Legendary Lowell Thomas

Introduced Travel Films to

Greensburg College Club

Legendary Lowell Thomas first introduced travel films to the College Club of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in 1930, but it would take another 14 years before the organization began a proper film series—a series that is still going after 55 years.

Barbara Cope Hillis, today’s club film chair, dug back into the group’s archives to bring us up-to-date on the origin of the series and what’s doing today.

Thomas was fresh from making the first complete aerial tour of Europe, when he dropped into Greensburg to lecture on his Through Romantic India and into Forbidden Afghanistan, illustrated by what was described as “his own remarkable motion pictures, which were gorgeously colored and said to be as fine as any pictures ever made.” The program added that the famous adventurer—who had made Lawrence of Arabia famous—entered Afghanistan “through the supposedly impossible Kyber Pass—after spending two years getting permission.”

It’s interesting to note here that our Travel Adventure Cinema field also had a connection—if somewhat tenuous—to Lowell Thomas. Here’s the story.

In 1981, our late great travel film adventurer Col. John Craig wrote a letter to his old friend, co-adventurer Lowell Thomas, extending honorary membership in our filmmakers’ organization, then known as Impala—for the International Motion Picture and Lecturers Association. John was Impala’s chairman of the board when Impala staged the first International Travel Adventure Film Festival in Palm Springs. His own book, Danger Is My Business, was a hit when it was published in 1938. He later had a popular TV series by that name. (TAC Publisher Ralph Franklin, a filmmaker in those days, was Impala president.)

Thomas, of course, graciously accepted John’s offer, but never attended any Impala film events because he died later that year at age 89.

Incidentally, Lowell Thomas was born in Darke County, Ohio, where a museum on his life is located. Several TAC shooters also have some of their archives filed there.

Back to Greensburg. Barbara reported that when the club inaugurated its first “official” film series in 1954 it booked three speakers: Dr. Arthur Twomey, director of education at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University). He showed his film on Florida.  Karl Robinson, a popular nationally known filmmaker, presented  A Journey Through Switzerland. And  Cleveland P. Grant, a cinematographer for Walt Disney, showed Adventure in Color -with American Birds and Big Game.

 Barbara pointed out that “Mrs. Grant operated the projector for her husband, a practice that continues today by Sue Denn and many other wives.”

She reported that profits from the College Club series have provided 285 students scholarships totaling $286,000.

 If you’re in the neighborhood drop in to catch  the filmmakers on the club’s 2009-10 schedule:

Oct. 19—Sea to Sea in a Model T, Don Van Polen.

Nov. 16—Tuscany—John Wilson.

March 15—Iran—Buddy Hatton.

April 19—Barbados: Islands in the Sun—Steve Gonser.

(Note: A related story about TAC helpmates appears below in Jump Cuts.)

Young Filmmakers Already

 In the House of Tomorrow

Some of us weren’t expecting too much from the young high school filmmakers who, dropped into Laguna Woods, CA, to show their latest efforts. Were we surprised.

The first film, shown by Kalen Hadley, was The Unexpected Job. It concerns a father who,  hired to collect a debt from a young singer,  discovers she is his daughter—a daughter he hadn’t seen in years. The black and white film had a touch of noir, with its old 1950s era garb, mikes and phones.

The second film, by David Ruby, was a fantasy story entitled The Pool— about an ordinary swimming pool that suddenly turns mysterious when anything—inanimate or living—disappears upon entering the water.

The last film, a documentary shown by Kiope Gyzen, was The Imaginator—a vignette of a real person—an over-the-top entertainer who reveals his inner self as he shows off his agglomeration of jury-rigged puppets, masks, daggers and other offspring of his imagination. 

These outstanding short videos were produced by film students from the Orange County High School of the Arts Film & Television Conservatory in Santa Ana, California, and shown to members of the Laguna Woods Village Video Club.

The conservatory’s proud director, Aaron Orullian, a Hollywood escapee, proudly announced that The Imaginator had won a $10,000 national prize for Miss Gyzen, who is graduating in June and heading for a college film school, of course.

What impressed the Video Club members—mostly seniors—in age, not high school—was the expertise of the young film students, ranging in age from 16 to 18. They were making films far beyond their years— and some of the club members’ own ability.

The members—as  parents and grandparents— might well recall these cautionary words about youth written by Kahlil Gibran:

You may house their bodies but not their souls.

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow. 

For these students tomorrow looks bright indeed.

Praise for Our TAC Mates

Barbara Hillis’ comment on wives at the projector (see story above) reminds me that much too often we fail to acknowledge how important these hard-working, talented, wonderful mates contribute to the overall production and presentation of our films. They are equal partners in all our TAC endeavors.

When they are not there beside us on the road…it’s not the same. They offer companionship, encouragement (with an occasional nudge to keep us focused) and to help with such on-the-road tasks as auditorium set-ups, running projectors, minding wardrobes and navigating us from point A to B— sometimes in weather that would even force fearful truckers to take shelter in the nearest Motel 6 or Wal-mart parking lot. I’m not even going to touch on the help they offer for our foreign travel arrangements.

 So, I would like to lift a glass of premium bubbly to today’s what-would-we-do-without-them TAC “help-mates,” in no particular order:

Rosetta Williams Jodie Gintner, Marsha Brown, Brooke Reidelberger, Yvonne Gonser, Denise Wilkins, Sarah Ravetch, Mary Lee Nolan, Sheila Wolfe, Jackie Gillette, Sharon Ray, Elaine Smith, Yvonne Gonser, Denise Wilkins, Margaret Hartman, Fran Van Pollen.

We also shouldn’t forget the loved ones of our booking agents: Bridget Williams, Carole Franklin and Jeff Kelly. 

I’m not about to enumerate all the many wives of TAC retirees—living or dead. Not enough space. 

Rick Ray and Karen Shareff.

 

 

Karen of the Casbah

Everyone attending the World on Film series in Laguna Woods looks forward to the next show to find out what Presenter Karen Shareff will be wearing when she introduces the film artist.

To introduce Rick Ray when he recently dropped by with his fine Morocco film, Karen came onstage wearing a caftan and head adornment—right out of 1001 Nights.

The audience loved it—as they did their visit to the Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez and the Sahara.

 

Stan Walsh Heading for Italy

Filmmaker Stan Walsh is heading for Northern Italy this summer to capture additional footage for his Italian Lakes Adventure film that will also include a bit of Venice. He  returns mid-July.

As a backup, Stan is taking a small high def—1080i—camcorder, the  Sony HDR-HC7 with a CMOS sensor and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonar lens. The camera belongs to son Captain Peter Walsh of Tacoma, who is a good shooter in his own right—when he’s not at sea  on charter cruises.  Stan says he’s not switching to HD production, however. Not yet.

Italy is one of his favorite haunts. He used to live and work there as an engineer BTF—Before Travel Films. His first film  on that beautiful country was called Tuscany—Italy’s Golden Province. It played well in such places as the Town Hall in Manhattan, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Philadelphia Geographic.

Despite all that he didn’t give up his day job. That would come later. Then he was too busy  helping build Dulles International Airport. 

Tags: Col. John Craig · Larence of Arabia · Lowell Thomas · Orange County · Pennsylvania

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