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Alaska Film Archives

About the Collection

Over the past half century, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has built the largest collection of archival films in and about Alaska. The collection combines hundreds of donations of film and videos to UAF by individuals, organizations and institutions. Materials range from professional productions to amateur home-movies, made in and about Alaska from the earliest days of filmmaking through today. Since 1993 these materials have been held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library. Films and videos selected for this portal project are a sampling of the thousands available for checkout on DVD through the Rasmuson Library. Unless otherwise noted, items are presented here in their entirety, unedited and uncut. Short, popular clips from the collection can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Read more about the Alaska Film Archives.

1 to 8 of 8 Objects
[1947 Nalukataq whale feast at Barrow]
[1947 Nalukataq whale feast at Barrow]
Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about these films is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Barrow, Nulakatuk, 1947. After a successful whaling season they have a Nulakatuk celebration which is to celebrate the parting of the whales soul so there is no hard feeling to the whales so they will come again the next year. All the whaling captains get together and have this celebration and if there are a lot of whales killed that season they may have two or three celebrations on different days.", From the Alaska Film Archives, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks., From the William W. Bacon III collection. APR Collection Number 2015-203., AAF-20,079 transferred in 2016 by Reflex Technologies of Burbank, California, to Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and Mac-format external hard drive. Some light and color corrections may have been applied to Blu-ray disc and DVD by Reflex Technologies., Filmmaker's original labeling scheme has film AAF-20,079 numbered as Bacon 17, and titled “1947 Nulakatuk Whale Feast, Barrow.” Film contains scenes of whale and muktuk being distributed at the Nalukataq whale feast at Barrow, people eating and celebrating, blanket toss, men in military uniforms, Alaska Native dancers and drummers, children running and chasing after large vehicle, and more blanket toss.
[AMOCO-Navarin operations]
[AMOCO-Navarin operations]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20,000 numbered as Bacon 102-1 and titled "AMOCO-Navarin Operations: WP [workprint]-400 feet." It contains footage of men boarding a Boeing 234 Chinook helicopter, the helicopter taking off and then landing at an oil rig or platform in the ocean, a sign that says "Ocean Odyssey," a man in a small control room, drilling operations and men at work aboard an oil rig, a satellite dish and control room, a man being interviewed, more scenes aboard the oil rig, a cargo ship and a sign reading "Maersk Serangoon," a man with binoculars, a pipe and cargo aboard a ship?, a helicopter landing at an airport, and men disembarking from the helicopter. Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about these films is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: "Box 102 - 1 Reel - Film Bill did for AMOCO Oil. They had a contract. Also, they had a lease for fifty miles off of Anwar [ANWR] on the border of Canada and the United States and they wanted a film of the whole operation."
[Alyeska start-up, press and TV crews waiting for oil 1977 part 1]
[Alyeska start-up, press and TV crews waiting for oil 1977 part 1]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has film AAF-20,001 numbered as Bacon 108-1, and titled "Alyeska Start-Up: WP [workprint]-400 feet" The corresponding negative was also included in box. Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about these films is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: "Box 108 - 1 large reel, 2 medium reels, 1 photo and a magazine article - Start-up at pig launcher. This is the first time they put oil in the pipeline. They put a pig in the pipe first and in it was an electronic device that could detect where the oil was. You could walk along and hear the pig pinging and they had instruments that could pick it up to track it when it went underground. Bill was the only one allowed inside the pump station because he worked for Alyeska. There were TV crews from all over the world to film this and he was the only one allowed in. Bill was in there filming and the oil started to come into the pump station and all of the sudden oil started coming in and spraying all over the station. This guy that worked in there yelled at Bill, 'Does that camera run on electricity?' And Bill answered 'Yes sir.' He yelled back 'Shut it off,' so Bill did and he said, 'What the hell is the matter?' The guy said, 'One spark and this whole place blows to kingdom come - you don’t realize but that crude oil has everything in it - it has gas and everything in it so it will blow this thing to hell.' Once they cleaned it up a little they let him film again and he got film of them cleaning it up. The man in the pump station said, 'Mark my words before this oil gets to Valdez someone is going to get killed,' and sure enough someone did. There was a leak in the pipe and they did not shut off all the electrical stuff and the thing blew up. No one knows why but it happened."
[Alyeska start-up, press and TV crews waiting for oil 1977 part 2]
[Alyeska start-up, press and TV crews waiting for oil 1977 part 2]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme AAF-20,002 numbered as Bacon 108-2 and titled "Alyeska Start-Up, Press and TV Crews Waiting for Oil 1977: WP [workprint]-300 feet" [the corresponding negative was also included in box]. See AAF-20417 for an associated item originally labeled Bacon 108-3. Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about these films is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: "Box 108 - 1 large reel, 2 medium reels, 1 photo and a magazine article - Start-up at pig launcher. This is the first time they put oil in the pipeline. They put a pig in the pipe first and in it was an electronic device that could detect where the oil was. You could walk along and hear the pig pinging and they had instruments that could pick it up to track it when it went underground. Bill was the only one allowed inside the pump station because he worked for Alyeska. There were TV crews from all over the world to film this and he was the only one allowed in. Bill was in there filming and the oil started to come into the pump station and all of the sudden oil started coming in and spraying all over the station. This guy that worked in there yelled at Bill, 'Does that camera run on electricity?' And Bill answered 'Yes sir.' He yelled back 'Shut it off,' so Bill did and he said, 'What the hell is the matter?' The guy said, 'One spark and this whole place blows to kingdom come - you don’t realize but that crude oil has everything in it - it has gas and everything in it so it will blow this thing to hell.' Once they cleaned it up a little they let him film again and he got film of them cleaning it up. The man in the pump station said, 'Mark my words before this oil gets to Valdez someone is going to get killed,' and sure enough someone did. There was a leak in the pipe and they did not shut off all the electrical stuff and the thing blew up. No one knows why but it happened."
[Alyeska start-up]
[Alyeska start-up]
Images include the press and TV crews at Prudhoe Bay waiting for oil to start flowing into the Trans-Alaska Pipeline on June 20, 1977 as well as scenes inside a control room and aerial views of Prudhoe Bay facilities. See AAF-20,001 -- AAF-20,002 for associated items. Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about these films is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: "Box 108 - 1 large reel, 2 medium reels, 1 photo and a magazine article - Start-up at pig launcher. This is the first time they put oil in the pipeline. They put a pig in the pipe first and in it was an electronic device that could detect where the oil was. You could walk along and hear the pig pinging, and they had instruments that could pick it up to track it when it went underground. Bill was the only one allowed inside the pump station because he worked for Alyeska. There were TV crews from all over the world to film this and he was the only one allowed in. Bill was in there filming, and the oil started to come into the pump station, and all of the sudden oil started coming in and spraying all over the station. This guy that worked in there yelled at Bill, 'Does that camera run on electricity?' And Bill answered, 'Yes sir.' He yelled back, 'Shut it off,' so Bill did and he said, 'What the hell is the matter?' The guy said, 'One spark and this whole place blows to kingdom come - you don’t realize but that crude oil has everything in it - it has gas and everything in it, so it will blow this thing to hell.' Once they cleaned it up a little, they let him film again, and he got film of them cleaning it up. The man in the pump station said, 'Mark my words before this oil gets to Valdez someone is going to get killed,' and sure enough someone did. There was a leak in the pipe, and they did not shut off all the electrical stuff, and the thing blew up. No one knows why, but it happened."
[Beluga whale hunt]
[Beluga whale hunt]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20049 numbered as Bacon 11-03 and titled “Air Shots of Kotzebue 1981.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Chilkat dancers, carving on the largest totem pole - The Japanese were having a World’s Fair and they wanted to have the largest totem pole so they went to Haines to have it carved; it was huge - Inuit Circumpolar Conference meeting in Nuke, Greenland in 1980, beluga hunting in Kotzebue - In the evening when the hunters bring in the whales they cut them up and hang them to dry - Nome inside shots of Omiak - When he went to Egg Island, big Omiak Eskimos climbed up the cliffs and got the bird eggs, puffin and seagull eggs - They get up there and drop the eggs down to a guy that catches them, and then he gives them to a guy in a boat where he has a basket with grass in it and they fill up the baskets - Bill got up the hill and it was so slippery from bird droppings that he kept slipping so he could not get down - They had to go around and climb up to the top and drop a rope down to him and pull him up - Says it was really embarrassing.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Barrow Nulakatuk, ICC Meeting Inuvik NWT Canada 1960, ICC meeting Nuuk Greenland July 1, 1980, Eskimos going to ECC Island out from Nome 1950, Kotzebue beluga hunters return at night 1950” and “Reel 3: Kotzebue, bringing in Beluga whales, cutting up, hanging up.”
[Bill Bacon KAKM interview]
[Bill Bacon KAKM interview]
KAKM-TV interview with filmmaker Bill Bacon on the program "Something to Say." Program 110. Recorded on November 24, 1980. Air date was December 18, 1980. Produced and hosted by Carroll Hodge, and produced and directed by Ron Eagle. Copyright 1980 KAKM. Bacon talks about filming wildlife, Walt Disney, overcoming camera challenges, doing stunt work, working on Mount McKinley (Denali) with dog teams, his early life in Pennsylvania, his experiences after being in the Navy during World War II, meeting pilot Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan, his arrival in Alaska, learning the art of filmmaking, being a freelance filmmaker, operating cameras in cold weather, working for the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, communicating between Alaska Natives and oil companies, filming scenes of whaling for the Eskimo Whaling Commission, his support of subsistence hunting, and being stranded on the St. Augustine volcano.
[Nome, umiak travel]
[Nome, umiak travel]
The filmmaker's original labeling scheme has AAF-20052 numbered as Bacon 11-06 and titled “Nome, Oomiak, Eskimo, Eggel Island.” Reed Bovee interviewed filmmaker Bill Bacon in 2010, and the following information about the group of films that includes this film is based on Bovee's notes from that interview: “Chilkat dancers, carving on the largest totem pole - The Japanese were having a World’s Fair and they wanted to have the largest totem pole so they went to Haines to have it carved; it was huge - Inuit Circumpolar Conference meeting in Nuke, Greenland in 1980, beluga hunting in Kotzebue - In the evening when the hunters bring in the whales they cut them up and hang them to dry - Nome inside shots of Omiak - When he went to Egg Island, big Omiak Eskimos climbed up the cliffs and got the bird eggs, puffin and seagull eggs - They get up there and drop the eggs down to a guy that catches them, and then he gives them to a guy in a boat where he has a basket with grass in it and they fill up the baskets - Bill got up the hill and it was so slippery from bird droppings that he kept slipping so he could not get down - They had to go around and climb up to the top and drop a rope down to him and pull him up - Says it was really embarrassing.” Notes on the film box are as follows: “Barrow Nulakatuk, ICC Meeting Inuvik NWT Canada 1960, ICC meeting Nuuk Greenland July 1, 1980, Eskimos going to ECC Island out from Nome 1950, Kotzebue beluga hunters return at night 1950” and “Reel 6: Eskimo Omiak, Eggel Island standing on its shore, inside shot of Omiak with people underway.” In 2019, an elder from Nome identified Sledge Island, off the coast of Nome, in the film.