Hollywood on the Mohawk?

By Don Rittner

Many of you may have noticed a few weeks back that the library on campus was the scene of a new independent movie being filmed here in Schenectady. The movie, an adaptation of the 1990 book Winter of Frozen Dreams, by Karl Harter, is starring Keith Carradine (Deadwood) and Thora Birch (American Beauty). Carradine plays the detective on the trail of murderess Barbara Hoffman (Birch), an honors biochemistry student at the University of Wisconsin and part time massage parloress who poisons two men with cyanide after they take insurance policies out on her. That's all I can say about it so you will have to wait for the movie to come out, but it's being filmed entirely in Schenectady city and county.

The college also played a role in a recently released "Indy" film called "Corruption," chronicles the life of a fictional hit man, Carlo Civitello, who is rethinking his life in the underworld after years in the Mafia. The film by Christopher Bishop debuted at Proctor's recently.

While many think this is the beginning of something new, it's my duty to tell you Schenectady has been in the movie and entertainment business for a very long time.

Some 60 known actors have been born or raised here.

Television was first broadcast here in 1928 and to a public audience in 1930 at Proctor's. I should put out that the world's first television station WRGB is still broadcasting on Balltown Road. The first TV Drama ever shown in the world was The Queen's Messenger sent over WGY in 1928. Did you know that the application of sound onto film is a Schenectady invention?

In 1921 GE's Charles A. Hoxie developed a sound film recorder called the "Pallophotophone" ("shaking light sound"). GE already had a well-established photographic and motion picture laboratory for company use and publicity. Hoxie recorded speeches by President Coolidge and his Secretary of War and others that were broadcast on WGY in Schenectady in 1922. He developed that Pallotrope that was a photoelectric microphone to be used as the sound pickup. Hoxie developed the sound reproducer that could be attached to a standard motion picture projector in November 1923. Later this was developed as RCA's Photophone and was demonstrated on Feb 2, 1927 at the State Theater (where the Wedgeway building is on State and Erie). Nine days later at the NYC Rivoli Theater reporters were treated to MGMS the Flesh and the Devil and three shorts featured the Van Curler Hotel Orchestra of Schenectady (filmed in the main ballroom of the main college building here, the original hotel). The reporters praised the synchronization, volume and tone of the productions. It was David Sarnoff of RCA that made Photophone history.

Kurt Vonnegut lived in Schenectady while working for GE in the early 1950's. We know some of his movies, and much inspired by his stay here. Director John Sayles was born and raised in Schenectady; the Schenectady High School of Fine Arts wing is named after him. He is considered Mr. Independent Film Producer.

The city has been featured in movies and TV such as the German made Angebot aus Schenectady (1971). In 1972, director Sydney Pollack filmed flashback sequences of the movie The Way We Were, starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand. In 2002, scenes from the Time Machine were filmed here. Ranald MacDougall from Schenectady was the screenwriter for the 1945 war movie, Objective, Burma!, starring Errol Flynn. As a screenwriter he worked on such films as The Naked Jungle (1954), The Unsuspected (1947) and Mildred Pierce (1945). He directed directed Joan Crawford, in Queen Bee (1955). He was also president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1971-73. Mantan Moreland played the role of Schenectady in the 1941, "Mr. Washington Goes to Town." Kevin Burns, who has produced, directed or wrote more than 100 films was raised in Schenectady. TV legend Dave Garroway was born here. Actors Mickey Rourke and Ann B. Davis (Alice on The Brady Bunch and appeared earlier on the Bob Cummings Show) were born here. In 1955. Schenectady is also the hometown of the character Marc St. James on the new ABC sitcom "Ugly Betty." Marc is played by actor Michael Urie.

So don't be surprised to see more cameras rolling on downtown streets. Schenectady may just become the new Hollywood on the Mohawk.