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UCLA ARCHIVE ISSUES UPDATE ON BADGER/CUFFE FILM CACHE

June 4, 2003: The UCLA Film Archive has reported back on some of the material found in the Badger/Cuffe film cache discovered on the Badger Ranch a year ago. A two part INYO FILM JOURNAL reported several months ago on the discovery and
Inventorying of this film cache. Mr. Badger made three films with Clara Bow, two of which are missing: RED HAIR and THREE WEEKENDS. Since some of the cans of film were labeled with Miss Bow’s name or “Red Hair,” it was hoped that the movies had been found.
Clarence Badger, a silent film director whose career spanned much of Hollywood’s early history from 1913 to 1936, fell in love with Lone Pine on one of his early location scouting trips. He first bought property in Lone Pine in 1917 and eventually built a fishing and hunting lodge and property on Lone Pine Creek (Note: see the Fall and Winter editions of REEL STUFF, our film museum newsletter for a two part article on Clarence Badger and Lone Pine.)
Upon his divorce and his subsequent resettlement to Australia for the rest of his life, Mr. Badger sold his property to Lesley and Irene Cuffe. Mr. Cuffe had worked with Badger as a camera technician on THE GOLDEN PRINCESS (1925) starring Betty Bronson filmed outside of Bishop, among others.
After Mrs. Cuffe’s death last year, nine boxes of films, clips, full reels and small pieces were uncovered in a pump house on the property. Under the direction of Rob Stone of the UCLA Archive, Marlene Ciernak and Chris Langley opened and cataloged the film stock and material, mostly 35 mm nitrate, in various stages of decay. Chris and his wife Sandy transported all the material to UCLA, as it cannot be shipped because of fire danger from the deteriorating nitrate.

Badger by the ranch

The first report was that there was no Bow material in the cans so labeled. A more thorough examination has led to a discovery of some material.

Clarence Badger and Clara Bow


Fun at the ranch (Clara Bow 2nd from the right)

But Jere Guildin wrote recently, "All that was in the collection from Clara Bow silent films were pieces from RED HAIR. Plus a reel from THREE WEEK ENDS, both of which were otherwise lost films. The reel from THREE WEEK ENDS was so deteriorated that only about 90 seconds of it could be salvaged. David Stenn, who wrote the biography on Bow, Running Wild, is funding preservation of the fragments. He's paid for preservation of several other Bow features at UCLA in the past."

Since Clara Bow has a strong association with Lone Pine through Badger, but her three films with him were not made here, the Museum has been more interested in the cans that are labeled as “home movies” shot on the ranch of Badger’s guests.
Of these Jere wrote, “Rob had not had all the materials inventoried as yet. There is at least one home movie reel, still in quite good condition.” The Film Festival and Museum hopes one day to find financial support to pay for preservation of this reel and show it as part of a Badger program here in Lone Pine.

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