and
the work of NHF is really community-
based."

Added Erik Jorgensen of the Maine
Humanities Council, "This was a well-
conceived project, backed by solid

scholarship in an exploration area that
has a very interested audience."

Film Festival Summary 2001

The festival opened with The Lost
Wfcr/i/(1925), the dinosaur classic.
Pianist Philip Carli, on his return visit to
the Alamo, accompanied that film and
others in the festival.

South: Ernest Shackleton and the
Endurance Expedition, the 1919
documentary about Shackleton's
Antarctic expedition that drew overflow
audiences at the 2000 festival, was shown
again to large numbers — for a 125-seat
house!

Shadows (1922), starring Lon Chancy
as a Chinese laundryman in a small
Maine town, shared the bill with The
Toll of the Sea (1922), a drama based on
Puccini's Madama Butterfly and one of
the first commercial Technicolor produc-
tions.

Also on the five-night program were
True to the Navy (1930), with Clara
Bow as an incorrigible flirt who falls for a
sailor; Where Are My Children? (1916),
a landmark film on abortion; the Hal
Roach short Pass the Gravy (1928)
which was even funnier than anticipated;
and Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926),
starring Harry Langdon as a New
England race-walker out to win the heart
of Joan Crawford.

The finale, Captain Salvation (1927),
was a knockout, enriched by die musical
accompaniment of the Bon-Ton Salon
Orchestra led by Clayton Smith, playing
music collected by the late Delbert
White, a Brewer dance band leader early
in the last century.

Film Festival 2002
The North Woods!

The 2002 Northeast Silent Film
Festival, North Woods Dr<nn<ts: I
/•'(/iviitti- i.ited for July 23-27

will highlight features and shorts set
in the north woods — an imagin.irv
place that is sometimes Maine,
sometimes Alaska or tile Yukon.

M! film companies procli.
these films in Maine, includins; Pine
Tree Pictures and Hirit;o Pictures.

Symposium Summary 200 1

Presenters explored the historical and
cultural value of amateur films, as well as
the privacy questions raised when home
movies are publicly screened.

Tricia Welsch, an NHF Advisor and
Chair of Bowdoin College's Film
Department, served as moderator.

Patricia Zimmermann, Professor at
Ithaca College and author of Reel
Families: A Social History of Amateur
Film, spoke about home movies as a
significant genre of film that counters the
distortions of people and places in
commercial features. She argued that
amateur film reveals a different, yet
equally worthy, history than die one told
by Hollywood and national cinema.

Mark Neumann, Associate Professor at
University of South Florida, shared his
research into home movies of Sigmund
Freud and the Freudian interpretation of
home movies. He screened excerpts,
which took on interesting new meanings
when viewed through the psychoanalytic
lens.

Eric Schwartz, Partner, Smith &
Metalitz, L.L.P., Washington, D.C.,
discussed intellectual property law and
rights of privacy relating to home movies.

Eric Schaefer, Assistant Professor at
Emerson College, echoed Zimmermann's
challenge to broaden the scope of film
history with his lecture on so-called

Continued on Page 10

CARL LAEMMLE pm«i« ^^^

PRKCILLA]

ttuirt P«OTH

9tup*ndouc

tmratiooof

Orrat

North

Staff Profile: An Opportunity for

Adam Bourgon, Marissa Denis & Jenny Wotton Minors Under 16 Years

• JB Mien regulars step up to the
•f •• candy counter at the Alamo
•• ^B Theatre, they are likely to find
their orders waiting for them. That's
because concessionaires Adam Bourgon,
Marissa Denis and Jenny Wotton know
their customers so well they anticipate
their orders as soon they enter the lobby.

Try finding service like that at a mega-
cinema complex.

"It wouldn't be nearly as friendly,"
Marissa says. "Here I know everyone
coming in the door, and I know all the
staff, too."

That the Alamo is something more
than a place to see movies is clear from
these young workers' observations. Every
screening, it seems, is a little community
celebration — friends and neighbors
taking a celluloid journey together in the
auditorium they helped design.

The concession workers help make it
that way.

Jenny Wotton and Adam Bourgon,
both 17 and juniors at Bucksport High
School, joined the staff in late April, just
as the cinema was about to re-open
following this phase of renovations.
Marissa, 1 8 and a senior, came on board
in August.

Longtime staffer (and Bucksport High
School graduate) Jane Donnell had
enlisted high school principal Thomas
Sullivan's help in
finding young people
to work weekends
selling tickets, running
the concession stand
and cleaning up
between shows. "I told
him we were looking
for someone he

thought was trustworthy and responsi-
ble," Donnell said. "We want these
people to be the face of the Alamo."

All three staffers have exceeded
expectations, even mastering projection-
ist Phil Yates* recipe for perfect popcorn.
"He's got it all down to a science," Adam
says of Phil die Film Guy.

Both Jenny and Marissa have had
previous experience with NHF, Jenny as
a cinema volunteer and Marissa as the
star of Bucksport Movie Queen 2000, a
silent production inspired by the 1 930s
Movie Queen series.

Alas, except perhaps for Marissa, who
"would love to star in a major show but
will probably be a graphic designer," die
Alamo experience does not seem to have
deepened the teenagers' view of movies as
anything more than mere weekend
entertainment. Asked what she likes best
about her job, Jenny replied with
characteristic teenage guilelessness: "The
paycheck!"

All three do, however, recognize that
places like the Alamo are treasures in a
landscape filled with generic superstores
and supercinemas. "I like it here because
it s a small town and you get to know the
people who come in," Jenny says.
"There's one little boy who comes in
every week and I know his order on
sight. It's just a really nice setting." 0

Adam Bourgon and

Jenny Wotton, juniors at

Bucksport High School,

work at the Alamo

Theatre on weekends.

Photo by Don Radovich.

A Maine state law forbidding
anyone under age 16 from
working in movie theaters has
been amended, allowing them to work at
the Alamo Theatre. This change is
important, principally because Northeast
Historic Film's cinema and study center
are focused on providing opportunities
for young people to study and to work.

The amendment, introduced to the
State Legislature last winter by Rep.
Richard Rosen of Bucksport (President
of NHF's Board of Directors), was not
written specifically for NHF alone, but
ended up as fairly narrowly focused law.
The original law, dating to the 1920s,
prohibited minors under 16 from
working in a variety of establishments,
including "any theater or moving picture
house."

The new amendment specifically
exempts from that prohibition "a
nonprofit organization that preserves film
and other moving images and provides
education and research opportunities."

It was passed by the House of
Representatives and die Senate in March
and signed into law by Governor Angus
King in April. H

STATS OF MAI "I

IA TK» YEA* OP OU> LOOP
TWO THOUfANO AND OWI

M.P. *M - -.-- >U

A *t»oi *nO*r II yen* of »1* Mr net b* «a»lond. p«mitt*d

»uf f«r*d ta B»ik In, tbout or In connection »itb my

cvur»ettiilMg ec MebHtlett •it*t>UiNM*t , twt«l. (OO-IM KMM,

CocJ.il/-tloB with i

cood«cti bctttBp. TM ptavitlon* of this ••etloti p«it*ialitf to

«plr,r*d or i« tuiniot u thoittlc*! »ttcm 01 f 11» •eton.

SSi*

Alamo Renovations Show Solid Results

•^•fte lobby floor is plywood and the
Study Center needs carrels, but

I reconstruction of our home, the
Alamo Theatre building, is essentially
complete.

Moviegoers are enjoying the new lobby
space and, finally, real restrooms —
essential for the steadily growing movie
audiences, anticipated field trips, and bus
tours. Big-time plumbing: the key to
cultural tourism success!

Floors throughout the building no
longer feel like they're about to collapse
into the basement, as they might have
done last year.

NHF staff members, meanwhile, have
settled into new work spaces outfitted
with equipment that allows diem to do
their jobs better and more efficiently.
Green-cushioned oak-back seats are to be
installed in the auditorium within die
next few months.

"Everything is operational," NHF
Executive Director David Weiss said,
"but we're still looking at finishing the
permanent exhibits and niceties like

carpeting and finishes for the library. At
this stage, every few bucks is going to
buy another piece of sheetrock. Even
smaller gifts help us make each step
possible."

On Time, Under Budget

Since last spring, the entire internal
structure forward of the auditorium has
been rebuilt from the basement up.

The 1916 Alamos exterior remains
rooted in the past, while the interior
meets die demands made of the building
today: public areas downstairs, with staff
spaces and the Study Center upstairs.
There is a new concrete floor in the
basement, and two new sets of stairs.
Fire suppression and life safety systems
are in place throughout the building. So
is a central vacuum system that makes
facilities manager Phil Yates very happy.

With the closing of die dieater in early
March, Brewer contractor Nickerson &
O'Day set to work raising the first-floor
ceiling and installing new steel beams
needed to support the first and second
floors. Work had progressed enough
by May to allow die auditorium to
reopen to moviegoers.

As construction continued, some
staff members — by now seasoned
nomads who had worked through a
winter without heat, electricity,
running water, or indoor plumbing
— moved into a room created from

Above: Spring 2001, the Study Center before the new
second floor. Photo by Marko Schmitt.

Right photo: October 2001, the Study Center is open for
business. David Weiss with cinema advertising.
Photo by Don Radovich.

what used to be the fly, a space on the
third floor over the stage where scenery
and equipment were hung.

Come fall, employees were settling into
their new spaces. "The construction crew
was wonderful," Weiss said. "They did a
really good job, and we ended up ahead
of schedule and under budget, which is a
rarity these days."

A Better Place to Work & Study

Expanded work space on the second
floor for curatorial activities and techni-
cal services includes upgraded equip-
ment, additional rewind tables and
processing areas, and a station for
transferring films to videotape.

"We're now able to accomplish a lot
more work there," Weiss said. "We can
handle different problems in a more
timely fashion. It's still Spartan, but
overall it is a more comfortable place for
the staff to work."

The Study Center, open to students
and researchers, houses thousands of
reference videos, motion picture books,
periodicals, photographs and other study
materials that cannot be found at any
other library in New England. It will
ultimately be equipped with work tables
and video-viewing stations as additional
funds are raised.

NHF raised nearly $300,000 for this
phase of the reconstruction. The still-
needed carpeting, walls, floors and
climate-control systems, to be
installed as dollars come in, will run
about $100,000. About twice that
amount is needed to develop lobby
exhibitions.

In the meantime, NHF's
$5 million capital campaign
continues to move forward with
emphasis on the Conservation
Center, a three-story facility with
cold storage for media, to be
constructed behind the Alamo. Also
on our "to do" list: third-floor
renovations at the Alamo, and the
Elm Street park at the cinemas side
entrance, which will provide a
delightful place to stop on a
summer night on the way to the
movies, or for a chat following the
show. H

Grants in Action

A $15, 000 grant from the Davis
Family Foundation will go
toward upgrading and broaden-
ing NHF s Web-based services, bolstering
our commitment to expanding public
access to northern New England's
moving images.

Two new research tools will allow
teachers, students, librarians, museum
curators and others to tap information
about the archives online.

Visitors will be able to search, reserve
and check out video titles via an online
version of Reference by Mail.

In addition, a searchable Collections
Guide will contain in-depth information
on 300 individual collections, including
descriptions, images, technical details,
and biographical and historical notes.
The project is enhanced by NHF s Web
video project with Road Runner of
Maine (see Page 7).

Marko Schmitt, who launched NHF's
first Website enhancement in September
2000, is the project designer. Funding is
being sought for the balance of the
$48,650 project.

Earliest 8mm Movies

A $3,600 grant from the National Film
Preservation Foundation is helping to
preserve a portion of the Mahlon Walsh
Home Movies, a collection of black-and-
white 8mm silent reversal films shot by
Walsh, a barber, around his hometown of
Freeport, Maine, in the 1930s.

The work is timely in light of the
growing interest in small gauge film like
8mm and Super 8, the formats used by
families, students, artists, businesspeople,
and others in the days before videotape.
Film of this type provides a record of our
culture available in no other medium. A
growing professional interest in small
gauge film preservation is supported by
the Small Gauge Symposium, part of the
Association of Moving Image Archivists
annual conference held in November
2001.

This reel, shot in 1933 and donated to
NHF by Mr. Walsh's daughter, is the
earliest 8mm in our archives and possibly
among the earliest in public collections.
The grant, one of 23 awarded to archives

across the country saving "orphan" films
not preserved by commercial interests,
helped purchase a new 35mm negative
and print and a BetaSP videotape of the
movie.

The film includes scenes of a New
England town meeting — a traditional
form of "democracy in action" — where
townspeople turn out one spring day,
listen to each other (or not), and cast
ballots.

Walsh also filmed Freeport's businesses
and streets including a downtown parade
in which a man rides in a wheelbarrow
while carrying an "I Voted for Roosevelt"
sign.

Turner Classic Movies

We received a $500 royalty from the
world television premiere airing of
"Treasures of American Film Archives"
on Turner Classic Movies in November.
"Treasures" is an initiative of the
National Film Preservation Foundation
and was underwritten by the National
Endowment for the Arts and the Pew
Charitable Trusts. The NFPF awarded
film preservation grants to 18 of the
country's premier archives, including
$4 1,696 to NHF.

Turner drew from the "Treasures"
DVD, which includes two excerpts from
films in NHF collections: Elizabeth
Woodman Wrights Rural Life in Maine
and Archie Stewart's early amateur sound
films.

NEA Supports New Print of
Wiggin Film

Finally, Timothy's Quest (1922), was
made available to New England audi-
ences in a new 35mm print with the help
of a National Endowment for the Arts
grant. The film was shown at the Alamo
Theatre in Bucksport on August 16,
accompanied by period music played by
Clayton W. Smith on piano. An excerpt
was also shown at the Maine Association
of Middle Level Educators annual
conference in October.

Timothy's Quest, directed by Sidney
Olcott, was set and shot in rural Maine
and produced by the Dirigo Film
Company. The tale of two orphans

Sally Walsh Collection, Mahlon Walsh home movies
from Freeport, Maine, in 1933.
Frame enlargement by Andrea McCarty.

seeking a home in the Maine countryside
is adapted from a story by Kate Douglas
Wiggin. The Library of Congress
prepared the 35mm print, a marked
improvement over the 16mm print used
by NHF in the past.

The $8,000 NEA grant that funded
the new exhibition print also supported
preservation work on Dead River Rough
Cut (1976), a portrait of two Maine
trappers by independent filmmakers
Richard Searls and Stuart Silverstein. In
the works now, preserved material will be
combined with newly shot footage by the
filmmakers. The results will be an
expanded "director's cut." B

Scott Woodward

Continued from Page 7

Conference, showcasing his classroom
unit on immigration featuring The
Making of an American, a film pro-
duced by the Connecticut Department
of Americanization in 1920.

"Scott had a great knowledge of history
and teaching history through the arts and
culture," McCarty says. "He also had a
great rapport with the kids." Adds
Sullivan, "He was so open with the kids
and they trusted him completely. He was
a wonderful man. We've lost a close
friend and a great educator." H

In Memoriam: Broadband Audience Discovers NHF
Scott Woodward

^^^•here are many good teachers. Rare,
though, is the teacher who

I influences lives, the kind who
bends the curriculum to a kid's budding
talents or lights a fire in the most
uninterested student. Scott Woodward,
who died Aug. 4, 2001, at the age of 52,
was that kind of teacher.

A beloved teacher in the Bucksport
school system for 26 years, Scott was a
longtime friend of Northeast Historic
Film. He recognized the value of using
movies, new and old, in education.

Scott was a Maine boy through and
through, born in Bangor and educated in
Bangor and Newport, Maine, public
schools. He received his bachelor's and
master's degrees in education through the
University of Maine system and began
his career in Bucksport teaching grades
three and five.

In 1 99 1 , he moved to the high school,
where he taught American literature,
U.S. history, and current issues.

With his long, curly hair and delightful
sense of humor, Scott shared his unbri-
dled enthusiasm for civics and citizenship
by serving as advisor to the Student
Council and helping with student
elections. Film was one of many ways he
made his curriculum vibrant.

"He was an absolutely superior
teacher," says Bucksport High School
Principal Thomas Sullivan. "He put kids
first, and he did it for everything."

In serving kids, Scott also did a lot for
NHF. He was our liaison with the high
school, directing student volunteers to
the Alamo Theatre and setting up a
bulletin board featuring our movies and
programs. "He would talk to kids about
the movies we were playing and get them
out to see them because he thought that
helped them," says archivist and former
theater manager Andrea McCarty.

He sought McCarty and Karan
Sheldon's help in starting to develop a
course, Teaching History Through Film.
He also worked closely with McCarty
and Sheldon to prepare a session for the
2000 Teaching History in Maine

Continued on Page 6

Sample clips from NHF archives
are now just a mouse click away
thanks to a new partnership with
Road Runner of Maine.

Road Runner, a Time Warner com-
pany offering high-speed digital cable
Internet service to 30,000 households in
Cumberland and Aroostook counties,
began posting the moving image selec-
tions on its Website this fall. First up was
Archie Stewart early sound, followed by
Aroostook County, 1920.

Each month, a new clip selected by
NHF staff will be highlighted on Road
Runner's Around Town page, while
previously featured items remain avail-
able in an online archives. Internet users
need not have high-speed service to view
the clips, each of which runs five to ten
minutes. A lower-bandwidth option is
available for people with dial-up service.

Each clip is accompanied by explana-
tory text. Viewers may follow a link to
the NHF Website for more in-depth
information about the film or video from
which it is excerpted. They also learn
about availability for home and class-
room use through Videos of Life in New
England or Reference by Mail.

Supporting an Understanding
of Maine

Always on the lookout for quality
broadband content for Around Town,
Road Runner content editor Chad Gilley
approached NHF earlier this year. "I was
familiar with Northeast Historic Film
from way back," he said. "I remember
NHF from their days in the hen house in

Cutting let, South Portland, Maine. Everett Johnson
Collection. Frame enlargement by Andrea McCarty.

Blue Hill with WERU. I used to be in
radio and did a public affairs show, so I
was aware of the nonprofit landscape out
there."

The project increases the availability of
moving images about northern New
England and dovetails nicely with the
State of Maine Learning Results, com-
mon goals for education, supporting an
understanding of Maine and American
history and culture.

The digitized images, sound and text
are prepared for Internet viewing by
Marko Schmitt, Dwight Swanson, and
Chad Gilley. Look for more clips in the
coming months at www.maine.rr.com.

December: Cutting Ice, ca. 1942, a
home movie by Everett Johnson about
ice harvesting on Long Pond in South
Portland.

January: A Portrait ofTodd Webb,
from a documentary on the Maine-based
photographer by Portland filmmaker
Huey (James J. Coleman).
February: Anchor of the Soul, African
American history in northern New
England through the story of a Portland
church.

March: The Silent Enemy, 1930, a
drama of Ojibwe Indian life, will be
featured in the 2002 Northeast Silent
Film Festival, "North Woods Dramas:
The Forgotten Genre."
April: Cherryfield, 1938, a portrait of
the town of Cherryfield and its citizens.
May: Maine Marine Worm Industry,
1941 film about the process of digging,
washing and packing bait worms for
shipping.

June: My Lady o' the Pines, a 1 92 1
drama starring Mary Astor, produced
in Maine by writer Holman Day.
July: 24 Hours, a 1 963 docudrama
about the role of Portland firefighters
in everyday life.

August: ///)/// Fishing off Portland
Harbor, ca. 1 930 scenes of tuna
fishing with a harpoon from a small
boat.

September: Elizabeth Woodman
Wright, Paris, 1929, a home movie
depicting summer at a farm in south-
western Maine. H

New Members and Members Renewed at a Higher
Level Since the Summer 2OO1 Moving Image Review

Call Angela Barker at 800 639
Corporate Members

Criterion Theater

Associates

Doug & Posie Cowan
Frederick & Mary Stewart Hafer
Mollie & Bill Heron
Robert E. Grindle

Households

Robert & Patricia Ayer
A. James Blair, Jr.
Virginia Bourne
Dr. Charles Houston
Ralph & Marilyn Jewett
Betty & Ernie Larson
Barbara & Rick Malm
Charles & Valerie Felt McClead

-1636 to join, upgrade or renew.
Mr. & Mrs. Keith B. McClelland
Wendy Schweikert
Albert & Eve Stwertka
John, Sue & Hannah Viano
Jean G. Webster
Thomas Wheeler
Nancy Whitcomb

Nonprofit Organizations

Abbe Museum

Fitchburg Historical Society

He Ife Films

Penobscot Elementary School

Individual Members

Bob Barancik
Pancho Cole
Phil Cormier

Deborah Ellis

Charles "Buckey" Grimm

Gerald Hastings

Michael Hermann

Jeff King

Dorodiy Wills Knapp

William Lynch

Hector MacKethan, Jr.

Clarence Merrill

Mary O'Meara

Gerry Palmer

Vick Pease

Terrie Perrine

BillRaus

IsaSilva

Bill Snyder

Rachael Stoeltje

Ann Swartzell

Rick Tenney

Rob Wood

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D.

Educator/Student Members

Sarah Belanger

Tal Birdsey

Craig Bolint

Gilbert Buker

Faidi Campbell

Gary Cowallis

Gerry Crocker

Squidge Davis

Alan Earls

William Burgess Leavenworth, Ph.D.

Betsy Paradis

Dale Potts

Ellen Stroud

Nancy Whitcomb

Symposium 2001 Extract:

Patricia Zimmermann, Morphing History into Histories

AMIA Small Gauge Selection Criteria

• Films representing the diversity of
American life — scenes of daily life, and
celebrations, holidays, rituals. Worklifeand
labor should be represented, as well as
political action and social change.

• Films made by members of amateur cine
clubs.

• Art, avant-garde, experimental works —
and those that use small gauge technology to
advantage.

• Nationally significant persons/places/things.

I think these are really good criteria but
what I'm going to do is both mess it
up and provide some ideas for how to
theorize even more. These selection
criteria fit neatly into larger historio-
graphic issues. But what they present us
with is a much larger and more compli-
cated issue of historiography.

What is historiography? A big word
with a simple idea. Not just the facts and
the data, but how we think about those
facts and data. It's about the thinking of
history. And if you translate it from the
Latin and Greek it means the writing of
history. How do we think about that?

What we have to do is think about
history. The great historian and histori-
ographer Hayden White says, "The
biggest problem confronting historians
and archivists is how we think about
history, not how we do it." His argument
is we all know how to do it because we
go to the archives, we live in the archives,
we're all factoid fetishists. But how do we
think about it?

Any criteria we use are a sorting
process and a selection process. And
this is the job historians deal with all die
time. Constantly sorting, justifying and
moving around. And we have to just
accept we're always going to be sorting.
Because we live in my son's bedroom. I
have an 8-year-old. If you have a kid you
know what I'm talking about. There are
Pokemon cards on the floor, there are
broken pieces of superheroes, there are
things on the walls he's cut out of the
New York Times that are curled and
crumpling. There's writing on the wall,
clothes on the floor, you walk in — it's a
landmine. There's junk everywhere.
That's where we live when we're dealing
with amateur film. And what we have to

be careful of is not being too maternal
about this and cleaning it up. Do you
follow me? Because once we start
organizing the Pokemon cards and
organizing the superhero pieces and
splicing all this junk together, what have
we done? We have imposed something
on the material that perhaps doesn't bear
the weight of the material. Like every
time I clean up my son's room, my son
Sean says, "Mom, now I can't find
anything." I'm using this as a warning.

We have to remember that the
archive is not about the past, it's about
the future. The archive's not about the
past, it's about the future. I knew there
were going to be academics here so I
made sure I had academic theoretical
quotes. So everyone else can sleep.
Jacques Derrida, in a fabulous book
published in 1996 called Archive Fever,
wrote, "The archivist" — you're probably
amazed he writes about archivists because
he's the king of deconstruction — he
writes, "The archivist produces more
archive and that is why the archive is
never closed. It opens out of the future."

For Dr. Zimmermann's complete talk,
visit http://www. oldfilm. orgledl essays, htm.

Robert Jordan Lives
On Through Bequest

Robert L. Jordan may well have
been NHF's most loyal borrower
of videotapes, and his orders were
frequently accompanied by letters in
which he revealed his passion for movies
or invited NHF staff to come select
Christmas trees on his Surry, Maine,
property.

No one, however, had an inkling that
Jordan would remember our organiza-
tion with a bequest exceeding $200,000.
It is an astonishing gift, gratefully
received.

Robert Jordan was born in Ellsworth
in 1932. He died on April 16, 2001, in
Surry, where he had lived most of his life.

Jordan became an NHF member in
1 989. A quiet, private man who lived
modestly, he never visited the archives in
Bucksport, but he was a big fan of
Reference by Mail. He also corresponded
regularly with David Weiss and Karan
Sheldon, sharing his thoughts on films
and history.

From time to time he would invite
them to Surry when he had movie
memorabilia to share. Among his
gifts was a collection of stills from
the family of Margaret Callahan, a
1930s film actress from Surry. She
starred in The Last Outlaw, 1 936,
co-authored by Maine native John
Ford, with Harry Carey and Hoot
Gibson.

Jordan's interest in history is
evident from his other activities.
He supported the Abbe Museum
in Bar Harbor. He also was a
member of Jehovah's Witnesses,
Kingdom Hall, and the Surry
Garden Club. NHF was one of
several Hancock County organiza-
tions named in his will. "He just
appreciated our mission," David
Weiss says, "and he wanted to
help."

If you or a family member wish
to remember Northeast Historic
Film with a bequest, please call
David Weiss at 207 469-0924. •

Shop for Museums

Do you buy stuff online?
Northeast Historic Film offers
friends and members a way to
accomplish your Internet shopping and
make a donation to NHF.

If you have Internet access and shop at
companies such as Nordstroms, Tower
Records, Utrecht Art Supplies,
Tupperware, Dell Computers,
Priceline.com or Delta Airlines, check
out ShopforMuseums.com. The online
merchants will make a donation to NHF
on your behalf.

For example, next time you order from
Amazon.com, don't go direct to Amazon.
Enter www.shopformuseums.com.
Designate Northeast Historic Film as
your museum, and the happy result:
NHF will receive 7.5% of your purchase.
(No, that doesn't mean we get one of the
CDs you order! The company gets a tax
deduction and we will receive a check.)

Any questions? Call Jane Donnell,
NHF Distribution Manager, at 207
469-0924. •

-.PROGRAM:-

REMINDER

-ELLSWORTH- ?

— WEEK-DAY SCHEDULE —

Matinee at 2:30 - Evenings at 7 and 9

Saturday Night — 6:30 - 11:00

— SUNDAYS —

Evenlnts only - Continuous from 7:30
Feature shown at 7:40 and 9:30

SUN. - MON.

August 16-17

"Pirate Party on Catallna Isle"

Distribution News
In Days Gone By:
Vermont Country Ways

IN DAYS GONE BY

Vermont
Country

Drop In after the Show!
CENTRAL CAFE

:'re carrying a new video by
Vermont Educational
Television, In Days Gone By.
Elsie Brisson, now over 100 years old,
raised five children on her own. As a
widow she kept the dairy farm going
with the help of two hired men, some-
times in the face of public opinion. "Got
them gossiping because I was in the cow
barn with the hired men."

Vermonters share their memories of
rural life, which included Dr. Everett
Holmes's house calls, "box socials," and
community barn raisings. The program
includes the advent of Vermont's bus
service, and the time before roads were
plowed in the winter, widi archival
footage of horse-drawn rollers and early
wooden plow designs.

Contemporary and archival footage
shows agricultural tools and processes.
Anecdotes make the technological
change clear: the big meadow took three
weeks to hay by hand. With modern
machinery, haying the same field takes
three hours.

Before electrification, milking was all
done by hand. In 1938, only 10% of
Vermont rural communities had electri-

A 1 936 advertising herald for the Dirigp Theatre,
Ellsworth, from Robert Jordan.

Continued on Page 10

Community Video
Manual Cites NHF

NHF is recognized as a source for
moving images of northern New
England history in a new manual
for people creating community docu-
mentaries.

Lights, Camera, Community Video by
Cabot Orton, Keith Spiegel and Eddie
Gale is a publication of the American
Planning Association and the Orton
Family Foundation, whose mission is to
help citizens of rural areas and
small towns shape the growth and
preserve the heritage of their
communities.

The foundation has produced
community videos in five rural
communities in Vermont and
Colorado. A Vermont project,
Swanton Community Video,
and Change and Challenge,
about the history of labor
and the working landscape
in Vermont, are both
available through Reference
by Mail, thanks to the
Orton Family Foundation.

The authors of Lights,
Camera treat community
video as a planning tool
to bring together residents and
engage them in discussing issues facing
their community and considering choices
for its future. The manual offers a step-
by-step approach to making a high-
quality video that documents a commu-
nity's history and identifies areas that
need attention in the planning process.
Topics include fund-raising, equipment,
production techniques, and script
writing.

NHF comes into focus in a section on
historical research. The authors recom-
mend using images to help put current
changes in context. NHF's moving image
archives and its searchable databases are
specifically mentioned as valuable
resources for northern New England
communities.

For more information on Lights,
Camera, Community Video and the
Orton Family Foundations Community
Video Project, visit www.orton.org. |

Summer Symposium

Continued from Page 3

"adult films" and other "show-at-home"
products. Limiting film history to
Hollywood, he argued, distorts our sense
of what people actually saw.

VHS videotapes of the symposium are
available on loan through our Reference
by Mail service. Each of the four tapes —
one per speaker — is about an hour in
length. The speakers have also kindly
made their talks available in text form
online at www.oldfilm.org/ed/essays.htm.

American Parlor
Kinetoscope

Distribution News

Continued from Page 9

city. Cooperatives began to erect poles
and string wire. "Was it ever beautiful,"
recalls one beneficiary. "It was like the
whole world lighting up for us." The
first thing to plug in on most farms: the
milk cooler.

A wonderful sequence recaps children's
farm chores: keep the kitchen wood box
filled, keep the tea kettle full on the
stove, milk the cows after school, take
care of the hen and gather the eggs.

Past and present are knit together in
tales of the one-room schoolhouse:
Vermont had 1 ,400 in 1912. The video
visits the Granby school, today home to
just seven students.

60 minutes, color and sound. $19.95
To order call 800-639- 1 636. •

Trick Ponies. Scan by Angela Barker.

In 1 897 the American Parlor
Kinetoscope Co. of Washington,
D.C., offered a new invention for
viewing motion pictures at home. For $6
one received "the complete mechanism
ready for work, with six belts." The belts
are paper strips of sequential images,
which were cranked through "the latest
wonder in moving picture machines."
The belts are of varying lengths and
widths, thus presenting a challenge for
preservation copying.

Aagot Wright has donated 18
American Parlor Kinetoscope paper
strips used by the Wright family in New
England. These are certainly the earliest
moving images for home use in our
collections, and are exceedingly rare.
"Trick Ponies," one of the sequences,
was animated by Marko Schmitt for
presentation at the panel on Technology
and Communities in Rockland. •

A Parlor Kinetoscope sold recently on eBay for
$4, 630 — going to France, instead of NHF's group
that gathered $3, 500 overnight. We hope to develop
an acquisition fund for future opportunities.

Recovering the TV Record continued from pagei

Helping organize the event is NHF
board member Nathaniel Thompson of
South Portland, President of Maine
Radio and Television Co., LLC, and
owner of CSP Mobile Productions.

Basketball, Snowstorms and
'The Good Life'

The Television Collections Project aims
to preserve Maine's moving image
heritage — encompassing political
interviews and documentaries, news
events, sports games and entertainment.
The images comprise seven NHF
collections and date to TV's early days in
the Fifties.

The project was launched in summer
2000 with the hiring of Russ Van
Arsdale, broadcast journalist, as project
technician. For the first few months, Van
Arsdale, Swanson, and Andrea McCarty,
joined by Liz Coffey, focused on inspect-
ing, evaluating and cataloging videotape
from WLBZ in Bangor and WCSH in
Portland.

Processing then began in earnest, a
task made challenging not only by the
haphazard care the collections had
received in the period since they were last
used as programming, but also by
ongoing construction at the Alamo,
which found staffers playing musical
chairs in their work areas.

This past summer, the archivists faced
another challenge: what to do with some
300 programs recorded on 2-inch -
videotape, an all but obsolete format.

Most of the tapes contain 30- to 60-
minute programs produced by Maine
Public Broadcasting. These cultural gems
— among them, features on Acadian
music, Maine Indian tribes, and eco-
pioneers Helen and Scott Nearing —
had not been seen since the 1970s.
"There are no 2-inch machines to view
them in Maine," Swanson said.

He did find a mammoth "2-inch
quad" at Vermont Educational
Television, where a handful of techni-
cians actually remember how to use it.
V-ET trained Swanson, Van Arsdale, and
McCarty to run the machines last
summer, and since then they have been
making regular trips to Vermont to

transfer the tapes to Betacam SP, an
archival mastering standard.

Local TV Valued Nationally

The Television Collections Project,
described in the Summer 2000 and
Winter 200 1 Moving Image Review, is
budgeted at more than $241,000. It is
funded in part by a $120,000 National
Historical Publications and Records
Commission grant. NHF currently seeks
$29,000 in matching funds.

The value of the work is historical,
intellectual, and practical. Already, NHF
was asked to organize a program using
healthcare-related WLBZ news stories
from 1 976 for Eastern Maine Health
Care. And a California production
company has purchased footage of the
Maine State Prison in Thomaston for a
History Channel documentary series,
The Big House. Prisoners were recently
moved out of the imposing brick and
concrete landmark, built in 1924, and its
demolition will mark the end of an era in
Maine penal history.

The Television Collections Project is
part of a national trend to preserve
surviving local news and film video
(about 90 percent of it is gone, according
to a Library of Congress estimate). "I
compare it to having microfilm of
newspapers available," Swanson said. "As
far as a visual record of the history of the
state, it's the most comprehensive way of
tracking history on a day-to-day basis.
Everything else we have to go on in the
way of film and video is documentary,
where someone has taken a look back
and ordered it in a certain perspective.
What we have here is the primary source
for these events.

"And no documentary filmmaker
would go back and do some of these
stories — they are events that tend to be
forgotten. You realize that you're getting
the whole range of things going on, and
you see the connections between the
small and large events." U

At the Maine State Prison, Thomaston, Kevin W. Concannon, Commissioner of the Maine Department of
Mental Health and Corrections. WCSH Collection, 1980. Frame enlargement by Andrea McCarty.

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director,

david@oldRlm.org
Angela Barker, Development Associate,

angela@oldfilm.org
Liz Coffey, Project Archivist,

liz@oldfilin.org
Peggy Coreson, Business Manager,

peggy@oldfilm.org
Jane Donnell, Distribution Manager,

jane@oldfilm.org
Andrea McCarty, Archivist,

andrea@oldfilm.org
Dwight Swanson, Archivist,

dwight@oldfilm.org
Russ Van Arsdale, Archivist,

russ@oldfilm.org
Phil Yates, Facilities Manager & Theater

Board of Directors

Thomas Bakalars, Boston, MA

President, Thomas Bakalars Architects, PC.
Architecture, urban design and project manage-
ment services, specializing in theater and
auditorium environments. Master of Architecture
from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, ME

President, E Media, Kennebunk, specializing in
manufacturing technology and electronic media.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr., Castine, ME, and
Manchester Center, VT

Board member, Holbrook Island Sanctuary,
Brooksville, Maine. Chairman of John Merck
Fund. Board member, Center for Reproductive
Law & Policy.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orrs Island, ME

Maine State Archivist, administrative head of the
State Archives. Directs Maine's Historical Records
Advisory Board. Ph.D. in political science from
Emory University.

Maltha McNamara, Orono, ME, and
Boston, MA

Associate Professor of History, specializing in
Cultural History and the History of New
England, University of Maine, Orono. Ph.D. in
American & New England Studies, Boston
University. President, Society of Architectural
Historians New England chapter. Maine Historic
Preservation Commission member.

Frederick Oettinger, Penobscot, ME

Vice President and Operations Manager,
International Paper Bucksport Mill. Lives in
Penobscot with family.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, ME

Co-founder of Trio Software Corporation, and an
independent property assessment consultant. Was
staff producer and director at WMTW TV;
studied film at George Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, ME

Board member. Owls Head Transportation
Museum. Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architectural
design, urban design, and planning for worldwide
projects — educational and exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, ME

Owner Rosen's Department Store, Bucksport.
Maine State Representative and member of the
Appropriations & Financial Affairs Committee.
Board member, Bucksport Regional Health
Center.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Co-founder of NHF. Advisory board member,
Maine Folklife Center and Friends of Fogler
Library, University of Maine. Member, Maine
Film Commission. Chair, Small Gauge Film
Preservation Task Force, AMIA.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Portland, ME

President of Maine Radio and Television Co.,
LLC. Owns and operates CSP Mobile
Productions, based in Portland. Member of the
family-owned media group that in 1998 sold
NBC affiliates WCSH-TV and WLBZ-TV to
Gannett Broadcasting. Connecticut College
graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Executive Director and co-founder of NHF.
Previously media producer in Boston after
graduating in film and semiotics from Brown
University. Serves on Maine's Historical Records
Advisory Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington, D.C.

Founder, Smithsonian Institution Human Studies
Film Archives. Founding chair, Association of
Moving Image Archivists' amateur film group,
Inedits. Family roots in Skowhegan, Maine.

Advisors

Individuals widi interest in the work of NHF as
an organization with a vision for film, video and
digital preservation, with broad public access.

Gillian Anderson, conductor and musicologist.
Director of the Colonial Singers and Players and
author of Music for Silent Films, 1894-1929.
Washington, D.C., and Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon Theaters
and Their Music, a history of the Thanhouser
Company, and over three dozen other books.
Antiquarian, business executive. Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This Way: A
Journey Through the Lives of the Underclass, and
director of the documentary feature Hearts and
Minds. New York and Castine, ME.

Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
History, Virginia Commonwealth University,
author of At the Picture Show: Small Town
Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture
(Smithsonian Institution Press). Richmond, VA.

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor of Media
History, College of Journalism, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD; author of 1 1 books,
including Who Owns the Media? and Shared
Pleasures: A History of Motion Picture Presentation
in the United States. Current interest in the history
of the coming of television to the US, including
New England. Chevy Chase, MD. & Allenspark,

CO,

Alan Kattelle, author of a history of amateur film,
Home Movies — A History of the American Industry
1897-1979, and cinematographic researcher.
Hudson, MA.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving Image and
Audio Conservation at die National Archives of
Canada. Board of Directors of the Association of
Moving Image Archivists. Ottawa, Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor,
Department of Visual and Media Arts, Emerson
College, Boston. Author of "Bold! Daring!
Shocking! True": A History of Exploitation Films,
1919-1959 (Duke University Press). Boston, MA.

Samuel Suratt, archivist for CBS News for 25
years and archivist of die Smithsonian Institution.
Founding member of International Federation of
Television Archives. New York, NY.

Continued on next page

bnder Where
They Got That From?

The Temple Theatre su-eeii .u the

CiiK-s.uion him festival in Saginaw,
Michigan, in September was graced
with the rare Pri/.ma C 'olor frag-
ment toutid in HUM Stoneham,
Maine. Our board member Jim
Phillips and facilities manager Phil
Vales were present. The piece, Land
of the Great Spirit, as reported in
the Summer 2001 Moving Image
Rnricu\ is tn>m \'l IP's James E.
Morrison Collection. H

Staff Participation in Conferences

NHF Advisors

Continued from previous page

TriciaWelsch, Ph.D. Associate Professor and
Chair of Film Studies, Bowdoin College.
Brunswick, ME.

David Wexler, founder, owner and designer of
Hollywood Film Vaults, Inc. Design consultant for
cold storage film vault projects at Eastman Kodak,
Walt Disney Studios, and the Library of Congress.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D. Professor of
Cinema and Photography, Roy H. Park School of
Communications, Ithaca College. Author, Keel
Families: A Social History of Amateur Film (Indiana
University Press) and States of Emergency:
Documentaries, Wars, Democracies (University of
Minnesota Press). Ithaca, NY. H

Orphans of the Storm II,
Documenting the 20th Century,

University of South Carolina,
Charleston, March 31.

Andrea McCarty presented "Making
The Movie Queen," on creating a new
community version of the 1930s itiner-
ant filmmaker's work.

University Film and Video Association

conference in Rochester, NY, in August.
Dwight Swanson gave a video presen-
tation entitled "The World of Small
Gauge Film," showing the variety of
8mm and Super 8 filmmaking.

Creating a Better Maine: Building
Strong Communities Through the
Arts and Humanities, Rockland, Maine,
June 12.

Conference sponsored by the Maine
Community Foundation, Maine
Humanities Council, and the Maine Arts
Commission. Panel on Technology and
Community, chaired by NHF board
member Jim Henderson, with Karan
Sheldon demonstrating NHF s Website
and access to moving images.

Selznick School, George Eastman
House, Rochester, NY, October 8.
Dwight Swanson addressed the
students on Northeast Historic Film, the
role of archival regional collections in
film preservation. He also discussed

Maine Senator Susan Collins toured the Alamo
Theatre this summer. Here, she looks through the
book of places where movies were shown in northern
New England with David Weiss — her home town.
Caribou. Photo by Don Radovich.

amateur and small gauge film and the
Small Gauge Symposium.

Maine Association for Middle Level
Education, annual conference, Sugarloaf,
Maine, October 1 1 .

Karan Sheldon presented to principals
and teachers in social studies and
language arts on primary source materials
for classroom use.

Association of Moving Image
Archivists, Portland, Oregon,
November 6-10.

David Weiss participated in the Local
TV Preservation Initiative. Dwight
Swanson co-chaired the Regional Audio-
Visual Archives Interest Group and
chaired the session, "Operating Funds
and How to Get Them," a session
examining archival organizations that
have successfully (or in some instances,
not as successfully), discovered innovative
means of funding their core budgets.
Karan Sheldon served as chair for the
Small Gauge Film Preservation Task
Forces Symposium, threaded throughout
the conference. m

Mill Safety
Celebration

THEATRE MOVIE PASS

e employees of International
Papers Bucksport mill recently
achieved one million work hours
without a single lost-time accident. This
significant safety record elicited congratu-
lations from IPs headquarters in
Stamford, Connecticut, and from
presidents of the locals of the

International Association of
Machinists; Paper, Allied-
Industrial, Chemical &
Energy Workers
International; the
International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers; and the
Teamsters. In celebration,
each mill employee received
two special edition Alamo
Theatre Movie Passes. H

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Two FREE Alamo Theatre weekend movie passes.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England and on moving-image related merchandise from
the Alamo Theatre Store.

• Free loan of more than 200 videos through Reference by
Mail. Each NHF member may borrow shipments of up to
three tapes at a time. The first shipment is always free,
including shipping! (Depending upon your membership level,
a $5 shipping charge may apply to shipments thereafter.)

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS AND BENEFITS PLEASE CHECK ONE:

n Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

n Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

O Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

D Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

O Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

O Corporate Membership, $ 1 50 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

n Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

n Patron, $1,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

Name

you would like more information about our Membership progra
Email angela@oldfilm.org or Phone 800 639-1636.

Address .

City
State

Zip

Phone d New O Renew

D Yes. I wish to receive the premium.

Please charge my credit card: CJ MC D VISA

Account #

Exp. date

Signature of cardholder:

Name as you wish it to appear on membership list:

0 My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable to Northeast Historic Film.)

Gift Membership

1 would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Or fax to 207 469-7875.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become involved
with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving image
heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is available through NHF's website. Go to www.oldfilm.org.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail /Members ONLY

Titles:

Alternate Title:

Membership/Specify level

TOTAL

Our Donation to Northeast Historic Film's

Capital Campaign

Name 1_
Address,
Phone

Name 2

Name to appear in Donor Recognition

Please apply my/our gift to help meet the NEH Challenge.

Enclosed is a gift of

Credit card info M/C Visa

(Cash, check, securities, credit card welcome.)

Number Expiration date

I/we would like to make a pledge of $_

(Pledges must total $300 or more.)

I/we will fulfill the pledge over more than one year, divided as follows:
2001 2002 2003

Gifts of $300 or more will be permanently acknowledged at the Alamo Theatre in a beautifully
designed display. Donor levels are as follows. Please add your name, or the name of someone you wish
to memoriali/e, on a line below the sample names. Thank you!

$200,000+

Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation

$100,000+

Pentagoet

$50,000+

The Town of Bucksport

$25,000+
James Petrie

$10,000+

Alan & Eleanor McClelland

$5,000+

C'amden National Bank

$3,000+

Bangor Savings Bank

$1,000+

In Memory of John Grant

$500+
Nancy Nolette

$300+

Pamela Wintle & Henry Griffin

Northeast Historic Film
PO Box 900, Bucksport, ME 04416
207 469-0924 fax 207 469-7875
email OLDFILM@aol.com

Tax ID 22-2823713. Gifts are tax deductible to
the full extent allowed by law.

" Northeast Historic film's pLmncd conservation center building: 27,000 cubic fret of cold,
dry storage for moi'ing images. A connector tu the 19 16 Alamo Theatre mil include an elf vator from the
' isrmern to the third floor, stairs, and a small back-stage area. Drawing by Terry Rankine. F.A.I. A

hasemci.

Help Make it Real!

The Alamo Theatre building
renovation has stopped for the
moment. Your gift is needed to
help work start again. Please make a
contribution. These await your help:

Walls, floors, and carpeting.

Completing the upstairs Study Center.

Exhibits and educational programs.

Third-floor renovation.

Collections care, including matching

funds for television newsfilm preservation.

Elm Street park

| An endowment to ensure sustainabiliry.
I Conservation Center construction.

Your contribution will be added to die
Donor Board, Moving Image Review, and
Website. There is a pledge form on the
previous page. Call Executive Director
David Weiss for more information.
Thank you!

•- A A A

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

RO. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 0441 6

Address Service Requested

"This Little Engine that Could has exempli-
fied the best: building community trust
through education; sustaining a vision and
sharply focused collecting policy; and
contributing towards the preservation of
America's film heritage according to the
highest professional standards."
Donald Crafton, Chair of the Department,
Film, Television and Theatre, Notre Dame

"I live in Bucksport and have had a chance to

see how important NHF has become to the

local scene."

Edward D. Ives, Director Emeritus,

Maine FoUtlife Center

"One of the most dynamic, creative, and

well-managed cultural organizations in the

region."

Martha McNamara, Associate Professor,

History, University of Maine

"No moving image archive of any size or
scope is more professional in its work or
more committed to its constituents than
NHF, and no archive is more effective in
collaborating with others or more generous
in sharing its knowledge and expertise."
Eddie Richmond, Curator,
UCLA Film and Television Archive •

NoiTiirasTiiisTonc rn.m

MOVIN

IMAGE

REVIEW

Silent Film Festival,
North Woods Dramas

^^•Mie Great North Woods: untamed,
dangerous, frightening — and what

I on eardi is that girl doing there?
Such intrigue is at the heart of the
hundreds of adventure films and shorts
set in the wilderness of Maine, Alaska, or
Canada during the Teens and Twenties.

"These films generally had a fairly
narrow plot," says NHF Advisor William
O'Farrell, who is helping us present
North Woods Dramas: The Forgotten
Genre, the third annual Northeast Silent
Film Festival. "They were mostly good
guys and bad guys and where's-the-
locale-this-time."

The festival takes place at the Alamo
Theatre in Bucksport from Tuesday, July
23 to Saturday, July 27. Films range from
gold rush dramas to river adventures.
The finale is a pair of logging films, The
Conflict (1921), Stuart Paton's "stupen-
dous sensation of the Great North
Woods," and From Stump to Ship: A
1930 Logging Film, a 16mm silent
home movie of logging practices that
serves as the bridge to die Summer Film
Symposium, Close Readings: Seeing
Amateur Films in Important Ways July
27-28 (see Page 3).

Related to the Western, the North
Woods drama is a distinct genre with
stories often derived from wilderness
novels, says O'Farrell. As Chief of
Moving Image and Audio Conservation

at the National Archives of Canada, he
has a special interest in the mystique
created by these films, most of which
were not shot in Canada, but in Maine,
NY, northern California and other
woodsy locales.

Hollywood romanticized Canada's
wilderness and tapped her cultures and
ethnicities to fulfill certain roles. "Ill-
tempered French trappers could be
counted on to be the bad guys, and you
had Mounties who would help at the
drop of the hat," O'Farrell says.

Prolific wilderness novelist James
Oliver Curwood, who wrote the stories
for three of the festival offerings — Back
to God's Country (1919), God's
Country and the Law ( 1 92 1 ), and
Jacqueline or Blazing Barriers
(1923) — was even paid by the
Canadian government to popularize
the North Woods sensibility.

Back to God's Country, co-
authored by its star, Nell Shipman,
was one of the few North Woods
dramas actually shot in Canada; in
fact, it is the earliest film with a
genuine Canadian setting known to
survive.

God's Country and the Law was
filmed by Pine Tree Pictures in Maine
and directed by Sidney Olcott (who
also directed Timothy's Quest, the

Continued on Page 10

SS?G WILLIAM FARHIIltN

5<r The Spoilers, 1914, in our festival. Visit our
Website for an exhibition of posters 1912-1930.
Image courtesy Richard Allen.

Conservation Center:
Terry Rankine

It will be a windowless cube and proud
ofit.

That, in a nutshell (or a film can), is
the concept that architect and NHF
board member Terry Rankine has applied
to our Conservation Center, a media
storage facility that will be the first of its
kind in the Northeast and one of only a
handful nationwide.

Plans for the $1.5 million metal-clad
center are making their way through the
permit process. The start of construction
will be celebrated with a public ceremony
June 13.

The sleek three-story building will
frankly reflect its mission too, says
Rankine, whose design framework is

Continued on Page 9

Summer 2002

Close Readings Symposium 3

( irants in Action 4

Maine Student Laptops 6

Members 8

New Collections 9

Become a Member 15

Miii'ino Image RtTitn is .1 scini.innu.il
publication of Northeast I HSIOIK him.
P.O. Box l>()(), BiKk.-nori. Maim- O-HlO.
1 ).ivid S. \\ciss. executive director
\'iii;ini.i \XYight, writer .mil editor.
lss\ os'r. in,').

I M.iil i>ldtilm(''\ic.ulu.nct
\\ eh http://www.oldrilm.org

Preserving and Making Accessible Northern New England's Moving Image Heritage • www.oldfilm.org

Executive
Director's Report

What is Northeast Historic Film?
We hear that question often
enough that we have a ready
reply. There are times, though, when the
answer calls for deeper reflection and
perhaps an analogy.

NHF is not easily pigeonholed. We
learned that back when the IRS was
considering our application for nonprofit
status. What is NHF? A museum? A
production company? A video distribu-
tor? An archives?

NHF embodies all those things, yet
none of them is our identity or defines
our mission. So we drew a parallel: what
we do is much like what a library does.
We educate. We provide tools. We
catalog information and share it. We
serve our community.

Now, as we prepare to break ground on
our Conservation Center and work with
consultant Tom Wolf to sharpen our
message, we have been challenged once
again to explain the value of what we do.
We find the library analogy fits better
than ever.

It's been a long time since libraries were
identified solely with books. Libraries
make available reference materials,
manuscripts, periodicals, music record-
ings and more recently, videotapes,

NHF Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Northeast Historic Film
is to collect, preserve, and make available
to the public, film and videotape of
interest to the people of northern New
England.

Activities include but are not limited to
a survey of moving pictures of northern
New England; Preserving and safeguarding
film and videotape through restoration,
duplication, providing of technical
guidance and climate-controlled storage;
Creation of educational programs through
screenings and exhibitions on-site and in
touring programs; Assistance to members
of the public, scholars and students at all
levels, and members of the film and video
production community, through provid-
ing a study center, technical sen-ices and
facilities.

Something of a Prodigy

Think of it as the equivalent of
college shopping for high school-
ers. It's time for NHF to decide
what to be when it grows up. Our
guidance counselor is Dr. Thomas Wolf
and a team from Wolf, Keens &
Company.

As a recent recipient of a $500,000
National Endowment for the
Humanities Challenge Grant, NHF has
promised to seek professional fundrais-
ing counsel. We hired Wolf, whose past
clients include twelve of the fifty largest
U.S. foundations — as well as cultural
institutions like the British Museum, the
Boston Symphony Orchestra and The
Kennedy Center. Wolf is also well
known in Maine where he is die voice of
Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport and
where he has had numerous clients over
the years.

Wolf, Keens & Co. of Cambridge,
Massachusetts, and Falls Church,
Virginia, offers planning and rundraising
support to nonprofit organizations and

DVDs and Internet access. Thanks in
part to such technologies — and the fact
that moving images have now been
around long enough to be embraced by
historians and teachers — our parallel
missions are beginning to converge.

NHF's moving images enhance,
enrich, and add dimension to the job
that libraries are deservedly beloved for
doing. It is not unreasonable to imagine
that in the not-so-distant future, NHF's
Study Center will be one whose database,
film clips and reference materials can be
accessed from libraries around the world.

To be sure, the library analogy is not
perfect. NHF devotes major resources to
preservation, which is not even a concern
for most libraries. Still, the commonality
of our purposes is clear. NHF is not
easily pigeonholed, but we do occupy a
venerable niche with some pretty
impressive company.

government agencies. Tom Wolf and his
colleague, Gina Perille, will present the
results of an organizational assessment of
NHF — an overview of where we are in
our development and our choices for the
future — to the Board of Directors in
May.

Wolf will assist in developing a
strategic plan so we can be effective in
our $5 million capital campaign. Within
the next three years we will establish an
$800,000 endowment, which is neces-
sary to release all of the Challenge Grant
funds.

Extraordinary Childhood

"NHF has had an extraordinary child-
hood and adolescence," observes Wolf,
who finds diat all organizations go
dirough stages that parallel human
development: infancy, adolescence,
adulthood, and old age.

NHF has arrived on the threshold of
maturity after being something of a
prodigy under "difficult circumstances,"
Wolf says. "One would think that the
odds were stacked against it given its
fairly narrow mission, its location in a
small town, far from any centers of
corporate support."

Over the course of the last several
months, Wolf and Perille have taken a
detailed look at NHF's history, organiza-
tional structure, physical plant and work.
They have interviewed current and
former staff members, directors, advisors,
financial supporters and film preservation
colleagues, asking questions such as

Continued on Page 10

NHF Tapped for
National Humanities
Gathering June 20

When colleagues from around the
country gather for their annual meeting
in Portland, Dorothy Schwartz, executive
director, and Erik Jorgensen, program
director for the Maine Humanities
Council, want to offer an evening
program that will teach, entertain and
make a good impression. They have
turned to Northeast Historic Film.

"I've always felt that NHF does some
of die most interesting work we fund,"
says Jorgensen. "NHF is an exemplary
organization, and I'm eager to share what
you do with our colleagues. We also feel
NHF will make all of Maine look good."

As guests of the Maine Humanities
Council, National Endowment for the
Humanities officers from all over the
U.S. will converge in June around a
theme of acculturation. The officers will
represent 56 humanities councils from
each state, the District of Columbia and
five U.S. territories.

NHF is the only outside organization
providing a program for the officers
during their stay in Maine. Karan
Sheldon, NHF co-founder, is preparing a
session entitled Our Now is Your Then:
Rescuing the Film Record.

With content suited to the theme of
cultural integration, the program
contrasts die fragility of home movies
(and other regional films) with their
effectiveness as interpretive tools. The
presentation, set for the evening of June
20 at the Portland Museum of Art, is
open to the public.

Screenings will include Cherryfield,
1938, a short documentary of the town
and citizens of Cherryfield, Maine;
images of a KKK parade in Newburgh,
N.Y., from the Archie Stewart
Collection; and a section of the lumber
merchant's film, From Stump to Ship.

The Making of An American, a 1 920
Connecticut Department of
Americanization silent in which an
Italian immigrant discovers the impor-
tance of learning English, will be shown
in its entirety.

Jorgenson says he is enthusiastic about

Close Readings:

Symposium on Amateur Films

One birthday party does not represent
all birthday parties. Learn why at
NHF' Symposium, Close Readings:
Seeing Amateur Films in Important

Ways at the Alamo Theatre in Bucksport
July 27 and 28. Programs begin at 8:30
a.m. both days, with evening screenings
and dinner.
To register, call 207 469-0924.

On July 26, NHF is hosting a
Roundtable discussion in support of the
Maine Learning Technologies Initiative
(see Page 6). Participants include tech-
nology coordinators and others interested
in exploring how laptops and moving
images enhance studies.

Summer Film Symposium

Aimed at high school and college
students, teachers, curators, archivists,
and anyone interested in collecting and
interpreting home movies, the
Symposium offers screenings, presenta-
tions and discussion. Among presenters
will be filmmaker and home movie
expert Jeffrey Ruoff, Film & Television
Studies, Dartmouth College.

Rick Prelinger, of Prelinger Archives
in San Francisco, a proponent of public
access to cultural resources, will talk
about the potential the Internet offers
film archives and their users.

Prelinger Archives, which has the
world's largest privately held collection of
20th-century American advertising,
educational, industrial and amateur
films, is already doing it with 995 titles
dirough a partnership with the
Internet Moving Images Archive

awakening fellow humanities officers to
the potential of film resources in their
own communities. "Home movies are a
largely untapped source of information
for people doing humanities work," he
says. "They are a primary source, they're
unscripted, they're innocent, they're real."
For more program information, contact
the Maine Humanities Council at
207773-5051. «

(www.archive.org). The films are playable
on PCs equipped with the appropriate
hardware and software.

In his presentation, "Amateur Film,
Copyright and New Media," Prelinger
will talk about why giving up control of
access benefits archives in the long run.
Through its arrangement, Prelinger
Archives has mounted its material online
at little cost, received immeasurable free
publicity, and formed beneficial business
relationships.

Martha McNamara, University of
Maine historian, will present
"Investigating Authenticity," a look at the
interpretation of moving images.

McNamara asks her Maine history
students to compare From Stump to
Ship, a film about logging practices shot
for the Machias Lumber Company in
1930, and Woodsmen and River
Drivers, a 1985 documentary featuring
interviews with many of the men who
appear in the earlier movie. The later film
includes a woman's voice in die mill's
former bookkeeper, as well as perspective
of some contemporary loggers.

Student opinions on which film tells a
more compelling story about early 20th
century always vary, and that is the point.
"My students' lives are completely
saturated with moving images,"
McNamara says. "I want to teach a basic
visual literacy. They need to be able to
apply to these moving images the skills
most of us bring to reading. I want them
to ask, who made diis image and why?
What was their goal? What are they
trying to convince me to believe?" •

Grants in Action: Web and Lab

With its brief, yet rich historical
notes, Northeast Historic
Films Collections Guide,

an overview of the moving-image
collections in our archives, makes for
fascinating reading, from the house Capt.
Thomas McCobb built to annoy his
stepmother, to Miriam MacMillan's
Arctic voyage. The guide also is a
tantalizing and useful starting point for
researchers.

Problem is, the guide's lens isn't wide
enough. It can only present a picture of
our holdings at the time of publication.
As such, the Collections Guide is now
seven years behind the reality.

All that changes soon, when an
updated, searchable and expandable
guide goes online at our Website,
www.oldfilm.org. More than 100 entries
have been added to the 195 entries that
comprised the original guide. The project
was funded in part by a $15,000 Davis
Family Foundation grant.

"It showcases all of the important
collections in our archives," archivist
Dwight Swanson says. "If it is anything
of any substance, it will be there."

Curators and Laptoppers

Web publication makes the Collections
Guide accessible to a larger, more diverse
audience, from cinema and museum
curators to Maine's laptop-equipped
seventh and eighth graders. And, new
acquisitions can be added to the guide
almost immediately. "It's exciting because
this is the first serious form of digital
access that NHF has been funded to
provide," says Webmaster Marko
Schmitt.

The guide features an alphabetized
scrolling index of 300-plus collections
names. Searches also may be conducted
by subject, genre, keyword, text (a word,
date or phrase), accession number, year,
or location, and/or a combination of up
to five of these parameters.

So a student researching tuberculosis in
Maine, for example, might use the
keyword "tuberculosis" to find the Talbot
and Barbara Hackett Collection, which
documents the Western Maine
Sanatorium in Hebron in the 1 930s.

Central to the project is a database that

also serves as a foundation for future
Web-based operations, such as Reference
By Mail transactions, more sophisticated
tracking of online visitors, and content
tailored to school curricula. The
Collections Guide will eventually be
expanded to include sample clips.

The remote Webserver is hosted by
Chicago Webs, whose staff performs
routine maintenance tasks. For internal
business, NHF relies on a new local
server named "Archie" after the late
Archie Stewart whose home movies are
among NHF's outstanding moving-
image records.

Industry Leader Offers In-kind Support

Cineric, a leading motion picture film
post-production facility, is donating
$25,000 in film preservation services
annually to NHF. Owner Balazs Nyari
said he made the gift because he is
impressed with NHF's commitment to
preservation and with David Weiss and
Karan Sheldon's collaborative and
supportive spirit.

Based in New York, Cineric is known
as a provider of title opticals and special
effects for feature films such as The
Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense
and The Big Lebowski, as well as digital
motion film services and 35mm blow-
ups. Its restoration and preservation
facility has restored more than 200 films,
including The Birds and The Caine
Mutiny.

"This is a hugely important contribu-
tion that strikes right to the heart of our
mission," says NHF Executive Director
David Weiss. "The most extensive and
difficult part of our mission is the lab
work that can transform films into
useable, watchable copies.

"We could spend millions of dollars
just making copies of films at risk, but
since we can't afford to do that, the
Conservation Center is giving us a
chance to stop the clock. But that only
defers our responsibility to get the
preservation copies made. Cinerics
donation helps us make real progress."

Grant Benefits Goodall Mills

NHF has received a $4,900 National
Film Preservation Foundation laboratory
grant to preserve the Goodall Mills
Collection documenting the heyday of a
Sanford, Maine, company that was one
of the nations most successful woolen
manufacturers. The 16mm collection
includes two industrial films and one reel
of home movies shot in the 1920s and
1930s.

The products of the Sanford Mills and
Goodall Worsted Company were
featured in advertisements all over the
country — on billboards and in magazines
and newspapers. The company's plush,
mohair fabric was used as upholstery in
railroad cars, hotel rooms, and automo-
biles, and the Palm Beach Suit was
standard summer wear for men. (See
MIR, Summer 2001.)

New Print of School Daze

Cinetech is generously donating a new
print and negative of School Daze, a
Boston-made take-off of the popular
1 920s Our Gang films featuring the
Little Rascals, as the Hal Roach Studio
series later came to be known.

School Daze, shot ca. 1926, features
local children, winners of a contest
sponsored by New England Theater Co.,
in the roles of Spanky, Darla, Alfie and
other Rascals.

NHF selected the 35mm nitrate reel
for the Cinetech pro bono project in part
because local versions of Our Gang
comedies were apparently a national
phenomenon in the Twenties — and very
few survive. The original print is nicely
tinted, as many movies of the silent era
were. School Daze is part of the Charles
Denning Collection, donated to NHF in
1995.

A world leader in film preservation and
restoration, Cinetech's credits include
restorations of The Wizard ofOz, Easy
Rider and In the Heat of the Night. The
company is in Valencia, Calif. H

Maine State Prison Videos
Carry Inmates Home

Inmates at Maine State Prison are
among the most loyal fans of
Reference by Mail, our free circulating
loan library of videotapes.

"Your program is vital to our opera-
tions because there is no recreation on
Saturday nights," says Polly Black, the
prison librarian. "People are always
stopping me and thanking me for the
films."

Prior to their February move to the
new state prison in Warren, inmates
watched the films on their own televi-
sions in cells at the old Thomaston
facility. One inmate delivered the
entertainment via local cable access from
the prison broadcast station — the
unoccupied cell next door that was
outfitted with several VCRs and trans-
mission equipment.

NHF videos are temporarily off the
schedule at the new prison, where a
delivery system is not yet in place. There
are about 700 inmates at die facility, up
from 450 at the old prison. Most have
televisions.

Inmates have been able to tune into a
variety of programs on Saturday nights,
but NHF's videos have proved especially
popular. Movies about New England

Book iind 1)1'!) contain
•i/fctian.

heritage and communities, such as So
You Want to be a Woodsman?, a

compilation of 1940s training films for
lumbermen, draw the biggest audiences.

One inmate who hails from The
County savored Assignment in
Aroostook, a look at Loring Air Force
Bases heyday in the 1950s (the base
closed in 1994). Another waxed nostalgic
about his hometown of Bangor after
seeing The Bangor & Aroostook
Railroad, a 1 99 1 documentary.

"They are delighted to have an
opportunity to revisit their youth," Black
said. "When you're incarcerated for
decades, what you see in those movies are
your memories."

The all-time favorite is Dead River
Rough Cut, in which a pair of trappers
show how they get by in the backwoods
of Maine and share the often-humorous
wisdom they've acquired there.

Reference by Maine, with 330 titles, is
one of our most popular benefits and the
primary means for educators to access
our collections. "I think it's a wonderful
service," Polly Black says. "Just to have an
opportunity to see those films means a
lot." •

Aufstieg und

Untergang

Jo»ehim Pober (Hrsg.)

Tonfilms

Weltwunaer aer Kinematograpliic

ttitrigr zu tlnrr KuHury*,<h,cht, dtr FllmUthnUl
S«ch»t. Ausgab.: 2002

German Book Cites
NHF and Archie
Stewart Collection

Northeast Historic Film and the
Archie Stewart Collection of
home movies receive special
recognition in a collection of essays
published in Germany. Clips from the
Stewart Collection also appear on a
companion DVD.

The sixth edition of Weltwunaer aer
Kinematographie: Beitrage zu einer
Kulturgeschichte der Filmtechnik ("Miracle
of Cinematography: Contributions
towards a Cultural History of Film
Technology") is edited by Joachim Polzer.
The theme is "The Rise and Fall of
Talking Movies."

The 512-page volume contains 33
articles, some in German and some in
English, by 22 authors. NHF and the
Stewart films are the subject of a lengthy
editor's note accompanying Brian
Winston's essay in English, "The
Coming of 16mm Sync Sound."

An avid amateur filmmaker, Thomas
Archibald Stewart made a point of
keeping up with the latest technology,
including early "talkies." One reason his
films are of interest to students of film
technology history is that he is seen on
several reels testing microphones and
explaining techniques.

Short films made by Stewart between
1936 and 1939 were selected for die
Weltwunaer DVD. In his sidebar, Polzer
offers technical notes on Stewart's film
choices (b&w reversal stock and then-
brand new Kodachrome color reversal
stock). He remarks, "It is astonishing to
see how flexible this amateur equipment
was, e.g., in indoor locations, outside
coverage and under low-light condi-
tions."

Polzer also offers an Archie Stewart
memorial (originally published in
Moving Image Review, Summer 1998), an
overview of the Stewart Collection
contents, and a description of NHF's
holdings and mission.

The book is available at the Amazon
company's German-language Website,
Amazon.de. ™

Laptops and Videos: Tools for the Classroom

Apple iBooks, the computers that
are being distributed to Maine
seventh and eighth graders, can
be used to edit video and sound.
Northeast Historic Film has footage that
can be used in productions. Do we have
a match?

Absolutely, says Rick Barter, technol-
ogy coordinator at Conners Emerson
School in Bar Harbor, one of the nine
regional exploration schools that began
working with the notebook computers in
seventh-grade classrooms in March.

Northeast Historic Film's archives "will
be an incredible resource for kids doing
research projects on lumbering, fishing
and other parts of Maine culture and
history," said Barter, noting that Maine
studies are pan of die curriculum
statewide.

The Maine Learning Technologies
Initiative, which aims to equip middle-
school students with laptop computers,
begins in earnest next school year when
more than 18,000 iBooks will be
provided to sevendi-graders and their
teachers. Another 17,000 iBooks will be
distributed to eighth-graders in the
2003-2004 school year.

Shoot, Edit, Share

In March, Karan Sheldon spoke at a
gathering of die exploration schools'
principals and regional integration
mentors about plans to put some of
NHF's collection into digital format for
student use. Mentors are teachers like
Barter who are helping their colleagues
master the iBooks and explore what the
technology can bring to the classroom.

Apple iBooks come equipped with
iMovie software, which allows students
to import moving images directly from a
digital video (DV) camcorder.

With die demonstration program
currently focused on integrating die
technology into the classrooms and
mastering die basics, Rick Barter foresees
a time in die near future when students
are making science project videos or
documentaries about cultural and
historical topics with the support of
NHF material.

Expression in a More Exciting Way

Barter believes the technology offers an
avenue of expression for students who
have difficulty with writing or are
otherwise not engaged by school. "They
still have to have the content, but they
can express it in a more exciting way," he
says. "I think the computers will help
kids who don't fit the perfect school
mold."

And don't discount the educational
value of the movie-making process, says
Huey, a.k.a. James Coleman, indepen-
dent filmmaker, artist-in-residence and
director of the Maine Student Film and
Video Festival. "There is a whole lot of
learning that goes on in making a movie.

He likes that video is a "collaborative
art," in which students pool their
individual strengths to make a produc-
tion that can be seen by peers, adults in
the community, and others as well.

"NHF footage can be used to inform
and broaden the presentation of videos
on local culture and history," topics that

happen to be among Huey's favorites. He
has worked with children at Indian
Island School to make animated movies
on Penobscot Gluscap stories. Children
in Pordand's Riverton Elementary School
English as a Second Language program
made an animated film based on their
essays about their own immigration.

Some teachers are already using NHF
materials and iBook technology to
immerse kids in a subject. For example,
Barbara Greenstone, technology literacy
integrator at Mt. Ararat Middle School
in Topsham, recendy worked with 16
eighth graders to make documentaries on
Maine economic topics. Greenstone will
discuss the project, in which the students
illustrated contemporary interviews with
NHF footage of logging, ice harvesting,
lobstering and farming, at the Summer
Film Symposium (see Page 3).

Karan Sheldon welcomes input from
teachers on topics that they would like to
see made available from NHF archives.
Contact her at karan@acadia.net. H

A Fond Adieu, and a Thank You Too

NHF bids farewell to two staff
members, Andrea McCarty and Liz
Coffey. Thanks are due, too, to
Frederick Oettinger, who is stepping
down from the Board of Directors.

Andrea departed in January for
Boston's public television station
WGBH where she is immersed in a
yearlong project to preserve part of a
collection of Ten O'clock News
broadcasts.

"What I loved about NHF was that
I got to do a huge variety of jobs and
use a variety of skills," says Andrea,
who arrived in Bucksport 2 years ago
as a graduate of the L. Jeffrey Selznick
School of Film Preservation.

Liz also is heading to Boston now
that the Maine Television Collections
Project, funded in part by a National
Historical Publications and Records

Commission grant, is winding down.
Another Selznick School grad, Liz
came on board in July 200 1 to assist
in archival repackaging, copying and
cataloging of the films and videotapes
from seven Maine TV collections.

"The film sometimes is in little
balls, dirty and moldy," says Liz,
revealing a dry sense of humor that no
doubt helped her through the some-
times-tedious repair process. She says
she had a good time at NHF, adding
"I've never watched so much TV news
in my life."

We express our gratitude to Fred
Oettinger for his service on the Board
of Directors. A generous donor with
his wife, Lisa, to our Capital
Campaign, Fred is Vice President and
Operations Manager of International
Paper Bucksport Mill. H

Distribution

Videos of Life in New England:

New Edition of Dead River Rough Cut

Bob Wagg and Walter Lane's
amusing and often penetrating
observations about politics,
money, women and life have made Dead
River Rough Cut a cult favorite among
Northeast Historic Film's videos of New
England life.

Fans of diis 1976 portrait of two men
who take to the backwoods of Maine and
carve out a life trapping, hunting, and
logging, are already lining up for a new
edition that will feature about 20 minutes
of additional footage, reports NHF
distribution coordinator Jane Donnell.

Plans include an NHF first— a DVD
version, which may contain a conversa-
tion widi Bob Wagg in his later years.

"It's amazing," Donnell says of the
Dead River Rough Cut's popularity. "If
you're from Maine there's probably
someone in your life that those guys

A Happy Note

"We think your organization is a
blessing and we thank you for
preserving such vital history."
Edward J. McGrath,
Grand Lake Stream, M

^ou for
story."

aine

remind you of. They can take you to a
familiar place — whether you want to go
there or not!"

The new edition will more closely
resemble the movie that Stuart Silverstein
and Richard Searls had in mind nearly
30 years ago when they spent more than
four seasons filming the trappers.
Moving images that were cut to make a
55-minute television program have now
been restored.

"There's footage that better explains
Bob and Walters relationship," says
Silverstein. Viewers will see more of the
men getting ready for winter, their visit
to a cedar shingle mill, and their partici-
pation in a pig slaughter which,
Silverstein concedes, may be disturbing
for some.

They'll also hear Wagg talk about
factory work, "I hated myself every
minute I was there," and how it com-
pares to the woods, where the days are
never long enough.

It's Wagg who sets the tone of Dead
River Rough Cut. With a smile that
looks like a picket fence missing a few
pickets, he opens the movie with hilari-
ous views on the value of dentists.

Neither Wagg nor Lane, both of whom
have since died, understood why
Silverstein and Searls wanted to film
them. "They were always trying to show
us beautiful scenery," recalls Searls, who
came to regard Wagg as a close friend
and mentor.

Before filming started, Lane went to
L.L. Bean to buy what he thought were
typical trapper clothes. "He looked
ridiculous," Silverstein recalls fondly. He
replaced the outfit with clothes that were
more Lane's style.

Both men were pleased with the final
product, though Lane, who appears on
film as a born philosopher dispensing
simple wisdom, had reservations about
the way it revealed his friend's expressive
language.

Searls and Silverstein hope the new
edition of Dead River Rough Cut will
be in the NHF store by early summer.
NHF hopes to give the work a special
screening at the Fryeburg Fair, where it
always attracts a crowd. •

Bob Wagg and Walter Lane trap beaver in Dead River Rough Cut.
Frame enlargement by Dwight Summon.

A Profane and
Hilarious Classi

In a Down l:iisi mat;a/ine article on
"The lop Maine Videos" (April
2011 ie editor 1'aul

Hoiron had this to say about his "all-
time favorite," Dead River Rough
(lit. and Northeast Historic l:ilm:

"You won't find it in ;;/</>/
this 1 976 profits of'two Mtiine tr<;
living in the woods nc,i>
is ,i />n'f,i>ic iltk! hiLirioi: '• fit

eking out. I ciin't u\i:
woodsmen tt<>!> Wiigg >in<l W,';//CT I
t nipping bt'iiirr or spinning \,irns in
their union .\nits without /
reminded of th<

.:r. The rideo :

work' of Northeast Historic Htm, a
producer of M,iine donanenttria with
.line catal- 'lent

titles (www.oidfbn.org). leo

aficionados looking to cxpiind :
collection oft,ipcs from p:
ufriiil in < -fritty special interest

titles will find ;;;/<< then •

Northeast Historic Film Members

To join, upgrade, or renew call 800 639-1636 or go to www.oldfilm.org/membership/joinNHF.htm

Patrons

Peter K. Lindsley

in Education

Keith Davison & Betsy

Long

Dave & Christie Bowers

Ben [.oeterman Prods., Inc.

Maine Folklife Center

Montandon

William O'Farrell

Mr. & Mrs. Francis W. Hatch

David & Joan Maxwell

Maine for ME

James & Leila Day

Ed Olander, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Alan J.

Josephine A. Merck

Maine Public Broadcasting

Sally & G. Malcolm Denning

Kathryn J. Olmstead

McClelland

Patrick & Jerilyn Montgomery

Maine State Museum

Clarence R. De Rochemont

Philip & Lydia Osgood

Fred Oettinger

Henry Moulton

Maine State Prison Library

Mr. & Mrs. John Dice

David E. Outerbridge

James & Rita Phillips

BobNeal

Moosehead Historical Society

Mr. & Mrs. G. Clifton Eames

Seymour Papert & Suzanne

Clare H. Sheldon

O'Hara Picture Trust

MSAD 75

Bill & Katy Eberhardt

Massie

Dr. & Mrs. Huntington

Kathryn J. Olmstead

Mt. Ararat Middle School

Mr. & Mrs. Elmer Edelblute

Larry & Nancy Perlman

Sheldon

Mrs. John Porter

Nashua Public Library

Mr. & Mrs. David Edfors

Ted & Martha Peterson

David Weiss & Karan Sheldon

Alice W. Price

New England Museum of

John & Nancy Etter

Sidney & Jane Picker

Terry Rankine

Telephony

Mr. & Mrs. David B. Field

Kenny & Sharon Pickering

Friends

Mr. & Mrs. James

Northwest Folklife

Ellen & Allan Fisher

John & Shirley Pierce

Bayard Henry

Rockefeller, Jr.

Orland Historical Society

Ann & Everett Foster

Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Pipher

Bobby & Sandy Ives

Dewitt Sage

Pejepscot Historical Society

Bill & Marian Fretz

Jim and Kirsten Potter

Sally Lupfer

Elizabeth Saudek

Penobscot Elementary School

Tom & Teresa GafTney &

Dr. Ned Rendall

George & Kati MacLeod

Allen & Cynthia Schauffler

Penobscot Marine Museum

Family

George & Barbara

Robert & Janet Marville

Wendy Schweikert

Penobscot Shores

Carl Giannarto & Sharon

Rolleston

David & Joan Maxwell

Peter & Ann Sheldon

Roslind Keshin Kittay Public

Cousins

Dewitt Sage

Mr. & Mrs. Don McLean

Alan Stark

Library

Julia Gilmore

Edwin & Justine Schneider

Dorothy Morrison

Samuel T. Suratt & Judith F.

Simmons College Library

Roger & Elizabeth Gilmore

Dorothy & Elliott Schwartz

Rosens Department Store

Hole

Stanley Museum

Sam & Sandra Glazerbrook

Peter & Lucy Bell Sellers

Nod & Betty Stookey

Charles Tetro & Teeter Bibber

TV 3, PATH

Dayton Grandmaison

Marcia R. Smith

Nat & ^ggy Thompson

Charlie & Lynda Tyson

Thomaston Historical Society

Frederick & Marv Stewart

Philip C. F. Smith

Pamela Wintle & Henry

Joanne J. VanNamee

Thorndike Library, College

Hafer

Joseph & Valerie Sulya

Griffin

Vern& Jackie Weiss

of die Atlantic

Robert Hanscom

Mrs. Samuel Taylor

Dr. & Mrs. Stewart Wolff

Gail Wippelhauser & Bob

University of Southern Maine

Marion Harriman

Charles Tetro & Teeter

Mclntire

Vinalhaven Historical Society

William & Bente Hartmann

Bibber

Corporate Members

Aagot C. Wright

Watcrvillc High School, Media

Roy V. Heisler & Esther Bissell

Charles Sf Catherine

Acadia Pictures, Inc.

Center

Melissa Rich Herman

Thompson

Adamant Music School

Nonprofit Organizations

Weld Historical Society

Mollie & Bill Heron

Frances Thompson & Eric

Thomas Bakalars Architects

Acadia Filmvideo

The Weymouth Museum

Horace & Alison Hildredi

Benke

Margaret Chase Smith Library

Adams Grammar School

Witherle Memorial Library

John & Betty Howard

Janwillem & Juanita Van

Center

B..CAT Channel 10

Joseph & Ellen Huber

De Wetering

Cinetech

Belfast Boat Club

Households

James Coleman & Judith

Louise Gulick Van Winkle

Criterion Theater

Blue Hill Memorial Library

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allen

Wentzell

Lawrence & Lorna Wahl

Crosby's Drive In

Boodibay Harbor Memorial

Fred & Ellen Almquist

Richard & Sue Jagels

Robert & Julia Walkling

The Enterprise

Library

Tim & Susan Allison-Hatch

Jeffrey Janer & Maggie

Seth H. Washburn

Fellows, Kee, Tymoczko &

Brooksville Elementary School

Carter & Linnea Andersson-

Sanftleben

Thomas Wheeler

Pierson, LLC

Bucksport Adult &

Wmtle

Ralph Jewett

Ken & Holly Weinberg

J. Gordon Architecture

Community Education

Harry Bader

Karen Johnson

Jon Wilson & Sherry

Bill Gross & Associates

Calais Free Library

Henry Barendse

Richard, Pat & Lily Judd

Streeter

The Iguana Division, Ltd.

Cape Elizabeth Historical

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bellerosc

Dr. Gaylen Kelley

Frank & Elizabeth Wiswall

Maine State Archives

Preservation Society

Warren Bcrkowitz

Peter Kellman & Rebekah

Modular Media

Centering Thru Movement

Chris & Rayleen Berry

Yowan

Individuals

Ramsdell Auto Supply

Dance School

Thomas & Patricia Berry

Susan & Chip Kimball

Coco Adams

Robert Wardwell

Central Maine Technical

Paul Birdsall

Michelle R. Klein

Michael Albert

Wolf. Keens & Co.

College Library

Mike & Lynne Blair

Frank Davis & Etta Kralovec

Paul D. Allan

Cherryfield Narraguagus

Robert & Linda Braun

Bill, Mary, Adam & Sam

Thomas M. Armstrong

Associate Members

Historical Society

Carolyn Brennan-Alley

Kuykendall

George Arwood

Richard & Mary Alden

The Community Television

Robert W. Brewer

The LaLonde Family

James Austin

Alan L. Baker

Network

Edward & Joan Bromage

R. Niki & David Larkins

Robert Ayer

Will Burden

Curtis Memorial Library

Dr. & Mrs. John M.R. Bruner

Ronald Leitch

Prof. William J. Baker

Robert E. Burgess

Ear Say

Michael & Parti Bunker

Paige Lilly & Family

Elsie G. Balano

Clements Family Charitable

Fisher Museum of Forestry,

Mr. & Mrs. Neal Butler

Donald & Betty Ann Ijsckhart

Rob Baldwin

Trust

Harvard Forest

Robert & Margaret Carmichael

Roland & Veronica Magnan

Raymond Ballinger

Joseph F. Condon

Fitchburg Historical Society

Robert & Michelle Carmichael

Charles & Mary Marshall

Bob Barancik

Darwin & Jackie Davidson

Great Harbor Maritime

Woody & Jean Carville

Madeline F. Matz

Jean T. Barrett

Dwight B. Demeritt, Jr.

Museum

Mr. & Mrs. John P. Chapin

Mr & Mrs Hiram Percy

Otis Bartlett

Peter DiGiovanni

Gorham Community Access TV

Richard & Freida Chase

Maxim II

Joe Battles

K.uhv Fuller-Seeley

Hancock Count)- Friends

Patricia and Jim Claus

Nina & Philip McCarty

JaneBeal

Gregory P Gallant

of the Arts

Peter and Betsey Coe

Edward McGrath

Bill Beardsley

Lea Girardin

He Ife Films

Bob & Clco Cottrell

Judy McGeorge & David

Rob Berg

Kachryn Gross

Indiana Historical Society

Deborah Joy Corey & Bill

Williams

Rev. John E. Berger

William & Anita Haviland

Library

Zildjian

Mr. & Mrs. Dewey Meteer

Arnold Berleant

Lynn Hickerson

Jed Prouty Assisted Living

Doug & Posie Cowan

David & Charlotte Miller

Linda Best

C. A. Porter Hopkins

Residence

Philip Curtis

Ron and Jean Mullenaux

Debrae Bishop

Eithne Johnson & Eric

John Stark Regional High

Frank Davis & Etta Kralovec

Leslie Murauckas & Roderick

A. James Blair

Schaefer

School

Judy Davis

Chase

Robert Blake

Kathleen Kenny & Dave Hunt

Leighton Images

Peter Davis

Bob & Bonnie Myers

Benjamin Blodget

Richard A. Kimball, Jr.

Maine Association of

Ruth & Joel Davis

Geoff & Barbara Neiley

Richard Bock

Paul & Evelyn Liebow

Broadcasters

Susan Davis & Mary Jane Bush

Joyce & Art Newkirk

Alden Bodwell

Maine Coalition tor Excellence

John O'Brien & Linda —

~~ - - - —

Continued on Page 12

Conservation Center

Continued from Page 1

being executed by John Gordon of
Bucksport, the architect of record.

"It's a very different kind of building
than the Alamo — it's a building designed
for storing film versus a building for
public use. It projects an image of
efficiency. It says, 'Look we are storing all
these very special films in here.' We aren't
burying that purpose in an historic
facade. Out of that idea grew the cube
and the notion, 'Let's enjoy that it's a
cube.'"

A Career in Innovation

Rankine (pronounced Rankin) has
guided us through all of our previous
facility designs, the auditorium and more
recently renovations to the Alamo's entry
hall and second-floor Study Center. An
NHF board member for eight years, he is
one of the original founders of
Cambridge Seven Associates (C7A) in
Cambridge, Mass., whose international
reputation for innovative design was
launched with the New England
Aquarium in Boston.

Rankine studied architecture and city
planning in his native Scotland at
Edinburgh School of Architecture, now
part of University of Edinburgh, where
he met his future wife, die painter
Dorothy Forrest. His college career was
interrupted by a 3-year stint in the Royal
Navy, Fleet Air Arm. After college he
worked in town and country planning in
England.

He came to New England via Quebec
City, working at Walter Gropius'
renowned The Architects Collaborative
in Cambridge before leaving to start C74
widi six other young designers in 1962.
That year they designed Bostons water-
front aquarium, whose centerpiece is a
multi-story 1 80,000-gallon tank
wrapped in a spiral walkway. It was the
first of a new type of aquarium — a
catalyst in waterfront revitalization in
many cities around the world. Many
buildings for museums, universities and
transportation centers followed.

Rankine retired to Soudi Thomaston,
Maine, in 1994, and was introduced to
NHF by Alan McClelland, a fellow
volunteer at Owls Head Transportation
Museum and board member of NHF. A

film buff since his Edinburgh days,
Rankine offered to lend his expertise to
NHF as it planned the right solution for
a leading regional film archive.

One Big Refrigerator

The Conservation Center has unusual
requirements, not the least of which is
27,000 cubic feet of cool (45 degrees),
dry (25 degrees) and secure storage,
which slows the decomposition of film
and magnetic tape, and unusually heavy
floor loading. Incorporating solutions
gleaned from a visit to NHF Advisor
David Wexler's Hollywood Vaults in Los
Angeles (see MIR, Summer 2001),
Rankine proposed "the cube," which he
describes as an extremely efficient,
building-sized appliance. "The climate
and conservation controls have to be
equal to what you find at the national
archives or in Hollywood," he says.

The conservation center will be clearly
separated from the brick of the 1916
Alamo by a glass-walled link to give a
dramatic and harmonious contrast
between old and new.

"One danger of building onto an
historic building is that the whole thing
disappears next to the new construc-
tion," says Rankine. "There's also a
danger of telling something false: One
shouldn't add to an old building and try
to pretend that it is old too. In my early
planning days in England — when I often
found myself working to preserve 14th
and 1 5th century churches in rural
Suffolk, it was a rule that anything
attached to an historic building had to
look different, so the historic part is a
clear statement of what it is and the new
part is a clear statement of what it is. But
having done that, one has a very difficult
job to do it well and in a way that
respects the old building."

His design does. NHF's public
identity, the face it presents to Main
Street, is the historic Alamo, with its
exhibits and theater. Visible yet deferring
to the public facade is NHF's new
working identity, whose mission is
executed with the most advanced
technology. You know it because the
building — polished and confident —
says so. I

Recent

Moving linage
Collections *

Snowden Family Collections, 8mm films.
Frame enlargement by Dwight Swanson.

Northeast Historic Film received a
number of significant collections
of independent films, features,
documentaries, and television produc-
tions in 2001. In keeping with NHFs
long tradition of collecting amateur
films, however, these collections deserve
special attention. For a complete list of
new collections, visit www.oldfilm.org.

V i n.dhaven Historical Society Collection

Vinalbaven People

Dick Morehouse, a longtime summer
resident of Vinalhaven Island, Maine,
produced this four-part Super 8 sound
documentary film during the summers of
1981 and 1 983. Morehouse interviewed
his island neighbors, usually asking them
the same simple question: "How long
have you been on Vinalhaven?"

Snowden Family Collection

Snowden Family Home Movies
Bucksport resident Pamela Gray donated
31 reels of 8mm films of her family's
films. Beginning in the late 1930s and
continuing through the mid-1950s,
Jason and Edidi Pickering Snowden
filmed the changing lives of their six
children, Janet, John, Darrell, Robert,
Pamela, and Martha. While there are
scenes of town life in Deer Isle and
Stonington, Maine, for the most part
these are home movies in the truest sense
of the word — moving pictures of the
family at home. m

Something of a Prodigy

Continued from Page 2

where the greatest opportunities lie for
NHF and where the organization should
be headed. They have also explored ftmd-
raising questions. Among the findings:
• Interviewees displayed an almost
universal fondness for NHF, how it
pursues its mission, its leadership and
its staff. In Wolfs experience, such
overwhelmingly positive assessments

are rare.

• NHF has succeeded under unusually
challenging conditions. It is not in a
major city nor does it have the
support that comes with being
affiliated with a larger institution such
as a university. Nevertheless, NHF has
been successfully building a physical

plant at a time when other organiza-
tions are struggling simply to get up
and running.

• NHF is at a crossroads in its develop-
ment. It faces major decisions about
the structure of its leadership and its
activities.

"There is a lot of excitement and
interest in where the organization is in
terms of its growth," Wolf says. "Now
comes a series of questions: Can the
organization be everything it wants to
be? Does it need to focus? What will it
look like when it reaches full capacity
and stability?"

With a national reputation, Thomas
Wolf has worked in the fields of

philanthropy, education and the arts.
Prior to establishing his firm in 1983, he
was the founding director of the New
England Foundation for the Arts. His
work has included cultural planning in
Chicago, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and
Dallas, and he is the author of Managing
a Nonprofit Organization in the 21st
Century.

With the presentation of his study in
May, our work with Thomas Wolf will
have just begun. Ahead lies continued
campaign planning, funding research and
the development of the organizational
blueprint.

NHF is all grown up, almost. Its time
to focus that youthful vigor into makin
a mature, vibrant and effective adult.

North Woods Dramas

Continued from Page 1

Kate Douglas Wiggin tale NHF acquired
as a 35mm print last year). Only a
fragment of Jacqueline or Blazing
Barriers, another Pine Tree Pictures
production directed by Dell Henderson,

survives.

Theaters often promoted "snow
pictures," a sub-genre of North Woods
drama, as an antidote to steamy summer

Lloyd

WlNDSof
CHANCE

niQ.Nilsson.BenLyon
Dana.VictorMclajlen

eat tvppvrtifd cast including'

SteJUan-BttettBonotQt

Mfrfarft, Frank. Lloyd
A Tint, national fictuu

days. "In the era before air conditioning,
they were the next best thing," O'Farrell
says.

Dell Henderson also directed The Girl
from Porcupine ( 1 92 1 ). Set in the
Yukon but shot in South Portland,
Maine, it stars Faire Binney and William
Collier, Jr. as orphans adopted by miners.
The Yukon gold rush is the backdrop
of two festival dramas, both
based on novels by Rex
Beach. Winds of Chance
(1925), filmed in California
and Oregon, is a love triangle
with compelling imagery that
makes it a knock-out. The
Spoilers (1914) — the original
of five films with this title —
stars Buckport's own William
Farnum, along with Kathlyn
Williams and Tom Santschi.

In Valley of the Giants,
love blossoms despite the
feuding of lumber barons and
railroad tycoons. The woods

Image courtesy

of northern California were rendered by
Ted McCord, the cinematographer
responsible for the spectacular scenery of
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and
The Sound of Music. Sharing the bill is
The Silent Enemy (1930), starring
Maine Penobscot Molly Spotted Elk.
Released during the early sound period,
it includes a talking sequence by Chief
Yellow Robe.

The one (intentional) comedy on the
bill is Mantrap ( 1 926) starring a funny
and radiant Clara Bow juggling two
lovers. It is directed by Victor Fleming,
today best known for Gone with the
Winded. The Wizard of Oz. The
mantrap, by the way, isn't Bow, but die
small town where the story unfolds.

Remember the girl in peril? In The
Conflict the girl does the rescuing. As
Dorcas Remalie, Priscilla Dean heads to
the north woods to live with her uncle, a
tyrannical lumber baron, and ends up
leading the lumbermen — they're the
good guys. The climax comes when
Dorcas rides downriver on a log to save
her man, who is unconscious atop a
trunk and heading straight for a water-
fall. Intertitles are in Czech and will be
translated and announced in English.

For program and tickets call
207 469-0924 or visit www.oldfilm.org.

History as it Happened:
the MaineTV Collections

In March Northeast Historic Film
presented Maine TV: Then, Again,
the premiere screening of selections
from our television collections at the
Portland (Maine) Museum of An.

"Here we all are, in a museum to
watch TV," said emcee Pat Callaghan,
relishing the irony. A news anchor at
Portland's WCSH-TV and, as such, a
maker of tomorrows television history,
Callaghan joked that his career choice
had been vindicated.

About 1 60 people, including a contin-
gent of current and former television
newspeople, went on a 50-year journey
that began when a sheet of aluminum
foil spinning around a television logo
looked cool. NHF board member Nat
Thompson opened the evening with
background to the logos era and encour-
aged the audience to support NHF s
preservation activities.

The Maine Television Collections
Project, funded in pan by the National
Historical Publications and Records
Commission, encompasses the only
known surviving images on 16mm film
and 2-inch videotape produced by seven
Maine television stations since 1953. The
importance of saving these moving
images is magnified by the knowledge
that as much as ninety percent of the
regional television record has already
been lost.

Maine TV: Then, Again, prepared by
NHF staff Dwight Swanson, Liz Coffey,
Russ Van Arsdale, and David Weiss, is a
fascinating glimpse of our rapidly
changing culture and the evolution of
television programming.

We see men and women react with
skepticism to Senator Margaret Chase
Smith's political ambitions (the first
woman to be elected to both houses of
Congress, Smith also ran in several
Republican presidential primaries in the
early Sixties). "Nooooo," says one
woman when asked if women should
hold political office. "I don't believe
women are as capable as men." She was
answered by an older woman confident
of the capabilities of her sisters.

Other interviews capture the heady
atmosphere surrounding the 1969 moon
walk ("We can do just about anything"),
and President Jimmy Carter speaking on
the Maine Indian Land Claims
Settlement.

One Fifties news clip elicited a gasp
from the Portland audience. The film
lingers on the sprawled bodies of a man
and woman, murder-suicide victims who
are seen as they fell, their feet entangled.
Police officers mill about, paying little
mind to the couple or the cameraman.
Then the camera swings toward an
arriving car. A woman steps out and
approaches tentatively, hand covering her

Streaming Media News

WCSH-TV, Portland, 1964, 16mm.
Frame enlargement by Dwight Swanson.

mouth. Getting as close as she dares, her
face suddenly crumples and she is
quickly escorted away.

Noting the frequent accusations of
insensitivity and intrusiveness leveled at
todays reporters, Pat Callaghan said, "It
was fascinating for me to see some of
those early clips. You would never see
that with today's sensibilities."

The program ends with footage of the
82nd Airborne Division's welcome at
Bangor International Airport after the
Gulf War. "It resonates today for differ-
ent reasons," Callaghan said.

When the lights went up, members of
the audience chattered excitedly as they
rode a wave of reminiscence out the
door. HI

e on

June 13, See it Again, Again
Maine TV: Then, Again will be
presented at the Alamo Theatre on
June 13, following the Conservation
Center groundbreaking celebration.
Call 207 469-0924 for information.

Ioving images and sound from
NHF are receiving between
1 ,000 and 2,000 views a month
at Road Runner of Maine
(www.maine.rr.com).

Road Runner, a Time Warner com-
pany offering cable Internet service to
30,000 households in Cumberland and
Aroostook counties, began posting our
excerpts at its Website in October.

Each month, a new clip is highlighted
on Road Runner's Around Town page.
The NHF team is Dwight Swanson,
Marko Schmitt, and Karan Sheldon.

Previously featured clips remain
available in an online archives. Viewers
may follow a link to die NHF Website
for more in-depth information about the
film or video from which it is excerpted.
They also learn how to purchase the film
on videotape or borrow it through
Reference by Mail.

"The response has been positive," said
Road Runner content editor Chad
Gilley. "Ice Harvesting in December just
rocked."

Maine filmmaker Huey (James
Coleman) reports hearing from people
who watched the excerpt from An

Honest Vision: A Portrait ofTodd
Webb, the January feature. One person
bought the video, about one of the great
photographers of the 20th century, and a
teacher who saw the clip went to Huey's
Website, where she ordered videos made
with his assistance by the Indian Island
School of the Penobscot Nation.

On-line clips bring "interest to the
potential use of Web technology, which
still has a long way to go in terms of
presentation but can serve as a way to
promote and create interest in some-
thing," Huey said.

Look for more clips in the coming
months at www.maine.rr.com. I

iMrir i

i vie in u

O Continued from Page 8

Patrica Booth

Deborah Friedman

Donald Link, Jr.

Kevin Ross

Edith Wolff

Ward Jarman

Frances M. Bos

Sam Fuller

Bill Lippincott

Barbara Irwin Rossow

Rob Wood

Richard D. Jenkins

Virginia Bourne

Liz Fulton

Bonnie Lounsbury

Carolyn Rourke

Thomas Yoder

Adrianne Jorge

Mabel Bowden

Lincoln Furber

John P. Lowe

Ellis Rowe

Len Young

Harry Kaisierian

Margaret Braniff

Wendy Gallant

Richard Lownes

David Sanderson

Susan Landry Zappala

Polly K. mini. in

Marcia Beal Brazer

Peter T. Gammons, Jr.

Bill Lynch

Red Sarna

Patricia Zimmermann,

Shawn Keller

Donald Briggs

Julia Carder

Colleen Mace

Elizabeth Sauls

Ph.D.

Zip Kellogg

Fred Brown

Chester Gillen

Barbara MacEwan

Karen Saum

Theresa Kerchner

Carol Bryan

Martha U. Goldner

Charles MacKay

Edwin Schneider

Educator/Student

Nancy Kerswin

Robert E. Burgess

J. Douglas Gomery

Hector MacKethan, Jr.

Chris Schuler

Members

David H. Knight

Helen M. Burns

Henry Grandgent

Don Mac Williams

Wendy Schweikert

Paula Anderson

Sarah White Knoch

Allison Bush

Mary E.Grant

Howard Mansfield

John Patrick Scollan

Rosemary Anthony

Susan Cockrell LaPage

Jason Cabral

Charles Grimm

John Mathews

Mike Seager

Sue Ann Tymoczko

William Leavenworth,

Lynn Cadwallader

Arnold Grindle

Eugene Mawhinney

Holly A. Shaw

Baker

Ph.D.

Mary Grace Canfield

Gene B. Grindle

James Maxwell

Richard Shaw

Sharon Bastille

Lola Lemcke

Robert J. Carnie

Robert Grindle

Valerie Felt McClead

Bernard A. Shea

M. Paula Bedell

Barbara MacEwan

Murrav Carpenter

Russell Gross

Keith B. McClelland

Robert B. Shetterly, Jr.

Sarah Belanger

Heather Makechnie

Thomas J. Cash

Mr. Ernest Grodi

Caren McCourtney

JeffSias

Deborah Belyea

Barbara Malm

Michel Chalufbur

Ernest H. Groth

Gertrude L. McCue

Isabel Silva

Juliet Bennett

Nancy Marcotte

Violet Channel!

Kathryn Grover

Bill McCue

Harold B. Simmons

Susan Bishay Peters

Beth McCann

Meredith Charest

Joseph Hatkenschicl

John T. McUwainc

Laurence R Sisson

Frank Bisher

Cheryl Mills

Terry Christy

Judy Hakola

Linda Mel am

Gary O. Smith

Maureen Block

Carole Myrick

Jon Clark

Dorothy Hamory

Clarence Merrill

Bill Snyder

Todd Bolint

Mark Neumann, Ph.D.

Mearl V. Clark

EricW. Handley

John Merriman

Anne Buxton Sobol

Amy Braitsch

I.ynne Patterson

Reginald Clark

Robert Hanscom

Joan F. Meserve

James Sohns

Robin Bray

Eric Peterson

Brian Clough

Reet 1 1. it km. >.i

Kathy Messier

William S. Souza

Gilbert Buker

Lynda Pietroforte

Warren K. Colby

Charles Harmon

Ann L. Miller

Mrs. Christine V. Sprati

Carla Burnham

Jerriann C. Pollard

Pancho Cole

Elizabeth C. Harmon

Ed ward O. Miller, Jr.

Edward Squibb

David Cadigan

Dale Potts

Brenda J. Condon

Martha Harmon

Ruth Miller

John Sterling

Richard J. Callahan, Jr.

Joan Radner

Richard Condon

Daniel Haser

Ellen H. Mitchell

Charlie Stewart

Faith Campbell

Dean Ramser

Floyd Coolidgc

Gerald Hastings

Paul H. Monahan

John S. Stillman

Charlotte Carrier

Dr. Carol Rice

Justin Cooper

Kim Hawkins

Donna Morey

Rachael Stoeltje

Judith Chase

Martha D. Rowley

Rick Coughlin

Rob Hayes

Alva Morrison

Timothy Stone

Carol Chetkovich

Catherine Russell

Phillip Cormier

Michael Hermann

Frank Morse

William Stone

Joseph Christiansen

Wesley Shorey

Debra Cornell

John Hess

Margaret W. Myers

Robert Studlcyjr.

Joanne D. Clark

Pam Smith

Christopher Coyle

Barbara Hileman

Marianne New

Eve Stwertka

LizCoffey

Benjamin Soule

David Crosby

Wendell Hodgkins

Wendy Newmeyer

Ann Swartzell

Dr. Party A. Coleman

Gifford Stevens

Elizabeth H. Cutcliffe

Sylvia Holden

Martha Nielsen

Hikaru Tamaki

Dorothy Come

Ellen Siroud

Stephen H. Cutcliffe

Dr. Charles Houston

Nancy A. Nolette

Lisa Taplin

Gary Cowallis

Sam Teel

Phyllis Daniels

Edwin Howard

David E. Outerbridge

Marv Tavlor

Gerry Crocker

Carol Toner

Polly Darnell

Dr. Stanley R. Howe

Mary O Meara

Rick Tenney

Peter DiGiovanni

Juris Ubans

Dave Davis

Doug Hubley

Gerry Palmer

Margorie Thau

Jakob D. Donnell

Richard C. Valinski

Pamela Dean

Douglas Ilsley

Margaret S. Parker

Merle Thompson

Glenida T. Dow

Peta VanVuuren

Linda Dean-Cassidy

Michele Inglis

Norma Patterson

Dr. Philip P. Thompson

Finvola Drury

Tmkv "Dakota" Weisblat

Clayton L. Dearth

Ann Ivins

Vick Pease

Martha Thurlow

George Drury

Anne I. . Welles

Leland Dennett

JoAnne Ivory

Byron Peck

Don Tirabassi

Melinda A. Duval

Nancy Whitcomb

Jcannettc S. Dennison

Elaine Jacobson

Tammy Pelletier

Lucie Tyler

Alan Earls

Steve Wight

Paul M. Densen

Mary B. Jcssup

Frank Peltier

Steve Usselman

Deborah Ellis

George Wildey

Josephine H. Detmer

Tedd Johansen

Franklin Perkin.s

Garry Valentine

Debbie Escobar

Pauline G. Woodward

Dr. Mary M. Dietrich

IIK Johnson

Terrie Perrine

Sheila Varnum

Rev. Carlton G. Foster

JeffDobbs

Gerald Johnson

Leslie Peterson

Arthur C. Verow

Scott Frazier

Daniel Donovan

Thomas F. Jovcc

Ralph P. Pettie

Charles Wade

Patricia Frazier

Leon Doucette

Dr. Richard Kahn

Court Pichler

Robert Waite

Joanne Frecker

Neal C. Dow

JohnJ. Karol.Jr.

Winfield Pipher

Richard Walthers

Rose French

Melinda A. Duval

Alan Kattelle

Icrriann ( '. Pollard

Bill Warren

Judith Frost

Stanley Earle

David Kee

Mary Ann Porreca

Jean Webster

Sam Fuller. Jr.

David Ellenberg

Robert Kelly

Richard Pratt

Harold C. Weeks 111

Christopher Glass

Deborah Ellis

Susan Keppel

Alice W. Price

Tricia Welsch

Ted Goodeil

Elaine Emery

Louis Kern

Dr. Lloyd F. Price

Dennis Wetherby

Rita A. Goodwin

Lynn Farnell

Lewis Kibler

David Quinn

Virginia Whitaker

Daniel Greenberg

John Faulkner

Jeff King

Elvic M. Ramsdell

Ijura Whitcom

Judy Hakola

Joan Federman

Jeffery Klenotic

Peggy Raphael

Heather K. White

Fay Havey

Patrick Ferris

Dorothy Willis Knapp

Bill Raus

Jeffrey Whitney

Bob Hayes

David B. Field

Joseph Kobak

Dr. Ned Rendall

Phil Whitney

Linda Hazard

Judith Fogg

Diane Kopec

Susan Richardson

Jane Whitten

Jeff Heinle

David Folster

John C. Kurtz

Dea Dea Robbins

Steve Wight

Donna Herlihy

Patricia Foster

Nickolas Kurzon

John Robinson

Donald Wilken

Mark Hibben

George Fowler

Margaret M. Lacombe

Priscilla Robinson

Bruce Williams

W. Daniel Hill

M. Ellen Mousseau Fox

Gregory Lamson

Roberto Robles

John Williams

Prof. Jay Hoar

Karen D. Frangoulis

Percy Lee Langstaff

Kathryn Rodda

Bonnie Wilson

Margery Y. Irvine

Betty Fraumeni

Ernest Larson

Becky Rose

Betty Winterhalder

Ron Jackson

Daniel Frederick

Percy Maxim Lee

Libby Rosemeier

Bruce Winde

Marcia R. Jacobs

Ed Friedman

L;.d\v.ird Lennon

Robert Rosie

Wendy Jacobs

Northeast Historic Film Capital Campaign Donors

The capital campaign goal is $5 million.
We have raised $3.3 million, and have $ 1 .7
million to go. Please make a donation or
pledge today.

$1,000,000

Anonymous

$500,000+

National Endowment for the Humanities

$200,000+

Robert Jordan Bequest

Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation

$100,000+
Pentagon

$50,000+

International Paper Bucksport Mill
K.iran Sheldon & David Weiss
The Town of Bucksport

$25,000+

Anonymous

Francis & Serena Hatch

James Petrie Bequest

$10,000+

Davis Family Foundation
Alan & Eleanor McClelland
James & Rita Phillips
Nathaniel & Margaret Thompson

$5,000+

Boston Light & Sound
Camden National Bank
Fred & Lisa Oettinger
Richard & Kimberley Rosen
Ann & Peter Sheldon

$3,000+

Anonymous

Darwin and Jacqueline Davidson

Bangor Savings Bank

Ed Pert

$2,000+

Q. David & Christine Bowers
Paul & Deborah Gelardi

$1000+

Anonymous

Mr. & Mrs. Paul M. Anderson

Jeannie & Henry Becton, Jr.

Caroline Crocker

Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Epstein

Michael Fiori

In Memory of John Grant

Joan R. Heller in Memory of Joan T. Baldwin

James Henderson

Bobby & Sandy Ives

Richard, Pat & Lily Judd in Loving Memory

of Jennifer Judd

Alan Kattelle in Memory of Natalie Kattelle
Judy McGeorge in Memory of Arthur

McGeorge, Jr.
Ted & Lea Pedas
Dorothy & Terry Rankine
Lillian Rosen
Clare Sheldon

$500+

Anonymous

Benjamin & Jeannette Blodget

Eileen Bowser

John & Jane Chapin

Erik Clark Jorgensen & Tamara M. Risser

Hiram R & Martha J. Maxim in Memory of

Hiram Percy Maxim
Nancy A. Nolette
Frederic & Norma Reynolds
Allene White

$300+

Carter & Linnea Andersson-Wintle

Michael & Patti Bunker

Dr. & Mrs. John M.R. Bruner

Lena & Joe Condon

Peter Gammons

Dr. Fred & Martha Unobskey Goldner

John & Denise Gordon

Mary E. Grant

Kathryn Grover in Honor of Marion

Bugbee Grover
Martha & Lloyd Harmon
Dorothy Hayes
Mollie & Bill Heron
Donald & Betty Ann Lockhart
Valerie Felt McClead
Patrick & Jerilyn Montgomery
Marianne New
O'Hara Picture Trust
Ralph P Pcttic
Ned Rendall, MD
Marcia R. Smith
Joanne J. Van Namee
John & Karen Wardwcll
Gina Davis Wexler in Memory of Hilda &

Meyer Davis

Pamela Wintle & Henry Griffin
Gail Wippelhauser & Bob Mclntire

Up to $300

Robert & Bundy Boit

Mary Ann Borkowski

Frances M. Bos

N. H. Bragg & Sons

Marcia Beal Brazer

William C. & Edith S. Bullock

Castine Inn

Reginald & Nancy Clark

Elizabeth D. Copeland

Phillip C. Curtis, Jr.

Elizabeth Cutcliffe

Polly Darnell

Josephine H. Detmer

John & Peg Dice

Mary M. Dietrich, MD

Jeff Dobbs Productions

Mr. & Mrs. David Edfors

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Gilbert III

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Gutow

Dr. Charles Houston

Eleni Katsika

Mr. & Mrs. Don MacWilliams

George McEvoy

David L. Moulton

Dr. Seymour Papert & Suzanne Massie

Howard B. Peabody

John & Shirley Pierce

Alice W. Price

Sydney Roberts Rockefeller

Carolyn R. Rourke

Betty Schloss

Edwin & Justine Schneider

Henry Schreiber & Patricia Daly

Albert & Eve Stwertka

Julia & Robert Walkling

Tinky Weisblat

John Wilmerding

Patricia Zimmerman, Ph.D.

Collections Care

Maine Communities in the New

Century, Preservation
Maine Historical Records Advisory Board
National Endowment for the Arts
National Film Preservation Foundation
National Historical Publications and

Records Commission
Rines/Thompson Fund
United Paperworkers International Union,

Local No. 1 4
Women's Film Preservation Fund

Program Support

Giffbrd s Ice Cream

Maine Communities in the New Century,

Community Arts & Heritage
Maine Community Foundation, Thron Fund
Marshall Dodge Memorial Fund of the

Maine Community Foundation
Robert Marville
National Endowment for the Humanities

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director,

david@oldfilm.org
Angela Barker, Development Associate,

angela@oldfilm.org
Peggy Coreson, Business Manager,

peggy@oldfilm.org
Jane Donne!!, Distribution Manager,

jane@oldfilm.org
Dwight Swanson, Archivist,

dwight@oldfilm.org
Russ Van Arsdale, Archivist,

russ@oldfilm.org
Phil Yates, Facilities Manager & Theater

Board of Directors

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, ME

President, E Media, Kennebunk, specializing in
manufacturing technology and electronic media.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr., Castine, ME, and
Manchester Center, VT

Board member, Holbrook Island Sanctuary,
Brooksville, Maine. Chairman of John Merck
Fund. Board member, Center for Reproductive
Law & Policy.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Orr's Island, ME

Maine State Archivist, administrative head of the
State Archives. Directs Maine's Historical Records
Advisory Board. Ph.D. in political science from
Emory University.

Martha McNamara, Orono, ME, and
Boston, MA

Assistant Professor of History, specializing in
Cultural History and the History of New
England, University of Maine, Orono. Ph.D. in
American & New England Studies, Boston
University. Former director, Society of
Architectural Historians New England chapter.
Maine Historic Preservation Commission
member.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, ME

Co-founder of Trio Software Corporation, and an
independent property assessment consultant. Was
staff producer and director at WMTWTV;
studied film at George Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, ME

Board member, Owls Head Transportation
Museum. Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architectural

design, urban design, and planning for worldwide
projects — educational and exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, ME

Owner Rosen's Department Store, Bucksport.
Maine State Representative and member of the
Utilities and Energy Committee. Board member,
Bucksport Regional Health Center.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Co-founder of NHF. Advisory board member,
Maine Folklife Center, University of Maine.
Member, Maine Film Commission.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Portland, ME

President of Maine Radio and Television Co.,
LLC. Owns and operates CSP Mobile
Productions, based in Portland. Member of the
family-owned media group that in 1998 sold
NBC affiliates WCSH-TV and WLBZ-TV to
Gannett Broadcasting. Connecticut College
graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Executive Director and co-founder of NHF.
Previously media producer in Boston after
graduating in film and semiotics from Brown
University. Maine Historical Records Advisory
Board. George Stevens Academy Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington, D.C.

Founder, Smithsonian Institution Human Studies
Film Archives. Founding chair, Association of
Moving Image Archivists' amateur film group,
Inedits. Family roots in Skowhegan, Maine.

Advisors

Individuals with interest in the work of NHF as
an organization with a vision for film, video and
digital preservation, with broad public access.

Gillian Anderson, conductor and musicologist.
Director of the Colonial Singers and Players and
author of Music for Silent Films, 1894-1929.
Washington, D.C., and Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon Theaters
and Their Music, a history of the Thanhouser
Company, and over three dozen other books.
Antiquarian, business executive. Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This Way: A
Journey Through the Lives of the Underclass* and
director of the documentary feature Hearts and
Minds. New York and Castine, ME.

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor of Media
History, College of Journalism, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD; author of 1 1 books,
including Who Owns the Media? and Shared
Pleasures: A History of Motion Picture Presentation
in the United States. Current interest in the history
of the coming of television to the US, including
New England. Chevy Chase, MD. & Allenspark,
CO.

Alan Kattelle, author of a history of amateur film,
Home Movies — A History of the American Industry
1897-1979, and cinematographic researcher.
Hudson, MA.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving Image and
Audio Conservation at the National Archives of
Canada. Board of Directors of the Association of
Moving Image Archivists. Ottawa, Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Department of Visual and Media Arts, Emerson
College, Boston. Author of "Bold! Daring!
Shocking! True": A History of Exploitation Films,
1919-1959 (Duke University Press). Boston, MA.

Samuel Smart, archivist for CBS News for 25
years and archivist of the Smithsonian Institution.
Founding member of International Federation of
Television Archives. New York, NY.

Tricia Welsch, Ph.D. Associate Professor and
Chair of Film Studies, Bowdoin College.
Brunswick, ME.

David Wexler, founder, owner and designer of
Hollywood Film Vaults, Inc. Design consultant for
cold storage film vault projects at Eastman Kodak,
Walt Disney Studios, and the Library of Congress.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D. Professor of
Cinema and Photography, Roy H. Park School of
Communications, Ithaca College. Author, Reel
Families: A Social History of Amateur Film (Indiana
University Press) and States of Emergency:
Documentaries, Wan, Democracies (University of
Minnesota Press). Ithaca, NY. •

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Two FREE Alamo Theatre weekend movie passes.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 50 Videos of Life in New
England and on moving-image related merchandise from
the Alamo Theatre Store.

• Free loan of more than 300 videos through Reference by
Mail. Each NHF member may borrow shipments of up to
three tapes at a time. The first shipment is always free,
including shipping! (Depending upon your membership level,
a $5 shipping charge may apply to shipments thereafter.)

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS AND BENEFITS PLEASE CHECK ONE:

G Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

G Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

G Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

G Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

G Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

G Corporate Membership, $150 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

G Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

G Patron, $1,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

If you would like more information about our Membership programs
Email angela@oldfilm.org or Phone 800 639-1636.

Name

Address

City
State

Zip.

Phone

G Yes. I wish to receive the premium.

Please charge my credit card: O MC G VISA

Account #

Exp. date

G New G Renew

Signature of cardholder:

Name as you wish it to appear on membership list:

G My check is enclosed. (Please make check payable lo Northeast Historic FUm.)

Gift Membership

I would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Or fax to 207 469-7875.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become involved
with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving image
heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is available through NHF's website. Go to www.oldfilm.org.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail /Members ONLY

Titles:

Alternate Title:

Membership /Specify level

TOTAL

August Screenings
My Father's Camera and
Mysterious Silent Film

•••* in >n tc > filmmaker Karen

Shopsowitz will come to the

I Alamo Theatre in Bucksport on
Aug. 2 1 to present My Father's Camera,
her award-winning homage to her family
and the art of home movies.

On the screen the following night,
Aug. 22, is an enigmatic, beautifully
tinted silent film, The Fall of Jerusalem.

Peabody Award Winner

A National Film Board of Canada
documentary, My Father's Camera is to
be presented with the prestigious
Peabody Award in New York on May 20.
Equipped with her dad's Super 8 camera
and great clips, including several from
NHF's holdings, Shopsowitz reveals
home movies' unique niche in popular
culture, from the early days in die
Twenties, through the amateur boom of
the Thirties and Forties, and beyond.

Film distributed by
Wholesome Films of
Boston as The Fall of
Jerusalem.

Frame enlargement by
Andrea McCarty.

A Huge Wow

From NHF, Shopsowitz selected footage
from Col. F.B. Richard's Snow White,
"a huge WOW when people see it," she
says. "It's amazing to think that here's this
man, with a hand-cranked 28mm,
shooting the local kids at the (Blue Hill)
country club doing Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs."

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 04416

Change Service Requested

The Fall of Jerusalem— Or Not?

Our mystery film, from the Alan Kattelle
Collection, is a feature distributed in
1925 as The Fall of Jerusalem by
Wholesome Film Service Inc., Boston.
The look of the film suggests this was a
re-release, however, and that it dates to
the late Teens. European or American, its
identity and origins are still unknown.

The experts are stymied by this
gorgeous, tinted movie. A screening of a
clip at a meeting of the Association of
Moving Image Archivists yielded clues
but no answers. Historical and religious
subjects were popular in die cinema's
early years and played a significant role in
the advent of feature-length films.

Film scholar Jan-Christopher Horak,
Curator of the Hollywood
Entertainment Museum, is an expert in
the era and has been invited to present
the film at the Alamo on Aug. 22. H

Dates to Plan On

13 June New Construction Celebration and
Maine TV: Then, Again

20 June Our Now is Your Then: Rescuing
the Film Record at the Portland Museum of
Art

23-27 July Silent Film Festival, North Woods
Dramas: The Forgotten Genre

26 July iMovie & Archival Film Roundtable (by
invitation)

27-28 July Symposium, Close Readings:
Seeing Amateur Films in Important Ways

21 August My Father's Camera with
filmmaker Karen Shopsowitz

22 August The Fall of Jerusalem.

www.oldfilm.org for more information and to
register.

HISTOriC I 1 1. Ill

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Train fulls out, 1940. Frame enlargement, Knox County on
Parade.

A Vital

Network

• IB Mi v are we so passionate about
•f •• northern New England's
•V W moving image heritage? To get
at that question, the theme of this issue
of Moving Image Review is the vital
nature of our programs and the network
of people engaged in them. It's an intense
group of people in partnerships that are
founded on generosity.

First, the collections (film, video,
books and other materials) are all
donated. Who donates? Individuals and
institutions who believe in the power of
moving images to put past and present in
perspective.

Second, the organization is supported
financially by the generosity of members
and other donors. (See Grants in
Action, Page 8, words from Bruce Cole,
Chairman of the NEH.) Without the
faith of numerous donors in the signifi-
cance of our mission and their belief in
the competence and commitment of our
staff we would have dried up and blown
away long ago.

Third, our users. Researchers, teachers,
students, producers, audience members:
these are creative people, people with
open minds. Who would think that
Bucksport, pop. 5000, could support an
excited audience — of all ages — for the
Inuit film Attiinirjimt: The Fast

Continued on Page 11

Evocative and Haunting Footage
Finds New Audiences Through NHF

^^•he images are fleeting: Small-town
fairs and parades in 1 940 Maine

I when war seemed far away and
American involvement was still some-
thing to debate. Then, National
Guardsmen mobilize in coastal Rockland
and Thomaston. Families wave good-bye.

This NHF footage comprises a small
part of the four-part PBS documentary
series, The Perilous Fight: America's
World War II in Color, yet speaks
volumes about World War II-era
America.

"The shots of the troops leaving, and
of dieir friends and loved ones seeing
them off, are extremely evocative and
haunting," says Emmy award-winning
British filmmaker Martin Smith, who
produced The Perilous Fight, to be
televised in early 2003. "The scenes
convey small-town America, in truly
natural manners, in part I think
because the photographers were both
local and amateur and because the
coverage was carried out for record
purposes rather than for propaganda
or commercial imperatives."

Increasingly, NHF footage, espe-
cially amateur footage, is being tapped
to add context, depth and texture to a
larger moving picture story, from
documentaries and online college
courses to commercials and
Hollywood features.

If you saw Paramount's 200 1

thriller Vanilla Sky, you experienced an
NHF moment, two seconds to be exact.
Early in the film, when Tom Cruise
reflects on his father's privileged life, a
series of images — fragments of memory
— flit across the screen. The lone sailor
skirting the waves is from the Archie
Stewart Collection.

One Vietnam War Protest, To Go
Vanilla Sky was one of dozens of stock
footage requests filled in 200 1 through
our partnership with Corbis Motion
(formerly Sekani), selling moving images
worldwide.

"It's one of the aspects of our access

Continued on Page 1 1

Winter 2003

Nc\v Board Member, Donna Loring2
Home Movie.s by Li/ Correy 6

( iiains in Action 8

l-diKatiun: I apt op Roundtable 9
Online Collections Guide 13

Become a Member 1 5

.; Image Ri : nii.iniui.il

puhli \orthiMst I liMork Him,

P.O. Box ')()(). IWksport. Maine 044 K>.
David S. V >iti\i- director

Virginia Wright, writer anil editor.

I Mail oldnlm@acadia.net
207-

Preserving and Making Accessible Northern New England's Moving Image Heritage • www.oldfilm.org

Executive
Director's Report

Five hours before the groundbreak-
ing festivities for our new
Conservation Center last June, and
two hours before a board meeting, I was
worrying about whether it would, as
predicted, start raining. Then I received
the final construction estimate. ..Did I
mention that "The Cube" will provide
27,000 cubic feet of cold dry storage in a
highly secure, stable, three-story structure
that won't leak in a hurricane, won't fall
down in an earthquake, won't burn in a
fire, won't let dust or pollution past its
filters and will stand 1 00 years from
now?

Now where was I? Oh yes, the esti-
mate...

You know this building, which will be
a model for implementing the National
Moving Image Preservation Plan and was
budgeted at a healdiy $1.5 million (but a
bargain considering all it offers), will
have an elevator and connecting stair-
ways from the theater to the Study
Center to the exhibits to the
offices. . .okay, okay. . . .The Cube will
cost $1.8 million... up 20%, up
$300,000. Uh-oh.

Five hours until the band plays and
everyone from mayor to neighborhood

New Board Member: Donna M. Loring

NHF Statement of Pu

The purpose of Northeast Historic
Film is to collect, preserve, and
make available to the public, film
and videotape of interest to the
people of northern New England.

Activities include but are not
limited to a survey of moving

Pictures of northern New England;
reserving and safeguarding mm
and videotape through restoration,
duplication, providing of technical
guidance ana climate-controlled
storage; Creation of educational
programs through screenings and
exhibitions on-site and in touring
programs; Assistance to members
of the public, scholars and students
at all levels, and members of the
film and video production commu-
nity, through providing a study
center, technical services and
facilities.

The newest member of our Board of
Directors, Donna M. Loring,
shares a strong interest in preserv-
ing northern New England's cultural
heritage, particularly that of native
peoples.

A tribal member and former police
chief of the Penobscot Indian Nation,
Loring has been the Nations representa-
tive to the Maine State Legislature since
October 1997. The Richmond resident
also serves as the Penobscot Nations
Coordinator of Tribal, State and
International Relations.

In demand by numerous organizations
that believe they can benefit from her
perspective, Loring admits she was
initially reluctant to take on another
responsibility. "Once I heard about the
function of die Northeast Historic Film
archives, I thought it could be a valuable
asset for the native communities if we
could work together," she said.

toddlers will line up widi shovels to help
kick off the project.

Board meeting starts. Three hours to
shovels. Board rallies decisively, rejects
notion of delaying or compromising the
quality of the finished project. Staff
sketches program of deferrals and
phasing that allows building to rise on
schedule; we will "plug in" one floor
initially instead of three. 30 minutes!
New plan in place.

Event goes on as scheduled. Bucksport
Middle School Band plays wonderfully.
Sun comes out. Cube wins. No corners
cut. It's great to see it being built as it's
meant to be.

PS: No, we didn't forget about the
$300,000. Our lead funder has issued a
challenge: If our donors dig back in their
pockets for another 20%, so will he. I
expect to be on the road a lot this winter
trying to make that challenge a reality.

NHF's educational mission dovetails
with legislation that requires Maine
schools to teach the culture, history and
government of Maine tribes, said Loring,
who sponsored that 2001 bill.
"Northeast Historic Film has a lot of
footage of historical events that can be
useful to Maine students in their stud-
ies."

NHF's television film and videotape
add depth to fact, Loring said. Likewise,
students who read Bunny McBride's
Women of the Dawn, which details dancer
Molly Spotted Elk's experience making
the 1930 film The Silent Enemy, can
view this Reference by Mail selection for
themselves. "It adds another dimension,"
Loring said.

A Vietnam veteran who served as a
communications specialist at Long Binh
Army Base, Loring was chairman of the
Maine Commission on Women Veterans
when it began collecting the stories of
these soldiers. (The oral history program,
which aims to find 8,400 Maine women
veterans, continues.)

She also has agreed to participate in a
multi-media project that expands on the
2001 volume Maine Remembers Those
Who Served, a collection of tributes to
relatives, ancestors and others who have
served in the armed forces.

"Donna has a wide variety of inter-
ests," says Board President Richard
Rosen. "We look for voices that represent
different parts of die New England
community, and she brings great strength
and perspective."

Collections: Maliseet
Basketmakers

In the 1960s, little attention was
being paid to how the Maine and
Maritime Indians were weather-
ing the social and physical winds
transforming life all around them.

Nicholas Smith did notice,
however, and fortunately for all of
us, he filmed it too.

Smith, of Brunswick, Maine, has
been studying and writing about the
Maine and Maritime Indians for
fifty years. Among his past contri-
butions to NHF is footage of the
Cree Indians in northern Quebec just
before their territories were flooded by
the James Bay Hydro-electric Project.

"I theorized that by going north I
would find Indians still living much like
Maine and Maritime Indians lived about
1 850," Smith says. "I found this to be
true.

"(Their) life was little changed since
the 1700s. They depended on the beaver
for their economic base. And then there
was the revolution against wearing furs,
the beginning of the breaking of their
traditional lifestyle. The James Bay Power
Project ended it by flooding their lands. I
happened to be around at the right time
to see the change and transition and
record it on film."

A Moment Preserved

Now Smith has given us another portrait,
Maliseet Basket-making 1960, a 1 6mm
record of the Maliseet Reserve at
Woodstock, New Brunswick.

"This film was made at a time when
not a lot of research of Northeast Native
American communities was going on,"
says Rebecca Cole- Will, curator of the
Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, which
focuses on the Wabanaki people —
members of the Passamaquoddy,
Penobscot, Micmac and Maliseet tribes.
"It documents a period about which no
one has done a lot of work."

Noting ties between basket-making
and the fall potato harvest, the film
shows different phases of the craft
process, from the pounding of logs into
ash strips through the actual weaving to
the fashioning of a handle from a sapling.

"icholas Smith Collection, 16/n
960. Framf enlargement by Dwigl'/

Of equal, and perhaps even greater,
significance are scenes that have nothing
to do with basket-making, Cole- Will
says. One example: an Abenaki chief-
making ceremony at the Odanak
(formerly St. Francis) reserve in Quebec.
On the reserves 300tn anniversary, the
Calamut Dance is performed as part of
the initiation of ethnohistorian Dr.
Gordon Day into the tribe as an hon-
orary chief.

The tercentenary celebration also
interests Alice Nash, a history professor at
the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
She is writing about Theophile Panadis,
an Abenaki man from Odanak who
worked with Day in the 1950s and 60s
and with anthropologist A. Irving
Hallowell in the 1920s and 30s.

"We see both the dress rehearsal and
the actual event, which includes the
adoption of Gordon Day," Nash says.
"While there is no sound for the footage,
there is a record of the speech that Day
made in Abenaki in the Gordon Day
Collection at the Canadian Museum of
Civilization."

Panadis worked with Day and others
in the community to organize the 1960
celebration. "There's a wonderful shot of
Panadis entering the church in full
regalia — a western-style headdress, to be
sure, but also elements that reflect his
considerable skill as a craftsman well-
grounded in Abenaki history, language
and material culture," Nash says.
"Having seen photographs of Panadis

Phil Yates: A Decade
Ensuring Northeast
Historic Film Exists

Phil Yates came to the Alamo to
watch a movie and ended up
working with us. Now, as he
observes his tenth anniversary at NHF,
he embodies the spirit of our theater and
archives. Starting with a commitment to
quality and his strong interest in all types
of archival film, Yates has been instru-
mental in crafting most of the systems
and procedures now in place at NHF.

As facilities manager, Phil Yates has
overseen the continuing construction at
the Alamo since 1 992 and has had an
active part in all of it, from operating a
backhoe to wielding a hammer. "I built
this theater," he says. "It's a feat to be
proud of. It's a nice theater."

His interest in NHF was piqued in
1 992 when he chatted with David Weiss
at our booth at the Common Ground
Fair. Shortly after, we offered a 16mm
film series in our then-new home, the
Alamo, and Yates arrived early for one of
the shows.

"David and Karan showed me around
the building and you could see they were
in dire straits," he says. "There was a lot
that needed to be done."

Yates offered to lend a hand. "Well,
here I still am," he says, shaking his head.
He never dreamed he'd be celebrating ten
years at NHF. "Absolutely not. Not even

Continued on Page 7

and others dressed to perform Indian
dances in the 1930s, I am struck by how
much the later costumes reflect the
Hollywood image, as the Abenakis and
other Native people become more adept
at giving audiences what they expect or
even demand to see."

Rebecca Cole- Will has relied on
Smith's knowledge many times when
preparing Abbe exhibits, and it was she
who directed Smith to NHF for transfer
of his film to videotape.

Maliseet Basket-making I960 is
being shown at the Abbe Museum in
conjunction with the traveling photo-
graphic exhibit, Wolastoqiyik: Portrait of
a People, through Dec. 29, 2002. •

In Memoriam: Local, Regional and International Friends

Maryann Gomes, director of the North
West Film Archive, Manchester,
England, died on June 2 while undergo-
ing cancer treatment. She was 48.
Gomes was a friend in the worldwide
community of archives, an intrepid
pioneer obtaining unprecedented
membership for her regional organiza-
tion in the International Federation of
Film Archives. She's also one of a very
few of our fellow archivists to visit
Northeast Historic Film from overseas.

We worked closely with her in the
Association of Moving Image Archivists. In
1998 minutes of the Regional Audiovisual
Archives Interest Group chaired by
Gomes, Lisa Carter from die University of
Kentucky said, "We're having fun and
doing things too!" These minutes con-
cluded, "Loud ambient noise, myriad
waiters, live flamenco guitars, birthday
cakes and serenades were skillfully
employed to ensure an accurate simulation
of the normal pattern of wide dispersion
and isolation of the membership."

The dynamism of the group under
Maryann's leadership led to the 1 999
AMIA annual conference program
opening session, "Regionally Specific,
Globally Significant: Who's Responsible
for the Regional Record," and the closing
program, a magically resonant screening
curated by Gomes, The Richness of the
Regions: Projecting a Global Picture of
the Twentieth Century. Maryann
Gomes inspired so many of us to find joy
in the power of what we're doing, and to
press on.

ook behind the IV 10 Alamo
Theatre building and sec si
pointing at the sky. Like those rebar
rods, people create the structure
that is Northeast Historic Film.
Lee, Whitney, and Gomes won't be
joining us in the cinema and they
won't be here tor the opening of the
C Conservation Center next year —
yet they are still present as the
framework that built Nortru
Historic Film.

Philip C. Whitney, preservation
advocate, Fitchburg, Mass.

We were skeptical when Phil offered to
narrate Ice Harvesting Sampler, our
compilation of footage about one of
Maine's most important industries of the
past.

Voice-overs are an art, requiring training,
practice and talent. The script must
complement the footage in content and
timing. Unskilled narrators are more likely
to detract from a film than enhance it.

On the other hand, there was no harm
in letting Phil try. "By golly, he was just a
total natural in a very comfortable and
informal way," David Weiss says. "He
saw things, knew what they were and was
a natural teacher."

Philip Whitney, who died April 18,
2002, at the age of 72, was a dedicated
historian of New England industry,
workers and culture. In Fitchburg, where
he lived most of his life, he is remembered
as one of the city's best historical resources.

A Korean War veteran and Rockport
Shoe Co. retiree, Phil specialized in living
history. He performed demonstrations of
ice harvesting, grain flailing, millstone
dressing, making shingles and scarecrows.

He loved old tools and was president of
the New England Tool Collectors
Association.

His history pieces were published
nationally and internationally. With his
bushy white beard and faultless delivery,
he was widely sought as a lecturer, and he
was a popular guide on the Fitchburg
Historical Society's trolley tours. He also
helped conduct the society's archaeologi-
cal digs for schoolchildren and kept a
traveling archaeology lab in his van.

He took his ice exhibit trailer on the
road in New England and New York
every winter. It was during his travels
that he first saw our Ice Harvesting
Sampler, which combines newsreel and
amateur footage of ice harvesting
operations in Pordand, Hinckley, Mt.
Desert, and Bangor. In demand by
teachers of Maine history, it is one of our
most popular Reference by Mail videos,
thanks in large part to the enlightening
commentary provided by Phil Whitney.

Diane M. Lee, filmmaker, Orland,
Maine.

Talented, eccentric, vexing. She was all of
these things.

She also was our friend. Lee died Aug.
27 as a result of a car accident. She was 62.

Lee frequently surprised us with her
successes. She astonished everyone,
including herself, when her Stolen
Children took the 200 1 Best Screenplay
Award at the New York International
Independent Film and Video Festival.

"She always came at things from a
different perspective," says NHF
Executive Director David Weiss. "She
was smart about a lot of things and very
perceptive, but zany at the same time."

Diane was our first tenant at the
Alamo, where she set up her production
office. She donated her films to our
archives, volunteered in the cinema and
passed on leads, such as grant possibili-
ties. In turn, NHF served as a fiscal
umbrella for her projects.

Long after she closed her office, Diane
called often to share information of
dubious urgency. Sometimes she'd pull
up in front of the theater and honk her
horn to get someone to come out and
chat.

In an autobiography Diane shared
details of her father's death when she was
nine, of a childhood at the movies, and
of her second wedding, at which she
wore a wedding dress crocheted with
$12.50 of parcel post string.

She was 43 when she enrolled in
University of Bridgeport's cinema
department in her native Connecticut.

Her own films screened to full houses
at the Alamo. Among them, Who Will
Say Kaddish For Shapiro?

Even now, when the phone rings or a
car horn sounds, we expect to hear
Diane's voice. "She was a character,"
Weiss says, "but she was our character. H

Home Movies Shake
the Family Tree

When Rhode Island author and
genealogist Maureen Taylor
was researching an article on
documenting family history with home
movies, she turned to an old friend.

"I used to be the graphics curator at
the Rhode Island Historical Society,
which means I was also curator of their
film archives," Taylor says. "Northeast
Historic Film was a place to turn to for
information on film-related issues."

Taylor's article, "Reel Treasures" in the
June 2002 issue of Family Tree Magazine,
features Karan Sheldon's suggestions for
"reading" home movies for clues about a
family's past.

The article also gives an overview of
home moviemaking and shares valuable
information on film preservation.
Northeast Historic Film's Website is
included in a list of resources.

Family Tree Magazine, geared to people
who are tracing their roots, boasts
170,000 readers, mostly in the U.S.

Besides writing regularly for Family
Tree, New England Ancestors, and
Ancestry magazines, Taylor is the author
of Preserving Your Family Photographs and
Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family
Photographs, both published by
Betterway Books.

Her experience of film as a valuable
research tool made her all that more
impressed with Northeast Historic Film's
"innovative approach to film."

"I really enjoyed talking with Karan
Sheldon. It was a surprise to discover that
an archives was actually interested in
home movies. Back in the 'old days', the
focus was on features and television news
footage and no one wanted those
amateur films. As a person interested in
documenting the average person's life
through images — still and moving — I'm
really excited by the projects undertaken
by Northeast Historic Film."

For more about Maureen Taylor, see
www.taylorandstrong.com. Family Tree
Magazine is online at
www.ramilytreemagazine.com. H

From the Mail Bag

letter from Leslie R. Murauckas,
Director, Bucksport Adult and
Community Education

"Ever since this year's Adult and
Community Education graduation on
June 6th, I have wanted to write to tell
you how much I, my staff and teachers,
and students appreciate your repeated
hospitality. As always, the theatre looked
wonderful and the atmosphere was most
welcoming.

I attribute much of the smoothness of
the entire event to Phil and Frank who
were right there to answer any questions
that arose or to take care of the many
details needed. . . You both show such
dedication to doing the job right — I am
impressed.

Once again, I want you all to know
how much appreciated are your hospital-
ity and work ethics, especially on this
night that is the culminating point of
every year of my program. Our graduates
vary in age and experiences, but every
year there seems to be at least one, and
most often a few, whose graduation
represents a first for their entire family. . .
That is why we sometimes have gradu-
ates whose family must attend, even if
the family is large; for unlike the regular
graduation of seventeen and eighteen
year olds, ours is composed of people for
whom graduating once seemed impossi-
ble, to them and to their families. When
these students attain their graduation
goals, they are fulfilling more dreams
than their own and serve as symbols and
models for others in their families.
Thank you so much for accommodating
us in such a gracious manner." H

Amateur Movie
Makers Journals

hart Your

amily Tree!

, T

arts & Prtn
Vour Family
Will Treasuff?

MOVIE

Jan-Christopher Horak, director of
the Hollywood Entertainment
Museum in Los Angeles, has
generously donated forty issues of
Amateur Movie Makers magazine to our
periodical collection.

Amateur Movie Makers was published
by the Amateur Cinema League from
1926 to 1954. It is of particular interest
to NHF, which has distinguished itself as
an archives that collects home movies of
people who were neither rich nor famous.

The complete run of Movie Makers is
337 issues. Individual issues are hard to
find and there are only a couple of
complete runs known to exist, according
to archivist Dwight Swanson. Northeast
Historic Film, with the assistance of
Advisor William O'Farrell, has been
pursuing the full run. With Horak's gift
we now have over 75% of the published
copies of the journal.

The magazines are a useful resource for
film researchers. A California man
researching Kodaks first movie camera
recently found an elusive article about
the camera in NHF's collection. And
Swanson relied heavily on the magazines
for an article about Rochester, New
York's early amateur filmmakers.

"I think you are one of the major
research centers for amateur film in this
country and these magazines will be
better used in your public space than in
my private one," Horak said. H

The Value of Home Movies

by Liz Coffey

A graduate of the L. Jeffrey Selznick
School of Film Preservation, Coffey is a
veteran of Northeast Historic Film and is
now working with television newsfilm at
Rhode Island Historical Society.

Home movie making gained
popularity in the 1 920s, which
means there is amateur moving
image documentation of people, places,
and events for most of the 20th century.
Starting as a rich person's toy, home
movie equipment in time became
cheaper and more accessible to the
average American, which in turn led to a
more diverse visual record of die century.
Many home movies are in color, made at
a time when photographs, newsreels, and
television programs were generally black
and white.

Although a rich resource, home movies
are often overlooked by people who
would benefit by their use.

Increased use of home movie by
scholars faces two main obstacles: people
who should watch them don't and
institutions that should collect them are
not.

It's All About Education

The main issue is one of education.
Using home movies as an historical
resource is a relatively new idea, one few
researchers have considered. Social
historians investigating styles, social
mores, and details of family life, histori-
ans researching a particular region, and
film historians in general would all
benefit immensely by using home
movies.

Why are home movies not in die
historical canon along with photographs?
Motion picture film is certainly younger
than photography, by about 50 years, but
the two are not so different. Home
movies are very much like moving
snapshots.

The relative awkwardness of film
viewing when compared with looking at
photographs has certainly contributed to
the non-use of film in many historical
institutions. Guardians of historical data
(archivists, librarians, etc.) have also not

had training in caring for and promoting
the use of film.

Until regional film archives like
Northeast Historic Film spring up in all
corners of the country (and researchers
know to visit them), historical societies
and regional (non-film) archives should
be collecting home movies.

Too Intimate Records?

Historical societies that rely on donations
to make up their collections find people
seldom donate photographs of family
members who are still alive or easily
identifiable. The last half of the 20th
century is often die weakest portion of a
collection.

However, with home movies, if the
family had a video or DVD copy of their
film made, they would be more likely to
donate the original. Without publicity
promoting donations, home movie
holders may not think to donate.

Another problem presented to institu-
tions when it comes to collecting home
movies is that these records are inti-
mate— perhaps considered by many
people to be very personal and therefore
not of any interest to collecting institu-
tions nor researchers.

The main problems facing non-film
archives with film collections are storage
conditions, education, and that all-
pervasive enemy of progress, funding.
Proper storage for film requires low
temperatures and low relative humidity,
conditions which are not quite die same
needed for paper and photographs, and
therefore scarce at these paper-heavy
institutions.

Curators, archivists, conservators and
historians employed by these repositories
often have had no experience widi film.
This makes them less likely to want to
engage.

Providing Access Is Expensive

Probably die biggest problem facing film
in non-film archives and historical
societies is that of access. Many
archivists want to avoid providing access
to original material, fearing damage.
This requires that films be transferred for

patron access, preferably to VHS or
DVD, which are convenient for public
use. This is expensive work for a large
collection, and since there is not cur-
rently a lot of demand for home movie
viewing, it is generally a low priority.

If the institution decides to allow the
original material to be accessed, equip-
ment is needed to view the film. Table-
top viewers like Moviscops give limited
image quality and are rarely at the right
speed when hand-cranked. Flatbed
viewers such as Steenbecks are expensive
and take up a lot of space. There is
potential for damage to the original
material with this equipment.

Invisible to the public, home movies
are ignored. Without demand for their
use, the funding for home movie projects
will remain low.

Needed: More Regional Moving Image
Archives!

One solution to the problem of home
movie collections and access is for
regional film archives like NHF to pop
up all over. Aggressive collecting, out-
reach, and liberal access policies are
important building blocks for this plan.
The films need to be handled by experi-
enced film archivists, stored in vaults
under proper conditions, and focused on
as valuable historical artifacts.

Those of us who care about home
movies and wish to see them looked after
need to promote their use. Without
people who want to watch them, their
future is uncertain. Education needs to
start at the top. People in library schools
and other professional programs need to
start learning not only how to handle
film, but how to use it as a historical
resource. A new generation of historical
research assistants schooled in the art of
film handling will help ensure the future
of home movies. B

For more on home movies, visit our
Website: www.oldfilm.org

Phil Yates Collections: Movie Queen Mania

Continued from Page 3

close. I was just going to get the ball
rolling."

The Alamo was a wreck of a boarded-
up shell when NHF bought it. One of
Yates's first major projects was to insulate
the roof. "You would turn up the
thermostat all the way and the highest
the temperature got was 60 degrees."

Digging out the dirt basement proved
to be his biggest challenge. "I spent a
month on a small backhoe," he says. "It
rained and rained and rained, and there
was a virtual river running through the
building and water would squirt out the
walls."

A voice for quality construction, he is
pleased to find support for his recom-
mendations, such as oak trim on the
cinema ramps and granite window
ledges, as in the original structure.

"When you build a place like this, you
should build it like a monument because
people are going to see it long after you're
gone," he says. Besides, durable materials
are "just common sense. You save money
in the long run."

Yates's current focus is the new
Conservation Center, where is he is die
man with the answers to the construction
crew's questions. "I've listened
to people talk for ten years
about the dream, so I know
just how things are supposed
to be."

Yates directed technical
services for four years. He also
found and rebuilt our 1950s
Manley popcorn machine.

Yates is a skilled projection-
ist, tending the two mam-
moth Super Simplex projec-
tors during every screening.

"I think this is probably
one of the best ideas since
sliced bread, this idea of
preserving peoples old
movies," he says. "Its a
wicked good idea." H

I MI

ic folks in Van Buren finally know
what's in the can: a 1930s movie
queen.

The Movie Queen, Van Buren, that
is. The 1 6mm film had been passed from
person to person ever since it surfaced in
the Van Buren Rotary Club some years
ago.

"No one had any idea what was on it
because there was no way to show it,"
says Daniel Lapointe, who decided to
satisfy everyone's curiosity by sending the
reel to NHF for transfer to videotape.

While assessing the movie's condition,
archivist Dwight Swanson noticed
similarities to the Movie Queen series
shot around New England by Boston
filmmaker Margaret Cram or Margaret
Cram Showalter in the mid-1950s.

Lapointe, who works in Van Buren's
economic development office, agreed to
donate the original footage to NHF,
bringing our collection of Movie Queens
to eight.

Meanwhile, the video has been a
conversation starter in Van Buren, where
Lapointe has been showing it to elders in
hopes of identifying the all-local cast.
"Some of them saw their fathers or
grandfathers," he says. "And they were

Geography of
the Movie Queen

ar Harbor

Middlebury

Movie Queens Found
|| Not Found Yet

enLirgrm,

really interested in the scenes from the
old days."

A Bustling Town

The Van Buren film offers a rare glimpse
of the community, its people and
businesses circa 1935. It begins with
townspeople eagerly awaiting the movie
queen at the railway station. The Boy
Scouts, who benefited from the project
according to signs displayed in the
movie, march down Van Buren's streets,
followed by the Silver Bell marching
band in spanking white uniforms, and
cars bearing dignitaries.

The film differs from other
Movie Queens in that the
actress is not kidnapped and
rescued by a handsome local
hero.

Lapointe says the film
depicts Van Buren during its
economic heyday, when 34
lumber mills kept the town
humming. A few scenes were
shot in St. Leonard, New
Brunswick, evidence of the
closer ties the towns once
shared.

"The first time we saw it, I
was really excited," Lapointe
says. "We hadn't had a clue of
what was in there, and we
recognized some people right
away." He is arranging for a
public screening at the Van
Buren Public Library. I

Grants in Action

Bruce Cole, Chairman of the
National Endowment for the
Humanities, has a message. It came
in the letter announcing the NEH's
award of a Challenge Grant to improve
our conservation facilities and expand
our education programs. "We are
delighted to be a funding partner for this
exciting endeavor, and I hope others will
join with us in supporting the enrich-
ment of the humanities in America."

"This is a high honor: yours is one of
only two specialized programming
entities to receive such an award in fiscal
year 2002. Your proposal was reviewed
by historians and other individuals with
experience in public programming,
preservation, and long-term program-
ming for the humanities. These evalua-
tors were especially impressed with the
excellent humanities resources in your
organization's moving-image archives."
So, heed Cole's word, and please help
us meet the NEH Challenge. As of
September we have raised enough to
qualify for the first and second years of
the three-year challenge. We must raise
another $250,000 to release the third
year. Your gift of any size will help us
reach this goal. Please use the donation
form on Page 14.

NFPF Funds Cineric
Preservation of Camp Films

Northeast Historic Film received a
National Film Preservation Foundation
grant of $3,820 to preserve three reels of
film from the Wohelo-Luther Gulick
Camp Collection. The camp is located
on Sebago Lake in Raymond, Maine.
Wohelo, whose name is taken from the
first two letters of the words "Work,"
"Health" and "Love," was founded by
Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick and his wife
Charlotte Vetter Gulick in 1907. The
Gulicks helped found the Thetford Girls,
a forerunner of the Camp Fire Girls
organization (now called Camp Fire
USA) "to consider ways and means of
doing for the girls what the Boy Scout
movement is designed to do for boys."
Wohelo is in fact two separate but related
camps, Little Wohelo for girls age 6-12
and Sebago Wohelo for girls age 12-16.
Wohelo was — and still is — a traditional
summer camp with activities that include
sailing, swimming, canoeing, crafts and
tennis, and in their own words, it is "a
rustic environment close to nature and
away from the conveniences and compli-
cations of die modern world." Through
the NFPF'grant, NHF will be preserving
a 35mm nitrate promotional film from

1919, as well as two 16mm reels of camp
activities shot by Mrs. Gulick in 1926
and 1 927. Laboratory work for the new
negatives, prints and video copies will be
done at Cineric, Inc.

Davis Family Foundation and
Maine Humanities Council

The Maine Humanities Council sup-
ported our summer programs with a
grant of $5,000. Our final report has
been submitted.

The Davis Family Foundation has
received a report on our year of work on
the Online Collections Guide, supported
by their $15,000. See Page 13.

New England Foundation for the Arts
Expeditions Program

On November 6, in Lowell, Mass., we
presented at the New England
Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Idea
Swap Conference. NEFA Creation and
Presentation Fund Manager Wayne Self
came to Bucksport to invite us to be part
of die new Expeditions Planning and
Touring program. Our offering? The
Making of an American, films with live
piano by Martin Marks. To find out
more about Expeditions visit
www.nefa.org. For details of our
collaborative tour of early film in New
England write Karan Sheldon,
karan@acadia.net. M

New Members and Members Renewed at a Higher Level
Since the Summer 2002 Moving Image Review.

Call 800 639- 1636 to

Friends

Lea Girardin

Charlie, L.i/, Mikki, Kelly

& Garrett Hooper
Dee Mook
Alice W. Price
Ci.iil Wippelhauser & Bob

Mclmire

Associate Members

Charles & Beverly

Cunningham

Kan,' & William Eberhardt
David Westphal &

Patty Ryan

Nonprofit Organizations

Ellsworth Historical Society

join, upgrade or renew!

Healthy Community Coalition
Technology Integrators

Households

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin B.

Blodget

Deborah Brewster
Mr. & Mrs. Neal Butler
( irace & Edward Clement
Betty Fraumeni
Sam & Janice Fuller
Karol Kucinski & Gigi Baas
Steven Lang

Richard & Nancie Noyes
Rick & Megan Shaw Prelinger
Marko Schmitt & Dede Singer
Leo Siegel, MD
Mae &L Myron Tupa

Individuals

Paula Bedell
Sharon Bray
Lynn Cadwallader
Evelyn M. Foster
Gary Fox

Lincoln M. Furber
Sally Gibson
James Griebsch
Keith Kanoti
Abbie McMillen
Frances R. Mitchell
Winfield Pipher
Mike Shapiro
Kathryn E. Smith
Marcia R. Smith
Norman Witty
Michele Wolverton

Educator/
Student Members

Michael Aronson
Jo Barrett
James Bishop
Robin Bray
Ryan T. Brown
Patricia Clark
Sandra Harris Gilley
Beth Jackson
Michael Lang
Nancy Leah
Ann Luginbuhl
Kate Morse
Beth TaJbot
Peter Townsend
Timothy Walsh

Karen Shopsowitz, photo by Marc Landau.

Eminent (and
Fun) August
Presenters

Northeast Historic Film's The Fall of
Jerusalem, a tinted silent notable for its
excellent condition, offers lots of hints,
but alas, nothing conclusive about its
origins, says film scholar Jan-Christopher
Horak.

Horak introduced the enigmatic film
at its preservation premiere in August.

The night before, Karen Shopsowitz
showed My Father's Camera, a delight-
ful history of home movies that draws
heavily from NHF collections.

In The Fall of Jerusalem, from the
Alan Kattelle Collection, the Babylonian
siege of Jerusalem takes place against a
backdrop of off-the-battlefield intrigue.
Pianist Sylvia Moscovitz accompanied
the movie's first screening since the
1920s.

Acting styles, costumes, sets and the
subtlety of the love story suggest that this
Fall of Jerusalem, which differs from
other known interpretations of the Bible
story, is European, not American.
Indulging a hunch, Horak zeroed in on
Germany, and said the love-struck
lieutenant may well be Ernst Deutsch, a
popular German actor who went on to
play Nazis in many American movies.

The movie was distributed by
Wholesome Film Service Inc. of Boston
in 1925 when biblical epics were riding a
wave of popularity led by Cecil B.
DeMille's The Ten Commandments
(1923).

Education: Laptop Roundtable,
Archival Footage in the Classroom

The laptops are here! The laptops are
here! Now what are Maine sev-
enth-graders going to do with
them?

Teachers will find ideas and practical
advice for digital video production in a
report published by The iMovie and
Archival Footage Roundtable, which
met in July at Northeast Historic Film.

Nearly 1 7,000 seventh-graders received
Apple iBooks in September through the
Maine Learning Technology Initiative.
AnorJier 700 laptops were distributed to
students and teachers at nine demonstra-
tions schools in the spring, and eighth-
graders are due to get laptops next year.

Apple iMovie software, which comes
on each of these machines, allows
students to edit moving images and
sound into videos that can be shared
with others. In light of NHF's immense
resources of footage available for study
and reuse, we invited educators, film-
makers, archivists, and computer experts
to the Roundtable. The day was sup-
ported in part by a grant from the Maine
Humanities Council.

Discussion covered technical issues,
visual literacy and the reuse of archival
footage. "It was really useful to get people
from the technical perspective and the
educational perspective together," said
Rick Barter, a technology specialist from
Conners Emerson School in Bar Harbor.

The resulting report includes recom-
mendations such as what to look for in a
digital video camera and technical specs
for scanners, lighting, external hard

drives, projectors and other equipment
for video production, accessing and
presentation.

In addition, the report provides a
framework for developing curriculum
content, such as discussions that sur-
round moving images. Classroom needs
are identified (swift and easy access to
archival materials is one) as well as ways
organizations like NHF can respond to
those needs (deliver sample visual
materials over the Internet).

Finally, the participant roster serves as a
high-level resource list for those seeking
information and advice.

"I think we pulled together something
that is very practical and useful," Barter
said. "The report offers several layers —
basic, intermediate and advanced — for
getting kids started in making movies. It
should be very helpful."

If Conners Emerson School is any
indication, teachers are excited about the
possibilities of digital videography. One
geology teacher has already produced a
virtual field trip to Cape Rosier. And
some eighth-grade teachers plan to tap
NHF archives as they tackle Maine
studies (Conners Emerson was an
exploration school last year, so eighth-
graders already have their laptops).

Sheldon and teachers discussed the
report at the Maine Association of
Middle Level Educators annual confer-
ence at Sugarloaf in October. The report
is available online at www.oldfilm.org
and www.mainelearns.org. w

Horak is director of the Hollywood
Entertainment Museum in Los Angeles
and editor of The Moving Image, the
scholarly journal of the Association of
Moving Image Archivists.

My Father's Camera

To make her award-winning National
Film Board of Canada documentary,
Shopsowitz drew from her fathers home
movies, weaving them into a narrative
that is part cultural history, part personal
reminiscence.

Shopsowitz used footage from Col.
F.B. Richards Snow White. Other NHF
footage includes From Stump to Ship,
O.P. Geer's Poem ofMontclair, scenes
from the Archie Stewart Collection
including a Ku Klux Klan parade, Hiram
Percy Maxim's Mag the Hag, and Meyer
Davis' Miss Olympia. I

Summer Symposium & Silent Film Festival

Experts from diverse disciplines
looked at ways amateur film is used,
and more importantly, ways to
think about it in depth at NHF s 2002
Summer Film Symposium, Close
Readings: Seeing Amateur Film in
Important Ways.

"You had film scholars, preservation-
ists, filmmakers and teachers," says Janna
Jones, who is evaluator for the funder,
the Maine Humanities Council. "It's rare
to have theorists and practitioners in the
same place, all with equal respect for one
another's expertise."

Jones, a University of South Florida
Communications and English professor
researching a book about the cultural
implications of film preservation, was
equally impressed with the festival, North
Woods Dramas: The Forgotten Genre,
which preceded the symposium at the
Alamo Theater in July.

Film Symposium 2002

"We're moving toward creating a method
for interpreting amateur films," Jones
says. "This is a new field, and you have
people who are on the cutting edge
defining the parameters."

Moderator Mark Neumann, a
University of South Florida
Communication professor, opened the
symposium with an overview of the state
of home movie research.

Rick Prelinger addressed the philo-
sophic challenges of public access facing
archives in the digital age. Vast amounts
of his collection are now online.

Barbara Greenstone, Technology
Literacy Integrator at Mt. Ararat Middle
School in Topsham, Maine, showed how
students used NHF footage.

University of Maine History Professor
Martha McNamara uses From Stump to
Ship, a 1930 film shot by Maine lumber
company owner Alfred Ames, and the
documentary Woodsmen and River
Drivers, in her classes to generate
discussions about the authenticity of
recorded histories.

Jeffrey Ruoff, a film historian and
documentary filmmaker at Dartmouth
College, showed clips of his documentary

based on footage shot by a Japanese
college student in America in 1927.
Kiyooka Eiichi's record of his forty-day
road trip in a Model T is a unique vision
of the American landscape.

Megan Shaw Prelinger talked about
using amateur film as an historical and
ethnographic record, focusing on footage
of the 1941 Pendleton (Oregon)
Roundup, a frontier exhibition featuring
rodeos, horse races and Indian dances.

Participants watched projected 1971
home movies of the Yeckley family,
brought by Greg Pierce of Orgone
Cinema and Archive in Pittsburgh.

Blair Foster, an associate producer on
The Perilous Fight: World War II in
Color (see Page 1 ), spoke about the way
amateur footage grounds the PBS
documentary series.

Silent Film Festival 2002

North Woods Dramas surprised Jones by
offering much more than movie-watch-
ing. "NHF is creating performances that
are really engaging," she says.

From Stump to Ship, screened at its
original frame rate with live narration by
David Weiss and fiddling by Bill
Schubecki was a knock-out.

That same evening, Stuart Paton's deep
woods thriller, The Conflict with Priscilla
Dean as the log-riding heroine, featured
David Cadigan and Sharon Jackiw
performing a new translation of the
Czech intertitles by David Powelstock, a
University of Chicago professor.

Philip Carli comments on The
Conflict. "It is die strangest of the logging
films." Carli suggests Paton's Universal
colleague, Tod Browning, may have had a
hand in die "strange and very godiic
melodrama." Browning, best known for
Dracula (1931) and Freaks (1932),
could even have started The Conflict, but
he would have been riding the downward
spiral of alcoholism diat eventually cost
him his job.

The opening film, Valley of the
Giants, from UCLA attracted the largest
audience — 1 10 people. Music was by
Clayton W Smith and the Bon-Ton
Salon Orchestra. H

Name 2OO3
Film Festival

Silent Legends... Silent Stars. .. Who's
that Star?... Cooler Than You. .. Then
Came Swanson. . . Wait! You can do better
than this.

We want you to name the 2003 Silent
Film Festival, set for Aug. 1 5 to 17 at our
Alamo Theatre. The theme is "silent
films stars you've heard of, but may not
have seen (recently)."

The idea was suggested by board
member Jim Phillips after the 2002
Silent Film Festival, when Karan Sheldon
introduced Mantrap, starring Clara
Bow, the Hollywood sex symbol — and a
fine actress besides. "How many of you
have heard of Clara Bow?" Sheldon
asked.

Most of the people in the hall raised
their hands.

"How many of you have ever seen her
on screen?" Two people raised their
hands.

The 2003 Silent Film Festival will be
an opportunity to discover what the fuss
was about. We'll have Clara Bow's It
(1927), the movie that made her the "It
Girl," which is to say a woman with —
dare we say it — sex appeal.

Other silent stars you may not know
intimately: Gloria Swanson, Lon Chancy,
Lillian Gish, Charlie Chaplin, and one of
our favorites, Mary Pickford. In 2003 we
are offering two full festival days and
three evenings, instead of a string of
evenings as in past summers. Less car
time! More ecological!

So, silent film buffs, trivia lovers and
punsters, start making those word
associations that will yield the perfect
title for the 2003 Silent Film Festival.
The best name wins its creator a festival
pass and free concessions.

Evocative and Haunting Footage

Continued from Page 1

strategy," says NHF Executive Director
David Weiss. "We are primarily focused
on our region, but there are times when
people from outside need regional images.
It also brings operational revenue that's
essential to keeping our doors open."

Armed with a database containing
hundreds of clips from NHF collections,
Corbis Motion fields requests and
handles the negotiations and licensing
details that would otherwise distract
NHF from its primary mission as an
archives serving the people of northern
New England. "We reserve the right to
handle all stock footage requests from
our region," Weiss says. "That allows us
to negotiate fees to benefit low-budget
independent productions in New
England."

Besides feature films, commercials and
broadcast programs, Corbis' clients
include advertising firms and corpora-
tions looking for footage for a meeting.
Clients typically have a project idea, to
which sales representatives respond widi
a reel of possibilities.

"Sales reps also try to anticipate the
needs of our clients so they are thinking
about using footage before they start
their project," says Heather K. White,
who once worked closely with die New
York firm as an NHF staffer and is now
on the Corbis payroll. "They try to get
the images out there to spur ideas."

Home movies are especially popular
for evoking warm feelings, says former
Sekani sales rep Janice Kambara. An
Amtrak promotion on visiting family
and friends "was built around" Meyer
Davis' footage of a picnic and three-
legged race. Likewise, Archie Stewart's
1 930s Florida road trip was a perfect
match for a Florida Keys Scenic Highway
commercial. "I love die footage from
Northeast Historic Film," Kambara says.
"It is so exceptional."

Broadcast and Distance Learning

The Maine television collections are also
being mined. Footage of the 1 980
lockdown at Maine State Prison was
purchased for die History Channel
documentary series The Big House. And

a 1 960s Vietnam War protest, shot by
Bangor television station WABI, appears
in the multi-media distance learning
course On Common Ground:
Framework for Democracy, produced
by Intelecom and McGraw-Hill.

The Perilous Fight

Years ago, Martin Smith and Karan
Sheldon met on Vietnam: A Television
History, produced by Boston PBS
affiliate WGBH-TV, so he went directly
to the source when he needed amateur
footage for The Perilous Fight. "I have
known about the work of Northeast
Historic Film since it was established and
have tried to keep in touch, in no small
part because I was convinced that it
might one day provide jewels for one of
my productions — and it has."

About four minutes of NHF footage
appears in The Perilous Fight, a co-
production of PBS affiliate KCTS in
Seattle, and Carlton Television and TWI
in Britain.

The Perilous Fight already aired to
critical acclaim in Britain as America's
War. It is a companion to The Second
World War in Colour, which was driven
by film researcher Adrian Wood's
successful search for color records of die
war.

Smidi admits he hesitated when asked
to be an executive producer of that first
series. "The notion of the starting point
being 'What color film is available?'
instead of 'What are the important
topics?' struck me as somewhat perverse.
However, die truth is that, thanks to the
National Archives and Records
Administration in Washington, D.C, and
to smaller archives, including Northeast
Historic Film, enough material has been
collected, and it is possible to make
programs which dirow new light on
subjects previously only seen in black and
white."

More than half of the material used
comes from official sources.
"Nonetheless, the films would have
nothing like they impact they do without
the unofficial coverage held in smaller
archives and institutions, not to mention
the collectors and enthusiastic amateurs,"

Smith says. "We use several minutes of
very striking film which only exists
because a sharp-eyed collector saw film
cans piled up in the street for garbage
collection."

Valuable Information About the Past

"There are lots of art historians who pore
over single pictures and prints to glean
clues and information about the past,"
Smith continues. "Just diink how much
more valuable motion picture film will
be for future historians of the 20th and
21st centuries. So whatever you do, don't
put out your old movies with the
garbage. Offer it first to an archives or
museum. No matter how ordinary it may
appear, to someone in the future it may
be very revealing. When in doubt — don't
dirow it out!" •

A Vita I Network

Continued from Page 1

Runner, or our weekly Archival
Minutes?

And out in die world, colleagues in
preservation and programming, extend-
ing the reach of our preservation work,
for example:

Portland Museum of Art, March 13,
earning a livelihood and the nature of die
film record, "You Work, We'll Watch."

National Gallery of Art, a spring
matinee of favorites from Northeast
Historic Film collections.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center,
October 25 & 26, Gillian Anderson
conducts for The Making of an
American.

Missed it? Don't wait for Moving Image
Review, find calendar updates on our
Website: www.oldfilm.org ™

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director,

david@oldfilin.org
Peggy Coreson, Business Manager,

peggy@oldfilm.org
Jane Donnell, Distribution Manager,

jane@oldfilm.org
Dwight Swanson, Archivist,

dwight@oldfilm.org
Russ Van Arsdale, Archivist,

russ@oldfilm.org
Phil Yates, Facilities Manager & Theater

Board of Directors

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, Maine

President, E Media, Kennchunk, specializing in
manufacturing technology and electronic
media.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr., Castine, Maine, and
Manchester Center, Vermont

Board member, Holbrook Island Sanctuary,
Brooksville, Maine. Chairman of John Merck
Fund. Board member, Center for Reproductive
Law & Policy.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Harpswell, Maine

Maine State- Archivist, administrative head of
the State Archives. Chairs Maine's Historical
Records Advisor)' Board. Ph.D. in political
science from Emory University.

Donna Loring, Richmond, Maine

Penobscot Indian Nation representative to the
Maine State Legislature. Penobscot Nation
Coordinator of Tribal, State and International
Relations. Sponsor of the state law, An Act to
Require Teaching of Maine Native American
History and Culture in Maine's Schools.

Martha McNamara, Orono, Maine, and
Boston, Mass.

Associate Professor of History, specializing in
cultural History and the History of New
England, University of Maine, Orono. Ph.D. in
American & New England Studies, Boston
University. President of the Society of
Architectural Historians, New England
Chapter. Maine Historic Preservation
Commission member.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, Maine

Co-founder of Trio Software Corporation, and
an independent property assessment consul-
tant. Former staff producer and director at
WMTWTV; studied film at George Eastman
House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, Maine

Board member, Owls Head Transportation
Museum. Founding principal of Cambridge

Seven Associates, Inc. Work includes architec-
tural design, urban design, and planning for
worldwide projects — educational and exhibi-
tion facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, Maine

Owner Rosen's Department Store, Bucksport.
Maine state representative, member of
Appropriations and Financial Affairs, Ethics
Committees. Member, Maine Economic
Growth Council. Board member, Bucksport
Regional Health Center.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, Maine

Co-founder of NHF. Advisor)' board member,
Maine Folklife Center. Member, Maine Film
Commission.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Portland,
Maine

President of Maine Radio and Television Co.,
!!('.( Kvns and operates CSP Mobile
Productions, based in Portland. Member of the
family-owned media group that in 1998 sold
NBC affiliates W( 1SH-TV and WLBZ-TV to
Gannett Broadcasting. Connecticut College
graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, Maine

Executive Director and co-founder of NHF.
Previously media producer in Boston after
graduating in Him and semiotics from Brown
University. Member, Maine Historical Records
Advisory Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington, D.C.

Founder, Smithsonian Institution Human
Studies Film Archives. Member, National Film
Preservation Board. Founding chair, Association
of Moving Image Archivists' amateur film
group, Inedits. Family roots in Skowhegan,
Maine.

Advisors

Individuals with interest in the work of NHF as
an organization with a vision for film, video
and digital preservation, with broad public
access.

Gillian Anderson, orchestral conductor and
musicologist. Conducting her reconstruction of
the orchestral score for Wings, with sound
effects by Adrian Johnston, at the Academy's
Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, May 16, 2003.
Director of the Colonial Singers and Players
and author of Music for Silent Films, 1894-
1929. Washington, D.C., and Bologna, Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon
Theaters and Their Music, a history of the
Thanhouser Company, and over three dozen
other books. Antiquarian, business executive.
Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This Way: A
Journey Through the Lives of the Underclass, and
director of the documentary feature Hearts and
Minds. Castine, Me.

Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Ph.D. Associate
Professor, History, Virginia Commonwealth
University, author of At the Picture Show: Small
Town Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan
Culture (Smithsonian Institution Press).
Richmond, Va.

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor of Media
History, College of Journalism, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD; author of 12
books, including Who Owns the Media? winner
of the Picard Pri/e for the best book in media
economics, and Shared Pleasures: A History of
Motion Picture Presentation in the United States.
Current interest in the history of the coming of
television to the US, including New England.
Chase. Md. & Allenspark, Co.

Alan Kattelle, audior of a history of amateur
film, Home Movies - A History of the American
Industry 1897 - 1979, and cinematographic
researcher. Hudson, Mass.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving Image and
Audio Conservation at the National Archives of
Canada. Former member, board of directors of
the Association of Moving Image Archivists.
Ottawa, Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Department of Visual and Media Arts,
Emerson College, Boston. Author of "Bold!
Daring! Shocking! True": A History of
Exploitation Films, 1919-1959 (Duke
University Press). Boston, Mass.

Samuel Suratt Archivist for CBS News for 25
years and archivist of the Smithsonian
Institution. Founding member of International
Federation of Television Archives. New York,
NY.

TriciaWelsch, Ph.D. Associate Professor and
Chair of Film Studies, Bowdoin College.
Brunswick, Maine.

David Wexler, founder, owner and designer of
Hollywood Film Vaults, Inc. Design consultant
for cold storage film vault projects at Eastman
Kodak, Walt Disney Studios, and the Library of
Congress.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D. Professor of
Cinema and Photography, Roy H. Park School
of Communications, Ithaca College. Author,
Reel Families: A Social History of Amateur Film
(Indiana University Press) and States of
Emergency: Documentaries, Wars, Democracies
(University of Minnesota Press). Ithaca, NY.

Web: Online Collections Guide

Wonder if we have footage of,
say, old Bar Harbor? Satisfy
your curiosity with a visit to
our Website, www.oldfilm.org.

Our new Online Collections Guide
(OCG) provides access to descriptions of
the hundreds of moving image collec-
tions in our archives.

Updated, searchable and expandable,
the online guide is a vast improvement
over die booklet version which, like
many publications, was out of date by
the time it went to press. More than 1 00
collections have been added since the
guide was published in 1995.

We are even more excited by the future
die new guide represents. The database is
the Web equivalent of die Conservation
Center we're building behind die Alamo:
both are to the highest standards and
bodi have plenty of room for growth.

The database is our foundation for
future Web-based operations, such as
Reference by Mail transactions, sample
clips, even movies for free viewing,
downloading and reuse. Just as die
Conservation Center allows us to better
collect and preserve moving images, the
database is essential to our commitment
to make those holdings publicly avail-
able.

"This really provides a Website visitor
with a virtual experience of visiting
Nordieast Historic Film, searching the
collections and, if diey see something
diey like, taking it home widi them,"
says Webmaster Marko Schmitt.

Using the Guide

The OCG has more dian 300 audiovi-
sual collections, some as small as a single
short movie, others as large as thousands
of feet of television news film.

The Online Collections Guide permits
searching by collection name, accession
number or date. Advanced searches may
be conducted by a keyword or phrase — a
specific town or person, for example — or
by a combination of parameters, such as
date, location, subject and genre. Or, you
may browse an alphabetized scrolling
index of all the titles.

So if it's Bar Harbor you want, simply
enter "Bar Harbor" in the text or location
fields. Your search will yield a list of nine

collections that contain moving images
of the coastal resort town. Click on each
collection to pull up a summary of its
content, as well as details about total
footage, primary format, supplementary
media and more.

In the near future, each description
will be illustrated widi a still image. And,
if a videotape is available dirough
Reference by Mail or purchase, you'll
soon be able to make diat transaction
online.

Every visit to the Collections Guide is
different from the last. On the welcome
page, a list of new collections, with links
to descriptions, is continuously updated
as new holdings come in. On die same
page, a randomly chosen featured
collection changes hourly.

Yay Team!

NHF has, in effect, two Online
Collections Guides: the public pages on
the Website and administration sections
accessible only to staff for curatorial
work.

The project was funded in large pan
by a $1 5,000 Davis Family Foundation
grant, a sum matched by NHF in staff
time and equipment. The effort was
launched with an eye on the Association
of Moving Image Archivists' Moving
Image Gateway Project, a coordinated
effort to create standardized catalog
records at moving image archives
worldwide and put them online (see
www.amianet.org) .

In addition to Schmitt, our team
includes archivist Dwight Swanson, who
manages the content and updates it daily.
Systems administrator Arthur "Heavy"
Montgomery ("It's OK, even his mother
calls him Heavy," says Marko) manages
die hardware so our computers "talk" to
each odier. Our programmer is Marc
Garrett who, thanks to die wonders of
die Internet, did his job from New York,
Washington D.C., Atlanta and Australia,
finishing up in Singapore.

Next: A Lot More Digitizing

Another $250,000 must be raised for the
next phase, which involves digitizing
clips for online viewing, as well as
permitting online transactions such as

videotape rental and purchase.
Also, expect to see item-level
searches — diat is, searches that will yield
descriptions of the individual films and
artifacts that make up each collection.

We want to hear from you, too. Try
out the Guide and let us know what you
would like to see. Customer reviews of
videotapes? Links to lesson plans?
Feedback on how die footage has been
used? Email or call with comments and
suggestions: info@oldfilm.org.
207 469-0924.

Web Visits
Double in a Year

The number of people visiting die
NHF Website, www.oldiilm.org,
has doubled since a year ago.
Usage statistics show 9,200 "hits" a day
when school is in session (May 2002)
and an average of 8,196 daily hits, or
visits, at www.oldfilm.org in August
2002 — compared to 3,98 1 daily hits in
August 2001.

"While the statistics don't indicate
unique users, diey indicate usage, so diey
are exciting in that way," says Webmaster
Marko Schmitt. Current software, he
explained, does not distinguish repeat
users from unique, or individual, users,
nor does it reveal how visitors are finding
our site.

We might conclude that our partner-
ship with Time Warner Road Runner of
Maine is at least in part responsible for
the surge in Web visits, said Chad Gilley,
content editor for Road Runner. The
Road Runner home page,
www.aroundmaine.com, receives
45,000 page views a day, and some of
those visitors are almost certainly
following links to www.oldfilm.org after
they watch NHF video clips, Gilley said.

The Online Collections Guide
software will allow us to retrieve more
refined statistics about who is visiting our
site, including the number of individual
users and pages that attract the most
interest. W

Our Donation to Northeast Historic Film's

Capital Campaign

Name 1_
Address_
Phone

Name 2

Name to appear in Donor Recognition

Gifts of $300 or more will be permanently acknowledged at the Alamo Theatre in a beauti-
fully designed display.
O Please apply my/our gift to help meet the NEH Challenge.

Enclosed is a gift of (Cash, check, securities, credit card welcome.)

Credit card info M/C Visa Number Expiration date

I/we would like to make a pledge of $_

(Pledges must total $300 or more.)

Northeast Historic Film • PO Box 900, Bucksport, ME 04416

207469-0924 fax 207 469-7875 email OLDFILM@aol.com

Tax ID 22-2823713. Gifts are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Recent Moving Image Collections to September 2002

Anchor of the Soul Collection, 1 6mm film and Betacam SP videotape,

Anchor of the Soul
Belfast Historical Society Collection, Betacam SP videotape,

Belfast Movie Queen Clips

Ben Blodget Collection, Betacam SP videotape copy of amateur films
Alison Booth Collection, 16mm film, The Silent Enemy
Ivan Braun, Jr. Collection, 16mm film, Univ. of Maine at Tangerine Bowl
Paul Brouillard Collection, 8mm and Super 8 amateur films
Mark Butterfield Collection, 35mm film, Souvenir of North Conway
Camden Public Library Collection, 16 mm film, Maine Harbor Town
Camp Pasquaney Collection, 3/4-inch videotape, Pasejuaney
Gary Library Collection, '/4-inch videotape, Houlton Air Force Base Parades
Cochrane/Koski Collection, 3/4-inch videotapes, AUagash Canoe Trips, 1953-1958
Capstaff/Dennen Collection, 16mm amateur films
Larry Comstock Collection, Betacam SP videotape copy of

New England Fisheries: Cod

Georgena Comtois Collection, 8mm and Super 8 amateur films
Mark Disilvestro Collection, VHS videotape copy of amateur films
John Dougherty Collection, 3/4-inch and Betacam videotapes
Jessica Gordon Collection, miniDV videotapes, Bucksport Middle dr

High School Soccer

Jim Henderson Collection, 8mm amateur films
Hohmann Family Collection, 8mm and Super 8 amateur films
Amory and John Houghton Collection, 16mm amateur films
Jericho Historical Society Collection, 16mm film, The Old Red Mill
Daniel Lapointe Collection, 16mm film, Van Buren Movie Queen
Leadbetter Collection, 16mm film, Spool Mill Footage
Alan Lewis Collection, 16mm film, Unidentified Fishing Footage
Library of Congress Collection, 3/4-inch videotape
Maine Maritime Academy Collection, 16mm and 35mm educational and

training films

Maine Medical Center Collection, 16mm medical films
Maine State Library Collection, 16mm industrial film

J. Normand Martin Collection, 16mm film, The Quiet Frontier

Virginia McGaughran Collection, 8mm amateur film

Geoffrey McKonly Collection, 35mm amateur film

MeadWestvaco Collection, 16mm industrial films

Betsy Montandon & Keith Davison Collection, Super 8 amateur film

Harold E. Nelson Collection, VHS videotapes, amateur documentary footage

New Film Company Collection, 1 6mm films

New Hampshire Public Television Collection, VHS videotapes

New 7c-.il.inil Film Archive Collection, VHS videotape, A Daughter ofDunedin

William O'Farrell Collection, 35mm advertising film

Orgone Cinema and Archive Collection, Super 8 amateur films and

Maine Harbor Town

Orton Family Foundation Collection, VHS videotapes
James A. Phillips Collection, 1 6mm film, Sunrise at Campobello
Karen Saum Collection, Betacam SP and VHS videotapes, copies of amateur

films and LD 430: An Act to Prevent Discrimination
Don Saunders Collection, 35mm films

Scottish Screen Archive, 16mm film, A Window on American Education
Tom Slattery Collection, 8mm amateur film

Nicholas Smidi Collection, 16mm film, Maliseet Basket Making at Woodstock, N.B.
Snowden Family Collection, 8mm amateur films
Univ. of New Hampshire Collection, 16mm film, The Flooding River
Russ Van Arsdale Collection, 3/4-inch and VHS videotapes
Arthur Verow Collection, VHS videotapes

Vinalhaven Historical Society Collection, 8mm and Super 8 amateur films
Phil Von Stade, Collection, 16mm, 8mm and Super 8 amateur films
Vose Family Collection, 16mm and 8mm amateur films
Harold Wasson Collection, 8mm amateur film
Zac Weinberg Collection, VHS videotape, Shipoopi Showdown
David Weiss Collection, 3/4-inch videotape
Aagot Wright Collection, 1 6mm amateur films

Philip Yates Collection, 16mm film and 35mm educational films and newsreels
Ronald Yates Collection, 8mm amateur films H

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Every NHF member gets all these benefits:

• Moving Image Review, the only periodical with information
on northern New England film and video research, preserva-
tion, and exhibition.

• Advance notice of most screenings, events and new products.

• Two FREE Alamo Theatre weekend movie passes.

• Discounts on admissions to many Alamo Theatre and NHF
sponsored events.

• 1 5% discount on more than 70 Videos of Life in New
England and on moving-image related merchandise from
the Alamo Theatre Store.

• Free loan of more than 300 videos through Reference by
Mall. Each NHF member may borrow shipments of up to
three tapes at a time. The first shipment is always free,
including shipping! (Depending upon your membership level,
a $5 shipping charge may apply to shipments thereafter.)

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS AND BENEFITS PLEASE CHECK ONE:
G Individual Member, $25 per year. All benefits listed above.

O Educator/Student Member, $15 per year. All benefits listed
above for teachers, homeschoolers and students at any level.

n Nonprofit Organization, $35 per year. All benefits listed
above, plus additional copies of Moving Image Review upon
request.

G Household Members, $50 per year. All benefits listed above
apply to everyone in your household.

O Associate Members, $100 per year. All benefits listed above
plus two more free shipments of Reference by Mail videos.

G Corporate Membership, $150 per year. All benefits of
Associate Membership.

G Friend, $250 per year. All benefits listed above plus four
extra free Reference by Mail shipments.

G Patron, $1,000 per year. All benefits listed above plus a wide
choice of select premiums.

Name

Ifyoi

u would like more information about our

Email oldfilm@aol.com or Phone 800 639-1636.

Membership programs

Address .
City

State

Zip.

Phone

G Yes. I wish to receive the premium.

Please charge my credit card: G MC G VISA

Account #

Exp. date

G New O Renew

Signature of cardholder:

Name as you wish it to appear on membership list:

G My check is enclosed. (Please mike check payable lo Northeast Historic Film.)

Gift Membership

I would like to give a gift membership at the

level to:

Name

Address

City
State

Zip.

Phone

Return application to: Northeast Historic Film
P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 044 16

Or fax to 207 469-7875.

Your dues are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership at any level is an opportunity to become involved
with the preservation and enjoyment of our moving image
heritage.

The Reference by Mail catalog is available through NHF's website. Go to www.oldfilm.org.

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

Reference by Mail/Members ONLY

Titles:

Alternate Title:

Membership/Specify level

TOTAL

What is Preservation Without Access?

By Jane Donnell, Distribution Manager

"I don't watch anything else." "I get one
every year." "I'll take a catalog to our
local library." "I worked in the woods;
I'd like my grandkids to see what it was
like." "What have you got that's new?
I've got quite a collection of these tapes
at home." "Give me another copy of
Dead River, I had one but the wife got
it in the divorce."

Overheard at the NHF exhibit at the
Fryeburg Fair Farm Museum

From the earliest days at NHF people at
screenings and live events asked, "How
can I get a copy?" NHF Distribution
was created to answer that question.
Offering videotapes for sale and loan
soon became a cornerstone of providing
access while generating revenue for the
fledgling nonprofit. Today the goal
remains to provide wide access — and
there are new ways to achieve that goal.

New I < > mi .1 1 s

We have just completed our first DVD,

Dead River Rough Cut Director's Cut,

authored by Cinepost in Atlanta. They
were willing to take on an unusual

NORTHEAST

HISTORIC

FILM

P.O. Box 900
Bucksport, ME 0441 6

Change Service Requested

project and delivered a fine product
including full-motion menus. The latest
thing! We will expand the line of DVDs,
but never fear, we're not ready to
abandon VHS.

Electronic Frontiers

Distribution has been working to keep
up with changes in technology. At
Amazon.com's request we added bar
codes to our products. In addition to
the 1 00-plus stores around New England
that carry our tapes, we offer online
shopping at www.oldfilm.org as well as
through the Websites of dozens of our
wholesale accounts.

Two New Paper Catalogs

Many people still like a good old-
fashioned paper catalog. So we have just
published a new 16-page catalog of our
line, Videos of Life in New England,
with 14 new titles as well as 58 old
favorites. Our other catalog is the video
loan list, Reference by Mail, with more
than 300 tides. In the new edition we've
included prices for those titles that can be
purchased too. After all, if you fall in love
with Barns: Legacy of Wood & Stone,
wouldn't it be nice to give a copy to
someone? I

>n HCcisr Hisronc i ILITI

MOVING

IMAGE

REVIEW

Forbes children from 28mm family film. See Page 13. This
collection will be discussed during the Summer Symposium by
archivist Dwight Swanson.

National Film Summer Symposium:

Registry Addition Advancjng Educationf August 8 & 9

• IB •! i.ii does From Stump to Ship,
••••the 1930 logging film, have in
•• ^B common with Hollywood
classics Sabrina and In the Heat of the
Night?

All are recent additions to the Library
of Congress's National Film Registry,
which may be to the world of film what
the National Register of Historic Places is
to the built environment. The Registry
recognizes films of "cultural, historical or
aesthetic significance" and emphasizes
the importance of preserving them "for
all time."

Stump was selected because it captures
an era in northern New England history
and because of the way it reached die
public.

"It is a textbook case of how to make a
collection available and affect public
opinion and understanding of what an
archives does," says Stephen Leggett,
coordinator for the National Film
Preservation Board, which advises die
Librarian of Congress on Registry
nominations. "Its an illustration of how
a film preservation project can have an
impact on an entire region."

Librarian of Congress

After evaluating hundreds of nomina-
tions from film scholars and fans, the

Continued on Page 10

Sight, sound, and words. Moving
images use all three to immerse
audiences in powerful cultural,
historical, aesthetic and, of course,
entertaining experiences. Yet moving
images — particularly amateur films and
odier documentary records — are as yet
underutilized as educational resources.
They are too often conspicuously absent
from mainstream libraries and historical
archives and rarely tapped as primary
source material by students and
researchers.

NHF s Summer Symposium, Toward
Access, Interpretation and
Understanding, will focus on moving
images as educational tools. Topics range
from die practical (improving access to
obscure film formats) to die scientific
(how home movies may enhance our
understanding of psychiatric disorders).

The Symposium takes place at die
Alamo Theatre Friday, August 8, and
Saturday, August 9. Mark Neumann,
associate professor in the Department of
Communications at die University of
Soudi Florida, will moderate.

This is the fourth year for the gather-
ing, which consists of presentations
interwoven with discussions, screenings,
and good food.

Snowden Becker, editor for interactive I
programs at the J. Paul Getty Museum in
Los Angeles, will discuss how home

movies have inspired theories about
disorders such as autism and schizophre-
nia and sparked debate about their use in
psychotherapy. She will explore ethical
questions facing archives when home
movies are examined by an audience —
the medical community — that was
never meant to see them.

Becker will screen Natural History of
Psychotic Illness in Childhood, a case
study that used home movies, a family
photo album and a mother's diary as
supporting documentation of childhood
psychosis. She is seeking permission to
screen a home movie of gay singer-
songwriter Rufus Wainwright in child-
hood.

Continued on Page 7

Summer 2003

Conservation ( 'niter

Grants in Action

Far East Historic Film

IVcome a Member

Silent Film Festival

Muring Iniiifif Rcrit-u- is .1 semiannual

publication ol NmilK-.iM HisiorK Him,

P.O. IV. \ 'too, Kiuk-pui

IXivul S. \\i-iss. i-MMitivi- directot

Virginia Wright, writer .mil editor.

ISSN 69.

1 M.iil i)Ullilm(-'.ii..uli.t.iu-t
207 469-0924

Preserving and Making Accessible Northern New England's Moving Image Heritage • www.oldfilm.org

Executive
Director's Report

The Community Advisory
Committee described in the
adjacent column plays an impor-
tant role in helping us run a responsive
and financially viable 125-seat commu-
nity cinema. But I must admit tJiat diere
is a tension between the great suggestions
we get from people, including those who
never cross our threshold, and the
necessity to run the facility in the black.
The committee is part of the dialogue.

Financial considerations, sadly, make
many ideas impossible and that can be
frustrating for us all. We tried a Thursday
night series of foreign, independent, and
documentary films. It was a much
loved addition and showed growth over
three months, but we were losing over
$100 a week.

People have imaginative festival ideas,
but these require funding. In our first
year, 1999, we lost almost $20,000 on
jazz concerts and art films. Changes in
staffing, publicity, and a 50-cent ticket
increase helped close the gap in 2001 ,
and thanks to a 32% increase in
attendance at regular movies, we
appeared to break even.

In 2002 we grew another 14% but
more careful accounting showed that any
profit needed to be held back for rein-
vestment to keep the theatre in top
shape: equipment ages, carpets and chairs
get old, and other updates are required.
So it was another break-even year.

We have kept our ticket prices low and
are proud to deliver exceptional image
and sound quality. We use 100% real
butter on our popcorn, we buy every-
one's favorite brands of candy and we
stock a zillion kinds of soda. Where else
can you drink Moxie at the movies?
We're proud of The Alamo experience.

In 2003 people continue to come to
the Alamo and enjoy the shows but some
studios are trying to wring a little more
profit from their pictures, so our
expenses are going up. So far we are
seeing slow growth in audience numbers,
thus balancing out the increase in cost.

The NHF budget for 2003 set a goal
of an operational profit of about $10,000

Community Cinema: Movie Selection

The first Sunday of each month is
preview day at the Alamo Theatre:
everyone is invited to watch
promotional trailers and help select the
following months feature films.

"It's fun," says Johanna Wilhelm, who
with husband Bob is among the most
loyal members of the Alamos
Community Advisory Committee. "We
get a sneak peek at films, and it's inter-
esting to hear the opinions of people like
David Weiss who have more knowledge
of films than we do. Bob and I are not
film experts. When we started going, we
just liked to go to movies. We've gained
much more appreciation for the styles of
different directors."

125-seat auditorium from the booth, photo

Run \

from the cinema. Half is for maintenance
and improvements. Most of the balance
is spent on services promised to the town
including free shows for students.

Frank Hatch, who joined Northeast
Historic Film's board in 2000, has
stepped down. The board and I are
indeed sorry to see him go. Frank's
impeccable judgment and sound advice
were extremely helpful during his term.
While we will miss the formal affiliation,
we look forward to seeing Frank and
Bambi up from Castine on summer
evenings at the Alamo.

Still, the committee plays an important
role in helping us meet the challenges of
running a 125-seat community cinema.
Not the least of those challenges is
ensuring the facility's financial health.

The community cinema is part of
NHF's commitment to being a good
neighbor. When we purchased the Alamo
Theatre in 1 992, a big screen represented
public access to our collections, yet
limiting screenings to archival presenta-
tions would have been wasteful. Our
plans dovetailed with a Bucksport
economic development analysis that
identified a need for cultural activities.
With a $54,000 grant from the town, we
set out to make the Alamo a centerpiece
of downtown's revival.

"In the beginning, there was some
debate as to what we meant by commu-
nity cinema," says David Weiss. "Our
challenge was to show things that
appealed to the townspeople and specifi-
cally the kids so they wouldn't have to
leave town to find entertainment. But
we've got little kids, high school kids,
film fanatics — all kinds of people in our
community who like many different
things. One identity the Alamo couldn't
accept was that we'd offer something
acceptable to everyone every week."

Instead, we strive for variety. The
Alamo offers something for everyone, at
least once in a while.

Popular Movies & Those Not
Quite So Popular

"Popular movies are called popular for a
reason," Weiss says. "If you show more
demanding fare, you have a smaller
audience, but we try to have at least one
independent, art or offbeat choice each
month."

Besides screening trailers, the
Community Advisory Committee
reviews recent attendance figures, as well
as attendance trends for various genres.
They read trade literature and consider
box office receipts and reviews for new
releases. Often, the more adventurous
selections come from members who have
heard about them from friends or

reviews.

Continued on Page 6

The Archival
Minute

Most cinemas show promotional
trailers (strange name for
something screened before the
show), but how many offer regional
history connected to die main feature?
Our Alamo Theatre does.

Every week archivist Russ Van Arsdale
selects footage from NHF video and film
collections to show before die feature
presentation. We call it the Archival
Minute, but Van Arsdale says, "It's more
like an archival moment. Some run ten
minutes."

When the Alamo showed My Big Fat
Greek Wedding, the Archival Minute
was amateur film of a 1920s wedding.
When the feature was How to Lose a
Guy in Ten Days, in which Matthew
McConaughey plays an ad man, the
Archival Minute was a 1937 promotional
film about a Jefferson, Maine, fishing
lodge.

"We like to have it relate to the feature
film in some way, if possible," Van
Arsdale explains. "If that's not practical,
we have it relate to what's going on in the
news. There has to be a hook."

Snow and cold was on everyone's mind
the first week of January, so a 1937 home
movie of skiers (not very good skiers, at
diat) from the Harrie Price Collection
seemed appropriate.

In March, Van Arsdale indulged" in a
bit of "unabashed promotion" when he
selected The Story of Chase Velmo, an
industrial film from the Goodall Mills
Collection. The footage was part of our
upcoming Portland Museum of An
presentation, You Work, We'll Watch.

For each archival minute, Van Arsdale
prepares an audience handout with
background on the collection. There's a
definite buzz in the hall while these
unexpected bits appear on the screen.
Whether funny or serious, archival shorts
illuminate the connections between then
and now.

Most significantly, the Archival Minute
reinforces NHF's mission as an archives
dedicated to our moving image heritage,
especially for visitors who didn't know
the Alamo is more than just a very nice
cinema. H

Conservation Center
Nears Completion

Cube will soon be gleaming —
and so will we. The shiny metal skin
that is the distinguishing external feature
of our Conservation Center is to be
installed in May. This is an exciting
development. From the outside, the
Conservation Center will appear com-
plete, though it will be another month
before we start moving our collections
out of the Alamo and into the cold-
storage facility. Just one month!

The first media storage facility of its
kind in the Northeast and one of only a
handful nationwide, the Cube will
provide 27,000 cubic feet of cool, dry
and secure storage, essential to slowing
the decomposition of film and magnetic
tape.

Its novel design — a shiny windowless
cube — boldly reflects its mission.
Architect and NHF board member Terry
Rankine, who did the design framework,
has described the structure as a highly
efficient building-sized appliance.

The exceptionally cold and snowy
winter did not slow construction of the
Conservation Center, but it did raise
costs slighdy. "A few thousand dollars
extra had to be spent to heat the inte-
rior," says Executive Director David
Weiss. Fortunately, other weather-
afFected construction work, such as
pouring the foundation, was completed
before cold weather.

Walls are now up, wiring is in, and the
elevator has been installed. Humidity
and temperature controls are in place on
the one floor that will be occupied come
June.

Another $250,000 must be raised to
completely outfit the other two floors,
and finish the parking lot, green room
and basement storage areas. This will not
slow our move as the collections will now
fill just one floor. The other two are space
for growth. The availability of rental
storage space is beginning to attract
queries from organizations interested in
renting space to safeguard dieir collec-
tions. Weiss is considering die requests of
two potential clients and welcomes other
inquiries.

Our generous anonymous donor has
completed his $ 1 million pledge. The
final installment came, fittingly, on
Valentine's Day.

We are well along toward meeting die
terms of the $500,000 National
Endowment for the Humanities
Challenge Grant. NEH recently certified
that we had met the challenge to date,
releasing $375,000 of that award. To
unlock all the funds, NHF must raise
another $675,000 to build an $800,000
endowment by summer 2005.

David Weiss would be delighted to'
discuss the details of the challenge grant
with potential donors. •

truction continue* on our nru' Conservation Center

Grants in Action

What goes around comes around,
and that's a good thing.

In January, Executive Director David
Weiss and Archivist Dwight Swanson
visited Appalshop, a multidisciplinary
arts and education center in Whitesburg,
Kentucky. Their mission, to help
Appalshop address storage needs for its
extensive media collections, was funded
by the National Alliance for Media Arts
and Culture's National Peer Technical
Assistance Project (NPTAP). The grant
program is supported by the National
Endowment for the Arts and the John D.
and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation.

Weiss and Swanson were so impressed
widi Appalshop's education and outreach
programs that a two-way relationship
seemed desirable. Now NHF has
received its own $2,000 NPTAP grant to
bring an Appalshop consultant to
Bucksport this summer to help develop a
framework for education programs.

This is important in light of the
$500,000 National Endowment for the
Humanities Challenge Grant awarded to
NHF in 2002. Half of that grant is
earmarked for the Conservation Center,
while the other half supports expanded
educational services.

Regional Works & Youth Media

Appalshop, a nonprofit organization in
rural Appalachia, creates opportunities
for regional narrative through film and
video production, theater, music and
spoken-word recordings, photography
and books. Appalshop's Appalachian
Media Institute teaches young people to
use video and audio equipment to
document traditions and stories of
mountain communities.

In the process, Appalshop has amassed
a large collection of moving images and
audio recordings, and its storage space
has reached capacity. "For a while we
have been struggling with envisioning
how to store our collection," said Nick
Szuberla. "David and Dwight were really
able to help us develop where we needed
to go, especially with the vault. That was
a huge step."

Swanson and Weiss helped Appalshop
find more efficient ways to use its

existing space, a plan
that involves a rela-
tively small capital
expenditure. "What
David suggested for us
is so cool — it was a
'yes' moment,"
Szuberla said. "We
figured out how to use
our space in a way that
will help us tremen-
dously. This is going to
propel us into the next
twenty years."

Commitment to Community Issues

Weiss and Swanson had gone to
Kentucky as advisors and ended up
admirers of Appalshop's education
programs. "The people there are great,"
Swanson said. "It's very inspirational
because their products are top-notch and
they have such an incredible commit-
ment to community issues."

In the NPTAP grant application,
Karan Sheldon cited Maine's middle
school laptop program and the need for
NHF collections to be better known as
motivations for seeking Appalshop
advice. "We have never had an education
position on staff," she said. "Our work-
shops for teachers and field trips for
students have been on an entirely ad hoc
basis. This is no longer good enough."

Appalshop, Sheldon said, will make an
excellent partner because that organiza-
tion has experience balancing traditional
rural life, young people, and media
production.

At the archives, the Appalshop consul-
tant will meet with NHF staff and
advisors, as well as a small number of
educators and others. Recommendations
will be reviewed by NHF staff and board
in order to plan implementation.

American Film Institute
Preservation Funding

A $3,000 American Film Institute grant
will preserve H.P. Hood dr Sons New
Egg Room, an 8mm color silent piece
depicting the January 1957 opening of
the new egg room at the dairy's
Waldoboro, Maine, facility. The film was

Appalsht

"l>t Swanson and David Weiss.

donated to Northeast Historic Film after
it was found in a projector purchased at a
yard sale.

NHF was selected to receive the funds
in large part because of its commitment
to access, said Kim Tomadjoglou, curator
of API's National Center for Film and
Video Preservation. "Northeast Historic
Film's outreach and programming are
very, very impressive for a small archive,
better even than many much larger
archives," Tomadjoglou said. "It sets a
good precedent for other small archives
to follow."

The film is significant in part because
it is a small gauge format. Though largely
neglected by film archives and collectors
until recently, small gauge films like
Super 8 and 8mm have been central to
NHF s effort to preserve moving images
documenting life in northern New
England.

New Egg Room is a detailed record of
industrial life made by an amateur,
probably a Hood employee. The subject
is the workplace and factory processes,
shown in a relaxed and humorous way.
For example, one scene shows a man
waving and entering the ladies' room,
then emerging a few seconds later.

New Egg Room shows workers
inspecting eggs on a conveyor belt and
putting them in cartons and other
activities at the plant, one of many New
England facilities run by H.P. Hood, a
Massachusetts company. There also are
scenes of children at Boston Public
Gardens feeding birds and enjoying a
swan boat ride.

Education: The Digital Media Preservation Course
Maine Learning Group Developed in New Hampshire

Organizations with digital projects
featuring Maine content gathered this
winter to discuss coordinating their
resources for die benefit of students and
communities. The Digital Maine
Learning Group aims to elevate aware-
ness of members' efforts, particularly in
light of the Maine Learning Technology
Initiative, which supplies laptop comput-
ers to Maine's seventh and eighth graders.

Convened by Maine Representative
(and NHF Board President) Richard
Rosen and hosted by Bette Manchester
of the Department of Education, the
group's first meeting was devoted to
updates on projects. The next meeting of
the group will be hosted by Maine PBS.

The participants include:

Elaine Albright, University of Maine
Libraries, and Linda Lord, Maine State
Libraries. The libraries are working together
to create a digital library that will make more
information resources available on the
Internet.
www.library.umaine.edu/resources.htm

Richard D'Abate and Stephen Bromage,
Maine Historical Society. MHS has devel-
oped the Maine Memory Network, a Web-
based project with documents, maps, artifacts
and photos from many organizations.
www.mainememory.net

Jim Henderson, Maine State Archives. The
Archives, which holds the equivalent of over
90 million pages, will also make images and
text available through the Maine Memory
Network. The Town of Turner section on its
Website is prototype, www.state.me.us/sos/
arc/edu/turner/intro.htm

Judy McGeorge, Seymour Papert Institute,
The Learning Barn. The Learning Barn
supports the implementation of the Maine
Learning Technology Initiative through,
among other activities, an annual conference
offered with the University of Maine.

Bob Shafto, Center for Educational Services.
The Center has supported technology use in
Maine schools for 20 years, notably through
its SEED initiative, a statewide network that

Most communications majors
graduate widi little if any
knowledge of moving-image
preservation. That's a weakness that Jeff
Heinle, an assistant professor of humani-
ties at Colby-Sawyer College in New
London, NH, is trying to correct.

"I think it is the number one neglected
area in mass communications studies,
and that's ironic since part of what we do
is the history of movies and documen-
taries," says Heinle. "Our discipline isn't
doing a good enough job with one of its
cornerstones."

It took some doing, but Heinle
convinced Colby-Sawyer to offer a one-
semester media preservation course this
year. Heinle's nine students focused on
the skills, issues and history of media
preservation and examined media

Students from Colby Sawyer College tour the
Conservation Center construction. David Weiss,
back to camera, shows where the cold storage will be.
A window wall will light the new entry.

showcases the work of innovative teachers.
www.mainecenter.org

Marko Schmitt, Karan Sheldon and Dwight
Swanson represented NHF. The Online
Collections Guide supports NHF's effort to
make film and videotape available for use by
students and others.

programs and artworks that incorporate
archival footage. They spent a day at
Northeast Historic Film, where they
were introduced to the nuts and bolts of
running an archives.

Heinle's heightened awareness comes
from having worked in archives himself.
He was registrar of the Museum of
Television and Radios collections. He
also worked as a film and video preserva-
tionist at the Wolfson Media History
Center in Miami and a film and video
archivist at the Wisconsin State
Historical Society.

Challenges in Teaching Media
Preservation

A handful of U.S. colleges and universi-
ties offer Masters degree programs in
media preservation. Fewer offer under-
graduate courses. That's a shame, Heinle
says, because many
communications
graduates will go into
fields such as television
journalism or docu-
mentary filmmaking
that rely heavily on
archived footage.
One of die challenges
to teaching media
preservation is lack of
equipment and
materials.

Serendipitously, Everett
Woodman, a former
Colby-Sawyer presi-
dent, had recently donated to the college
amateur film shot in India, providing
materials for a case study. "I wanted the
students to actually look at film, to
handle it," Heinle says. "I wanted them
to go through the steps that an archives
would — examine the film, handle it,
make note of any damage, write up
catalog records."

Woodman worked in India during die
Fifties for the U.S. Information Agency
and other organizations, so his film
provides an opportunity to stimulate
students' interest in history and archival
footage's value as primary source material.

Continued on Page 10

Education: Earning Credit in the Study Center Community Cinema

James Grindle and Tessa Grindle in the library
preparing to scan Amateur Movie Makers covers.
Look for an online exhibition in the near future.

George Stevens Academy, a Blue
Hill, Maine, high school sent two
seniors to Northeast Historic
Film this winter as part of an indepen-
dent study program.

Tessa GrindJe and James Grindle
(they're not related, as far as diey know)
gave some much-needed organization to
our membership files, and catalogued our
postcard collection and home videos
from the Archie Stewart Collection.

"They were both very conscientious
and they got a ton of work done,"

'lamplain Theater. Swanton, Vermont,

in 1 91 7. ". . .above u><is Bullard's Hall. It's

some change. The lower part is cement. It

makes a very pretty building. You will notice

the electric lights at the top of the cement way

across the building. And the word ChampLun

M the top is lit up with lights at night. It's

pretty at night. " Q. David Bowers Collection,

inscription from the back of postcard from the

album of Dora Curtis. Her family owned

cinern cording to Danville,

Vermont, book dealer John F. Adams.

Northeast Historic Film collects images,

artifacts, and information reLitingli

New Hampshire, and Vermont cinemas.

archivist Dwight Swanson said. "I had to
keep coming up with work to keep them
busy."

Independent study is voluntary at
George Stevens, but die vast majority of
students elect to earn a half credit widi
an off-campus project, according to
Mary Durost, who oversees the program.
During the two weeks following
February vacation this year, more than
1 50 juniors and seniors participated,
compared to just 25 who continued their
regular studies.

"It is not just limited to job shadow-
ing," Durost said. "They go all over the
world. They can travel, diey can take art
courses or do something they've never
done before." The program is 30 years
old.

Tessa and James were steered to NHF
by uSeir faculty advisor, Libby Rosemeier,
who used to work at the archives. They
worked six hours a day, five days a week.
They were expected to keep a journal of
their experience, and diey will write a
final report about what they learned with
recommendations for others who might
choose the same project. H

Continued from Page 2

The committee creates an A list of top
choices and a B list of backups. "Quite
often die movie schedule doesn't end up
being the A list in its entirety," Johanna
Wilhelm says. "It depends on the
number of copies of a movie that are
available and how well it's doing in the
bigger markets. We don't have control
over diat." The wait for die surprise hit
My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for exam-
ple, was nearly three months due to
limited prints.

Wilhelm's taste in movies runs to light
comedies and foreign. Her husband
shares her interests, and he likes action
and science fiction flicks too. "The
challenge is you can't always pick films
you'd like to see," Johanna says. "You
have to think of the community as a
whole and what diey are interested in
coming out to see.

"You get to have input and you learn
things in die process. It gives you a
behind-die-scenes look at the movie
theater business. We've met some nice
people from the community too." H

Further Reading

Film History An International Journal,
Special Issue for 2003, contains an article
on From Stump to Ship by Janna Jones,
Ph.D.

New Way to Make
Financial Donations

00 you have an American Express
card? Now you can make a secure
online donation and receive
American Express points. The program
is coordinated with Guidestar.org, an
excellent source of information on
nonprofit organizations.

Visit our Website (address below) anc
click through to the American Express
I )onation Site. Enter "Northeast
Historic Film" in the Nonprofit Name
box. You will find our mission state-
ment, goals and detailed financial data.
At the bottom of that page click on
I )onate Now. Thank you!

www.oldfilm.org/capital/
onlineDonations.htm

No American Express card? Cash,
securities and bequests are most welcor

Media Preservation

Continued from Page 5

Heinle had students examine films
from the college archives and his own
collection, "so they could touch the stuff
and see the difference between 16mm,
Super 8 and 8mm, between magnetic
and optical sound track. You'd expect
people in mass communications to know
about formats."

During their NHF visit, students met
with Karan Sheldon and archivist Russ
Van Arsdale, who gave them a tour of the
Alamo, sharing fundamentals of acquisi-
tion, storage, and access. David Weiss
introduced the Conservation Center and
told how visits to other archives helped
guide NHF's facility design. "They were
astounded by the costs of running an
archives," Heinle says.

The day ended with a screening
showing a range of genres. The students
were particularly interested in the 1920
film The Making of an American, and
the student-made Mission Alpha
Centauri, a Super 8mm film inspired by
the first season of the TV series Star Trek.

Heinle will discuss his course at the
Summer Film Symposium in August. H

Screenings: You Work, We'll Watch

Maine, the way worklife used to
be, played to an enthusiastic
audience on a snowy evening in
March. Nearly 100 people braved slick
streets to view You Work, We'll Watch, five
films about earning a living, in the
Portland Museum of Art auditorium.

"We were thrilled to see the movies so
big," said historian Madge Baker of
Shapleigh, who introduced The Story of
Chase Velmo: The Perfected Mohair
Velvet, a 1920s promotional film about
Goodall Mills in Sanford. "Before this,
we'd only seen our film and From Stump
to Ship on television screens, so seeing
diem on die big screen was really
exciting."

Baker, the author of Woven Together in
York County Maine, was instrumental in
finding a home at NHF for Chase Velmo
and other 16mm reels found in the attic
of a Cape Porpoise home in 2000.
Detailing die manufacture of mohair
upholstery fabric, Chase Velmo offers
detailed views of New England textile
workers and technology.

It also is one of die few surviving
primary sources for Sanford mill history.
Another is its sister film, The Goodall
Summertime: The Story of Warm
Weather Profits.

From Stump to Ship, from die Fogler
Library Collection, has been used in
classrooms around New England and
screened in every kind of public hall
since restoration in 1985. The amateur

Portland Museum of Art st.itt
members Sarah I'illmorc, K.ithv
Bouchard, l;.d Storey, Rick Buck,
anil leres.i Lii;rani;e made the event
•A pleasure. Phil V.ites .mil I Xivid
\\ciss shlcpped .11 id ran projection
and sound. Joining us were N'l II
board members, advisors, and
friends Jim Phillips, Paul (ielardi,

Thompson, lorry Rankine, Pain
Winde, William O'FarreU and Bob
Brodskyand Ibni Trcadway. I hanks
to W( iSI 1 News and Time \\arner
Ro.nl Runner lor helping tell the
public about the

Maine summer camps will be the
foms ot a .sprint; -00-i screening at
mland Museum ol Art.

industrial film is still pleasing new
audiences: well over half of the attendees
raised hands when Karan Sheldon asked
who was seeing the 1 930 logging film for
the first time. Their gasps accompanied
scenes of men leaping across a river full
of logs floating downriver in the spring.
Alfred Ames, owner of a Maine lumber
company, was well aware diat he was
recording the industry's twilight years.

"Only 20 percent of films made before
1930 have survived," Pamela Winde,
founder of the Smithsonian Institution's
Human Studies Film Archives, told die
audience, "and diat refers only to films
made for dieaters. We have no way to
develop similar statistics for amateur
films but can assume that die number is
at best similar. Likely there are fewer
survivors. That Ames' script exists is
extremely significant."

The Power of the Past

At least a few in die audience were retired

firefighters interested in 24 Hours, a

1 963 docudrama weaving

recreated and real action

to depict one day at the

Portland Fire

Department.

After the screening, one
retiree shared his memo-
ries of a fatal fire engine
accident featured in the
movie with Ed Marks of
the Portland Veteran
Firemen's Association. "It
had a huge effect on
him," said Marks, who is
tracking down such
memories and is especially
interested in finding

concern on the part of firefighters about
safety issues being ignored."

The Bill Wilson Story, a fictional
1952 story of a Portland bus driver and
his family produced by Louis de
Rochemont and donated by filmmaker
James Petrie, promoted Greater Portland
social services. Though today solutions to
die family's conflicts seem excessive —
Bill's rebellious son is sent to a farm for
troubled youth and his wife is hospital-
ized for bed rest — their family stresses
are familiar. Of equal interest were the
scenes of Portland, including the water-
front, Congress Square and Maine
General Hospital (now Maine Medical
Center). This film and Chase Velmo
were preserved with funds from die
National Film Preservation Foundation.

Rare Footage of Hard Lives

A color home movie of carnival strippers
at a rural fair in 1964 documents
itinerant work life. The male barker, in
dark glasses, calls passersby to pay money
to see the women disrobe. Photographer
Susan Meiselas's book Carnival Strippers
is a superb record of this life, now extinct
in New England. The clip shown at the
Portland Museum of Art is die first
moving-image record of carnival strippers

Frame enlargement from The Bill Wilson Sta

firefighters who appear in the produc-
tion, which was commissioned by an
insurance company as a fire safety
education tool. "Ironically several
firefighters were injured during the
production," he said. "There was a lot of

in NHF s collections. The archives seeks
more such representations, particularly of
work not recorded in conventional
sources such as government, promo-
tional, and industrial films.

NHF Members

Continued from Page 8

Dave Davis

Linda Dean-Cassidy

Leland Dennett

Paul M. Densen

Margaret deRivera

Josephine H. Detmer

JeffDobbs

Donald Dollard

Jane Donnell

Daniel Donovan

Neal C. Dow

Stanley Earle

David Ellenberg

Deborah Ellis

Elaine Emery

Lynn Farnell

Patrick Ferris

David B. Field

Ellen Fisher

Judith Fogg

Evelyn M. Foster

George Fowler

Gary Fox

Karen D. Frangoulis

Deborah C. Friedman

Samuel E. Fuller, Sr.

Liz Fulton

Lincoln M. Furber

Julia Carder

Karen Gelardi

Sally Gibson

J. Douglas Gomery, Ph.D.

Dayton Grandmaison

Mary E. Grant

James Griebsch

Charles "Buckey" Grimm

Arnold Grindle

Gene Grindle

Phil Grindle

Russell Gross

Ernest Groth

Kathryn Grover

Doris Grumbach

Judy Hakola

Robert Hanscom

Elizabeth C. Harmon

Martha Harmon

Gerald P Hastings

Jeff Heinle

Edwin Howard

Dr. Stanley R. Howe

Doug Hubley

Douglas Ilsley

Michele Inglis

JoAnne Ivory

Gerald Johnson

Thomas F. Joyce

Keith Kanoti

John J. Karol, Jr.

Alan Kattelle

David Kee

Dr. Gaylen Kelley

Mary Sauls Kelly

Louis Kern

Jeff King

Jeffrey Klenotic

Dorothy Wills Knapp

Percy Lee Langstaff

Gary LaPlant

Paula Lee

Percy Maxim Lee

Edward Lennon

Paige S. Lilly

Linda Long

Ernie Luring

Bonnie Lounsbury

Howard P. Lowell

Richard Lownes

Barbara MacEwan

Charles MacKay

Hector MacKethan

Howard Mansfield

Patricia Matey

James Maxwell

Mary Ixmise McClelland

Edward McGrath

John T. Mcllwaine

Abbie McMillen

M. Sadie Menchen

Josie Merck

John Memman

Kathy Messier

Ann L Miller

Ruth Miller

Ellen H. Mitchell

Frances R. Mitchell

Paul H. Monahan

Dan Murphy

John F. Newman

William O'Farrell

Alvin Pease

Vick Pease

Franklin Perkins

Tcrrle Perrine

Leslie Jane Peterson

Martha Peterson

Court Piehler

Winneld Pipher

Gertrude O. Porter

Dr. Lloyd F. Price

Philip Price

David Quinn, Sr.

Elvie M. Ramsdell

William J. Raus

Dr. Ned Rendall

Gwilym Roberts

John Robinson

Priscilla Robinson

Roberto Robles

Sydney Roberts Rockefeller

Kate Rodda

Robert Rosie

Barbara Irwin Rossow

Wanda A. Rounds

Carolyn R. Rourke
Red Sarna
Karen Saum
Edwin Schneider
Tom Schroth
Wendy Schweikert
Mike Shapiro
Richard R. Shaw
Bernard A. Shea
JeffSias
Richard Sicko
l-aurence P. Sisson
Gary O. Smith
Kathryn E. Smith
Marcia R. Smith
Heather Spangler
Christine V. Spratt
Edward Squibb
Timothy Stone
Ann Swartzell
Merle Thompson
Joyce Turco
Sheila Varnum
Arthur C. Verow
Robert B. Waite
Tricia Welsch
( iregory Wentworth
Ginia Davis Wexler
Laura Whitcomb
Allene White
Heather K. White
John W. L. White
1 is.i Hare- Whitney
Phil A. Whitney
John R. Williams, Sr.
John Wint
Bruce Wintle
Norman Witty
Edith Wolff '
M ichele Wolverton
John E. Wraight, Jr.
Aagot Wright
Thomas Yoder
Nancy Ziegenbein

Educator/Student Members

Tim & Susan Allison-Hatch

Rosemary Anthony

Jennifer Aronson

Michael Aronson

Raymond Ballinger

Jo Barrett

Jim Bishop

Craig Bolint

Robin Bray

Richard Brown

RyanT. Brown

Gilbert Buker

Joseph Burbach

Lin Calista

Joanne D. Clark

Patricia Clark

Amy Clement

Peter DiGiovanni

Jakob Donnell

Melinda A. Duval

Rev. Carleton G. Foster

Scott Frazier

Joanne Frecker

Judith Frost

Angela Fuller

Stanley Gemborys

Sandra Harris Gilley

Christopher Glass

Ted Goodell

Rita A. Goodwin

Pam Haseltine

Mark Hibben

W. Daniel Hill

Margery Irvine

Beth Jackson

Ward Jarman

Richard D. Jenkins

Harry Kaisierian

Richard Kane

Polly W.Kaufman

Zip Kellogg

David H. Knight

Michael l-ang

Susan Cockrell LaPage

Nancy Leah

Ann Luginbuhl

Steranie McKeith

William Mercier

Kate Morse

Betsy Paradis

Eric Peterson

Jerriann Carmichael Pollard

Dale Potts

Dean Ramser

Dr. Carol Rice

Charlie Rodda

Kevin Ross

Catherine Russell

Jean Sargent

Pam Smith

Ben Soule

Linda Swasey

Beth Talbot

Sam Teel

Margorie Thau

Rachel Thibault

Carol Toner

Peter Townsend

Juris Ubans

Richard C. Valinski

Timothy Walsh

Charlene Webb

Tinky "Dakota" Weisblat

Ann Wheeler

George Wildey

Donald Wilken

C. Bruce Wright

Collections: 28mm Forbes Family Film

They smelled terrible. That's the first
impression Irving Forbes had of his
parents' home movies, which had
been stored and forgotten for decades at
his sister's house in Milton, Mass.

They looked terrible too. Some of the
cans had rusted clean through and coils
of film had stuck together into hard,
brittle bands. "I had to cut through the
congealed stuff with a hacksaw to get to
the film that wasn't damaged," says
Forbes, who is 80 and lives in Blue Hill,
Maine.

Next Forbes discovered that his
parents' projector was broken.
Wondering if he'd ever know what the
films contained, he called NHF.

"Irving diought they were 35mm,
which would be rare for home movies in
die late Teens and Twenties," says
archivist Dwight Swanson. "But as we
got to talking, he gave me some clues
that it was not 35mm but 28mm, which
is even more rare."

Very Few Cameras in the US

Padie'-Freres, a French company, devel-
oped 28mm film for home use as an
alternative to flammable nitrate and to
ensure exclusivity — dieir film couldn't
be shown on odier companies' projec-
tors. Pathe" made few inroads in the
United States, however, selling mostly
projectors and movies, but few cameras.
"I bet you wouldn't be far off if yo'u said
1 ,000 or less," surmises Alan Kattelle, a

More 28mm Film

A Round of Calls in Blue Hill ami
Snow White from the K;
( 'lam-ins ( Collection, shut by ( '"I.
I-.H. Richards in l')16, war a

..illy shot on -ISnini; 16mm topics
iv made by the family. The Alan

audio Collection contains a
number of 2Smm titles, most

rial

iticamly The Making of an
American, by thi laitDept.

Americanization, anil Peter Meets

t Menace, produced by the
mcric.m Tubcrculosi ;ion.

home-movie expert.

Forbes' father was not
your average camera buff.
Alexander Forbes was a
leading neurophysiologist
whose groundbreaking
biomedical engineering
research contributed to the
understanding of spinal
cord neural circuitry. A
veteran of both world wars,
he was an avid sailor and
airplane pilot. He received
die Charles P. Daye Award
from die American
Geographical Society for
mapping the coast of Labrador.

The doctor's athleticism was apparent
when Irving Forbes and Swanson viewed
die films on a light box at NHF. They
saw Alexander Forbes canoeing and
skiing and herding sheep on Naushon
Island in Massachusetts. There also were
images of Irving and his sisters as
children.

Forbes was eager to see die films in
motion but Swanson cautioned him
against projection. The film had likely
shrunk; the projector could well tear it
apart.

"I could tell Irving was frustrated," says
Swanson, who seized an opportunity
with the approach of the November
2002 annual conference of die
Association of Moving Image
Archivists in Boston. A
colleague, Sandra Joy Lee of
Industrial Light and Magic, is
a collector of movie machin-
ery. She had a hand-cranked
28mm projector that could
be safe to use with Forbes'
films.

And so it came to pass that
Irving Forbes, in a hotel room
with wife Margery and about
1 5 film archivists, saw his
father's home movies for the
first time in more than 60 years. There
was his younger self riding a tricycle and
playing in a Milton backyard. There, too,
was his athletic radier, formally dressed in
jacket, tie and hat as he paddled a raging
river and scaled a cliff. "Its kind of
amazing," Forbes says. "I hadn't seen

Sandra Joy Lee's 28mm projector at the 2002 Association of Moving
Image Archivists conference in Boston.

these movies since I was a teenager."
He was equally amazed, and a bit
amused, that others would be interested
in his home movies. "I shouldn't think
they'd give a darn about a baby in old-
fashioned clothes pushing a ball across
die floor," he says, "but of course diey
were excited about the 28mm."

"It was," confirms Dwight Swanson,
"an incredible moment."

Swanson videotaped die screening so
that Forbes can view his home movies
any time. He is also writing a grant
proposal for film preservation of die
1 2 reels of 28mm home movies in die
Forbes collection. 1

Margery and Irving Forbes at the archives. Photo by
Russ Van Arsdale.

Staff

David S. Weiss, Executive Director,

david@oldfilm.org
Peggy Coreson, Business Manager,

peggy@oldfilm.org
Jane Donnell, Distribution Manager,

jane@oldfilm.org
Dwight Swan son. Archivist,

dwight@oldfilm.org
Russ Van Arsdale, Archivist,

russ@oldfilm.org
Phil Yates, Facilities Manager & Theater

Board of Directors

Paul Gelardi, Cape Porpoise, ME

President, E Media, Kennebunk, specializing in
manufacturing technology and electronic media.

Vice President

James S. Henderson, Harpswell, ME

Maine State Archivist, administrative head of the
State Archives. Chairs Maine's Historical Records
Advisory Board. Ph.D. in political science from
Emory University.

Donna Loring, Richmond, ME

Penobscoc Indian Nation representative to the
Maine State Legislature. Penobscot Nation
Coordinator of Tribal, State and International
Relations. Sponsor of the state law, An Act to
Require Teaching of Maine Native American
History and Culture in Maine's Schools.

Martha McNamara, Orono, ME, & Boston, MA

Associate Professor of History, specializing in
cultural History and the History of New England,
University of Maine, Orono. Ph.D. in American
& New England Studies, Boston University.
President of the Society of Architectural
Historians, New England Chapter. Maine Historic
Preservation Commission member.

Treasurer

James A. Phillips, Bangor, ME

Co-founder of Trio Software Corporation, and an
independent property assessment consultant.
Former staff producer and director at WMTW
TV'; studied film at George Eastman House.

Terry Rankine, South Thomaston, ME

Board member, Owls Head Transportation
Museum. Founding principal of Cambridge Seven
Associates, Inc. Work includes architectural
design, urban design, and planning for worldwide
projects — educational and exhibition facilities.

President

Richard Rosen, Bucksport, ME

Owner Rosen's Department Store, Bucksport.
Maine state representative, member of
Appropriations and Financial Affairs, Ethics
Committees. Member, Maine Economic Growth
Council. Board member, Bucksport Regional
Health Center.

Karan Sheldon, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Co-founder of NHF. Advisory board member,
Maine Folklife Center. Member of Maine Film
Commission and International Advisory Council,
George Eastman House.

Nathaniel Thompson, South Portland, ME

President of Maine Radio and Television Co.,
LLC. Owns and operates CSP Mobile
Productions, based in Portland. Member of the
family-owned media group that in 1998 sold
NBC affiliates WCSH-TV and WLBZ-TV to
Gannett Broadcasting. Connecticut College
graduate.

David S. Weiss, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Executive Director and co-founder of NHF.
Previously media producer in Boston after
graduating in film and semiotics from Brown
University. Member, Maine Historical Records
Advisory Board.

Pamela Wintle, Washington, DC

Founder, Smithsonian Institution Human Studies
Film Archives. Member, National Film
Preservation Board. Founding chair. Association of
Moving Image Archivists' amateur film group,
Inexiits. Family roots in Skowhegan, Maine.

Advisors

Individuals with interest in the work of NHF as
an organization widi a vision for film, video and
digital preservation, with broad public access.

Gillian Anderson, orchestral conductor and
musicologist. Director of the Colonial Singers and
Players and author of Music for Silent Films, 1894-
1929. Washington, D.C., and Bologna. Italy.

Q. David Bowers, author of Nickelodeon Theaters
and Their Music, a history of the Thanhouser
Company, and over three dozen other books.
Antiquarian, business executive. Wolfeboro, NH.

Peter Davis, author of If You Came This Way: A
Journey Through the Lives of the Underclass, and
director of tiie documentary feature Hearts and
Minds. Castine, ME.

Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Cinema Studies/Communication, Georgia State
University. Author of At the Picture Show: Small
Town Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan
Culture (Smithsonian Institution Press).
Richmond, VA.

Douglas Gomery, Ph.D. Professor of Media
History, College of Journalism, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD; aurJior of 12 books,
including Who Owns the Media? winner of the
Picard Prize for the best book in media economics,
and Shared Pleasures: A History of Motion Picture
Presentation in the United States. Current interest
in the history of the coming of television to the
US, including New England. Chevy Chase, MD
& Allenspark, CO.

Alan Kattelle, author of a history of amateur film,
Home Movies — A History of the American Industry
1897 - 1979, and cinematographic researcher.
Hudson, MA.

William O'Farrell, Chief, Moving Image and
Audio Conservation at the National Archives of
( '.in.ida. Former member, board of directors of the
Association of Moving Image Archivists. Ottawa,
Ontario.

Eric Schaefer, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Department of Visual and Media Arts, Emerson
College, Boston. Author of "Bold! Daring.
Shocking! 7 rue": A History of Exploitation Films,
191 9-1959 (Duke University Press). Boston, MA.

Samuel Suratt, Archivist for CBS News for 25
\i-.irs and archivist of the Smithsonian Institution.
Founding member of International Federation of
Television Archives. New York, NY.

Tricia Welsch, Ph.D. Associate Professor and
Chair of Film Studies, Bowdoin College.
Brunswick, ME.

David Wexler, founder, owner and designer of
Hollywood Film Vaults, Inc. Design consultant
for cold storage film vault projects at Eastman
Kodak, Walt Disney Studios, and the Library of
C .ongress. Los Angeles, CA.

Patricia Zimmermann, Ph.D. Professor of
Cinema and Photography, Roy H. Park School of
Communications, Ithaca College. Author, Reel
Families: A Social History of Amateur Film (Indiana
University Press) and States of Emergency:
Documentaries, Wars, Democracies (University of
Minnesota Press). Ithaca, NY. H