November has been a whirlwind, but I’m excited to share all of the exciting things I've been up to as a TPS intern! I had great opportunities to get even more involved with the Library in-person by meeting with librarians in the Moving Image Research Center as well as the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.  In the Moving Image Research Center,   Alli Hartley-Kong   and I watched reels of family films donated to the Library’s collection. These films, while silent, retained their beautiful color and truly captured the essence of this particular mid-century family. Sequences include a three generation fishing trip, a multi-family BBQ, and a beach day! Much Like Edison’s actualities, home movies give the viewers insight into how the world at the time may have looked, felt, and sounded (yes, even with silent films!). 

I also had the opportunity to meet   Mary Johnson  over Zoom with the rest of my internship cohort! I learned so much more about the intricacies of the TPS Network and I’m excited to now be an administrator for the Teaching with Film Group. 

Other highlights from this month include attending Library events!  Live! at the Library: 125 Years of the Thomas Jefferson Building was a great experience to meet some of the incredible librarians, architects, horticulturalists, and firemen who keep the building beautiful. I also explored areas of the Jefferson Building, like the Librarian of Congress’s Ceromonial Office. Later in the month, I volunteered for the Whiteout: Celebrating Black Teen Love event.I not only met the panel of incredible authors, but also Dr. Carla Hayden! 

I have also continued my work on two projects.The first is my Silent Film Resource Guide that I discussed in my last monthly reflection. Thank you to everyone who has provided me with feedback and suggestions as I move forward in its creation. I hope to finish this project within the next couple weeks and would love to hear your feedback upon its completion. I would also like to know if anyone would be interested in piloting this activity!

I have also been working with   Regina Holland   on the creation of a podcast series for the National Council of History Education’s (NCHE) The Rural Experience in America 2022 Cohort. Creating a podcast series is a lot of work, but equally as fun. Our goal in the creation of this series is “to spotlight cohort teacher’s public history project and provide a tool for teachers interested in creating a public history project.” One of my favorite parts was choosing the theme music, drawing from Library sources. In my search, I explored Citizen DJ and came across the Music Box Project. The Music Box Project was founded in 2010 by “independent folklorist, musicologist and Berklee College of Music alumni,” Dyann Arthur. These audio files are fantastic primary sources because not only do they contain audio of live performances featuring folk artists from across the country, the artists take the time to explain the piece before the performance. Oftentimes, pre-performance moments either provide historical context or a personal anecdote about the impact this music had on the artists. One of my favorite examples is Eleanor Ellis’s rendition of Bull Doze Blues. 

Finally, I wanted to share another film primary source with you all. While I am probably not using this in my final edition of the Silent Film Resource Guide, I’ve loved learning more about the film The Little Train Robbery (1905). The Little Train Robbery is an all-child actor parody of the classic film The Great Train Robbery (1903). The story follows a Bandit Queen and her crew of fellow child bandits. She directs her crew to steal some ponies and hold up a local train. Unlike its source material, the “little train” in this robbery is, indeed, a little train. It looks like one of the trains used in amusement parks as a ride for little kids. The passengers are also all young children and the description of the film suggests that the bandits rob the passengers of their sweets and cookies. Alas, the bandits did not get away with their crime. The cops soon arrive and chase the bandits all across the countryside in an epic chase scene. This chase is also a parody of the “chase scene'' genre seen in other films of the era, like Maniac Chase (1904). The cops capture all the bandits, but the Bandit Queen and her right hand man get away and run off into the sunset. 

The Little Train Robbery has inspired the child-actor, genre based parodies you see today. From the Our Gang comedies of the 1920s-1930s, to Bugsy Malone (1976) and even The Goonies (1985), audiences love watching kids take on grown up responsibilities. Today, full child-actor casts are more often seen on television with shows on children channels or with shows like Stranger Things. 

I would love to hear how you incorporate child point-of-view multimedia content into your classroom! Would The Little Train Robbery be something you would use?

  Art/Music    English/Language Arts    Social Studies/History    film    teachingwithfilm