Premiere of The Port that Built a City and State at the Baltimore Museum of Industry
Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) invites the public to the premiere of The Port that Built a City and State, a 60th anniversary documentary video about Baltimore’s historic long running maritime TV series. Aris Melissaratos, Senior Advisor to the President of Johns Hopkins University will serve as Master of Ceremony for the event.
This special event will be Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the museum. BMI Executive Director Roland Woodward says, “Watching this film footage is something like seeing Aubrey Bodine’s iconic black & white photos of Baltimore and the Port come to life.”
The documentary was created from over 150 hours of 16 mm film that has been in storage in the BMI archives and has not been seen by the public since the program’s final broadcast in 1965. A grant from the Port Tricentennial Committee in 2007 made this documentary possible to make the DVD’s available to the public.
As part of this project, veteran Maryland Broadcaster Alan Walden interviewed Helen Delich Bentley about her historic TV series in sessions videotaped by the Wicklein Group. The interview touches on the highlights of the 15 years Mrs. Bentley and her film crew produced weekly stories on the Port, its people, its influences and the needs and issues of the day. Various topics from the interview are seen on the DVD including the Old Bay Line, Domino Sugar, tugboats, bay pilots, the frigate Constellation, the B&O Railroad, A. Aubrey Bodine, the Harbor Tunnel, Bethlehem Steel, Liberty Ships, the creation of the Port Authority and more. Film shot by Mrs. Bentley’s WMAR-TV crew and kinescopes of the original broadcasts have been edited to illustrate stories about the port, its people and how the shows were produced in the early days of TV. Woodward said that, “It was a unique program in American television and the preserved films are a priceless look at Baltimore, the port and the state of Maryland.”
Mrs. Bentley and the documentary’s editor Mike Wicklein, will give some background on the documentary and then will entertain questions from the audience. The 45 minute video shown at the premier will be included in a 60th Anniversary DVD set which will be available for purchase. The set includes a 60 minute history of the port that was produced in 1954 for the TV series and some additional excerpts from The Port that Built the City programs that are part of the BMI’s new digital tours. In addition, memorabilia will be on display related to Ms. Bentley’s role as host to the show.
The event is free to the public. Refreshments will be served. Reservations should be made by contacting Gena Morris at 410-727-4808 ext. 132 or [email protected]. For more information contact Lori Finkelstein at 410-727-4808 ext. 132 or [email protected].
• About the Baltimore Museum of Industry
Founded in 1977 as a project of the Mayor’s Office, the Baltimore Museum of Industry is a private, nonprofit organization established to celebrate the past, present and future innovations of Maryland industry and its people through dynamic educational experiences. The Museum is a leader in innovative education of Maryland industry and a major attraction for Baltimore, MD and the Mid-Atlantic region. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Monday museum is closed. The Museum is located at 1415 Key Highway, Inner Harbor South, Baltimore. Parking is FREE.