Historic Racing Films Offer Rare Glimpse of Past at Country Life Farm Premiere
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Maryland Horse® December 2018 Official publication of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association; Vol. 83, No. 12 Historic racing films offer rare glimpse of past at Country Life Farm premiere MARYLAND HORSE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION INC. at Goucher College 1021 Dulaney Valley Road Baltimore, MD 21204 Editor’s Note: Maryanna Skowronski, director of the Historical Society of Harford County, wrote the P.O. Box 427 following about the showing – and restoration – of old movies discovered at the former Prospect Hill Farm. Timonium, MD 21094 410-252-2100 www.marylandthoroughbred.com On a mid-October eve- to be run through a projector, gested as a possible funding BOARD OF DIRECTORS ning there were no chauf- the only indications of their source. More research ensued. Michael Harrison DVM feur-driven limousines dis- content were pencil-written In October 2016 Skowron- President patching movie stars onto a titles on the metal film canis- ski and fellow historical soci- 1 David Wade red carpet. Tiki torches, not ters. Titles such as “Maryland ety employee, Jacob Bensen, Vice-president klieg lights, guided guests Tracks”, “Saratoga” and most delivered the films to Colorlab Kent Allen Murray from a parking field to the intriguing, “Man o’ War,” for condition and cost analy- Secretary-treasurer front steps of the “Big House” hinted at the potential treasure sis. A phone call to the Califor- Cricket Goodall at the Pons family’s Country that the reels might contain. nia based NFPF ended with an Executive director Life Farm in Bel Air where a At the time the films were invitation to apply for funding Brooke Bowman DVM, film premier almost a decade donated, the cost of conserving to conserve the films. A grant Rebecca B. Davis, David in the making was to take them was beyond the scope of was written and in June 2017 DiPietro, Christy Holden, place. the society’s yearly budget. the society received word that Louis Merryman, Sabrina Circa 2008 the Historical The films were put into prop- two of the films (Saratoga and Moore, D. David Moose, Larry Society of Harford County er storage (no attic this time) Man o’ War) would be fund- Murray, Hunter Rankin, William Reightler, James B. received 28 reels of 8- and where they remained out of ed ($3,700) based on the NF- Steele, Theresa Wiseman 16-millimeter home movies sight but never far out of mind PF’s opinion that they were originating from the Bel Air of the society’s director Mary- of “national importance.” Directors Emeritus Race Track and the old Pros- anna Skowronski who had However, additional funds (served 18 years) pect Hill Farm. Now the cam- brokered their donation and had to be raised to conserve J. William Boniface, pus of Harford Community who was determined to have the remaining films. Grants R. Thomas Bowman, King T. College, for almost 30 years the films restored. from the Maryland Horse In- Leatherbury, Donald P. Litz the farm was home to Robert In January of 2014 she dustry Board, a donation from Jr., Robert T. Manfuso, Ann and Anne Heighe’s Thorough- contacted the Maryland Jock- Harford Community College, Merryman, Michael Pons, Katharine M. Voss bred racing and breeding con- ey Club’s Karin De Francis, a 2017 fundraiser at Country cern. Robert Heighe pre-de- a member of the Adviso- Life and a few private dona- Advisory Council ceased his wife and although ry Council of the American tions covered the balance of (past MHBA presidents) the details are fuzzy it’s be- Film Institute Silver Theatre the almost $10,000 needed to J. William Boniface, lieved that at the time of Anne and Cultural Center in Silver restore the entire collection. William K. Boniface, Frank A. Bonsal, R. Thomas Bowman, Heighe’s death an employee Spring to see if she might be of The restoration took 19 William G. Christmas, Hal saved the old films from dis- help. De Francis made some months (not counting the C.B. Clagett III, Kimball C. posal. Passed down to his inquiries on behalf of the proj- pre-funding months of film Firestone, King T. Leatherbury, daughter they were given to ect. Colorlab, a film conser- evaluation) due to the con- J.W.Y. Martin Jr., Joseph P. the society in fragile condition vation firm in Rockville was dition of the films and the Pons Jr., Michael Pons, James having spent at least 50 years recommended for the actual technical nature of the work. B. Steele Jr., Katharine M. in the alternating extreme heat work. The National Film Pres- Finally, in early August 2018, Voss, Robert B. White and cold of an attic. Too brittle ervation Foundation was sug- the conserved and digitally Prospect Hill Farm, the Heighes’ house, at what is now Harford Community College. reproduced black-and-white by Skowronski, Mike Pons Prospect Hill operation. Foot- ner Paul Jones, appeared at his silent footage was delivered to and Eliza McGraw, author age of baby goats prompted a Virginia training center, Ingle- the historical society. It was a of the award-winning book chorus of “awws” from the au- side, where he and his exer- true case of silence being gold- Here Comes Exterminator, dience while a scene of Fritz’s cise riders put Heighe horses en. helped to set the scene by young daughter Helen’s stern through their paces as railbird From study of the now reading a passage from her rebuke of her leashed terrier Anne Heighe perched track- 2 viewable subject matter it book wherein she related the invoked a few chuckles. side to watch. appears that the movies date story of the great Extermina- Prospect Hill morphed If the films had stars then from the late 1920s to the ear- tor’s appearance at Havre de into Havre de Grace or “The the leading men were Gold- ly 1930s. The mere fact they Grace Racetrack. The needle Graw.” Backstretch scenes of en Broom and Man o’ War exist at all is miraculous. Age of a phonograph player was horses being cooled out faded himself in footage shot at and condition aside, the cost then dropped onto a recording into images of morning work Kentucky’s Faraway Farm. of the filming and production of popular instrumental stan- on the track and to horses go- Man o’ War is seen being han- must have been immense. dards of the day and it was ing to the start on race day. dled by his then groom, John The Heighes themselves ap- “roll ’em.” Other scenes gave proof of Buckner, who preceded the pear together in several of the From that moment it was attendance in the thousands better-known Will Harbut. movies so it is presumed that if an extended family had and illustrated to everyone A cameo appearance at Clai- someone was hired to shoot gathered to watch old home watching the beauty that was borne Farm is made by found- the footage. It wasn’t limited movies and for two in the the venue during its heyday. er Arthur Hancock, however to their farm. The globetrot- audience they literally were the highlight of the Claiborne ting couple’s foreign travel doing just that. Bonita Farm’s Sighs and “ohs” were footage for the hometown is also included, as is footage Bill Boniface and son Kevin heard as pre-fire Pimlico’s audience was film of *Durbar from their Bel Air town home, were delighted to see teen- old clubhouse flashed across II, winner of the 1914 Epsom Moore’s Mill, and a vacation aged footage of their father the screen. Viewers watched Derby for his owner Herman home in Florida. and grandfather, the late turf a steeplechase race in a bu- B. Duryea, Robert Heighe’s On the October evening at writer William “Bill” Boniface, colic infield serenely empty of uncle by marriage. The stal- Country Life, the Thorough- leading and standing horses corporate tents. Horse-drawn lion spent the final year of his bred footage edited from the up at Prospect Hill. The elder harrows dragged the track be- life at Prospect Hill and is bur- overall collection was shown William’s father, Fritz Boni- tween races. ied in an unmarked grave on for guests. face, was Prospect Hill’s farm Bowie’s backstretch made the front lawn of the house. You couldn’t call it a trip manager. Two of Fritz’s oth- an appearance. Scenes of The Heighe footage is the only down memory lane as there er sons, Syd and Harry, also racing at Florida’s Hialeah film of the horse known to ex- was no one in attendance who worked at the farm and it’s and Cuba’s Oriental Park ap- ist. The screening ended with had even been born when the presumed that they are some peared. Rare early footage of official track footage of three movies were made. But after of those who also appear. Film Saratoga’s Clare Court was fol- of the last races run at the Bel drinks and supper the audi- of the farm’s mares and foals, lowed by even more rare film Air racetrack. ence gathered in the living horses of racing age, stallions, of the town’s United States Among the audience room cum theater, bags of pastures, barns, stables, house, Hotel, which was demolished were former jockey Jennifer popcorn in hand and settled workers and cattle testify to in 1946. William Garth, trainer Small, Maryland Horse In- in. After brief introductions the size and quality of the of 1920 Kentucky Derby win- dustry Board Director Ross This Heighe lead pony appeared in the films.