The Jack Benny Program: "The Harry S Truman Show"
11/18/59. 30 min
DIR: Seymour Berns. PROD: Seymour Berns. WRITERS: Sam Perrin, George Balzer, Al Gordon, Hal Goldman. WITH: Jack Benny, Harry S Truman, Eddie Anderson, Don Wilson.

Jack Benny travels to Independence, Missouri for a visit with Harry S Truman and receives a guided tour of the Truman Library from the former President. The two friends talk informally, trading quips about Benny's vanity and reputation as a cheapskate. Truman outlines the purpose of the library, describes the presidency's many and varied facets, and shows Jack memorabilia from his years in the White House.

Dedication Day: NBC Washington Studios Dedication Ceremony
5/22/58. 30 min
DIR: Frank Slingland. WITH: Stuart Finley, David Brinkley, Ray Scherer.

Preserved from the oldest color videotapes known to have survived, this historic program documents the dedication ceremonies of WRC-TV, NBC's new studios in Washington, DC, the nation's first installation designed and built from the ground up for color television broadcasting. At the ceremonies President Dwight D. Eisenhower serves as chief speaker, his appearance marking the first color telecast of a president to originate from the nation's capitol. With the push of a button from NBC executive Robert Sarnoff, the black-and-white image miraculously turns into color.

NBC News Special Report: "Nixon-Khrushchev Debate"
7/25/59. 20 min

At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow on July 24, 1959, Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev held an impromptu debate while standing before an exhibit of American color television equipment. Their lively exchange was recorded on color videotape and flown to the U.S. where it was aired on all three American networks the following day. The Archive presents this historic encounter as presented by NBC, with preserved color footage replacing portions originally broadcast in black-and-white.

John F. Kennedy Speaks to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association
9/12/60. 30 min

One of the most controversial issues that arose during John F. Kennedy's presidential bid surrounded the candidate's religion. Many voters feared that Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, would consider himself ultimately answerable not to the American people, but to the Pope and the Vatican. Kennedy and his advisors realized the necessity of neutralizing this vexing issue as quickly as possible, and an invitation to address a special gathering of the Greater Houston Ministerial Association was seen as the perfect opportunity to do so. Held on September 12, 1960 in Houston's Rice Hotel, the meeting was also telecast as a paid political broadcast throughout Texas on a special 22-station network. Following introductory remarks by an association official, Kennedy delivered a forceful speech. Afterwards, he answered questions from the audience in a calm, convincing manner, putting the issue of his Catholicism to rest once and for all.

Presented by Dan Einstein, Television Archivist.

BetacamSP, approx. 120 min.

The Hearst Metrotone News collection contains much more than just a visual record of the military and political events of the 20th century. Newsreel cameramen captured fads, stunts, obscure talents, polished performers and publicity seekers, as well as presidents, generals and prime ministers. Some of the more interesting examples of this kind of newsreel story are from the first five years of sound production.

In addition to stories about unusual inventions and interesting animals, we will be screening several stories which amount to the newsreel equivalent of music videos. Stories with titles such as "Old Time Fiddlers Have a Jamboree," "U.S. Boy Violinist Amazes Europe," and "Chinese Co-eds Give a 'Kitchen' Recital" will be shown. These stories illustrate the wide range of musical styles showcased once sound became available to newsreel producers.

Those familiar with newsreels from World War II will recall dramatized editorials featuring big-name stars reminding the home front to conserve, recycle and that "loose lips sink ships." However, this type of screen editorial was used years earlier. One example of an early dramatized newsreel editorial will be shown in which a character identified as "Mr. Courage" will explain to "Mr. Fear" just how to fight the Great Depression.

There will also be appearances by Will Rogers, Eleanor Roosevelt and Buster Keaton. Jimmy Durante, who was then going by the name "Schnozzle," rather than the more familiar "Schnozzola," will make two appearances.

During the first five years of sound newsreel production the trademark voiceover style that came to be identified with newsreels had not yet become the norm. At the dawn of the sound era, newsreels were produced in a manner virtually identical to their silent precursors. The only difference being that music was played during the title sequences and only ambient sound was heard during the story. Tonight's presentation will show how the transformation to an off-screen narrator began and how it was all but complete by 1934.

*NOTE: All of the newsreel footage to be screened has been restored as well as preserved.

Presented by Blaine Bartell, UCLA Senior Newsreel Preservationist; Jeffrey Bickel, Newsreel Preservationist.

This evening is sponsored by the Ralph and Joan Goldwyn Newsreel Screening Endowment Fund.

35mm, approx. 120 min.

Amateur filmmaker Sid Laverents burst into national attention in 2000 at age 92, when his short film Multiple Sidosis was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry. He turns 100 on August 5th. The Sid Saga is his magnum opus and an undiscovered masterpiece. It chronicles his family's many moves across the country in the early part of the century searching for work, his marriages and his many careers--which included barnstorming vaudevillian, dishwasher, sign painter, Fuller Brush salesman, carpenter, soldier, sheet metal worker and literally, rocket scientist. Finally it chronicles his later years as a filmmaker, spanning everything from eccentric nature documentaries to mind-boggling comedies. The film is the story of one life and an American century. Twenty years in the making and soon to be preserved by UCLA, this unknown gem will receive its Los Angeles premiere in a special tribute screening to Sid.

Presented by Ross Lipman, UCLA Film Preservationist.

In Person: Kim Cooper--Scram magazine; Jake Austen--Roctober and Chic-A-Go-Go; Sid Laverents (TBC), Fritz Harshbarger--amateur filmmaker.

Please note: This screening will be held at the James Bridges Theater on the UCLA campus.

35mm (blow-up from 16mm), approx. 120 min.

35mm (blow-up from 16mm), 10 min.

The Night of the Hunter (1955) is the only classic motion picture for which the original rushes, or trims and outs, survive. All of this material was left on the cutting room floor by director Charles Laughton and film editor Robert Golden almost half a century ago. While there is no "missing" footage here, these rushes provide the viewer with a unique understanding of how neophyte director Laughton coached and interacted with his performers, helping them develop their characters onscreen. Because Charles Laughton liked to keep the camera running between takes, we hear his offscreen voice directing and motivating the performances of Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Billy Chapin, Sally Jane Bruce and other actors.

Viewing the rushes provides an insightful study of the filmmaking process. One can analyze not only Laughton's directorial technique, but also the skill of the editor and the cinematographer. Variant camera angles are shown and lines of dialogue can be heard that are missing from the final film. The rushes illustrate Laughton's talent as both a director and an actor for he is heard playing all of the parts himself. He is the consummate performer, someone who can play any role—man, woman or child—with ease.

The outtakes to be screened have been carefully selected from more than eight hours of surviving material, and represent an alternative view of all of the film's most memorable sequences. For enthusiasts of The Night of the Hunter and for those keenly interested in how this classic motion picture was created, this will be a fascinating evening of discovery.

Presented by Robert Gitt, UCLA Preservation Officer.

This evening is dedicated to the memory of Jack Skirball and acknowledges the establishment of the Jack Skirball Archive Fund at UCLA.

SPECIAL ADDED ATTRACTION: Author Preston Neal Jones will be signing copies of his book, Heaven and Hell to Play With: The Filming of THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. "Universally hailed as the definitive history of HUNTER, Jones's book benefits from viewing virtually all of the Laughton rough footage and out-takes, plus personal interviews with the film's cast and crew, including stars Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish."

Approx. 180 min.

Harold Lloyd's 12th silent feature film was Welcome Danger, directed by Ted Wilde and Mal St. Clair—but wait a moment! Welcome Danger was directed by Clyde Bruckman, and it was Lloyd's first sound feature, wasn't it? What's going on?

Welcome Danger was indeed begun as a silent directed by Wilde, who was replaced due to illness by St. Clair. But the sound revolution was in full swing by the time the production had wrapped, and Lloyd, fearful of releasing a silent in a talkie-dominated market, reworked the story, replaced the cast and some of the crew, scrapped most of what had been shot, and started all over again, shooting silent and sound versions simultaneously.

Unfortunately for comedy fans, the abandoned Welcome Danger is lost but the subsequent sound and silent versions remain in existence, preserved by the Archive.

Grosses for the sound version were higher than for any other Lloyd picture (due primarily to the novelty for theater patrons of hearing the star speak), but contemporary reviews were not uniformly enthusiastic. Though Lloyd believed it to be a success at the time, in later years he wished it had remained a silent.

The silent version, for the most part adapted from the talkie version, was released as well, to accommodate theaters that still had not converted to sound. While the differences between the two are minor, the sound version is, admittedly, minor Lloyd, rife with many of the pitfalls associated with early sound movies—although even minor Lloyd is entertaining.

The silent version somehow just seems funnier, the comedy comes to life in ways the sound feature—weighed down by unnecessary and improvised dialogue, grunts of exertion and cries for help—could never quite manage. And though hampered by some of the same problems that beset other silent versions of sound films—particularly an overabundance of titles meant to reproduce as much of the dialogue as possible—in general, Welcome Danger works better as a silent. Snappier and better paced than its sound double, it proves an enjoyable coda to a silent film career that was among the cinema's brightest.

This double bill presents both the silent and sound versions of Welcome Danger for a unique and fascinating chance to compare the two films and decide for yourself!

Presented by Jere Guldin, UCLA Film Preservationist.

Live musical accompaniment for silent version by Michael Mortilla.

Screenplay: Clyde Bruckman, Lex Neal, Felix Adler, Paul Gerard Smith. Cast: Harold Lloyd, Barbara Kent, Noah Young. Approx. 240 min.