Rhodes Patterson Collection
Inclusive Dates
1937 – 1979
Bulk Dates
1944 – 1979
Preservation Sponsor
Abstract
Spanning 5 decades and a wide range of subjects and styles, the Rhodes Patterson Collection documents the rapidly developing city of Chicago during the mid-century and the fascinating life of Rhodes Patterson, a designer, cinematographer, photographer and writer. Patterson’s diverse subject matter and style reflect the interconnected communities of industrial and graphic design, commercial and industrial film production, fine art, and architecture in Chicago during this period. Whether made “just for fun,” as documentation, or for commercial purposes, Patterson’s films reflect his humor, interest in art and design, imagination and creativity.
The collection includes footage of Mae West from 1938; numerous films Patterson shot while stationed as a WWII reconnaissance photographer on the Island of Tinian; the construction of the Marina City Towers, Playboy building and various skyscrapers in Chicago; films made during the early development of the Aspen Institute; commercial footage shot while Patterson was working at the Container Corporation of America; documentation of the construction of the Playboy West complex and grotto; early Playboy footage and burlesque films; footage of Lincoln Park, Lake Michigan and people on the streets of Chicago; and various home movies, commercial projects, and amateur and personal films.
The collection includes footage of Mae West from 1938; numerous films Patterson shot while stationed as a WWII reconnaissance photographer on the Island of Tinian; the construction of the Marina City Towers, Playboy building and various skyscrapers in Chicago; films made during the early development of the Aspen Institute; commercial footage shot while Patterson was working at the Container Corporation of America; documentation of the construction of the Playboy West complex and grotto; early Playboy footage and burlesque films; footage of Lincoln Park, Lake Michigan and people on the streets of Chicago; and various home movies, commercial projects, and amateur and personal films.
Description
The earliest films in the Rhodes Patterson collection were made while Patterson was a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1930s. These home movies include a visit to the Brookfield Zoo and a performance by Mae West at the Palace Theatre in 1938.
A reconnaissance photographer during WWII, Patterson shot numerous films while stationed on the Island of Tinian in the Philippian Sea. These include footage of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, aerial footage shot while flying over the USS Missouri during the Japanese surrender ceremony on September 2, 1945, and films shot in India, China, and on the island of Iwo Jima during the war.
After returning home to Chicago, Patterson continued to shoot home movies and work on personal film projects. Short films from this period include titles such as “I Love Lucely” and “The Moulin Chartreuse.” Patterson documented family life as well as the energy, development, people, and architecture of the city of Chicago. He shot footage in Lincoln Park and documented the construction of Chicago skyscrapers including the Marina City Towers and the Playboy building on Michigan Avenue. Patterson filmed people on the streets and enjoying leisure time in the city’s parks. His films from the 1950s-70s capture Chicago’s changing skyline and include documentation of the city shot from downtown buildings and helicopters.
While working for the Container Corporation of America, Patterson made industrial and promotional films for the company and documented Walter Paepcke’s early efforts to transform Aspen, Colorado, into a modern cultural, artistic and intellectual destination. Patterson also worked with CCA on a special commission from Walter Paepcke to create a series of documentary films on the creative individual in contemporary society. The footage shot was to be part of a series entitled "Great Ideas of Western Man". This was an outgrowth of Hutchins' and Adlers' "Great Books of the Western World" series of 54 volumes (now 60) originally published by Encyclopedia Britannica in 1952. Books that were chosen had to be relevant to contemporary societal issues, important in their historical context to reward re-reading, and be a continuing conversation about great ideas. Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke had visions that the "Great Ideas of Western Man" film series would be a visual continuation of Hutchins' and Adler's "Great Books of the Western World" efforts. This was to fill in and enrich the gaps of liberal education to make the individual more well rounded with the great writings and ideas from the past three millennia.
Patterson and the Paepckes decided to include the work of Suzanne and Ronald Dirsmith, friends of Rhodes and founders of the Dirsmith Group (an architecture, landscaping and engineering firm based in Highland Park, IL), in the Container Corporation's "Great Ideas of Western Man" film series. Rhodes met Suzanne and Ron when they had returned from their 2 year odyssey as Fellow in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome. They had just designed and built the famed Bubble House with Eldon Danhausen, sculptor, which became their first design studio at 1418 N. LaSalle Street. Rhodes began filming the Dirsmiths' design and construction of the highly sculptural Playboy corporate offices in the venerable Palmolive Building in downtown Chicago as well as the firm's construction of the North Shore Unitarian Church in Deerfield, Illinois.
In 1971 the Dirsmith Group was hired by Hugh Hefner to construct the famed Grotto, Ponds and Pool environments for his Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills California. As part of the film series, Rhodes flew out with the Dirsmiths on the Playboy private aircraft on many occasions to film the construction process at the Playboy Mansion, or Playboy West. While on site at the Playboy estate, Patterson made several films documenting the construction, mansion guests (Gene Siskel, Shel Silverstein, Barbi Benton, etc) as well as a handful of films containing soft-core pornographic material. A gentleman with an eye for the ladies, Patterson’s collection also includes burlesque films, documentation of a belly dancing class, and footage from the Miss Illinois pageant in 1968.
Patterson’s short film, “The Day After,” documents the mood and tensions in Grant Park the day after the end of the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Other highlights from the collection include footage of the construction of the Dirsmith Group’s famous North Shore Unitarian Church; the opening of an exhibition, “Letters in Living,” at the Institute of Design; the International Design Conference in the 1950s; documents of factories and industrial production; dogs in Aspen, Colorado; a home movie of Apollo 11; birds-eye views of the city streets and buildings of Chicago; and various images of people in the city and parks in the mid-century.
Whether made “just for fun,” as documentation, or for commercial purposes, Patterson’s films reflect his humor, interest in art and design, imagination and creativity.
A reconnaissance photographer during WWII, Patterson shot numerous films while stationed on the Island of Tinian in the Philippian Sea. These include footage of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, aerial footage shot while flying over the USS Missouri during the Japanese surrender ceremony on September 2, 1945, and films shot in India, China, and on the island of Iwo Jima during the war.
After returning home to Chicago, Patterson continued to shoot home movies and work on personal film projects. Short films from this period include titles such as “I Love Lucely” and “The Moulin Chartreuse.” Patterson documented family life as well as the energy, development, people, and architecture of the city of Chicago. He shot footage in Lincoln Park and documented the construction of Chicago skyscrapers including the Marina City Towers and the Playboy building on Michigan Avenue. Patterson filmed people on the streets and enjoying leisure time in the city’s parks. His films from the 1950s-70s capture Chicago’s changing skyline and include documentation of the city shot from downtown buildings and helicopters.
While working for the Container Corporation of America, Patterson made industrial and promotional films for the company and documented Walter Paepcke’s early efforts to transform Aspen, Colorado, into a modern cultural, artistic and intellectual destination. Patterson also worked with CCA on a special commission from Walter Paepcke to create a series of documentary films on the creative individual in contemporary society. The footage shot was to be part of a series entitled "Great Ideas of Western Man". This was an outgrowth of Hutchins' and Adlers' "Great Books of the Western World" series of 54 volumes (now 60) originally published by Encyclopedia Britannica in 1952. Books that were chosen had to be relevant to contemporary societal issues, important in their historical context to reward re-reading, and be a continuing conversation about great ideas. Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke had visions that the "Great Ideas of Western Man" film series would be a visual continuation of Hutchins' and Adler's "Great Books of the Western World" efforts. This was to fill in and enrich the gaps of liberal education to make the individual more well rounded with the great writings and ideas from the past three millennia.
Patterson and the Paepckes decided to include the work of Suzanne and Ronald Dirsmith, friends of Rhodes and founders of the Dirsmith Group (an architecture, landscaping and engineering firm based in Highland Park, IL), in the Container Corporation's "Great Ideas of Western Man" film series. Rhodes met Suzanne and Ron when they had returned from their 2 year odyssey as Fellow in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome. They had just designed and built the famed Bubble House with Eldon Danhausen, sculptor, which became their first design studio at 1418 N. LaSalle Street. Rhodes began filming the Dirsmiths' design and construction of the highly sculptural Playboy corporate offices in the venerable Palmolive Building in downtown Chicago as well as the firm's construction of the North Shore Unitarian Church in Deerfield, Illinois.
In 1971 the Dirsmith Group was hired by Hugh Hefner to construct the famed Grotto, Ponds and Pool environments for his Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills California. As part of the film series, Rhodes flew out with the Dirsmiths on the Playboy private aircraft on many occasions to film the construction process at the Playboy Mansion, or Playboy West. While on site at the Playboy estate, Patterson made several films documenting the construction, mansion guests (Gene Siskel, Shel Silverstein, Barbi Benton, etc) as well as a handful of films containing soft-core pornographic material. A gentleman with an eye for the ladies, Patterson’s collection also includes burlesque films, documentation of a belly dancing class, and footage from the Miss Illinois pageant in 1968.
Patterson’s short film, “The Day After,” documents the mood and tensions in Grant Park the day after the end of the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Other highlights from the collection include footage of the construction of the Dirsmith Group’s famous North Shore Unitarian Church; the opening of an exhibition, “Letters in Living,” at the Institute of Design; the International Design Conference in the 1950s; documents of factories and industrial production; dogs in Aspen, Colorado; a home movie of Apollo 11; birds-eye views of the city streets and buildings of Chicago; and various images of people in the city and parks in the mid-century.
Whether made “just for fun,” as documentation, or for commercial purposes, Patterson’s films reflect his humor, interest in art and design, imagination and creativity.
Collection Items
![WWII: 1944 - X-Mas, Ball Game, Nurses vs Medics of 462nd Bombgroup Piardoba, India; 1945 - Tinian Scenes: Tennis by Donald Budgetal[?], Stage Show on Flying Line at Tinian Base](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/4/4/80955_ca_object_representations_media_4442_large.jpg)
Film
WWII: 1944 - X-Mas, Ball Game, Nurses vs Medics of 462nd Bombgroup Piardoba, India; 1945 - Tinian Scenes: Tennis by Donald Budgetal[?], Stage Show on Flying Line at Tinian Base
1944 – 1945
Film
CCA Xmas ‘71, ‘72 - Thinking Man's Red Riding Hood & Confessions of an Executive Secretary
1971 – 1972
![[Chicago Loop Christmas]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/4/6/55535_ca_object_representations_media_4639_large.jpg)
![[Design Office Interior]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/4/6/96704_ca_object_representations_media_4653_large.jpg)
To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at
info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
Items with Viewable Media
- 1st National Congress: Bostrum Breakfast Reactions
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Intro #2
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Outs Senator Tydings
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Outs Senator Tydings
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Outs Senator Tydings
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Outs Senator Tydings
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Outs Senator Tydings
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Sen. Tyding Crowd Reactions
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Senator Tydings Presence
- 1st Natl. of Congress - Willard Dirtz Speech with Hump Intro
- 1st Plaza - Ellington Concert
- 4th of July - Park Forest
- 5 Quickies Music - Washington Lee Swing
- 5 Quickies O.T. - Good Circus Gal
- 19th Century Limited: The Improbable Return (Voice Track)
- 747 Flight CA & Playboy West “O”
- 1938 - Eve, Rhodes, Zoo; 1938, - Eve, Rhodes, Dad, Part Game; 1939 - Mother’s Visit (Gert ), Zoo
- 1938 Mae West on Stage at Palace Chicago
- 1960: Old Normandie House Demolition
- 1968: Charles Patterson, Chicago DNC Taping, Football Taping
- 1970: Christmas
- ADCC
- ADCC Award Winners Oct ‘59
- Air to Sea - Athens, Thessaloniki ‘63
- Allerton STA ‘57
- Apollo 11
- Apollo 11 Chicago Parade
- Arch M. City
- Art Fair 1956
- Ashcroft
- Aspects of Maleness
- Aspects of Maleness (Voice Track)
- Aspen
- Aspen
- Aspen: 1 Sec of Scott
- Aspen ‘57
- Aspen: Background Sil Card
- Aspen: Card
- Aspen: Dinosaur-Tram
- Aspen Fall - Bikini Dip
- Aspen: Good Aerial Pool
- Aspen: Old Car Meet - Ski Lift
- Aspen Outtakes
- Aspen Outtakes
- Aspen Scenic - Ashcraft - Marc on Bells - Auto Junk Yard
- Aspen: Silent Terry W.
- Aspen Ski 1/65 - Bruce & Damian 5/9/65
- Athens Columns
- Auditorium Panel #2 White Shirt
- Austria
- B&C Patterson Xmas
- Baby
- Beach - Air Show ‘76
- Beach Hat
- Belly Dance Class
- Belly Dance Class
- Bewick - Middleton
- Bicycles in [?]
- Black Girl #4
- Black Girl #4
- Block Party - Judson Block/W August 77
- Bon/Belle Race
- Brewton Scraps Outtakes 2
- Bridgette
- Bruce 1st 6 months
- Bruce 1st Six Months 1964 - ‘68 Picnic
- Bruce #2
- Bruce at Home
- Bruce Michigan
- Bruce’s 1st Xmas Chicago 1964
- Bruce XMas w/ Train
- Burlesque
- Buttermilk Aspen Ski ‘65
- Buttermilk Ski - Aspen
- C.A.R.D.
- C.A.R.D.
- C.A.R.D.
- C.A.R.D. Picnic- Westmacott - O’Bryant
- C.A.R.D. Promo.
- Calder Mobile
- Calf & Dragon Sybil Gilmor
- California Tram- Tracks from Car- July ‘70
- Carnival Outs
- Carton De Columbia
- Case of Sally ‘L’ , The (Audio) (Audio)
- Case of Sally ‘L’ , The (Images)
- CCA Christmas
- CCA Corporate Jet
- CCA Gals '70s
- CCA/ IDCA ‘65 Water, Fasion Show, Seminars, Tent
- CCA Jet - July, 1970
- CCA Personnel Film
- CCA Personnel Film
- CCA Sales Promo
- CCA Sales Promo - Premium Oats - Girl on Beach
- CCA Xmas
- CCA Xmas ‘71, ‘72 - Thinking Man's Red Riding Hood & Confessions of an Executive Secretary
- CCA Xmas Party ‘73
- CCA & You: Partners in Achievement
- Charles 2nd Birthday - 500 N Sheridan Rd. w/ Weises
- Charles & Bruce
- Charles & Judy
- Charles & Judy 3rd Birthday Celebration
- Charles & Judy 7-mos
- Charles Patterson - Walking & Crawling in the Park - Sept. ‘69
- Charles Walks June ‘69
- Chas, Bruce, Norma
- Chas D. 1st Birthday
- Chas D. Walks
- Chas & Judy
- Chas Patterson’s 4th Birthday
- Chicago Air Show w/ Blue Angels
- Chicago Architecture
- Chicago Architecture from 54th Floor
- Chicago Architecture from 1000 Lake Shore Drive
- Chicago Democratic Convention
- Chicago International Trade Fair
- Chicago Lake Front - Grant Park - Inland Steel Reflections
- [Chicago Loop Christmas]
- Chicago Loop Crowds ‘59
- Chicago Midland Metropolis
- Chicago Stormy Skies - Architecture
- Chicago Xmas Tree Decorating
- Chicago Xmas tree, ect - Fullerton Beach
- Christmas ‘71 - BP’s 4th BD Party
- Christmas ‘72 - 500 Sheridan
- Christmas ‘72 & Bruce’s 8th Birthday
- Christmas Rush
- Christmas Trilogy; Darrill Connelly
- Chromatic Variations from the GF Color Collection
- Close-ups of Woman Smoking & Holding Cat
- COL - Fleurs
- Colombian Bananas for Exportation
- Columbia Amania Flight - Bogota- Cali
- Communication
- Congress
- Congress
- Congress
- Congress
- Congress: Bostrum - Outs
- Congress: Bostrum - Outs
- Congress: Nelson (Trims)
- Congress: Prof. C. Walo
- Congress: Stuart Vdahl
- Congress: Study Group
- Congress (Trims)
- Congress: Udal (Outs)
- Container Corporation and You
- Corn Husk Doll
- Corn Husk Doll
- Cornscrew Swamp - Rain
- Daily
- Darting at Otto’s
- Darts (Outs)
- Denver - Rio Grande - R.R. Durango - Silverton
- [Design Office Interior]
- [Design Studio]
- Dialogues in the Park
- Dialogues in the Park
- Diane
- Diane
- Dirsmith Church
- Dirsmith Church B. Mass Candle Lighting
- Dirsmith Church Finale 1st Service
- Dirsmith Church (Outs)
- Dirsmith Church (Roll 2)
- Dirsmith Church (Roll 3)
- Dirsmith Church Window Planning
- Dogs of Aspen
- Dogs of Aspen, The
- Dogs of Aspen, The (Master Mix)
- Dr. Barbara Purdy Fla. Archeology
- DRGRR
- DRGRR Outs
- DRGRR (Outtakes) - One Good Long Shot - Train
- DRGW Durango
- DRGW - Opening for Round Home - Misc. - RH Shots
- DRGW - Silverton and in Route to Durango
- DRGW - Silverton Trestle - Otto
- DRGW - Train Arrival Silverton
- Drinking (CV) - Florida Walk n’ Swim
- Dynamics of Dimension, The
- Early R & EP
- Eckerstorm
- Ecology Congress
- Editing Exchange
- Electronic Sealing for Frozen Pies
- Elk Lake
- Erlich
- Evanston Xmas
- Exp. Commercial “Newport’”
- Experimental - Patterson & Massey
- Experiment - Self Portrait
- F.J.’s Dance Orig
- Factory Footage Date Unknown
- Family (Beach) 1947 Color - Ruston 1937 B&W
- Farmer’s Daughter
- Fast Action Fernandina
- Fast Circus - Bruce’s 6th Birthday - . Feb, March ‘70
- Fast Single Frame - Slides, Ect
- Fast TV
- Florida 1960 - Birds
- Florida 1961 - Keywest, Cypress Gardens, Miami
- Florida Birds ‘60 - Best Taken for K.C. 5/64
- Flowers
- Flowers, Grass, Tree, Bottles, Etc
- Football
- Fran Johnson Dances
- Fran Johnson Misc.
- From 333 N. Michigan Avenue
- From 1000 Lake Shore Drive
- From Top of 333 N. Michigan Avenue
- Fullerton Beach
- Fullerton Beach Chicago
- G. Udall
- GI Interview 4/74
- GI - Skokie School - Old Town Art Fair
- Ginger
- Ginger & Popagamo (Original)
- Girl in Cold Stream
- Good Cory at Board - Norma Darell John [?]
- Good Walking Shots [Norma] - Mich Avenue, Lincoln Park, etc
- Grant Park
- Grant Park 1968 - The Day After Democratic National Convention
- Grant Park Frisbee
- Grant Park Lunch - June, 1970
- Great America 1977
- Great Ideas Film (Excerpts)
- Great Ideas of Western Man
- Great Ideas ‘School’
- Greece
- Greece
- Greece
- Greek Guards Walking Shadows
- Green - Salesmen
- Hair Dressing Rush St. Chicago
- Hans Graff “Super Editor”
- Helicopter from 333 North Michigan - “Ike” Car on Wacker Drive
- Hour Glass
- Humphrey
- I Love Lucely
- In the Park
- In the Park (Outtakes)
- In the Park (Outtakes) - Girl Massaging Boy
- Inland Steel Building First Wash - New Building
- International Design Conference
- International Design Conference in Aspen: The First Decade
- International Design Conference: The First Decade (51-61)
- Introduction to Marcor
- Italy 1961 - Greece 1963
- Italy 1961 - Greece 1963
- James
- Korling Falls - Sept. Oct. ‘62
- Korling Prairie
- L. Bloodworth Jr.
- Lakefront Air Show
- Lakefront Air Show
- Lakeview Pet Store Finches - Lincoln Park Winter Scene - Swan Chasing Ducks, etc
- Last Run Steam Locomotion
- Leaving Tent Interiors
- Letters in Living
- Letters in Living - Opening - ID
- Lincoln Park
- Lincoln Park
- Lincoln Park ‘59-’60 - Domeland’s & Paul Blake 5/4/59
- Lincoln Park ‘60 - Fields Christmas ‘60 - “Miss Chicago” ‘58
- Lincoln Park, Nature, etc
- Lincoln Park Squirrels
- Lincoln Park Squirrels
- Lincoln Park Zoo
- Live Stream
- London
- London-Paris
- London-Paris (Outs)
- Loop Christmas
- Loop Xmas
- Lot of Work in a Short Time, A
- Lufthansa (Trailer)
- M.P. Picnic
- Made with Paper
- Made With Paper
- Madison
- Man, The Quickening Pace: From Greece to CCA
- Marcor
- MARCOR
- MARCOR (Outtakes)
- Marina City
- Marina City Construction 1960-'62
- Marina City Construction 1960-'62
- Mexico
- Mexico 1953 - Scott & Evelyn
- Mexico - Misc.
- Michigan Avenue
- Michigan Avenue
- Michigan Avenue Love In: Day After the 1968 Democratic Convention
- Michigan Avenue Parade ‘59 -’60 (Shot From 333 N Michigan Ave)
- Michigan Avenue Pedestrians
- Mid North Garden Walk
- Misc. 60s- Allerton, Cake Prep
- Misc Commericals
- Miss Illinois 1968
- Moulin Chartreuse
- Moulin Chartreuse (Outs)
- Mykonos
- Mykonos ‘63
- Natchez - New Orleans - Longwood 1959
- Nature Emphasis
- Nature Misc
- Navy Band
- NBC: Norma, Bruce, Charles - Evanston 1969
- Near North Demo
- Near North & Michigan Avenue Footage
- Nelson (Outs)
- A New Look at Corrugated Packaging
- New Look at Corrugated Packaging, A (Outs)
- No Pulse
- Noon at St. Clair & Chicago #2
- Noon at St. Clair & Chicago #1
- Norma 1952
- Norma Allerton ‘54 - Martin’s Cake Prep - New Orleans - Natchez Longwood ‘58
- Norma Swinging - Michigan Avenue Stop Action 1967 - Fullerton Beach 6/24/67
- Normandy House
- Normandy House BSB Last Night
- North Shore Unitarian Church
- Northwest Coast - Indian Art - Art Insitute
- Old Art Test - CCA PS Logo Development
- Old Experiments: Misc Footage - Water, Muybridge, Polarized Light Variation
- Old Normandy ‘Demo’
- Old Normandy House: The Last Days & Nights
- Original Rushing Water (Colorado) - Korling Produce - Norma & Boys
- Orvieto, Italy
- Pace of Distribution (Outs)
- Packaging is...
- Packaging is...
- Packaging System, The
- Packaging System, The
- Packaging System, The
- Palapad
- Paris France
- [Patterson Boys] - Helicopter Chicago Loop
- [Patterson Boys] - Helicopter Chicago Loop
- Pattersons: 500 N Sheridan - Bruce’s Birthday, Charles & Judy as Cute Babies
- Pattersons 1968-1976
- Paul Blake Walks!
- Perils of Arlene
- Perils of Arlene (Outs)
- Perils of Arlene (Outs)
- Personnel ‘76
- Peruvian Art
- Piney Woods Fantasy
- Piney Woods Fantasy
- Piney Woods Fantasy
- Playboy Building Construction 919 North Michigan Avenue
- Playboy Building Construction 919 North Michigan Avenue
- Playboy Group - transferred for “5 Quickies”
- Playboy Pool
- Playboy Pool East
- Playboy West 1971: Flight Out West & Pool Construction
- Playboy West 1971: Flight Out West & Pool Construction
- Playboy West: First Swim in the New Dirsmith Pool
- Playboy West: First Swim in the New Dirsmith Pool
- Playboy West Pool Construction
- Point Lobos
- Point Lobos: Counterpoint
- Point Lobos: Counterpoint
- Point Lobos (For Freeze Frame)
- Point Lobos (Original)
- Point Lobos (Outtakes)
- Point Lobos (Titles)
- Porsche
- Prairie 1
- Prairie 2
- Pylon
- Pylon-Card
- Pylon Paperboard Modular Exhibition Design
- R.H. Middleton
- Railroad Fair Chicago Summer 1948
- Rainy Night
- Rapid Transit - New York City Central Park
- Reghers Studio - Stop Action
- River - New Orleans Nov. 1958
- Running by the Lake
- "Running" NEG
- Rush Street Walking - Lincoln Park Flowers, etc
- "The Saga of Box Beer" CCA Comedy
- Saga of Box Beer, The
- Salesman: How Not to Make a Presentation
- San Francisco - Good Golden Gate Bridge
- Santa Clara (Outs)
- Santa Stop Motion
- Sculpture Garden - Aspen Woods
- Self Portrait - Normandy
- Senator Hauser
- Senator Hauser
- Senator Packwood Speech
- Seventh Wonder, The
- Shrine Circus
- Signal, The
- Signal, The (Outs)
- Six Weeks to Market
- Source, The
- Sport Shirt #3
- STA Exhibition 1955
- STA Workshop - Newberry Library
- Stahlman Farm (Pecans, ect)
- Study Group
- Summer 1954 - Scott & Boat Race
- Summer 1971 Korling Swim
- Suzan Beach
- T.W. Ashcroft
- Terry & Rhodes at the Lake
- Thessaloniki - Rowboat & Heavy Sea
- Three Moments in Latin-American Art
- Top Management’s Expanding Role in Marketing
- TWA Interview - Dirsmith Church Dance
- Udall (Outs)
- Uhh! Woosh! and Thud!: Science in Throwing and Catching
- Uncle Remus Revistited
- Unit Load
- United Airlines & California
- Unknown Travel Film
- USA Building 1961
- V.P. Humphrey
- Venice
- Venice: Hill Towns
- Wald. Conference Interview
- Walking
- Walking - Oak Street
- Waste Watchers IV
- Weird Dance by Diane
- West Coast CCA Trip - California
- What Do You Feel?
- Wisconsin Prairie
- WRAPAK: Your Packaging Answer?
- WWII: 1944, B-29 China Base ‘Ancient Workers’
- WWII: 1944 - X-Mas, Ball Game, Nurses vs Medics of 462nd Bombgroup Piardoba, India; 1945 - Tinian Scenes: Tennis by Donald Budgetal[?], Stage Show on Flying Line at Tinian Base
- WWII: B-29 - India Base to China
- WWII: B-29 India Landings (Over Exposed)
- WWII: B-29 Operations - Tinian - Iwo Jima
- WWII: B-29’s- Sunset T.O.- Makeready on Iwo Jima (Bad Edge, flare) - TO in India from Tower
- WWII: B-29 Take-Offs - India 1944 - Tinian 1945
- WWII: B-29s - India-China ‘Hump’
- WWII: B-29s - India & Tinian via China
- WWII: B 29s - Piardoba, India - Chunglai, China
- WWII: B-29s - Tinian Practice Mission & Officers’ Clubs
- WWII: Calcutta & Environs
- WWII: Col. Galberg[?] B-29
- WWII: ‘Hap’ Arnold - Tenian Review
- WWII: India B-29 Flight-Line
- WWII: India & China
- WWII: India Temples- Taj Mahal
- WWII: India - Water Lift
- WWII: Rural India & Jam Tem Pie
- WWII: Tinian to USA (Malher Field)
- WWII: Tinian Tour - Officers’ Clubs
- WWII: Xmas '44 - Nurses Ball Game - India - Tinian Finale
- Xmas ‘69
- Xmas ‘72
- Xmas ‘73 CCA
- Xmas Lights etc
- Xmas Tree Lights
- Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: The Packaging Connection
Collection Identifier
C.2010-02
Extent of Collection
517 reels of 16mm film; 50 reels of 16mm Magnetic Track; 1 reel of 1/4" audio
Language Of Materials
English
Subject
Custodial History
The films were stored by Rhodes Patterson's sons, Charles and Bruce Patterson, before donation to the Chicago Film Archives in 2010.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open to on-site access. Appointments must be made with Chicago Film Archives. Due to the fragile nature of the films, only video copies will be provided for on-site viewing.
Use Restrictions
CFA holds the rights to the films in this collection.
Creators
Patterson, Rhodes
(was created by)
Rhodes Patterson wore many professional and artistic hats during his lifetime; he was a designer, cinematographer, photographer and writer. Described by a former colleague as a “gentleman with a fine sense of humor, imagination and creativity,” Patterson was an artist whose keen sense of style and design is evident in both his personal commercial projects. An important figure in the community of artists and designers that emerged from and around Chicago’s Institute of Design in the mid-century, Patterson lived in and around the city of Chicago for all of his adult life. His home movies, amateur films, documentation and commercial work grant us the opportunity to explore Chicago, and more broadly, the world, from the 1930s through the 1970s.
Patterson was born in 1914 in rural Arkansas and moved to Chicago in the 1930s to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. At the start of WWII, he enlisted as a reconnaissance photographer with the U.S. Army Air Corps and was stationed on the Island of Tinian in the Philippian Sea. After the end of the war, Rhodes returned to the Chicago area and moved with his family to the newly formed suburb of Park Forest, Illinois. Shortly after he began working for the Chicago design firm Bert Ray Studio.
In the mid 1950s, Patterson started working for the Container Corporation of America (CCA), writing much of their advertising material, designing internal publications, and documenting various aspects of the corporation and its activities. Under the leadership of John Massey and Walter Paepcke, the CCA became an important patron of the graphic arts and design. Patterson documented Paepcke’s early efforts to transform Aspen, Colorado into a modern artistic and intellectual destination spot through the development of the Aspen Institute. Patterson was an integral part of CCA’s creative team for more than twenty-five years, and was instrumental in the production of their “Great Ideas of Western Man” campaign.
In 1960, Patterson moved to Chicago’s Lincoln Park where he and his family lived for seven years. In 1967 the Patterson family moved to Evanston. Patterson stopped making commercial films in 1977 and shifted his focus to photography and writing. He died in 2003.