Members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity gather in Detroit in 1965 in a scene from “Lost Landscapes of Detroit.” / Prelinger Archives
When San Francisco film collector and historian Richard Prelinger brought his “Lost Landscapes of Detroit” program to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit last year, he was surprised that more than 400 people attended. He was also pleased that so many people responded to his request for more home movie-style footage for use in a future show.
Prelinger returns this weekend with three screenings of motion-picture snapshots of the city. The footage was recorded mostly by amateur filmmakers from 1916 through the late 1970s. The video-projected program comes from mostly one-of-a-kind 8mm and 16mm films that are part of his Prelinger Archives, a collection of historical industrial and home movies.
“Much of this year’s edition came from films I have found recently,” Prelinger said in a phone interview. “The biggest difference from last year is the amount of African-American film footage that has come my way.”
Among the scenes:
• Detroit’s 250th anniversary parade in 1951, including an appearance by Joe Louis.
• Women working at a Chrysler auto plant during World War II.
• The 1965 national meeting of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, with special guest speaker Wilt Chamberlin.
• Detroiters making a pilgrimage to the newly opened Northland Center in 1956.
As with last year’s program, Prelinger will present the footage without sound.
“This isn’t about nostalgia, another chance to mourn the loss of the old Hudson’s building,” he says. “Everyone has their eye on Detroit; they see the possibilities. This is an injection of the past into Detroit’s present to help inform its future.”
