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Posted by: Cary O’Dell
Sixty-three years ago this month was the day the music died. On February 3, 1959, a small airplane carrying rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (i.e. J.P. Richardson, Jr.), along with its pilot, crashed in a cornfield near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all three. The tragedy, which, of course, inspired Don …
Posted in: National Recording Registry
Posted by: Cary O’Dell
Yep, we’re going to try again. Back in November of last year, we posted on this blog a now almost-infamous mystery photo that we have here at the Library; it’s the photo we call “Photo #33” a.k.a. “Two Dudes” a.k.a. “Are You Sure They’re Dudes?” And while we haven’t identified that picture yet, we are …
Posted in: Unidentified Stills
Posted by: Cary O’Dell
Thirty-five years ago this month, the legendary pop artist Andy Warhol passed away at the age of 58. Understand him and his art or not, love his art or not, Warhol nevertheless left a distinct mark on the American culture. Along with works of his hanging in museums all over the world, his work is …
Posted in: Film Essay, National Film Registry
Posted by: Stacie Seifrit-Griffin
Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) sets a theme for February’s Black History Month, and this year, they’ve chosen the impact and importance of Black Health and Wellness. According to their website, “this theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in …
Posted in: Film Essay, Film/Video, Motion Pictures, National Film Registry, National Screening Room
Posted by: Cary O’Dell
Ninety-five years ago today–February 4, 1927–Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix Beiderbecke headed into the studio to lay down their classic “Singin’ the Blues.” “Blues” was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2005. In the essay below, the Library’s own David Sager recounts the making of a legendary recording. “Singin’ …
Posted in: National Recording Registry, Recorded Sound
Posted by: Cary O’Dell
Here are some of the titles from the Library’s motion picture collection–many preserved by the NAVCC film laboratory–that we’re loaning for exhibition this month. As always, we can’t guarantee that schedules won’t change or links get broken, but this is our best information at the time of publication. Film Forum NYC BOARDING HOUSE BLUES (1948) …
Posted in: Film Loans, Motion Pictures