"In Hollywood's Backyard" for Library Distribution
Monday, April 25, 2011 at 08:04PM Topanga Canyon...
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Would highly recommend this documentary to anyone studying 1970s counterculture and the music scene in Los Angeles/California in particular. It would benefit library collections in the region and the music documentary section of any library given the rare, previously unavailable footage it offers. -Video Librarian Review
Discovered in the ‘50s and ‘60s by folksingers like Woody Guthrie and Joni Mitchell, Topanga in the ‘70s became a haven for the likes of Billy Preston, Bob ‘The Bear’ Hite (Canned Heat), Lowell George (Little Feat), Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Fred Tackett (Little Feat), Gary Farr (Gary and the T-Bones) and Spanky McFarlane (Spanky and Our Gang). These noted musicians, as well as others, weary from the rigors of constant touring, raised their families and bonded with the nonconformists and eccentrics living in this laid-back community a 'stoners' throw from Los Angeles.
TRAILER:
IN HOLLYWOOD'S BACKYARD...TOPANGA IN THE 70s_TRAILER_1080_EN.MP4 from sarasotafringefilms on Vimeo.
Topanga’s bohemian lifestyle may have attracted the off-beat and anti-establishment, but they could be counted on to come together for the community, raising funds through their music and art to help neighbors fallen victim to the wildfires and floods that ravaged the canyon.
Filmmakers (and canyon residents) Alexander and Anne Christine Von Wetter filmed this documentary for German Television in the early 1970s as a revealing close-up of an extraordinary period in America. The camera masters and 16mm negative were consequently lost to a devastating fire. Luckily, a lone VHS copy had been made, which spent the next 30 years on the studio shelf. When we discovered the actual VHS it was heavily damaged, but our restoration team in New York managed to salvage a fair grade of quality, which has since been recently remastered.
It is the story of a singular culture, told through interviews, musical celebrations, and theatrics from members of the magical ‘Theatricum Botanicum’, a natural amphitheater created in 1973 by popular actor and social activist Will Geer (The Waltons) and his wife Herta Ware (Cocoon). To this day, their cultural open-air venue defines the artistic nature of Topanga. Herta is interviewed here, along with residents Dean Stockwell (Dune, Blue Velvet) and Russ Tamblyn (West Side Story, Twin Peaks).
They all lived in '70s Topanga and were recorded on camera, the results vibrant and alive yet bittersweet, as so many have stepped out of that picture. They will be remembered through their music and this haunting film, as they played together . . . “In Hollywood’s Backyard".
Purchase Options: “In Hollywood’s Backyard”
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A Note About Our Academic and Institutional Pricing
Educational DVD with PPR: $150
Anytime you want to screen a film on campus, Public Performance Rights (PPR) need to be obtained. Copyright law (USC 17§101) defines a public performance as occurring in a public space or if it is in any place if "a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its acquaintances" is gathered there. This would include classrooms, meeting rooms, auditoriums, dorm lounges, etc. However, copyright law (USC 17§110) also provides an exception for face-to-face teaching activities in a nonprofit educational institution.
Digital Site License with PPR: $200
A DSL grants educational institutions and/or non-profit organizations a limited license to host and stream a film online to students, faculty and staff on their password-protected server. This license is granted for three years. The key advantage of purchasing a DSL is that once uploaded, an unlimited number of viewers can access the film from multiple locations simultaneously.
DVD + DSL bundle PPR: $225
K-12, Non-profit, Public Library with PPR: $62.50
Personal DVD or File Download: $24.50