Documentarian Trains His Lens on a Media Pioneer
Alumnusâ recent release explores the news career of the late Lowell Thomas
For his next project, celebrated filmmaker and żì»îapp alumnus Rick Moulton (attd 1967â71) might want to consider making a documentary about making a documentary about one of the most remarkable figures in American broadcast history.
After all, in creating his latest production, âVoice of America. Lowell Thomas and the Rise of Broadcast News,â Moulton journeyed far and wide, through time and across continents. Along the way, he surmounted some high-altitude challenges and experienced no shortage of serendipityâall in the interests of recounting a story with ramifications for the current media landscape.
âHe was really ahead of his time with what he created,â Moulton says of his subject, the fact-chasing, adventure-savoring żì»îapp alumnus and broadcasting pioneer known for hosting the first nightly national news program on radio. Lowell Thomas also made history and headlines by introducing, via a multimedia program, Lawrence of Arabia to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, by narrating Twentieth Century Foxâs much-respected newsreels, and by trekking into forbidden Tibet months ahead of the Chinese invasion of 1950.
â[âVoice of Americaâ] really traces 20th century journalism and brings it up to date,â the Vermont-based Moulton says of his film, which has been playing at film festivals around the country. On one evening in early November, it also screened on campus, as Moulton returned to żì»îapp at the invitation of University Libraries and the media, film and journalism studies department. In keeping with âs emphasis on sharing knowledge and building community, the libraries periodically host programs that foster discussion about topics of relevance.
In addition to screening âVoice of America,â a copy of which he has presented to the University, Moulton shared trade secrets with the żì»îapp community. Speaking to Sheila Schroederâs Introduction to Field Production and Editing course, Moulton told how heâd carved out his own path in filmmaking. âRick Moultonâs visit ⊠was filled with advice,Ìęanecdotes about his filmmaking career and his relationship with Lowell Thomas. His advice to meet new people and connect on a human level to those around you is great guidance for careers and for life in general,â Schroeder explains.
In Thomas, Moulton found a subject with a scene-stealing biography. Thomas grew up in the mining town of Victor, Colorado. He went on to earn two degrees from Indianaâs Valparaiso University, two from żì»îapp and one from Princeton. He followed his years in academia with a radio and television career that made his signature âGood evening, everybodyâ and his reassuring âSo long, until tomorrowâ part of daily life in households across the country.
Moultonâs interest in Thomas arose when he was filming âLegends of American Skiing,â released not long after Thomasâ 1981 death at age 89. In exploring one of Moultonâs personal passions, the film meshes oral histories with archival footage to tell the story of key figures in the sportâs rise to prominence.
âLowell Thomas was one of the ski pioneers,â Moulton explains, noting that Thomas spent three decades traveling to ski resorts around the country, from which he delivered his radio broadcasts. âHe pioneered remote broadcasting to pursue traveling, not to be tied to the studio. He broadcast from Stowe [Vermont] before there were any lifts at Stowe. And he broadcast from the Wheeler Opera House at Aspen before there were any lifts put in at Aspen. And he would use the place he was broadcasting from as a showplace. âIâm here at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colorado,â Moulton says, summoning his best Lowell Thomas imitation.
In the five years it took to make the documentary, Moulton filmed interviews with famous news anchors Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw. He collected hours and hours of archival footage. And when possible, he followed Thomasâ footsteps, recreating, for example, a large portion of Thomasâ arduous trek through the Himalayas to Lhasa, the holiest city in Tibet.
âWe wanted to really know what it was like for Lowell Thomas to be on that three-month trek into Tibet â that he almost died in. So we followed his route,â he says, noting that his team was detained by Chinese border officials for 18 hours while they investigated the film crewâs paperwork.
Moulton never received permission to recreate the full journey, but he found traces of Thomas everywhere, even where they were least expected. With time to kill before their flight home from India, Moulton and his team decided to visit Darjeeling and stay in the historic Windamere Hotel. âIt had nothing to do with Lowell Thomas. We said, âOh, thereâs an old colonial hotel built in 1840; letâs go stay at that.ââ
But Thomas wasnât so easily relegated to the back burner. âWe get to the Windamere,â Moulton recalls, âand they said, âOh, we have a Lowell Thomas suite, because Lowell always stayed here when he came to India and was going to the Himalayas. If that wasnât enough, they took us to see their library. They had a pretty decent library for mountaineering. It was called the Lowell Thomas library.â
In addition to acquainting viewers with Thomasâ indefatigable pursuit of the news, Moulton hopes his film will educate audiences about the role journalism plays in informing the public, about its urgency in a democracy. Itâs a timely look at one journalistâs drive to deliver information and a reminder that so much of what we know comes from the media, Moulton says.
ÌęâWhen itâs called âthe enemy of the people,ââ he says of the mainstream media, âit might be worth it to look at the value that it has been to this country.â