In the fall of 2009 PBS will air The National Parks, a major
documentary film series produced and directed by Ken Burns and written
and produced by Dayton Duncan.
But now they are
asking for your help. Their film series is not a travelogue or a
“nature” film; it will tell the very powerful, human story of how the
parks came into being and what they have meant to Americans for more
than a hundred years. It will be filled with major historical figures
— from John Muir to Theodore Roosevelt to Ansel Adams — but it will
also tell the stories of many lesser-known Americans, from cowboys to
immigrant artists, wealthy philanthropists to dirt-poor farmers who
turned their passion for a part of the American landscape into
crusades for their permanent protection.
And as it tells the story of
this very uniquely American, very democratic idea of setting aside
special places for the benefit and enjoyment of everyone, it will
reveal a larger story of people passing on a love for these special
places from one generation to another.
To help them tell
this story, they would like to collect home movies of visits to
National Parks by families and individuals for possible use in the
film. They are looking for home movies from the time period of the 1920s through the 1980s and are most interested in footage of families and tourists in the parks.
If your home movies are used in The
National Parks, you will receive a DVD of the series. If you happen to
have footage of the Yosemite firefall and it is included in the
series, you will receive the DVD, plus your choice of one other Ken
Burns film. If you have home movies you would like to submit,
please follow the criteria listed below.
* Home
movies from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s.
* They are most interested in families and tourists in the national parks, not scenery without people.
* Do not send original footage:
VHS or DVD copies only, please. THE MATERIAL WILL NOT BE
RETURNED.
* Clearly mark the tape or disc with your name, address,
phone number and e-mail (if available), so they can contact you if
your footage is selected.
* Include a brief description,
e.g., the Smith family, George and Martha, Bill and Sally, in Grand
Canyon, 1955.
* Send to the address below by August 1,
2007:
Anne Harrington
WETA
2775
S. Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22206
Support Essential Coverage of Essential Places
Comments
I have some photographs from a flight in '05 of the top of Denali. It was an unusual year as the mountain was visible both from the train and from the flight
Orson Burlingame, your grandfather, not your uncle, was my great grandfather. His oldest child from his first marriage, Helen Virginia Burlingame Taylor, was my grandmother. Her son, George Orson Taylor, was my father. I would love to know more about the family from the years in Tennessee and North Carolina. My dad talked often of his boyhood visits to Hazel Creek, and we have a few photos from that time. A framed photo that I have kept for many years is one of Great grandfather Orson sitting in a rocker in the yard of the house at Hazel Creek. At least I think that is where the house was located.
Right now I am living in Chattanooga. I moved here with my parents in June of 2006, to take care of them for the duration of their lives. My mom, Margaret, passed away in September of 2008, and George a year later in October, 2009. When we first moved here from Mobile, AL, Dad got in touch with Orson by phone, and he occasionally talked about driving over to see him, but we never did. My father was actually older than Orson, even though technically Orson was his uncle. Really, half-uncle, since my grandmother Helen and the younger Orson had different mothers.
I see that this posting is three years old, but I'm hoping it still finds you. Please let me know if you read this. Thanks!