The Hagley Museum and Library is pleased to announce that we have received a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) to preserve two films from the Cinecraft collection.
The NFPF awarded Hagley a $15,000 grant to preserve Freewheelin' and Where's Joe. Freewheelin' has been a staff favorite since we uncovered it from the Cinecraft collection in 2021. The film, sponsored by B.F. Goodrich Tires, is about the 1976 National Truck-In in Bowling Green, Kentucky, organized by the National Street Van Association. This event attracted thousands of van owners and included music, vendors, and competitive events. Brock Yates, a best-selling author on automotive topics, wrote the script with the production handled by Cinecraft.
Where's Joe, produced in 1972 by Cinecraft, warned American steelworkers about foreign competition. The film was sponsored by the leadership of the United Steelworkers Union and a collection of U.S. steel companies, including U.S. Steel, the most prominent American steel company at the time. The film is an important document in the broader story of the decline of American industry and the effects of globalization on U.S. manufacturing.
We are excited to view restored copies of both films and grateful to the National Film Preservation Foundation for supporting our efforts to conserve and share a part of America's film heritage.
In related news...
Kevin Martin, Hagley Library's chief curator, introduced The Heart of Cleveland at the Silent Film Festival hosted by the Cleveland Museum of Art in September. The National Film Preservation Foundation funded the preservation of The Heart of Cleveland in 2021.