Film Fests on DVD - Michael Lipton, Amazing Delores, Snapper and Frank
From 1979-1996 I hosted a cable TV show called “Film Festival.” I taped two 15 minute shows each month which were shown on Capitol Cablevision and elsewhere around the state. Luckily WVLC Television Services kept some VHS tapes I made of the programs. Now there are two unusual shows that have been translated to DVD by WVLC Television Services . One show from 1992 made in honor of the first anniversary of Lipton’s alt monthly, “Film Festival,” Lipton, included Frank Venezia, a well-known Charleston lawyer whose uncle was “Fang” from the hilarious TV show hosted by Huntington-raised Soopy Sales plus Lipton’s great dog, Snapper. The other show, taped in 1994 included Lipton with his friend The Amazing Delores who had just released her first album, “Stop Messing with My Mind.” She also sings one of her songs, “Going Over Forty,” which still sounds pretty good. If you really want to see these shows, contact me at - mystery12@suddenlink.net and put Amazing Delores in the subject line.
Michael Lipton taken from Mother Wit Design
Film Festival with Michael Lipton and Amazing Delores Film Fest – 1992 Lipton, his dog Snapper, and Frank Venezia, publisher of Graffiti, talk about one year anniversary of their alt newspaper. They mention the Ed ReBrook Controversy. Lipton was involved with exposing ReBrook for messing with clients as a lawyer. He was running against Darrell McGraw for WV Attorney General. Venezia says that 15,000 copies of G. are distributed statewide. Lipton, V. and Steve discuss Karl Hess, a famous political person now living in WV. A clip of an Oscar-winning film about Hess called “Karl Hess – Toward Liberty,” is shown. Steve asks L. how he decides what music CDs to review under the name Alpo. Lipton had recently been fired from the Gazette because of his involvement in the ReBrook case. Venezia talks about putting on Graffiti-sponsored shows like one recently done with Jude Binder. Snapper doesn’t say much but it is remarked that a film about him, “Suicide Dog,” won an award.
Plus – footage from the Graffiti One Year Anniversary Party May 30, 1992, 10 PM at The Empty Glass. The Amazing Delores sings. Bad camera work so hard to recognize people. Topper Sherwood is on camera.Film Fest – 1994 Amazing Delores talks about her first CD, “Stop Messing with my Mind.” It is distributed by Rounder Records from Cambridge, Mass. Subdivision Upstart Records. Cover photo taken by Fritz Hoffman, former Gazette photographer now working nationally. New Country included a single of hers in a compilation CD. D. wrote all of her songs on the record. A clip from Jacob Young’s “Amazing Delores” is shown – the scene with the angels on top of her trailer house. Other stills taken by Mitzi Kellogg are shown. She sings, “Going Over Forty” on camera. Lipton talks about plans to tour D. – Boston, NYC,
Nashville, New Orleans Jazz Festival. They talk about a Russian TV crew doing a story on her.
December 1st, 2008 at
[…] I saw two “lost WV films” that I really enjoyed. WVLC Television Services made a DVD copy of my cable TV show with The Amazing Delores, Michael Lipton and his pooch Snapper. Lipton enjoyed it so much that he plans on releasing the song Delores sings, “Going Over 4.” I also watched Jack Kelly’s monumental “In the Company’s Hands” that was released in 1987 by WVPBS. As I was compiling a list of all the films ever made about coal mining, I found that my own description of the film was only one sentence long. I thought, “There must be more to this film!” I watched it again on Election Day 2008 and what a treasure I found! It probably is the single best documentary about coal mining history in the first half of the 20th century, interviewing uniquely I believe the descendents of people on “both sides.” With the help of past WVPBS station manager Donn Rogosin, I tracked down Jack Kelly who is now the vice president of production for Miami PBS. Hopefully, with the help of Craig Lanham, the current programmer for WVPBS TV, the film will be made available again for people to see. It is the perfect documentary for anyone who watches John Sayles’ landmark film, “Matewan.” Now that coal production has become such a national issue, thanks to the many films about the effects of mountaintop removal mining, people may want to learn about the era of company towns that produced the energy source that fueled America. […]