Spokane: The First 100 Years (1969) a film by Robert L. Pryor
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ส.ค. 2015
- Lost for decades, the films of pioneering Spokane-area documentary filmmaker Robert L. Pryor have been rediscovered.
Beginning in the 1960s, Pryor created films about Chief Spokane Garry, the Nez Perce, the city of Spokane, Washington, the development of the Spokane and Columbia rivers, and recreation at Priest Lake, Idaho.
Pryor was born in Spokane in 1928 and raised in Cheney where he received his master's degree from Eastern Washington State College (now Eastern Washington University) in 1959. After a year of teaching in Oregon, he moved to Spokane and worked for Spokane Public Schools for thirty-two years. For twenty-three of those years he served as the district's Instructional Media Coordinator, a position that allowed him to screen thousands of educational films and teach himself the art of filmmaking. Pryor shot on Kodak Ektachrome film. Initially, his recollection was that his camera "was a 16mm Bell and Howell," but upon reflection he recalled it was actually a Bolex. “And,” he said, “I bought a good tripod with a fluid head so that it would be a smooth pan or tilt.” To assemble his films, Pryor used "a viewer and two hand-cranked reels."
"I decided to make films on Spokane," he said, "because of the lack in that area and feeling the pupils in SD81 need material on their city and its history." Students of Spokane Public Schools (District No. 81) and the public had the ability to enjoy Pryor's films for decades. However, when 16mm film projectors gave way to VHS and DVD players, Pryor's documentaries were effectively lost from view. Without a projector, no one could see Pryor's work until the Washington State University MASC (Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections) department digitized Pryor's Chief Spokane Garry film and posted it to TH-cam in 2014. Since then, the documentary has attracted a couple hundred views, including a view by Eastern Washington University history professor Larry Cebula who commented: "Wow, I had no idea that this video existed!"
I saw Pryor's Chief Spokane Garry film on TH-cam and wanted to know more about his filmmaking career. Pryor and I corresponded and he was kind enough to talk with me about his work in an interview available here: • Interview: Robert L. P...
With Pryor's permission, I had five of his documentary films digtized by Jeff Tillotson at Lightpress www.lightpress.tv in Seattle in 2015. Pryor also agreed to allow me to post his films on TH-cam. Tillotson’s explanation of film scanning and five of Pryor’s films are in this playlist: • The Films of Robert L....
How to Digitize Vintage Films: Jeff Tillotson Talks 16mm Film Scanning at Lightpress in Seattle
• How to Digitize Vintag...
Chief Spokane Garry: Indian of the Northwest, 1966, 23 min
• Chief Spokane Garry: I...
Utilizing Fresh Water Resources: The Columbia River, 1968, 14 min
• The Columbia River (19...
Spokane: The First 100 Years, 1969, 26 min
• Spokane: The First 100...
The Spokane River, 1970, 17 min
• The Spokane River (197...
Aqua Summer [Priest Lake, Idaho], 1973, 14 min
• Aqua Summer [Priest La...
Pryor and I are still looking for a copy of his final film Nez Perce: Bring Us the Black Book. If you know where this film is, then please send me a note because we would love to borrow the film and have it copied at Lightpress.
During his career, Pryor produced films with his company Northwest Film Productions and with the Instructional Materials Service of Spokane Public Schools. He worked with film editor Robert. C. Horn of Crown Film Co., artist Patricia Christensen who worked in Pryor's Instructional Media department, narrator Stanley G. Witter Jr. of KREM TV and radio, photographer William J. Benish, and Alpha Cine Lab of Spokane. In his film titles, he acknowledged a veritable who's-who of Spokane: Eastern Washington State Historical Society, Spokane Public Library, Washington Water Power Company, KREM television, Lincoln First Federal Savings and Loan, Washington State Historical Society, E.T. Becher, John R. Rogers High School, and Northern Pacific Railroad.
Pryor's films should interest scholars because they tell the story of Washington and are a time capsule that show what the state looked like when he created his films. The documentaries should also interest film students because they are a sampler of 16mm filmmaking techniques: time lapse, slow motion, night photography, macro photography, sliding shots, and traditional title art.
I am grateful to Pryor for giving me the opportunity to see his films and excited to have his permission to share them with people interested in Spokane's history and the legacy of filmmaking in the northwest.
Lee O'Connor
I was born in the old Sacred Heart Hospital in 1963 and went to school here. Though I’ve lived in other cities I ended up back here in Spokane and my husband and I have settled here for the remainder of our years. Interesting film.
@Bella- we lived in Spokane from 1966-72. My sister was born at sacred heart hospital on the hill. Our mom got her nursing degree and worked at sacred heart too
We moved here in 1980 and never left something draw you back if you remotely try to leave Spokane
I saw this film in school when it first came out back in the day. Born and raised in Spokane. Neat to see Pre Expo views of the river.
To see the kids running out of Indian Trail Elementary hit me in the heart strings. I went there from K-6th back in the mid 80s-early 90s. Wonderful school. 🥰
I just moved to Spokane. This was a great watch. I’m glad I found it
I remember watching this movie when I was in elementary school. In fact, most of the films on Spokane that have been uploaded to TH-cam were required viewing in classrooms through my school days. You are to be commended for finding film and the others so people can see how our area developed. They’re the best documents we have and Pryor’s work still comes through brilliantly.
We grew up in Spokane. There were 5 of us kids. I remember going to the big grassy reservoir and sliding down on waxed cardboard.
When we went to sacred heart school, We would walk up the big wall leading up to sacred heart hospital. I remember when the first 7-11 opened up. Us kids walked all over Spokane. We’d take the bus downtown to see the dentist and I remember stealing grab bags from Woolworths. We went to Comstock Park and liberty lake all the time. I remember when A&W root beer opened near Comstock Park. Good times!!!
I love how peaceful this documentary is. The music rules!
Spokane is a great city! ive lived here my whole life!
Same
Wow, I never knew this existed. It's the same age as me! It was great seeing the buildings and signs I saw as a little kid again!
Very well prepared and very informative 👏
Thank you for sharing this I have lived in Spokane since 1981. It was great seeing its history.
Same i live there my life in 2008 it was great there i miss the place i aways go there to see my family every year to see them cause i love seeing them every year
Its sad to see how much has been lost, even cultural expectations and design are missing. Back then they certainly had a lot of hope and optimism, now a days everything lacks the same kind of spirit.
@Pigeon Tbh I'll probably be moving up in that direction soon. One of those CA escapees. Spokane or CDA is at the top of the relocation list.
@@deuswulf6193 Spokane is better than Idaho. It's a conservative area with really kind people. If you're a bleeding heart liberal then Seattle is your place
@@jaylee6769 Sounds like you didn't read my posts.
Either way I ended up near lake Coeur D'Alene (Idaho) precisely because I am NOT a "liberal". The problem I had with the Spokane side was, aside from high levels of property crime, the dictates coming from WA's progressive dict..er leadership. They are not only making policing harder, coddling the criminal class, but also working damn hard to get a state income tax added (one way or another).
Idaho's property values are also on the rise, and will probably stick if there is a correction... making it a safer investment, even if temporary.
Brought here by looking up narrator Stanley Witter after I watched a Spokane city council annual report from 1967 on City Cable 5. Awesome stuff you have here!
Thank you, Jonathan. I love Spokane history.
Interesting video, thanks for the info.
Shawn Vestal brought me here. Great time capsule.
Thanks, Brodieman1999! I just added a couple more Pryor films you might be interested in, including an interview with the director th-cam.com/video/x6RMibLUenc/w-d-xo.html
Shawn Vestal of the Spokesman-Review wrote a great story about the filmmaker Robert L. Pryor: www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/nov/24/shawn-vestal-four-old-documentaries-on-spokane-wor/
This is funny
May we use this video in a public setting?
Hey Nathan, The filmmaker gave me permission to post his film on TH-cam but I don't have any ownership or control of the copyright, so I have no authority to grant any permissions for use of the video.
This is my town😂
Grad job
Back in the good ole days. I was a Freshman at Libby Jr. High School. Before the terminally offended generation took power. ( my generation)
Wow you need a break from the internet lmao
Just be thankful you don't live in Seattle
spokane isn’t completely woke yet hopefully these conservative thoughts im having don’t ever become illegal
some of the more modern information is quite dated...the music is killing me.
@@Backwara Which economic boom? Spokane has had several, and that's if you do not count the Native American history prior to the arrival of the European community. Along with smaller ones, Spokane had a big economic boom between 1890 and 1910 during which time it was estimated that there were more millionaires per capita in Spokane than anywhere else in America (26 in 100,000). The WWII era was economically good for Spokane also, and of course Spokane has been booming again for a decade or so again....so your point was what??
ye olde watering hole, MOTHER EARTH, is drying up because of man's flying machines