In case the Bob Dylan Birthday Party on May 24th isn't enough fun, on the following evening, May 25th, the East Tennessee Historical Society is hosting the first in a film series featuring historical footage from East Tennessee. First up:

May 25, 2007

The Motion Picture Films of Jim Thompson 1915-1950

By request, we bring back one of last year’s popular programs for those who missed it or have asked to see it again! Renowned and revered as one of Knoxville’s most famous commercial photographers, few are aware that Jim Thompson also made motion pictures.

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Generously made available from the Thompson family, these films feature the earliest known moving images of Knoxville, dating from 1915 and capture every facet of Knoxville life.

Location:

The East Tennessee History Center
601 S. Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
Time: 7 PM
Admission: Free

Our friend JB at Lynnpoint Records recently introduced us to Bradley Reeves, whose work along with Louisa Trott at the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound makes this film series possible.

Bradley is also working with WBIR on their 50th Anniversary "Our Stories" series, and also worked on this amazing archive of Knoxville musical history, the "St. James Sessions". Bradley is an interesting and super nice guy who is clearly committed to his work as an archivist dedicated to preserving history for future generations.

Click read more for contact info and more details about the East Tennessee Historical Society film series, the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, and the upcoming films...

All screenings begin at 7pm and are free to the public.

Location:
The East Tennessee History Center
601 S. Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902

The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, in conjunction with the East Tennessee Historical Society, invites everyone to attend a special upcoming film series devoted to the historical images and musical legacy of East Tennessee. Rare home movies, many filmed over 70 years ago, and missing-in-action television programming from the past have been recently transferred and made accessible once again from the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound. TAMIS is a newly formed non-profit archive devoted to collecting, preserving, and making available to the public the moving images and recorded sounds of East Tennessee.

Contacts:
Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound
Bradley Reeves or Louisa Trott
865-212-5634
tamis33@gmail.com

East Tennessee Historical Society
Cherel Henderson
865-215-8823
cherel@east-tennessee-history.org

May 25, 2007
The Motion Picture Films of Jim Thompson 1915-1950

By request, we bring back one of last year’s popular programs for those who missed it or have asked to see it again! Renowned and revered as one of Knoxville’s most famous commercial photographers, few are aware that Jim Thompson also made motion pictures. Thompson began his photography business in 1902, capturing every facet of Knoxville life with his still camera. During the early 1910s, Thompson acquired a 35mm movie camera, and began working as a stringer for Pathé Newsreels. In addition to his newsreel photography, Thompson filmed special events and snapshots of the residents of Knoxville, occasionally producing two reel shorts that were shown in local theaters. Thompson also acted as the official motion picture photographer for the University of Tennessee football team. Generously made available from the Thompson family, these films feature the earliest known moving images of Knoxville, dating from 1915 and capture every facet of Knoxville life. Included in the program are some of the first home movies ever made, a 1931 Gay Street parade, historic downtown footage, a vintage 1930s UT Vols football game clip, a 1931 University of Tennessee student film, and panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Each film displays Jim Thompson’s tremendous skills as a photographer, often utilizing the latest camera technology and special effects experimentation to produce films a cut above the average cinematographer.

Sponsored by the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority

June 22, 2007
This Is Cas Walker

Back by popular demand! One of Knoxville’s favorite local icons returns for a repeat performance of last year’s popular screening! Cas Walker wore many hats; grocer, politician, and long-time radio and television variety show host. Each job was done in Walker’s unique tell-it-like-it-is style. Love him or hate him, Walker was a major force in Knoxville business and politics, and gave hundreds of area musicians a break on his long-running Cas Walker Farm and Home television program. Recently discovered film clips from the WBIR Television Newsfilm Archive covers Walker’s political career, and rare video from Walker’s long-unavailable local television program give testimony as to why Cas Walker’s legacy endures almost a decade after his death. Featured are vintage commercials, outtakes, musical guest spots, and rarely seen performances from Honey Wilds, Carl and Pearl Butler, and Dolly Parton. Included within the program is a bonus reel of Walker Show outtakes and extras that didn’t make the previous show’s final cut!

Special thanks to WBIR-TV and David West for use of material in this program.

Sponsored by CH2M Hill.

September 14, 2007
East Tennessee Television History: Highlights From Classic Knoxville Television Programs

Remember Bonnie Lou and Buster? The Mull Singing Convention? The Little Jimmy Hartsook Show? The Jim Clayton Star Time Show featuring Kathy Hill? How about John Cazana’s Wrestling program with Ron and Don Wright? Here is your chance to revisit those wonderful days of locally-produced television programs compiled using rare videotapes from the collection of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound. Beginning with the dawn of television during the late 1940s and early 1950s, local TV stations nationwide produced a variety of local programming from their studios that served as advertisements for various goods and services provided by the sponsor. Many of these shows featured country music entertainment supplied by regional musicians to attract viewers. For almost three decades, Knoxville television stations produced a variety of programs that reflected the rich musical traditions and humor of the East Tennessee region. Come take a nostalgic trip through yesteryear with rare commercials, comedy routines, appearances by Barbara Mandrell, Freddie Hart, LE White, and a host of regional music acts in a screening of long-unavailable video clips shot right here in Knoxville.

October 19, 2007
Historical Views of Knoxville – Featuring Films From The Collection of Ron Allen

Join TAMIS and ETHS as we present a program of previously unseen vintage 16mm film clips shot in and around Knoxville from the 1920s through the 1950s. The program will feature found footage from the collection of long-time Knoxville historian and writer Ron Allen, along with other historical film clips from the same period donated to the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound. Through the years, Allen has discovered and saved reels of home movies shot locally, many of which capture Knoxville life as it was in a by-gone era. This program will feature a 1930 promotional film of the newly constructed downtown YMCA, highlights from the 1929 UT Volunteer football season, and the personal home movies of a local Knoxville family. Rounding out the program is footage of a 1928 football game between Knoxville High and Central, several downtown parades from1929 and 1941. Excerpts from other collections include the home movies of prominent Knoxvillians CB Atkin and Lawrence D. Tyson, school children at Tyson Junior High, and wrestling at the Lyric Theatre on Gay Street.