Gary Smith - C.L. Venard Collection

Inclusive Dates
circa 1930 – 2008
Abstract
Collection of over 5800 films, videos, and audio elements related to C.L. Venard Productions, a Peoria, Illinois-based producer of industrial films, mainly related to agriculture. Venard ran a production studio, distributed films made by others, and did work for hire for companies like Caterpillar. The collection was donated to CFA by Gary Smith, who worked in production for the organization for many years before purchasing the company from Venard in 1967.
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Collection Items

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1933 Pilgrimage
Film
1933 Pilgrimage
1933
FFA Celebrates at Ten / Roosevelt Talks to Farm Kids
Film
FFA Celebrates at Ten / Roosevelt Talks to Farm Kids
1933 – 1937
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To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
Items with Viewable Media
Collection Identifier
C.2020-02
Extent of Collection
5091 reels of 16mm film totaling approximately 2,079,000 feet; 37 reels of 35mm film totaling approximately 15,000 feet; 125 open reel videos; 216 videocassettes; 364 reels of open reel audio; 6 audio cassettes; 1 Sound Slide Film; 2 boxes scripts, lab paperwork and ephemera.
Language Of Materials
English
Subject
Agriculture
Farming
Farms
Farm life
Livestock
Food industry
Vegetables
Animals
Industry
Youth
Custodial History
Gary Smith received ownership of the films in 1966 and kept them in storage in Arkansas until donating them to Chicago Film Archives in 2020.
Related Materials
The Charles Krosse Collection contains more films produced and distributed by Venard.
Related Collections
Charles E. Krosse Collection
Creators
Venard, C.L. (was created by)

Charles Lester Venard (1884-1981) worked as a photographer and filmmaker in southern Illinois from 1908 to 1970. His film company, C.L. Venard Productions, created and distributed a wide range of industrial and educational films, mostly on agricultural and farming subjects.

Born in Burlington, Kansas in 1884 to George W. and Mary Ann (Tuley) Venard, Charles started working at a photography studio at the age of 14. From 1901 to 1903, he was a photographer's assistant in Emporia, Kansas. In 1904, he moved to St. Louis and photographed the opening of the World's Fair.

In 1907 he married Alma Primm, and in 1908 the couple moved to Peoria, Illinois, where Charles set up his own photography studio, Venard Studio. After a stint in Lincoln, IL from 1912 to 1917, where Charles' studio became known for its portraits of the wives and girlfriends of state legislators, the Venards returned to Peoria. Alma and Charles had two sons there, William Primm (b. 1921) and James George (b. 1924). 

Upon his return to Peoria, Venard transformed his business to include producing and distributing agricultural films. The Venard Photographic Company became the Venard Film Corporation in 1921, operating out of the Orpheum Theater Building in Peoria. Venard was one of the first residents of the area to own an airplane, shooting industrial plants and farms aerially for his motion picture productions.

Venard married Frances Brubaker, a script writer for Venard Film Studios, in 1941, and adopted her son, James J. During World War II, the Venards were known for the open houses they had for soldiers on leave from Camp Ellis: they often provided free room and board for as many as 14 soldiers in their five-room house. From 1944 to 1967, Charles and Frances ran The Venard Organization as a team.

Charles Venard retired in 1970, and passed away in Florida in 1982 at age 97.

Smith, Gary (was created by)
Gary D. Smith earned a degree in Agricultural Journalism and Economics from Oklahoma State University. Smith met C.L. Venard in Oklahoma while working for the State Board of Education and Oklahoma Future Farmers of America. Smith took over the production wing of the Venard Organization in 1966, and Venard offered to sell Smith his 50 year old company. Smith went on to run the organization from 1967 to 2008.
Venard Organization (was created by)
The Venard Organization (formerly C.L. Venard Productions) was a full-service film provider for southern Illinois from 1917 until the early 1980s. The company offered a full range of film services to the Peoria region including selling and renting film equipment, producing sponsored films for local business, and distributing national and international films to local audiences.

Over time Venard Productions became known for its educational films dealing with agricultural subject matters. The company developed a close relationship with the Future Farmers of America, for whom they made an annual series on the winner of the FFA Four Star Farmers Award. The series won numerous national awards, including honors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association. The Venard Organization also made films for corporate clients including Caterpillar, John Deere, International Harvester, Republic Steel Corp., Keystone Steel & Wire, and Crow’s Hybrid Corn Company. Their distribution wing offered educational films produced by the United States Department of Agriculture, as well as comedies, newsreels, and feature length narratives.