Peter Adair Papers, 1973-1986GLC 70
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8z60rc9 No online items Finding Aid to the Peter Adair Papers, 1973-1986GLC 70 Finding aid prepared by Tim Wilson James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA, 94102 (415) 557-4400 [email protected] February 2010 Finding Aid to the Peter Adair GLC 70 1 Papers, 1973-1986GLC 70 Title: Peter Adair Papers, Date (inclusive): 1973-1986 Date (bulk): 1974-1979 Collection Identifier: GLC 70 Creator: Adair, Peter, 1944-1996 Physical Description: 79 cubic foot boxes, 31 boxes of various sizes (max. 16-inches x 16-inches x 3-inches)(110.0 cubic feet) Contributing Institution: James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA, 94102 (415) 557-4400 [email protected] Abstract: The bulk of the collection centers on the documentary film Word Is Out: stories of some of our lives (1977), a ground-breaking exploration of the lives of 26 gay men and women. A small portion of the collection concerns The AIDS Show: artists involved with death and survival (1986), a production of Peter Adair and Rob Epstein's with Theatre Rhinoceros. Physical Location: The majority of the collection is stored onsite. Boxes 23, 27, 29/1, 29/2, 40, and 45-54 are stored at UCLA. Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English. Access The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk hours. Significant portions of the original film and sound footage found in Series 3 were restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archives, and are still maintained there. These boxes are noted in the container list. The library does not have equipment to review original film and sound footage found in Series 3. As these materials must be reviewed outside the library, access requires the approval of the City Archivist. Publication Rights Copyright interest in Word Is Out is held by The San Francisco Public Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Peter Adair Papers (GLC 70), LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library. Provenance The Peter Adair Papers were bequeathed to The San Francisco Public Library by Peter Adair in 1996. 3 boxes of additional material were received in 1999. Conservation Note During processing, the entire collection was re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Some metal staples remain. The pre-interview videotapes were transferred from 1/2-inch open reels to VHS and 3/4-inch masters in 1991. Significant portions of the original film and sound elements were restored from 2007-2009 by UCLA Film & Television Archives in collaboration with the Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation. Restoration funded by the David Bohnett Foundation with support from The Andrew J. Kuehn, Jr. Foundation and the members of Outfest. The restored version and many original film and sound elements are at UCLA. Between 2014-2015, 9 videocassette tapes were transferred to digital format onto 6 discs. The tapes are audition, interview, and master footage from Series 4. The AIDS Show: Leland Moss 2nd interview (3 tapes onto 1 disc); Leland Moss audition reel (1 tape onto 1 disc); Leland reel 15 (1 tape onto 1 disc); Shanti (2 tapes onto 1 disc); The AIDS Show Doc Footage Master x89 (1 tape onto 1 disc); and, The AIDS Show Master x83 (1 tape onto 1 disc). Biographical note Peter Adair was a San Francisco-based documentary filmmaker. He was born in Santa Monica, California in 1944. His father, John Adair, was an anthropologist who studied the Zuni and Navajo, and his mother, Casey, was a housewife who edited John's works and the New Mexico Quarterly, a literary journal. They gave Peter a film camera on his high school graduation and sparked a life-long interest in documentary filmmaking. Finding Aid to the Peter Adair GLC 70 2 Papers, 1973-1986GLC 70 Adair is best known for Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives: Conversations with 26 Gay Men and Women. This film was made by Adair with the Mariposa Film Group over several years from 1974-1977. In the film gay men and lesbians from different cultures, eras and walks of life discuss homosexuality and how it is perceived, by themselves and by society, in an effort to increase tolerance and understanding. In 1978 Nancy Adair, Peter's younger sister, co-authored Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives with their mother Casey. The Mariposa Film Group was Peter Adair, Nancy Adair, Robert Epstein, Veronica Selver, Andrew Brown, and Lucy Massie Phenix. Veronica Selver and Lucy Massie Phenix have continued to work in the documentary film genre. And Rob Epstein is probably the best known of the Group for his critically acclaimed documentaries The Times of Harvey Milk, Common Threads, and Paragraph 175 among others. In 1986 Adair and Epstein co-produced and co-directed The AIDS show: Artists Involved with Death and Survival. This 57 minute film deals with the impact of AIDS on the gay community, and presents excerpts from Theatre Rhinoceros' production of The AIDS Show, which dramatizes the emotional effect of the disease on patients, their lovers, friends and families. The film includes interviews with the show's creators and performers. In 1988, Peter Adair tested positive for AIDS. He died of complications due to AIDS on June 27, 1996. Scope and Contents The collection contains correspondence, administrative files, transcripts, clippings and ephemera, film and sound footage, and videotapes. The majority of the collection centers on the documentary film Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (1977), a ground-breaking exploration of the lives of 26 gay men and women. An early working title for the film was Who Are We? and there are occasional references to that title or its acronym WAW. A much smaller portion of the collection concerns The AIDS Show: Artists Involved with Death and Survival (1986), a production of Peter Adair and Rob Epstein's with Theatre Rhinoceros. Arrangement The material is arranged into 4 series: Series 1. Word Is Out Files; Series 2. Word is Out Pre-interviews (VHS/master copies); Series 3. Word Is Out Original Film and Sound Elements; and Series 4. The AIDS Show. Subjects and Indexing Terms Adair Films. Adair, Casey Adair, Nancy Adair, Peter, 1944-1996--Archives Epstein, Robert Mariposa Film Group. Theatre Rhinoceros (San Francisco, Calif.). AIDS (Disease)--Patients--Family relationships AIDS (Disease)--Psychological aspects Documentary films. Gay men--United States--Interviews Gays--Identity Gays--United States--Interviews Homosexuality--United States. Lesbians--United States--Interviews Series 1 Word Is Out Files, 1973-1985 (bulk 1974-1979) Physical Description: 9 boxes, 3 (three) 3/4-inch videotapes(9.0 cubic feet) Scope and Contents The Files series contains the paper and photograph files that document the making of the film Word Is Out. All film, video, and sound elements can be found in Series 2 and Series 3. Arrangement The files are organized into 3 subseries: Subseries 1A. Filmmaker Files (Adair Films and Mariposa Film Group); Subseries 1B. Administrative Files; and, Subseries 1C. Book Files. Finding Aid to the Peter Adair GLC 70 3 Papers, 1973-1986GLC 70 Series 1Word Is Out Files, 1973-1985 (bulk 1974-1979) Subseries 1AFilmmaker Files (Adair Films and Mariposa Film Group) Subseries 1A Filmmaker Files (Adair Films and Mariposa Film Group) Scope and Contents The bulk of the Filmmaker Files is made up of transcribed interviews. These fall into two categories: 1) videotaped interviews of all people considered for the film (called "pre-interviews") and 2) filmed interviews of the people selected for the final film. For some individuals, there will be only a videotape interview transcript; for those chosen for the film, there will be both a video and a film interview transcript. These all include notes by the filmmakers of Mariposa Film Group on which cuts to make and where. The Filmmakers Files also include releases for interviewees and performers, and photographs and negatives of interviewees and filmmakers. Arrangement Arranged in original order. Videotape interview transcripts Box 42, Folder 1 Full list of people in the film Box 42, Folder 2 Tom Ammiano Box 42, Folder 3 Anthony Eschbach Box 42, Folder 4 Laura Atkinson and Lindy Box 42, Folder 5 Ian Barlow Box 42, Folder 6 Doug Batts Box 42, Folder 7 Karen Becker Box 42, Folder 8 Alan Bell Box 42, Folder 9 Blackberri Box 42, Folder 10 Barret Brick Box 42, Folder 11 Bruce and Gaylin Box 42, Folder 12 Burt and Milt Box 42, Folder 13 Butterworth Composite Box 42, Folder 14 Canyon Sam Box 42, Folder 15 Mandy Carter Box 42, Folder 16 Georgette Cerruti Box 42, Folder 17 Chapel Hill Composite Box 42, Folder 18 Amy Darden Box 42, Folder 19 Donald Delaney Box 42, Folder 20 Harriet Desmoines Box 42, Folder 21 Dick Box 42, Folder 22 Fay Box 42, Folder 23 Jerry Felix Box 42, Folder 24 Larry Fisher Box 42, Folder 25 Robert Flaherty Box 42, Folder 26 Tom Foster Box 42, Folder 27 Tom Frye Box 42, Folder 28 Perry George Box 42, Folder 29 Jan Gibson Box 42, Folder 30 Carmen Goodyear and Ellen Box 42, Folder 31 Bertha Harris Box 42, Folder 32 Merrill Harris Box 42, Folder 33 John Harris Box 42, Folder 34 Michael Heppurd Box 42, Folder 35 Pat Herron Finding Aid to the Peter Adair GLC 70 4 Papers, 1973-1986GLC