RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Human Growth (Written by Lester Beck, Directed by Sy Wexler, 1947/1962)

We’re headed Back to School again this week and tackling that most interesting and uncomfortable of classroom topics: Sex Ed. Raider/Contributor Phil Oppenheim takes a look at the late 40’s and early 60’s in-classroom, let’s-watch-a-film-on-that approach to this topic from the University of Oregon and it is quite curious (frustrating? enlightening? stereotype-izing?) to see the differences between the two and, even more so, between then and now. On top of that, in a state with such a (forgive us) well developed animation industry, it’s also great to see such early roots for that particular art form even if it is at the expense of poor Aunt Sarah (who might have have a few questions to answer about her hateful niece’s origins). Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Human Growth (Written by Lester Beck, Directed by Sy Wexler, 1947/1962)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive – Metal Messiah: Born Again Sage (Nick Wells, 2010)

Raiders continues its Back to School theme this week with some much needed Music Appreciation. Whether you launched your appreciation of a certain genre of Energy Music through Heavy Metal Parking Lot, or just hours of stereo volumes pegged to 11 followed by blurry road trips to see Ozzy or Mötley Crüe, or maybe you just liked the wardrobe and appreciate Mark Wahlberg in “Rock Star” – we all have been touched in some way by our own rock n’ roll journey and Raider Contributor Phil Oppenheim takes us down one particular path that starts at Oregon City High School (and, coincidentally or ironically enough, the shooting location for Netflix’s “Everything Sucks” this past summer). Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive – Metal Messiah: Born Again Sage (Nick Wells, 2010)”

Raiders Of The Lost Archive – Back To School With “Up The Creek” (1984)

 

This week we take a creek less traveled to the center of the state and explore a comedy that only the 1980’s could’ve created and then the rest of history has somewhat ignored. Along the way we connect the dots between an Astoria artist, the cast of “Animal House,” “Ghostbusters,” “Hill Street Blues,” and “Porky’s” and throw in a creator of “Grimm” for good measure, all the while never taking our eye off that wet and wild…creek: the Deschutes River. Continue reading... “Raiders Of The Lost Archive – Back To School With “Up The Creek” (1984)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive – “Point Break” (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991)

As summer starts to come to a close it is with great pleasure that we find a way to celebrate the awesomeness that is the Oregon Coast especially in such a grand cinematic way. The North Coast as been home to many an iconic flick – Twilight, Short Circuit, Free Willy, Kindergarden Cop and, of course, The Goonies – but it has never seen the likes of Keanu and Patrick in the pouring rain at Indian Beach.

Raider/Contributor Phil Oppenheim tells the awesome tale of “Point Break.” Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive – “Point Break” (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive – “Legacy for Lucia” Route 66 (Philip Leacock, 1960)

Officially, the first Golden Age of Television spanned the late 40’s to the late 50’s. Since we’re ostensibly living through a Goldener Age of Television (which has certainly created far more hours and channels of product than the first one did) it seems only wise to remind ourselves of Oregon’s place in the first heyday of the small screen and the echoes of that past into our present. That’s were ROTLA creator and contributor Phil Oppenheim takes us this week. Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive – “Legacy for Lucia” Route 66 (Philip Leacock, 1960)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive “Eclipse Clips”
THE POSTMAN (1997)

This week our cinematic history starts to criss-cross itself with a film that was made 20 years ago but set only 4 years ago in a world that echoes…well, you can take from it what you will…

A great deal of post-apocalyptic beauty was found in Central Oregon for this 90’s blockbuster which winds its way from Elvis to St. Rose, Oregon, and Phil Oppenheim argues that it is worth a 3 hour re-look – especially in the (lack) of light along the Path of Totality. Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive “Eclipse Clips”
THE POSTMAN (1997)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive “Eclipse Clips”
PAINT YOUR WAGON (1968)

As Oregon Film starts to think about turning that wily age of 50 we are reflecting on some of the history that brought us to this point in our lifespan – and why not start at the beginning?

The story goes – after he made the beaches available to the public – Gov. Tom McCall needed just that little bit more to cement his legacy, so he assigned staffer Warren Merrill to help out a large Hollywood production creating No Name City at the confluence of two rivers in Baker County and, Lo and Behold, the beginnings of Oregon Film were born and so was…

PAINT YOUR WAGON (Joshua Logan, 1969)

Contributor Phil Oppenheim takes us from there. Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive “Eclipse Clips”
PAINT YOUR WAGON (1968)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive “Eclipse Clips”
THE OLD OREGON TRAIL (1928)

As we begin down the Path of Totality on August 21, we felt like it was appropriate to look back on projects that found themselves along that same Path, albeit far before the Totality cometh.

“Raiders” contributor Phil Oppenheim calls this sub-series “Eclipse Clips.”

THE OLD OREGON TRAIL (Victor Adamson, 1928)

A horse, a gal, and the John Day River — what more does a feller need?

If you find yourself strangling your steering wheel in frustration while parked in bumper-to-bumper Route 206 traffic on the way to your overbooked hotel room in downtown Condon for the eclipse, you may want to consider the plight of the poor Mercer family (or better yet, see if you can find it on disc for the SUV’s back-seat DVD player and pop it in when the kids in the back seat start losing their minds). Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive “Eclipse Clips”
THE OLD OREGON TRAIL (1928)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive – THE DAY CALLED X (1955)

We have decided that there is just way too much wonderful Oregon Film History to ignore. So, as we head into Oregon Film’s 50th anniversary year in 2018, we’ve been taking a more detailed look at the projects – both well-known and little-known – that have come from, or come to, Oregon in the last century.

So, with the help of Phil Oppenheim, who worked for twenty-five years in the trenches of network cable television before working on a doctorate within the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas-Austin focusing on fringe broadcasting phenomena of the 1950s, we are delighted to bring you, for your weekend viewing pleasure, the first installment of a series we’re calling:

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE

“Ladies and gentlemen. 

Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive – THE DAY CALLED X (1955)”

#OregonMade Film Series: Kansas City Bomber Raquel Welch Comes to Portland

Next up in our #OregonMade Film Series at The Hollywood Theatre is the Roller Derby classic: “Kansas City Bomber.” You may recall this film being featured in our Oregon Film history series Raiders of the Lost Archive – but, either way, here’s your chance to check it out on screen. The screening is 7p on Monday, April 1.

Raquel Welch plays aspiring roller derby sensation KC, a star-in-the-making who gets transferred to Portland early in the film, eager to become the dominant player of the local scene. Continue reading... “#OregonMade Film Series: Kansas City Bomber Raquel Welch Comes to Portland”