Mountaineer Trilogy - three great films on WV
John Nakashima, Chip Hitchcock and Tom Nicholson directed three different films about West Virginia that were packaged as “Mountaineer Circles.” The three films are - “Mountaineer,” “Farmer” and “Gilligan’s Appalachia.” The WV Humanities Council produced these films at the same time that they released the VHS of “West Virginia - A Film History” in 1995. Like “WV,” a classroom version was sent on VHS to every public library and school in the state. I wish someone would broadcast these films again, and release them on DVD.
John Nakashima, who is still working at WVPBS, directed “Mountaineer.” The film is unique in that it shows samples of films, music, and other media that created the stereotype of “the mountaineer” as a dangerous, poorly educated person who is also lazy and needs to be “controlled.” Nakashima spent a lot of time and money getting access to the various media to include them in the film. (That probably explains why the film will never be released on DVD - too time consuming and expensive to get those rights now.) I was interviewed for the film, but ended up on the cutting room floor. Many other experts on Appalachia and its stereotypes are interviewd.
Chip Hitchcock, also still working at WVPBS, directed “Farmer.” This simple but well-done film interviews five different WV farmers, asking them about the reality of farming in WV during the 1920s and 1930s, before interstate highways and television. I found this film to be the perfect answer to “Mountaineer,” showing that WV farmers were NOT the dangerous blood-thirsty, dimwitted people presented in the media.
The last film is by Tom Nicholson, an animator who no longer works at WVPBS. He did a story on the amazing life of Bob Denver, who starred in the hit TV series, “Gilligan’s Island,” moving to WV with his WV bride. Denver spent his last years in Bluefield, WV, dying in 2005. This film lampoons the stereotypes, using them to explore the world that Denver enjoyed. He was still very famous during his last years, and everyone in WV was proud that such a great comedian chose to live in WV. He was one of several great comedians links to the state including Soupy Sales, who grew up in Huntington, and Morgantown native Don Knotts. Nicholson presently teaches at Ithaca College in New York.
Hopefully, West Virginia school children, adults, Appalachian festivals, and maybe even WVPBS can once again show these three great films. To read about hundreds of other films about WV and Appalachia, visit my AppLit website.
Nakashima and Hitchcock went on to very productive careers working for WVPBS. Nakashima produced one of their best live series with First Lady Rachel Worby called “Arts and Letters.” He also directed “A.James Manchin - the Final Accounting” that presents the amazing life, career, and debacle of Gov. Manchin’s famous uncle. The two filmmakers have worked together many times including on “Rural and Urban Images: Voices of Girls in Science, Mathematics, and Technology.” Hitchcock has worked on everything produced at WVPBS including the original “Dancing Outlaw” and most recently “Baghdad to Bridgeport.” Nakashima has also been working on a feature documentary about a famous relative of his, George Nakashima. Both WV filmmakers are active in the WV Filmmakers Guild, showing their films at the annual film festival held in Sutton called “The WV Filmmakers Festival.”
To see these VHS films, contact your local West Virginia public library.
MOUNTAINEER CIRCLES
Time varies 1995 VHS WNPB-TV
Three video documentaries and discussion guide exploring life in
West Virginia. Includes:
PROGRAM ONE-MOUNTAINEER - 59 M. - What is the difference between a hillbilly and a mountaineer? A unique film done with collages of movie clips starting with TOL’ ABLE DAVID (1921) and coming up to the present to show how the hillbilly and
West Virginia has been portrayed throughout history. Interviews with historians, artists, professionals, the elderly, the young people of today, and just common folk tell what it means to them to be a Mountaineer. Covers areas that are desolate today but still people remain. Excellent music of yesteryear and of today’s sound. Shows that generation after generation, they still hold to their roots - even though the sound may change, the feelings remain the same.
PROGRAM TWO-FARMER -59 M. - Interviews five farmers who remember what the family farm was like in West Virginia in the 20’s and 30’s. They each tell how a family-intensive farm activity was done, and they describe interesting aspect of their families. Featured are Titus Harris of Princeton, Mercer County, Kline Henry of Sugar Grove,
Monongalia County, Leona Swisher of New Milton, Doddridge County, Mary Thomas of Bruceton Mills, PrestonCounty, Claude Winters of Eglton, Preston County and Ralph Kerns of Monongalia County.
PROGRAM THREE - GILLIGAN’S APPALACHIA - 29 M. - Uses both humorous and documentary approaches to look at our way of life in West Virginia. Through rapidly crosscut stories and opinions of several individuals with fantasy and comedy stories, Gilligan attempts to echo the “crazy quilt” of experiences that come to mind when describing our state.
