County’s past preserved in newly-restored film

A film made in 1948 about Rutherford County has been newly-restored and will have a public premiere next week. 

“This is Progressive Rutherford County” will be shown Tuesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. at Retro Cinema 4 in Forest City. Tickets will be $6 for all seats. 

The 45-minute feature film highlights the industrial, commercial, educational, religious, social and civic life of the county in the late 1940s. The film was directed and produced by Don Parisher, one of the nation’s leading independent filmmakers who had previously been under contract to MGM. Parisher often toured America selecting vibrant communities to film, and according to an article from 1948 in a local newspaper, filming was done from mid-October to the second week in November. 

The completed film premiered in Rutherford County in January 1949, and was shown at the Romina Theater and Grace Theater in Forest City, the Carolina Theater in Spindale, the Sylvan Theater in Rutherfordton and the Cliffside Theater in Cliffside. A surviving copy of the film remained in possession of the Littman family, honors of the Sylvan Theater. The copy sat for more than 60 years in Rutherfordton and at the family’s home in New York City. 

In 2014, the film was donated to the Rutherford County Historical Society, who contracted with Nuray Digital to restore, stabilize and digitize the deteriorating 35-mm nitrate film. 

“The restoration and digitization of this vintage film is one of the most important preservation projects ever undertaken by the Rutherford County Historical Society,” said Robin S. Lattimore, president. “The film is a remarkable piece of history that showcases so much of this county’s rich industrial, commercial and social heritage. Thanks to Justin Zizes, Jr., for donating this historical treasure to the RCHS for preservation.” 

The restoration and digitization project was coordinated by Lattimore, Lesly Bush and Phillip White. Copies of the film will be available for sale on DVD following the showing. DVDs will be $20 each and will be sold to help the Historical Society recoup the funds used to restore and digitize this archival film. This April marks the 80th anniversary of the Rutherford County Historical Society, and the premiere date for the film coincides with the formation date of the county, April 14, 1779.