Restored movies of Gilroy’s past to be shown in hopes that
locals can identify places and faces in films
Gilroy – What’s wrong with this picture? A cowboy in a white Stetson riding a high-stepping horse with a magnificent long tail led the parade at the Gilroy Gymkhana this past week. The parade featured automobiles riding alongside teams of mounted cowboys bearing American flags. The event showcased the finest display of roping and riding this town has seen in 50 years.
However, this entire Gymkhana took place quietly within the walls of the Gilroy Museum last week where history has come parading, stampeding, and marching into town through the reels of a set of restored 16 mm and 35 mm films. The squeals of the bucking broncos and the whooping of the cowboys went unheard because they are faces without voices, scenes from Gilroy’s past.
“I imagine it was like in the Bonanza days, the sheriff’s posse would come,” said Phill Laursen, gesturing toward the Gymkhana film rolling in the background.
The Gymkhana is one of four scenes from Gilroy’s past that have been restored by Laursen – a member of the Gilroy Historical Society – thanks to a grant from the Gilroy Foundation.
The films’ journey from outdated reel-to-reel footage stored in dinged-up metal canisters onto a single digital DVD wasn’t the result of a major preservation plan, one thing just led to another.
“I can’t remember really how this started,” Laursen said. “It just happened.”
It was apparent that the need to preserve the films was pressing – one of the unlabeled canisters at the museum had already completely disintegrated.
“We opened one of the canisters this size and it was just full of red dust,” Laursen said.
With a $500 grant from the Gilroy Foundation in hand, Laursen took it upon himself to ensure none of the other films shared that fate. He brought about the successful transfer of four segments of old film with the help of a team of experts in Cupertino. No editing occurred in the transfer, the films are completely as they were found with only title sequences added to label the different segments.
Now that the films have been rescued, the real work of unraveling the mystery of the past begins. Laursen and the Gilroy Historical Society are seeking assistance from the community to accurately date the films as well as identify the film’s locations and most importantly, the people in them. The Historical Society will be holding a free premiere of the films this Saturday at the Gilroy Museum in hopes of bringing more of what was captured in the film segments to light.
At 14 minutes, the Gymkhana segment from the 1950s is the longest of segments and one of the most colorful. It only takes about 15 seconds to realize that the Gymkhana is a tribute to a town full of “Italian cowboys,” as Laursen put it. “Gymkhana,” is an Indian word roughly translated as “games on horseback.” Gymkhana were held annually in Gilroy beginning in the 1920s.
Held on the fields of the Gymkhana grounds north of the old Gilroy High School, the segment features an opening parade complete with marching bands and standard-bearing cowboys. At one point what appears to be a white 1953 Oldsmobile rolls past crowds of onlookers. The Oldsmobile is the clue upon which the film has been tentatively dated. “You know… (at parades) you drive the latest model car,” Laursen said.
After the parade, scores of anonymous cowboys come barreling out of the chutes riding enraged mustangs. Countless others rope steers and calves, rendering them incapacitated with an expert flick of rope to the legs. Laursen hopes the segments will tap the memory of community members so he can begin connecting some names with the cowboys’ faces.
The second segment of restored film was found labeled “Camp San Luis Obispo.” Scenes from an army national guard camp from the 1940s unfold underneath the distinctive backdrop of San Luis Obispo’s Bishop’s Peak; soldiers march along silently, play horseshoes, fly National Guard airplanes and horse around for the camera. The Camp S.L.O. segment provides many close-ups ideal for identifying the individuals in the scenes as well as an extended sequence of flag signaling which could provide insight into the events on film.
A black placard with the words “Sham Battle” heralds the beginning of the oldest segment of restored film. Clouds of reddish, glowing smoke from a battle reenactment in honor of Armistice Day open the segment. The film cuts to the parade downtown on Monterey Street. The distinctive rooflines of the city’s main drag are recognizable.
“I think that’s the Strand,” said Laursen, pointing to a building on the northeastern end of the street.
The final segment of film was found with a note attached to the canister: “Albert Wilson found this film when they were cleaning out the basement at Wheeler – GHS Championship Football Team Game. 1911?” A black screen with the words “Hollister Legion Team” cuts to a team of football players posing alongside a field in black uniforms with striped sleeves. Another placard leads to a similarly posed team of Gilroy players in two rows. A third placard reads “Start of Football Game” and shows a very jerky shot of a scrimmage taking place. The film doesn’t reveal who won, but proves the Gilroy-Hollister rivalry is long-standing. Finally, a placard reading “a large crowd watches the game” cuts to a shot of the crowd in the bleachers.
Laursen plans to remove stills from each of the film segments to have on hand at the premiere to aid in the identification process.
“As we learn more I would like to add some soundtrack, some narration,” he said. “For now, the important thing is to get the segments screened by people who have personal knowledge of the events on film.”
John Clark is one such person. With a lifetime spent in Gilroy, he’s just the type of individual that Laursen is looking for. Clark vividly remembers riding his unshod pony in several of the Gymkhana’s. He also remembers the national guard camp at San Luis Obispo.
“We went up in all those hills there … we would go to Morro Bay and then march back … everywhere we went we walked.”
Clark’s memories, and the memories of many other community members like him, are priceless to Laursen’s efforts to breathe life into the events recorded on film.
“I am hoping people will come and say ‘Hey, I’ve got some old films’ and bring them in,” he said.
For now, Laursen is just hoping that anyone knowledgeable or curious will attend the premiere, whether they’re an old-timer or a contemporary Gilroyan.
“It’s for anybody who’s interested,” he said, “I’m hoping among the people someone will say ‘Hey, I know that person.'”
Scenes from Gilroy’s Past
The Gilroy Historical Society will be premiering the scenes from Gilroy’s past at the Gilroy Museum, 195 Fifth St. at 1:30pm Saturday. Popcorn and soda served.
