Iowa Heritage Illustrated

Knepper, Marty S

Mr. Strong's Dreamy Iowa'

Am making some improvement in writing': From the 1860s diary of Chauncey Clark Horton, an itinerant penmanship teacher

English

Iowa Heritage Illustrated, vol.79 no.2, Summer 1998

base and a soft, rolling terrain. But Hollywood's pas­
toral treatment of Iowa hardly does justice to the rich 
complexities of Iowa and its people, yesterday or to­
day.
Films about contemporary Iowa and historical 
Iowa could dramatize far more diverse experiences, 
but the nation does not seem to want to hear those sto­
ries. Iowa's public image seems trapped in a cinematic 
time capsule. Perhaps there is a danger that even we 
Iowans will cling to the popular pastoral myth, ro­
manticizing our past, denying our problems, and dis­
regarding our options. Perhaps we Iowans should use 
these Hollywood films as a spark for our own 
thoughtful discussions about Iowa's identity on the 
silver screen. ❖
Marty Knepper is professor of English and John Lawrence is 
emeritus professor of philosophy at Morningside College in 
Sioux City, where they have taught courses in American 
popular culture together. Both have written about popular 
culture and film and have participated in Humanities Iowa 
programs around the state.
NOTE ON SOURCES
The fo llow ing books on Iowa and m idw estem  cultural h is to ry  proved essential: 
C larence Andrew s, A Literary H istory o f  Iowa (Iowa City: University o f  Iowa Press, 
1972); Emanuel Levy, Small Town America in Film: The Decline and Fall o f  a Commu­
nity (N e w  Y o rk  C ontinuum , 1991) ;Thomas Morain, ed.. Family Reunion: Essays on 
Iowa (Ames: Iowa State U niversity Press, 1995); D o ro th y  Schwieder, Iowa: The 
Middle Land (Ames: Iowa State University Press. 1996); and James R. Shortndge, 
The M iddle West: Its Meaning in American Culture (Lawrence: University Press o f 
Kansas, 1989). S hortridge is also essential reading on m idw estern pastoralism. For 
a b roade r discussion o f  pastoralism, see Renato Poggioli, The Oaten Flute: Essays on 
Pastoral Poetry and the Pastoral Ideal (Cambridge: Harvard U niversity Press, 1975). 
M a rty  Knepper in te rv iew ed Stefanie Fuller, fo rm e rly  o f  the  W in te rse t C ham ber o f 
C om m erce, on June 2, 1998.
MAKING FILMS IN IOWA
• Iowa Film O ffice, Iowa D e p a rtm e n t o f Economic D evelopm ent, Box 4784, 
Des Moines, Iowa 50309 O R  www.state.ia.us/film  (serves filmmakers' needs on 
pro jects ranging from  local com m ercials to  feature films).
• Iowa M o tion  Picture Association (IMPA), Box 4784, Des Moines, IA 50306 
O R  w w w /netins.net/show case/im pa (nonpro fit group involved in financing, d is trib ­
uting. and p rom oting  films and video productions).
• Iowa S crip tw rite rs  Alliance (ISA), 3 8 12 Ingersoll Avenue. # 2 0 1. Des Moines, 
IA 5 0 3 12 (develops regional ta len t fo r  screenplay ideas, treatm ents, and scripts).
• D onna Reed Foundation fo r  the  Perform ing A rts , PO Box 122, Denison, IA 
51442 O R www.fn i.com /donna_reed/ (summer workshops on acting, screenwnting, 
scriptwntm g, film critique, and m ore).
PRESERVING FILMS IN IOWA
The Am erican Archives o f  the  Factual Film (Special Collections, Iowa State 
University) is a research cen te r fo r the  preservation and study o f  16mm non­
theatrica l film  (business, educational, and docum entary). W rite : Special Collections 
Dept., 403 Parks Library, ISU, Ames. Iowa 5 0 0 1 I - 2 140 o r  call 5 15-294-6672.
Special C ollections o f  the  State H istorical Society o f  Iowa, in its Iowa C ity 
center, has a small co llection o f  historical film and video related to  Iowa, and serves 
as a clearinghouse fo r researchers w h o  are try ing  to  locate films. SHSI, 402 Iowa 
Avenue, Iowa City, IA  52240 o r  call 3 19 -3 3 5 -3 9 16.
If Iowans made movies about Iowa...
Ever wish that you could be a film critic, a director, or a voting member of the Motion Picture Academy? Here’s your chance to 
participate in a state-wide conversation about films and Iowa. Please 
enter our “ If Iowans made movies about Iowa” survey.
— Marty S. Knepper and John S. Lawrence
I . In your opinion, what images are the most common and the least 
common in movies with an Iowa setting? To get you started, here 
are a few examples. What would you add to these lists?
your film portray about Iowa or Iowans? What actors would you 
choose? Or, if you had a chance to make a documentary, what 
would the topic be?
4. How does your experience with films about Iowa or Iowans af­
fect your assessment of Hollywood’s treatment of other regions of 
America (for example. New York, California, or Texas) or of histori­
cal events in America’s past?
Frequently seen images:
Hogs and cattle 
John Deere tractors 
Carnivals, parades, or fairs 
Small-town or working-class bars 
Men in seed corn hats 
Women in aprons 
Covered dishes and pies 
Flowered wallpaper, wooden 
floors, and white lace curtains 
Water towers
Seldom seen images:
Skyscrapers and traffic 
Malls
National franchises
Computers
Casinos
Research universities 
A rt centers and artists 
Shelves lined with books 
Cutting-edge fashion 
Suburbs
5. Do film images of Iowa really make a difference? Or. as they 
would say in Hollywood, is it just entertainment?
May I have th e  
envelope, please?
For your convenience, these survey questions also appear on the ivory-colored mailing cover that accompanied this issue. Send 
your responses to any or all of the questions (along with your 
name, address, and daytime phone) to;
2. O f these films (State Fair, The Music Man, Country, Field of Dreams, 
The Bridges of Madison County, A Thousand Acres, or name your own), 
which gives the best portrayal of Iowa or Iowans, and why? Which 
do you like least?
“ If Iowans made movies about Iowa” survey
Attn: Editor, Iowa Heritage Illustrated
State Historical Society of Iowa
402 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1806
3. Now you’re in the director’s chair! Suppose you’re a film­
maker with a huge budget and top-name stars. What would
or by email to; gswaim@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu 
Watch for survey responses in an upcoming issue.— The Editor


Not a member yet

Mr. Strong's Dreamy Iowa'

Am making some improvement in writing': From the 1860s diary of Chauncey Clark Horton, an itinerant penmanship teacher

Iowa Heritage Illustrated, vol.79 no.2, Summer 1998

If Iowans Made Movies About Iowa…

"Their Business Is All New to Me": Effie Jones Describes her 1890s Office Jobs

Chasing Rainbows, Saving Bridges, and Celebrating a Local Landmark

Your Guide to Iowa Films

Visions of Iowa in Hollywood Film

No middle ground': Change and Controversy at Glenwood State School

Aboard the ill-fated ship' Iowa's connections to the Titanic

248

485