Tag: Flicks and Pics

The Cinema 7 History

Presenter(s): Katherine Wilson—English

Faculty Mentor(s): Peter Alilunas, Stephen Rust

Session 1: Flicks and Pics

Cinema 7 was a unique “art house” movie theater in Eugene, Oregon, 1974–87 . It was part of Oregon’s emerging film culture in the early 70s; showcasing the films of Poetic Cinema Filmmakers Ron Finne, Sharon Genasci and Don Cato, among others; and was partially funded and staffed by Oregon Film’s Pioneer Film Crew member Katherine Wilson, a professional Location Scout and Casting Director . The cinema boasted attendance by such notables as cast and crew from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Animal House, and Stand By Me; as well as local icon Ken Kesey .

Curious about what the venue looked like, U of O Cinema Studies Professor Alilunas discovered in 2020 that one of the students in his class, filmmaker Katherine Wilson, had worked there; and an opportunity arose to learn more about the theater’s special place in history .

Only a single photograph from the Eugene Register Guard Newspaper (of the hidden projector room) and one polaroid image of a corner of the lobby existed, so Katherine made the decision to make a diorama from the blueprints Dr . Alilunas had found at Eugene’s City Planning Department .

The interior design itself was inspired by the great former movie and opera houses of Eugene (the ornate theater seats were reused and recycled from the demolished Heilig Theater in 1973) as it mimicked The Egyptian Theater and The Bagdad Theater in the Art Deco/ Egyptian Revival style popular in the 1920s .

Therefore, it became more important than ever to somehow preserve the theater’s history for students who were studying how and why Art Houses were so important beginning in the early 70s; as these “underground” artistic filmmakers helped create Cinema as we know it today .

Additional photos were later found and printed from negatives by the Cinema’s Interior Designer and Graphic Artist Lynn Peterson, who also designed all the Cinema 7 posters starting 46 years ago . Lynn had donated many of them along with Katherine’s to the Katherine Wilson Special Collection at the Knight Library in 2016 . Video link: https://vimeo .com/401805694/0167ee0cc3

History of the Animal House: (1977–20)

Presenter(s): Katherine Wilson—English

Faculty Mentor(s): Philip Krysl

Session 1: Flicks and Pics

This research project asks what is left of an old fraternity house made famous in 1977 during the filming of National Lampoon’s Animal House, and is answered in a short motion picture: https://vimeo . com/401735276/4367deb178

In the mid-60s and early 70s the Animal House was a half-way house for parolees going to college . In 1977 it’s exterior starred in the movie Animal House, but the interior was off limits . So the set decorators bought two identical doors, and mounted one of them as the front door on the “Exterior” of the Animal House, while the other they mounted on the Sigma Nu House, which also had sidelights, and would help continuity-wise to not only mimic the living room and basement of the other house, but would double as the Interior door .

In 1986, an old friend of Katherine Wilson’s contacted her about trying to save the house from being demolished . She was on-location in Washington state and was unable to help, and it was demolished . However, pieces of the house were saved, and ended up in her possession in 2012 . In 2017, she was asked to create a movie set from the various pieces for The Oregon Film Museum’s fundraiser, and she recreated the front porch . In 2018, the Cottage Grove Hysterical Society, planning for the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Animal House, used it as a backdrop at Bohemian Park for the concert starring Otis Day and The Kingsmen . Watch for it again in 2021 .

The University of Oregon’s EMU: Cultural Epicenter and Incubator for Oregon’s Film Industry (1967–77)

Presenter(s): Katherine Wilson—English

Faculty Mentor(s): Stephen Rust

Session 1: Flicks and Pics

This research project answers the questions relating to how the University of Oregon’s EMU helped create Oregon’s First Film Crew in the 70’s; how that in turn resulted in National Lampoon’s Animal House being filmed at the UO in 1977; and why significant events were held and filmed specifically in The EMU: A) How Animal House Came to the UO: https://vimeo .com/401518226/f72da257a4
B) The Casting Call: https://vimeo .com/400122172/8de7c92b45
C) The Food Fight: https://vimeo .com/399570228/6eab0a62f7

The EMU was considered one of the Nation’s cultural epicenters because of its programs supporting and housing new social, intellectual, political, artistic, journalistic, filmic and musical paradigms of the 60’s . Because of this, a group of Poetic Cinema filmmakers emerged from this cultural center in 1969 and became Oregon’s first film crew; not only helping create Oregon’s film industry, but stepping in to help save Animal House from being scrapped by a Hollywood studio . These filmmakers all met on July 8th, 1969 on the Free Speech Platform of the EMU while watching a Communist debate the ASUO Student Body President . From there they formed FWAPS to help Kesey edit his 1964 footage, participated in Jack Nicholson’s film Drive He Said (1970), Elliott Gould’s Getting Free (1971), the Grateful Dead’s Sunshine Daydream (1972), as well as supporting Paul Newman’s Sometimes A Great Notion and Michael Douglas’ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), before becoming key personnel on Animal House in 1977 .