Baltimore Film Program

Hey, check out the great poster my colleague Michael Rios made for my upcoming film program at Enoch Pratt Free Library that celebrates Bygone Baltimore in rare films and videos.

This event will be held in Wheeler Auditorium at Pratt Central on Saturday, November 19th, 2005. For more information, including a full program listing, check the Enoch Pratt Web site in the coming months.

The program is highlighted by two very rare local sports shorts: ORIOLES IN ACTION 1962 (27 minutes) and STICK HIM (1978, 12 minutes).

STICK HIM is Angela Mays' short documentary about West Baltimore's legendary boxing trainer Mac Lewis. Many local pugilists have trained at Mac Lewis' Gym, but none more famous than Baltimore's former WBC-IBF heavyweight world champion Hasim Rahman.

ORIOLES IN ACTION 1962 is narrated by Chuck Thompson (who else?) and contains the oldest known existing COLOR footage of Brooks Robinson and rookie John "Boog" Powell! The film starts off at the O's minor league camp in Thomasville, Georgia (where you can see Earl Weaver swatting grounders in his pre-managerial days), and continues through Spring Training in Florida. But the most interesting part of all may be the game-action footage from games in 1962, featuring Opening Day at Yankee Stadium and the O's home opener against the Red Sox (where Brooksie hits his first homer of the season and rookie John Powell gets his first major league hit in Memorial Stadium). Throughout the film, you’ll see many other players of the ’62 team: pitchers Darold Knowles, Wes Stock, and Robin Roberts, infielders Robinson, Jerry Adair, Ron Hansen and slugging first sacker Jim Gentile, outfielders Russ Snyder, Jackie Brandt, Earl Robinson, and (future MLB manager) Whitey Herzog and catcher Gus Triandos.

Other highlights will include:

• John Waters' starlet Edith "The Egg Lady" Massey in LOVE LETTER TO EDIE (1975, 14 minutes)


• Legendary local magician Vincent Dantini ("He Knew Houdini!")'s tribute to Charm City, STAR SPANGLED BANNER CITY, which features guest appearances by Blaze Starr, Dee O’Toole, and a look at the first Baltimore City Fair.


• Excerpts from BALTIMORE: MODERN AMERICAN CITY OF CHARM AND DISTINCTION...
  Lowell Thomas, the world famous broadcaster and journalist who helped pioneer the travelogue film genre, narrates this look at post-War Baltimore. Delightfully kitschy, it features footage of everything from Goucher coeds practicing archery to swarms of behatted men and women entering Pratt Library.


• Classic Natty Boh beer commercials


• Excerpts from Hampden's HonFest as seen in the PBS documentary PEOPLE LIKE US: CLASS IN AMERICA


• Steve Yeager (DIVINE TRASH)'s AQUARIUM short