Help: 40's or early 50's folk documentary fil

Subject: 40's or early 50's folk documentary film
From: GUEST,Bob Baldwin
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 07:36 AM

Back in about 1953, I saw a b&w documentary about American folk music with footage of Woody Guthrie, Pete, Brownie McGee and Sonny Terry, and traditional southern musicians. Maybe Hobart Smith or Bascom Lamar Lunceford. It had a kind of a lame title like "Banjo-picking Boy" but it had some great sequences. The most memorable ones, for me, were Woody, Brownie and Sonny playing John Henry and a boyish looking Seeger and others -- probably Almanac-ers - on a street corner singing "Round and Round Old Hitler's Grave" to the tune of "Old Joe Clark" Does anybody know anything about this film and whether anyone has made it available in a video format?

Subject: RE: Help: 40's or early 50's folk documentary fil
From: dwditty
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 01:14 PM

I don't if the one you are looking for is here, but there are lots of rare footage videos at Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop.
Click Here for Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop

Subject: RE: Help: 40's or early 50's folk documentary fil
From: Susan of DT
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 02:12 PM

(from dick greenhaus, who hates to change cookies)

B'lieve it was tatled "To Hear My Banjo Ring". It's been a ling time, though.

Subject: RE: Help: 40's or early 50's folk documentary fil
From: GUEST,Bob Baldwin
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 02:29 PM

Thanks, Dick

Yes, I believe that was the title. I don't know where or how my mind came up with that other title. I checked the Stefan Grossman site, but couldn't find anything but instructional videos. I'd really love to get my hands on any movie shots of Woody performing, not just this one film. Does anybody know of any?

Subject: RE: Help: 40's or early 50's folk documentary fil
From: grgptrsn
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 02:33 PM

yes, it's called "to hear your banjo ring" or "to hear the banjo ring" or something very close to that. and it is available on video, because i rented it just a few weeks ago. i believe the video was released by The Museum of Modern Art in New York and also contains another short film about graffiti on the subways (i don't recall the name of this one, though).

Subject: RE: Help: 40's or early 50's folk documentary fil
From: Art Thieme
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 06:21 PM

Most of those snatches of the folks were used in various episodes of Pete Seeger's "RAINBOW QUEST" TV shows.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Help: 40's or early 50's folk documentary fil
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 10:05 PM

There are a couple of film clips of Woody, but the one from "hear My Banjo Ring" is probably the best one. I second Art's reccomendation of "Rainbow Quest". I've rented virtually every one from the library in the last three months and they are quite wonderful...lotsa clips as well.

Rick