Itinerant Filmography, North America

With an increased number of local newspapers available online, and with numerous regional library collections now searchable from locations all over the world, investigating itinerant-produced films proves a rich and, more than ever before, viable subject. The challenge of creating any kind of definitive filmography, however, serves as the flip side to the excitement of that research—whatever list we publish now will likely be out of date by the time it is being read. With that disclaimer firmly in place, what follows is the first attempt to create a filmography of itinerant filmmaking practice in North America. Although influential research has been undertaken on this subject in the United Kingdom as well as in Australia and New Zealand, attempts to do so in North America, and particularly in the United States, have been hampered by the lack of a formalized regional film archive network, by geographical difference, and by other issues endemic to a more pluralist cultural preservation policy. (For more information related to the network of U.K. film archives and repositories, see http://www.bufvc.ac.uk/faf/databases.htm).

Filmography data have been organized by filmmaker and/or production company as well as by geographical location. When possible, production dates and film titles (or approximations thereof) have been included. If all films listed within a series use the same title, then only the locations have been referenced in the body of the text. Extant film or video copies are listed in endnotes that appear after the filmography or within brackets. Please note that newsreel series produced by local production companies or purely local, one-off productions have been excluded from this list. We hope that this filmography will assist in uncovering new film and video copies of this kind of material as well as encourage the discovery of new locations, productions, filmmakers, and series. Many of the directors and producers referenced here claimed to have created hundreds on hundreds of films, and from the information unearthed thus far, there is no reason to doubt such claims. To contribute additional information or corrections, please e-mail Caroline Frick (cfrick@mail.utexas.edu).

Amateur Services Production: See Yourself and Your Town in the Movies Series (ca. 1930–1950)

United States: Illinois: Rossville (1939);¹ Missouri: Chillicothe (1939), Kirksville (1937),² Maryville (1940);³ New York: Pulaski (1938), Jamestown (1938);⁴ Ohio: Independence [film aka Welcome] (1935),⁵ Lancaster (1937), St. Clairsville (1939–1940);⁶ Pennsylvania: Aliquippa (1937),⁷ Bellefonte (1941),⁸ California (1935),⁹ Gettysburg (1940–NOTE: The local Lions Club chapter canceled the contract with Amateur Services Production before the film’s completion), Hamburg,¹⁰ Hatboro (1939–1940),¹¹ Lansford (1939), New Holland (1939); West Virginia: Elkins (1938),¹² Charles Town (1941),¹³ Whitesville (1937); Wisconsin: Reedsburg (1939),¹⁴ Rhinelander (1939–1940),¹⁵ Sauk City (1939),¹⁶ Prairie du Sac (1939)¹⁷

Amateur Theater Guild: Movie Queen Films (1934–ca. 1940s) Director(s)/Producer(s): Emilene Bouge, Madeline A. Chaffee, Margaret Cram/ Margaret (Cram) Showalter, Anne L. Lambert, Marilyn Lundy United States: Indiana: Logansport (1938); Maine: Bar Harbor (1936),¹⁸ Bath,¹⁹ Belfast (1935), Bucksport (1935), Camden, Dexter, Eastport (1936), Lincoln (1936),²⁰ Lubec (1936),²¹ Madison, Newport (1936),²² Van Buren (1935); Massachusetts: Greenfield (1935), Groton (1939), Leominster (1935), Norwood (1934),²³ Reading,²⁴ Rockland/Abington (1938),²⁵ Minnesota: Brainerd (1937); Montana: Helena (1938); North Carolina: Burlington (1936), Wilmington (1938); Ohio: Zanesville (1936–?); Pennsylvania: Monessen (1941–?); South Carolina: Marion (1937); South Dakota: Huron (1938); Tennessee: Kingsport (1938–1939), Morristown (1939); Texas: Abilene (1938), Big Spring (1938); Vermont: Middlebury (1939);²⁶ Wisconsin: Appleton (1938–?)

Melton Barker Productions/Melton Barker Juvenile Productions (ca. 1932–1975) Director/Producer: Melton Barker (NOTE: Some titles might have been directed/produced by “Barker impersonator” George Sanderson. Such titles are indicated by [GS].)

The Kidnappers Foil Series: United States: Alabama: Anniston (1938), Birmingham, Opelika (ca. 1940s); Arizona: Tucson (1951); Arkansas: Blytheville (1936, 1951, 1969, 1975), Camden (1937), Fayatteville (1969), Fort Smith, Hope (1937), Little Rock, Pine Bluff (1952 Little Rock, Pine Bluff (1969),²⁷ Texarkana; California: Fresno (ca. 1950s), Long Beach (1961), San Diego (ca. 1950s);²⁸ Florida: Miami...