The Latest News
BEN VAN METER COLLECTION: October 2007
....Historic Films has signed on 1960's San Francisco experimental filmmaker Ben Van Meter for exclusive representation. Van Meter was the first film artist who's work conveyed the psychedelic experience. Van Meter covered the pre-summer of love in San Francisco music / hippie scene, filming such 'happenings' as the first "Trips Festival" (1965), and legendary promotor Bill Graham's first ever concert at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium (December, 1965)... ....
EARLY PUNK ROCK HOME MOVIE COLLECTION: October 2007
.... Rare 1976 color concert footage of IGGY POP, PATTI SMITH, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and others, has found it's way to historic films' music library. Filmed in 8mm by filmmaker & fan, Milton Wilde, sitting in orchestra center, the footage (approximately 70 minutes) offers a rare early glimpse of three rising music legends as well as covering many early punk rock era events and shows. Transfered and restored by historic's technical wizard, Charlie Churchman, the footage is well lit and conveys the excitement that was part of that scene and it's performances. ....
REVEREND L.O. TAYLOR COLLECTION: October 2007
....In association with the CENTER FROR SOUTHERN FOLKLORE in Memphis Tennessee, Historic Films is now representing the REVEREND L.O. TATLOR Collection of 1936-54 southern african american lifestyles. As an important Baptist Minister in Memphis REVEREND TATLOR was closely connected to Memphis' African-American community. He extensively covered all aspects of the Southern African-American experience in well-shot 16mm kodachrome color and b&w film. He filmed an annual record of the regional national baptist conventions from 1936-54 as well as creating films on such topics as black biusnesses in memphis, black social clubs and fraternal organizations, black highschools, black trade schools, and black municipal institutions... ....
Markee - Guide To Stock Footage: May 2006
....Always searching for rare and forgotten footage, Lauro recently discovered over 40 hours of never-before-seen film. ÒThere was a black Woodstock in New York in the early summer of 1969,Ó he says. The musical performances at the Harlem Music Festival were shot by five cameras using 2-inch video for a television special but it never saw the light of day. Sony has already snapped up some footage for a Nina Simone double-sided CD and Historic Films plans to produce its own documentary on the festival where performances by Pigmeat Markham, Moms Mabley, Sly and the Family Stone, B.B. King, Mahalia Jackson, Gladys Knight and the Pips and others have been captured forever, as fresh as the day they were shot.Ó....
Historic Films News Archives:
SAM - Stills, Audio, Motion: May 2005
Hidden Archives. Few subjects in the archive would attract more interest from public and specialist alike than musical performance footage. It may not be the easiest to use in terms of underlying rights, but until recently, just tracking down the sources has been quite a task. Now, fortunately, more great footage is surfacing. Greenport, NY-based Historic Films has now turned up some, it's President, Joe Lauro can explain . . . .
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Videography: August 2004
The newest collection at Historic Films is "The Harlem festival of '69." This library of more than 60 hours of restored direct-to-video footage contains complete performances by such artists as B.B. King, Sly & The Family Stone. Gladys Knight & The Pips, Stevie Wonder, The Staple Singers and Mahilia Jackson s well as Black Power-era speeches by such political figures as Jesse Jackson and former New York City mayor John Lindsay . . .
Focal Archive Zones: Summer 2003 Issue #46
IN HOWLIN’
WOLF’S ‘LAIR’ WITH HIS DRUMMER’S 8mm
Historic Films restores priceless home movie footage
From 1960 to 1965, Chicago drummer Sam Lay performed in Blues legend Howlin’
Wolf’s band. They played all the legendary south side Chicago Chitlin
Circuit lounges and nightclubs, as well as touring extensively through the South.
Sam, a home movie buff, and much to the aggravation of the nightclub patrons,
dragged along his 8mm camera and a set of lights. The result?. . .
Focal Archive Zones: Autumn 2002 Issue #43
HISTORIC FILMS BUYS DON KIRSHNER’S ROCK CONCERT LIBRARY & THE DAVID SUSSKIND TALK SHOW ARCHIVE - Historic Films Archive of Greenport, NY, has recently purchased all rights to the 1970’s premiere live rock & roll concert television program, ‘Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert/In Concert’, and has secured exclusive excerpt rights to the ground-breaking “David Susskind Show”. . .
Advertising Age's CREATIVITY September 2001
STOCK FOOTAGE’S UNFINISHED SYMPHONY - Just listening to the archives of the East Hampton, New York-based stock house reveals a hefty stash of noteworthy musical performances, from idols like Elvis or Ella Fitzgerald or obscure artists like’60’s Hong Kong band Hi-Dee-Ho or the Louisiana Mental Asylum Orchestra.
Post Magazine: October 2000
HISTORIC FILMS ROCKS - A new collection at Historic Films features Jubilee Showcase, a Chicago television show from the '60's through the '80's. "It's probably the most definitive program of black gospel music ever," declares Lauro. "It's wonderful for people doing music-based documentaries of videotapes". . .
Screen Magazine: June 2000
CHICAGO SHOW TO LIVE
ON: HISTORIC FILMS ACUIRES VINTAGE GOSPEL TV SERIES
The great gospel singers of the '60s and '70s live again through the
archives of HISTORIC FILMS. . .
Millimeter Magazine: July 1999
RISING STOCK- TTHE BOOM IN LICENSED IMAGES CONTINUES - Archival Footage: While theoretically, footage can be considered archival the moment is has been shot, technically, it must be around for a little longer than that. "I think that 10 years makes something archival," says Joe Lauro, president of Historic Films. "We always try to keep 10 years behind the times." . . .
Screen Magazine: February 1998
STOCK SHOTS - LAURO'S TREASURES FORM FOOTAGE RESOURCE - With over 30,000 performances copyright cleared and ready to roll, Historic's reputation as the premier source for music footage is difficult to dispute. That's the reason high-profile projects including ABC's three-hour Motown retrospective, and Ken Burns' documentary on the history of jazz, tapped Historic's archives throughout production. . .
Newsday: February 1998
MOVIE FAN KEEPS THE TAPE ROLLING - "I was a classic chubby kid" says Lauro". I was attracted to old films. God knows why we are the way we are, but the stuff really appealed to me. I spent a lot of time trying to find out how I could watch old film."
Lauro, now 41 and trim, still does, but these days it's as co-owner of Historic Film Archives, one of the country's larger repositories of film footage dating back a century. . .
New York Times: January 1997
PRESERVING AND MAKING AVAILABLE AMERICA'S FILM HERITAGE - Preserving and Making Available America's Film Heritage Joe Lauro calls his film archive A.R.I.Q. Footage Inc. "a home for orphan films" and is just as passionate about saving newsreels, industrial films and American music footage as Martin Scorsese is dedicated to the preservation of the theatrical release. . .
