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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
[Alaska On Line: Red Boucher interviews Will Johnson]
[Alaska On Line: Red Boucher interviews Will Johnson]
In this episode of Alaska On Line, Red Boucher interviews Will Johnson, president of Yute Air, about bush airlines in Alaska. The program was recorded on November 8, 1997.
Alaska Review 08
Alaska Review 08
Hosts Ed Bennett and Eric Eckholm introduce the program. In the first segment, Mark Badger reports on a strike of Wien Airline pilots. The safety of flying Boeing 737 aircraft with two versus three pilots is discussed. Those interviewed include: James Flood, president of Wien Air Alaska; Captain John O'Donnell, president of the Air Line Pilots Association; Charles Davies, Boeing 737 engineer; Captain Ace Dodson, pilot; Captain Ronald Wood, pilot; and Nancy Lane, pilot. The second segment contains a report on Denali mountain climbers and proposed regulation changes. Interviewees include: Jim Hale, mountain guide; Ray Genet, mountain guide; Bob Gerhard, mountaineering ranger for Mt. McKinley National Park; Barbara Washburn, explorer and the first woman to summit Denali; Bradford Washburn, explorer; Mike Fisher, pilot for Talkeetna Air Service; Nick Hartzell, park ranger; Frances Randall, mountain climber and full time summer resident of glacier landing strip on Denali; Glenn Fortner, leader of climbing expedition; and Dan Kuehn, Mt. McKinley National Park superintendent. Footage includes aerial views of Denali and surrounding glaciers. The third segment examines the ownership and sale of ancient Tlingit artifacts in the Whale House of Klukwan. Those interviewed include: Estelle Johnson, Whale House clan leader; Jenny Thalunaut of Klukwan; Michael and Sharon Johnson, art buyers; Victor Hotch of Klukwan; Martha Willard of Klukwan; and Richard King of Klukwan. The fourth segment explores Permanent Fund issues, methods of investing Permanent Fund money, and what should be done with the interest. Interviewees include: Beldon Daniels, Harvard economist; State Representative Clark Gruening of Anchorage; State Senator Bill Sumner of Anchorage; Robert Barnes, banker; Alaska Governor Jay Hammond; Norman Bailey, investments consultant; and unidentified people-on-the-street. This program includes Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about college funding, alcoholism, and pollution.
Alaska Review 11
Alaska Review 11
In the first segment, reporter Eric Eckholm examines the development of Alaska's Native Corporations and explores some of the growing pains and management troubles experienced by Calista Corporation, one of Alaska's largest Native Corporations. Those interviewed include: Tony Vaska of Bethel; Fred Notti, one of the directors for Calista Corporation; Charlie Kairaivak of Chefornak, acting general manager for group of village corporations; Lyman Hoffman, city manager of Bethel; Mary Stachelrodt, former Calista Corporation employee; and Oscar Kawagley, president of Calista Corporation. The report contains views of Anchorage, Bethel and Chefornak. In the second segment, Janet Archibald reports on early Alaska aviation with photos and film clips of Alaska pioneer aviators and their aircraft. Her report leads into a discussion of current air routes and the controversies surrounding air service to bush communities in Alaska. In the third segment, reporter Ed Bennett explores the ways in which government policies encouraged development of monopolistic air service to Alaskan Bush communities. The adverse impact of Wien Airline's growth and movement away from providing air service to the Bush is also discussed. Those interviewed include: Ray Petersen, chairman of the board of Wien Air Alaska; Dick Galleher, president of Munz Northern Airlines; Jake Johnson, member of the Alaska Transportation Commission; Ray Gabriel, general store owner at Kivalina; Bob Schaeffer, Kotzebue representative of the Maniilaq Association; Bob Chapman, chief pilot for Munz Northern Airlines; Dick Steinman, Alaska field office chief for the Civil Aeronautics Board; Howard Killen, former Wien Airlines mechanic; and unidentified airline passengers. The report contains views of various Alaska Bush community airports. In the fourth segment, Eric Eckholm reports on some Alaskans' dissatisfaction with available television broadcast choices and their disappointment at what they see as a lack of media coverage of local news and public affairs issues. The impact of emerging satellite technologies is also discussed. Those interviewed include: Pauline Utter of the Alaskans for Better Media organization; Bob Fleming, radio station owner; Michael Porcaro, head of the Alaska Public Broadcast Commission; Peg Tileston of the Alaskans for Better Media; Ted Lehne, commercial broadcaster in Fairbanks; Charles Northrip, executive producer of "Capital 78, " a publicly funded television program; Jim Orvik, University of Alaska researcher; Axel Johnson of Emmonak; and an unidentified school teacher. The program contains views of television news broadcasts, radio shows, broadcast stations including KFAR in Fairbanks, and Emmonak. The program also contains Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about the American Medical Association, child abuse prevention, and the National Center for Productivity and Quality of Working Life.
[Lounsbury film collection 1]
[Lounsbury film collection 1]
Footage includes children, rotary snow plow, men outside F.E. company building, downtown Fairbanks, a dredge, Pacific Alaskan Airways (PAA) hangar and people leaving, the Cleary City Post Office, people posing, Billy Roots bus (?), Cleary Summit roadhouse, men with a caterpillar tractor, small cat train in front of Service motors, Fairbanks streets, Jimmie Mattern signing autographs at PAA Hangar at Weeks Field, Mattern's airplane “Texan” and Russian flying boat at Weeks Field during search for Sigismund Levanevsky, people departing Fairbanks on Alaska Railroad (ARR), Richardson Highway Transportation Company bus, steamship travel in Southeast, a gold dredge and thaw field, MST Company bus , boys at Fox, woman with a horse at Cleary Summit roadhouse, a boy with shovel, Chena River spring break-up, dog races, Sigrid Seppala wearing parka, Winter Carnival Parade, and dog races.
[Senator Gruening talks with Barry Jackson]
[Senator Gruening talks with Barry Jackson]
Senator Ernest Gruening interviews Fairbanks City Attorney Barry Jackson about the Civil Aeronautics Board review of the Pan American World Airways route application for a Tokyo-Fairbanks-New York route.
[Senator Gruening talks with Merle Smith]
[Senator Gruening talks with Merle Smith]
Senator Ernest Gruening interviews Cordova Air Service President Merle "Mudhole" Smith about airline development in Alaska and problems encountered while trying to expand service to the Kenai Peninsula.
[Senator Gruening talks with Robert Eillis]
[Senator Gruening talks with Robert Eillis]
Senator Ernest Gruening interviews Ketchikan airline executive Robert Ellis about what affect the opening of the Alaska Marine Highway System will have on the airline industry and tourism in Alaska.
[Senator Gruening talks with Sig Wien]
[Senator Gruening talks with Sig Wien]
U.S. Senator Ernest Gruening interviews Sig Wien about Wien Alaska Airlines and a proposed route expansion to Juneau. Gruening also talks about Sig Wien rescuing him and his pilot, John Cross.