Fonds consists of motion pictures, sound recordings, textual records and photographs produced by Eddie Hunter. I. Eddie Hunter motion picture footage in four sub-series: A. Red series, predominant 1955-1988, ca.190 motion pictures or segments. Consists of camera originals and finished original fil…
ca.260 motion pictures (ca.490 reels) : some with audio reels. -- 2 audio reels. -- 18 cm of textual records. --3 sound recordings. -- 21 photographs : prints, transparencies
History / Biographical
Edward (Eddie) Clement Edgar Hunter, b.1926, is a skier, cinematographer, broadcaster, photographer and writer based at Banff, Alberta, Canada. Hunter began skiing in his native Edmonton, Alberta and became an expert ski racer in the mountains. He came to live in Banff with his parents in 1934 and was introduced to the Sunshine Ski area in 1936 by his uncle, Lloyd Hunter, who drove "Sunshine Suzie" for Brewster Transport. Hunter skied extensively in the Canadian Rockies, in Squaw Valley, California (1950) and competitively in Europe starting in 1954.
Hunter worked as a free-lance cameraman during the 1950s and later in early live television in Calgary at CHCT, later CFAC. After working as an official photographer for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, he joined CFCN television. Hunter hosted a children's show, "Head Hunter," and a talk show, "Late Knight," while running a weekend ski program until 1965. Hunter held the photography concession on Sulphur Mountain, producing Polaroid shots for tourists and giving natural history talks.
Hunter worked mainly as a free-lance motion picture cameraman for the next twenty-nine years. His major accomplishments, while working for other companies, involved a cold-war era agriculture documentary in Russia (1959), a documentary about the Superman movies in Calgary and camera work for the official 1988 Winter Olympic Games film. Most of the film footage in this fonds was produced by Hunter during quiet times when he was not hired out to other production companies. Head Hunter Films produced a number of short promotional films for Air Canada, Canadian Mountain Holidays, Sulphur Mountain Gondola, Norquay Ski Area and others. "How the West was Skied" was mainly a compilation of footage Hunter filmed over the years, supplemented with early footage collected from other sources.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of motion pictures, sound recordings, textual records and photographs produced by Eddie Hunter.
I. Eddie Hunter motion picture footage in four sub-series: A. Red series, predominant 1955-1988, ca.190 motion pictures or segments. Consists of camera originals and finished original films. Mainly unedited footage of skiing, ski racing, celebrities, developments, heli-skiing, disabled skiing, freestyle skiing and humorous skiing in the Canadian Rockies, Bugaboos, Cariboos, Monashees and Coast Range, also the United States and Europe. Features many prominent local and international skiers; Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper and areas; promotional and documentary film footage. B. Blue series, predominant 1960-1985, ca.60 motion pictures and segments, 4 video recordings. Consists of work prints and projection copies. C. Other motion pictures, before 1995, 12 motion pictures, 1 video recording. Consists of motion pictures collected by Hunter. D. Audio reels, between 1970 and 1995, 2 items.
II. Textual records, ca.1945-1991, ca.30 cm. Series consists of film lists, scripts, call sheets, programmes, and other material; files re short films; and historical skiing materials.
III. Sound recordings, ca.1965, 2005, 3 items. Series consists of Eddie Hunter nature talk for use on Sulphur Mountain, ca.1965; Edward VIII abdication speech for Canadian Wax Gallery, Banff, undated; two-part interview with Howard Srigley, March 8 & 14, 2005.
IV. Photographs, 1968, 21 items : prints, transparencies. Series pertains to opening day ceremonies at the Banff Public Library / Archives of the Canadian Rockies.
Notes
This material is presented as originally created, it contains outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Materials in historical collections reflect the attitudes, ideas, and norms of the era and culture in which they were created or collected. Offensive or harmful terms are retained for historical accuracy or to document the issues and social context of a specific time and the attitudes and opinions of the people who created the material.
Copyright, privacy, commercial use and other restrictions may apply
Language
Language is English
Finding Aid
Finding aids and reference tools series and file description
film-maker's notes (in case file: descriptions sometimes inaccurate due to editing of the films subsequent to ca.1990 preparation of notes)
Related Material
Accompanied by publications, motion picture camera and equipment, sound recording/playback equipment, skis, ski apparel, etc. transferred to library and heritage collections, Whyte Museum
Fonds consists of papers, photographs and sound recordings of Peter and Catharine Whyte and the papers and photographs of their respective families. Consists of three sous-fonds: V683, S37 and M36. M36 and S37 consists of three series. Series I: Peter and Catharine Whyte, Series II: Robb and Morse …
25 m of textual records. -- ca.46,000 photographs : prints, albums, postcards, cased photographs, transparencies, negatives. -- 178 sound recordings : audio tape reels, audio tape cassettes. -- 6 motion pictures (and film strips)
History / Biographical
Peter and Catharine Whyte were artists, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, travelers, philanthropists and cultural workers at Banff, Alberta, Canada. Peter Whyte, 1905-1966, was born at Banff in 1905 to pioneer merchant Dave White and Annie (Curren) White. He was an accomplished skier and ski jumper and one of the region's first native-born painters with an intimate knowledge of the mountains and was an active photographer from ca.1920 until the 1950s. Peter Whyte studied art at the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, 1923-1924, and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925, where he met Catharine Robb. Catharine Robb Whyte, 1906-1979, was born in 1906 at Concord, Massachusetts and grew up amongst the wealth and creativity of the Robb and Morse families. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925-1929.
Following their marriage in 1930, the Whytes pursued a life of painting, photography, hiking, skiing and travelling. Their log home and studio in Banff became a focal point for their artist friends, Stoney Indians and local pioneers. Catharine shared Pete's involvement in skiing and hiking organizations and together they managed Skoki Lodge from 1932-1934. In following years, the Whytes travelled extensively. During the Second World War, Peter served in the reserve army, with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a photographer and, briefly, as an official war artist. Catharine continued to paint and maintain their home and, when possible, accompanied Pete to his military postings. In civilian life, Pete resumed his art career, explored new photographic techniques and sculpted.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Whytes formulated plans for a foundation to preserve the art and history of the Canadian Rockies. Plans for a building to house an archives, public library and gallery were in preparation when Pete died in 1966. The Peter Whyte Foundation was named in his honour. Catharine immersed herself in the development of what is now the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, in the cultural community, painting, outdoor activity, travel and work with the Stoney First Nations. She became a more active photographer, recording her travels and outdoor pursuits. She served in an official capacity with numerous cultural and charitable organizations, was a patron to individuals studying art and music, and supported numerous causes relating to the Stoney First Nations. Catharine also supported causes related to multiculturalism, regional culture and recreation, and cancer research. Despite her modesty and often anonymous patronage of causes, Catharine was recognized with numerous awards and honours, including the Order of Canada in 1978. She died in Banff in 1979.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of papers, photographs and sound recordings of Peter and Catharine Whyte and the papers and photographs of their respective families. Consists of three sous-fonds: V683, S37 and M36. M36 and S37 consists of three series. Series I: Peter and Catharine Whyte, Series II: Robb and Morse families, Series III: White and Curren families. Within Series I, there are four Sub-series: Series: A. Catharine Robb Whyte papers; B. Peter Whyte papers; C. Peter and Catharine Whyte papers accessioned after 2017; D. Peter and Catharine Whyte sound recordings.