RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: The Apple Dumpling Gang (Norman Tokar, 1975)

It’s a trip back to a time of Saturday Matinees and large groups of kids in the back of Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagons for Gen X-ers who remember when Television Stars made movies – long before the time of Movie Stars making television. For those of us who made those journeys – The Apple Dumpling Gang was right up there with Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit and, even, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If you don’t remember it, maybe it’s time to check out the comic abilities of two icons: Don Knotts and Tim Conway, two bonafide TV Stars who took a trip into the Deschutes National Forest and came out with what can only be called an Apple Dumpling Franchise…with cheese. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: The Apple Dumpling Gang (Norman Tokar, 1975)”

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Mara of the Wilderness (Frank McDonald, 1966)

Oregon doubles for Alaska in this week’s RotLA edition and it brings some (early) Batman-esque Romp! Danger! and Romance! to the fore in the process. Yes, Adam West is this week’s featured artist in a Deschutes National Forest set feature which predates Mr. West’s glorious days as the first caped crusader to appear on our screens and sends him into the woods to find unexpected love with a Nature Child and danger from rogue hunters in the form of Petticoat Junction’s Lori Sanders and Theo Marcuse, respectively. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Mara of the Wilderness (Frank McDonald, 1966)”

Oregon Filmmakers Launch Kickstarter For Scotland Based Film

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Wonderwritten is an Independent Film slated for production spring of 2018 in Scotland. Join Oregon based creators in telling a uniquely compelling story of the human experience set in the stunning Scottish Highlands.

In a rare and emotional screenplay, the story of Alan Ainsley, a Scotland based writer, follows a series of five days in a week of his life. Driven by Alan’s internal narrative of letter-like writings and inspiring compelling curiosities about his patterns of behavior, Wonderwritten reveals an unexpected expression of humanity. Continue reading... “Oregon Filmmakers Launch Kickstarter For Scotland Based Film”

Spotlight On Location Scout – Brian McElroy

“A Haunting At Silver Falls 2” at Linfield College (photo: Brian McElroy)

Brian McElroy has been working in location management for over two decades and has had an interesting career path that ultimately led him to Oregon.  We caught up with him after he had finished working on “Woodstock or Bust” – an indy film written and directed by Leslie Bloom, a Lake Oswego native.

Brian started in location management in LA where he worked on shows like “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Melrose Place”.  Continue reading... “Spotlight On Location Scout – Brian McElroy”

Raiders of the Lost Archive: Movie Madness – SAVED! But there’s more work to be done …

This week we go to the most local, most extensive VHS/DVD archive we have (although if you ever have a chance to look into the film and video archives that the Oregon Historical Society has, that’s just as great, but in a uniquely different way) – Portland’s own Movie Madness. As some of you may know, The Hollywood Theatre is currently in the midst of a Kickstarter Campaign to “save” Movie Madness – but they’ve blown past the “saving” and are now looking to “enhance.” Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive: Movie Madness – SAVED! But there’s more work to be done …”

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Halloweentown (Duwayne Dunham 1998)

This week’s Hooray for Horregon RotLA edition comes with two truly great ingredients: Debbie Reynolds and St. Helens. If you haven’t seen HBO’s Emmy nominated “Bright Lights” (full disclosure, it was produced and directed by friend, former business partner and Astoria-filmed “Short Circuit” actor Fisher Stevens and his life-partner baby[ies]-mama Lexy Bloom), and, if you haven’t visited St. Helens (at Halloween or, as a seasonal alternative, by boat to the town dock in August for a riverside lunch and a beer), you need to do both. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Halloweentown (Duwayne Dunham 1998)”

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE
: Dr. Giggles (Manny Coto, 1992)

This week’s Horrregon Edition of our Raiders of the Lost Archive series rightly celebrates an icon of Oregon’s rich cartoon and comic history: Dark Horse Comics and Mike Richardson. It’s easy to argue that Mike is one of, if not the most successful and lucrative film producers here in the state, and we’re proud of that. Our RotLA post this week takes us back to the very first film Mike produced which twists the proverbial knife into many iconic Portland locations in a fun, unique and ultimately horrific fashion (and you may never look at Franklin High in the same way again). Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE
: Dr. Giggles (Manny Coto, 1992)”

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: The Possessed (Jerry Thorpe, 1977)

This week’s trek into Oregon’s dark and eclectic cinematic woods marks a (literal) transition from “Back to School” to a month of horror themed posts leading up to Halloween. Raider/Contributor Phil Oppenheim is calling this slashy little sub-series “Horregon.” In this installment, we find ourselves with not only a pre-Star Wars (post-American Graffiti) Harrison Ford but also a pre-Stripes (post-Carrie) PJ Soles skulking around a dimly lit (and therefore mostly unidentified) Reed College campus trying to soak up some of the devil’s blood left behind in the boffo box office red wake of The Exorcist. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: The Possessed (Jerry Thorpe, 1977)”

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)”

Local Short “Thou Shall Not Tailgate” Crowdfunder Receives MovieMaker Magazine / Kickstarter honors

Shooting “Thou Shall Not Tailgate”

Portland documentary short, and #OregonMade, “Thou Shall Not Tailgate” recently received accolades from MovieMaker Magazine (Crowdfunding Pick) and Kickstarter (Projects We Love) for it’s current fundraising effort.  With less than TWO DAYS LEFT, the indie short raised over 60% of it’s budget, and met its $15k goal.

Read more about the film here.

Thou Shall Not Tailgate is a short form documentary about Portland art car creator, retired postman and minister, the Rev. Charles “Chuck” Linville. Continue reading... “Local Short “Thou Shall Not Tailgate” Crowdfunder Receives MovieMaker Magazine / Kickstarter honors”