Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2009 Under construction: recollecting the museum of the moving image Andr&eacutee Elise Comiskey Betancourt Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Betancourt, Andr&eacutee Elise Comiskey, "Under construction: recollecting the museum of the moving image" (2009). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2029. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2029 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. UNDER CONSTRUCTION: RECOLLECTING THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Communication Studies by Andrée Elise Comiskey Betancourt B.A., Smith College, 1999 M.A., University College Dublin, 2002 August 2009 ©Copyright 2009 Andrée Elise Comiskey Betancourt All rights reserved. ii To John Egil Betancourt a) For promoting the art of outlining b) For the sweet, steady sunshine that nurtures my work c) For serving as my personal Olivier Castro-Staal And in memory of my little brother Joel Richard Jackson Labbé Expertologist, creative genius, free spirit, collector and fixer of broken things Loved since November 26, 1983 – missed since July 12, 2006 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First off, thank you to my advisor Rachel Hall whose thoughtful combination of strictness and sweetness kept my fingers dancing on the keyboard and my feet moving one in front of the other as I toured and detoured despite significant, and occasionally blind-siding, challenges. Your passion for the study of visual culture energized my own, and the care with which you engaged my images and text was precious to me. I am also deeply indebted to the rest of my committee members who generously shared their time and talents and mentored me in complementary ways. To Michael Bowman, whose teachings and scholarship in performance and tourism directly inspired this study: thank you for being there for me and for introducing me to Mary and Dillinger when I needed them most. To Ruth Bowman, a compassionate and whimsical powerhouse, who helped create a home within the department for me: thank you for your sharing your brilliance, for pushing me, for making me giggle delightfully, and for supporting my commitment to mediatized performance. This dissertation grew out of one of many creative assignments from Ruth, my performance genealogy, ―‗Que Será, Será‘ Behind the Screens: She Sings While She Sews, Except When She Holds Pins in Her Mouth.‖ To Trish Suchy, who renewed my appreciation for historical film: thank you for your meticulous attention my use of the English language, for the poetry and the documentaries, for the magical celebrations at Grey Gardens, and for being so refreshingly real. To Jim Catano, who generously reviewed drafts of each chapter and provided useful critique: thank you for the documentaries, for sharing your passion for labor studies, and for going above and beyond the call of a minor advisor. To Malcolm Richardson, who served as a late addition Dean‘s Representative, for enthusiastically stepping into this role at such short notice: thank you for your cheerful dedication and valuable feedback regarding organization. iv The site research required by this study would not have been possible without the 2008 – 2009 LSU Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship. Thank you to the Graduate School for awarding me this honor and funding. The faculty members of the Department of Communication Studies each contributed to my growth as a scholar and by extension this study. Special thanks to: Josh Gunn for recruiting me; Laura Sells for her phenomenal pedagogy and for helping me develop my voice; Andy King, whose passion for life and scholarship is deliciously contagious, for his shared stories of serving as an Orpheum Theatre usher in Illinois; Renee Edwards for her ongoing support; Tracy Stephenson Shaffer for encouraging my disruption of the ―live‖ and mediatized binary with my collection of screens and video cameras: thanks for the fun road trips, Sparkles loves you dearly; and Stephanie Houston Grey for reaching out to me and for the metallic rainbow sash that brightened my NCA experience. I owe an extra special thanks to Loretta Pecchioni who was always there for me when I needed guidance: you have been an impressive role model and an inspiration for the type of faculty member that I aspire to be. Thank you also to Visiting Scholar Phaedra Pezzullo for inspiring and advising me during the early stage of this study, and to Guest Artist Elizabeth Whitney and her partner Lea Robinson for taking me under their wings during my most recent research trip. I have learned a tremendous amount from my LSU friends and colleagues, and thank all of you for the support and cheer you provided along the way. A huge thank you to Write Club members Rya Butterfield for reviewing an early version of this study and Danielle McGeough for reviewing an early version of the preface and first chapter. Special thanks to those who I had the opportunity to work with most closely: John LeBret, who taught me that less is more, except for sometimes when more is more; Rebecca Walker, my partner in outwitting, outlasting, and outplaying; Holley Vaughn, who was the first person I called; Danny Bono, for the whipped v cream swivel; Sam Sloan, for always being 100%+ dependable; Sarah Jackson, the Little Prince, for making me laugh at inappropriate times; and Brianne Waychoff, fellow unicorn fan, for showing up when I needed a new friend like you. Thanks also to all those who made my post- general and final exam celebrations extra special, especially the cast and crew of The Ticket That Exploded: thank y‘all for the toasts, the gorgeous Dr. Dre toasting glass, and the immaculate cake! Big thanks also to Lisa L., Ginger, Lisa F., Brandon, Danielle and Andy, Shenid, Jackie S., Jesse, Mel K., Jessica KW, Rog (for so warmly welcoming John and me), Lyman, Mandi, Adam T., David P., Wendy A., Kerry, Ben P., Jes, Joey and Shal, Annamaria, Oli, Derek and Chris, Jen, Jenn, Mel C., Pavica, Khaled, Chris M., Joy, Shaun, David T., Justin T., ReRe, Kent, Mike A., Mike R., Matt, Joe R., Trav, Karen, Gretchen, CLS, Cora, Ryan, Brent, Zac, and all the Comm Studs to name just a few of the LSU tigers in my Baton Rouge and beyond community! I am grateful to the employees, volunteers, and associates of the Museum of the Moving Image who I had the opportunity to meet and learn from during the course of this study. I appreciate the time and energy that they shared with me. Special thanks to: Rochelle Slovin for devoting time out of her busy schedule to passionately recount her experiences of founding the museum and for sharing the home movie ―Martin‘s First Haircut‖ and her memories of its production; David Schwartz for his professionalism and sense of humor; Chris Wisniewski, who answered my initial correspondence to the museum during the fall 2006 semester, for being extremely helpful and huge thanks also to his team of museum educators; Richard Koszarski for his historical perspective and generous spirit; Carl Goodman for his keen insight on the Video Flipbook, Tut’s Fever, and the digital groundbreaking; Livia Bloom for her compassionate and enthusiastic support; Timothy Finn and the visitor services and security staff; Megan Forbes; and the many others who contributed to this study in countless ways. Thank you to The Historic vi New Orleans Collection for the generous use of five photographs by Charles L. Franck Studios; and special thanks to those who assisted me during my visits: Daniel Hammer, Mary Lou Eichhorn, Eric Seiferth, and Frances Salvaggio. Thanks also to the LSU Editor Susanna Dixon. My family and friends are my life, and I thank all of you for your support. Thank you Cay Welsh and Louise Comiskey Bryan for proofreading the final version of this study in record time; they bravely wrangled runaway sentences, sought out sneaky commas, and reminded me to dot my i‘s and cross my t‘s. Thanks also to the many family members and friends who reviewed or proofread drafts along the way, especially JB and the ELC. Thank you to my grandparents: George (Papi) for always listening and for sharing your wisdom; mi abuelita Cha, our storyteller, for being magically real; Granny Blanche for your encouraging emails and commitment to historic preservation; and James (Pops), thank you for all that you taught me. Thank you to my parents: Elise for the enormous sacrifices you made for us, and for being a role model scholar and professor whose mindfulness lights up my life; James (Jama), whose home is a museum of the moving image in its own right, for inspiring my graduate studies; Bruce, who listened to my marathon dreams, for being my life coach; and Carlin for keeping me rocking and rolling! Thank you to my siblings: Cosmo for lovingly documenting us; Joel for teaching me how to live fast, love fiercely, and laugh ‗til it hurts – and then some!; Justin for keeping the music alive; Sara, our movie star, for being so strong and sweet; Calley, tummy stick champion, for being tougher than me; Ross for the poetry, wisdom, and boat rides; and Jael, mi hermanita-by-choice, for her fierce loyalty to me, for generously supporting my research trips, for being the first person to accompany me to the museum, and for the magical adventures! Thank you to mi madrina Barbara and her supportive clan: especially Rachel, Leon, Jessica, and Dennis.