Movie Pioneers

"The importance of carrying out interviews with the veterans of the picture business cannot be over-estimated. My heartfelt gratitude to you for filming those interviews."
---Kevin Brownlow
Oscar-winning film preservationist
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In this archive of full-length interviews (30-120 mins), historic movie pioneers tell their stories and relate film history from new perspectives.

I started shooting these interviews in the early 1990's in association with documentarian Ross Hawkins to preserve first-hand accounts of the movie business as told by Douglas Fairbanks Jr,, Daniel Selznick, Roger Mayer - and other names that you won't recognize, like David O. Selznick's chauffeur, Eddie Mannix's personal secretary, some of the Our Gang kids and Stan Laurel's daughter.

Of course there are also interviews with marquee names as well, like Red Skelton, Leslie Caron, Anita Page, directors Richard Rush and Richard Donner. These stories reflect personal, first-hand experiences in the film industry spanning from the silent era to the 1990's.

Fifty-five of the interviews were shot on standard definition videotape and have been digitized. Another half dozen are shot on HD/digital.

I am still adding to this archive - shooting more interviews on digital HD with prop masters, assistant directors, writer-directors and others.

The INDEX OF INTERVIEWS is at www.facebook.com/MoviePioneers

TRANSCRIPTS ARE AVAILABLE for most.
--MARK MORRIS
Cinematographer