Margaret Conneely Collection
Inclusive Dates
1902 – 2007
Bulk Dates
1949 – 1982
Preservation Sponsor
Abstract
The Margaret Conneely Collection contains the films and papers of Margaret Conneely, a prolific and respected Chicago amateur filmmaker. The collection includes medical films she made as a cinematographer for Loyola University, story films she made with other local hobbyists and professional filmmakers, films made by other amateur filmmakers, such as Carl Frazier and Nora Rafferty, and commercial films that she collected. Four of her films have been preserved by the National Film Preservation Foundation and the New York Women in Film & Television sponsored Women's Film Preservation Fund. The papers include a wealth of correspondence between Conneely and other amateur filmmakers, documents and publications from amateur film and photography associations, as well as photographs of Conneely and other filmmakers.
Description
The Margaret Conneely Collection contains the films and papers created and gathered by a Chicago area amateur filmmaker. This combination of movies and related documents offers an in-depth portrait of both the artistic production and organizational structures of a mid-twentieth century art form and social institution: amateur photography and film clubs. The narrative short films by Margaret Conneely and other amateur filmmakers in this collection provide a humorous and unique insight into middle class married life in America from the late 1940s through the 1970s. The papers and photographs document a vibrant if under recognized social and creative movement that crossed between the worlds of amateur and professional filmmaking.
The collection is split into three series:
SERIES I: Films by Margaret Conneely (Scenario Films, Medical Films & Home Movies)
SERIES II: Collected Films (Amateur & Professional Films)
SERIES III: Ephemera
SERIES I contains the films made by Margaret Conneely. The series includes Conneely’s work with amateur clubs from Chicago including Central Cinematographers and the Metro Movie Club. The films are fanciful looks at family life as women’s rights and the first stirrings of the sexual revolution complicated by traditional expectations of wifely duties. Highlights include The 45, Chicago: The City to See in ’63, 13 Tokens, The Fairy Princess, and Mr. E. Also included in the series is footage of girl's school basketball games, boy scouts meetings, and behind the scenes looks at amateur film club event as well as medical films that Conneely made as the staff cinematographer at Loyola Medical University. These films include footage of surgical procedures, medical testing on animals, and documentaries that follows the daily life of medical students.
SERIES II gathers together the films that Conneely collected from other filmmakers. Subseries I: Collected Amateur Films holds the work of amateur filmmakers including those associated with Conneely in Chicago and work from other clubs that she traded films with. The films include narrative shorts, travelogues to Cuba and Europe, and footage of birds. Subseries II: Collected Professional Films consists of commercially available films that Conneely collected such as works by Harold Lloyd, newsreels, Laurel and Hardy shorts, and educational films by Castle Films and Encyclopaedia Brittanica.
SERIES III contains the papers, photos, and ephemera of Margaret Conneely. The papers include personal correspondence with other amateur filmmakers; articles written by Conneely; flyers, member lists and other organizational documents of Chicago area amateur film clubs; clippings of articles on amateur cinema and photography; schedules and flyers for amateur photography conventions; newsletters and magazine published by amateur film clubs; obituaries of amateur filmmakers; program notes for film screenings; and magazines and books dealing with home movies and filmmaking. The photographs record numerous amateur film club events and conventions taken by a number of photographers. The ephemera are the awards and trophies Conneely won for her films.
Working Filmography:
The collection is split into three series:
SERIES I: Films by Margaret Conneely (Scenario Films, Medical Films & Home Movies)
SERIES II: Collected Films (Amateur & Professional Films)
SERIES III: Ephemera
SERIES I contains the films made by Margaret Conneely. The series includes Conneely’s work with amateur clubs from Chicago including Central Cinematographers and the Metro Movie Club. The films are fanciful looks at family life as women’s rights and the first stirrings of the sexual revolution complicated by traditional expectations of wifely duties. Highlights include The 45, Chicago: The City to See in ’63, 13 Tokens, The Fairy Princess, and Mr. E. Also included in the series is footage of girl's school basketball games, boy scouts meetings, and behind the scenes looks at amateur film club event as well as medical films that Conneely made as the staff cinematographer at Loyola Medical University. These films include footage of surgical procedures, medical testing on animals, and documentaries that follows the daily life of medical students.
SERIES II gathers together the films that Conneely collected from other filmmakers. Subseries I: Collected Amateur Films holds the work of amateur filmmakers including those associated with Conneely in Chicago and work from other clubs that she traded films with. The films include narrative shorts, travelogues to Cuba and Europe, and footage of birds. Subseries II: Collected Professional Films consists of commercially available films that Conneely collected such as works by Harold Lloyd, newsreels, Laurel and Hardy shorts, and educational films by Castle Films and Encyclopaedia Brittanica.
SERIES III contains the papers, photos, and ephemera of Margaret Conneely. The papers include personal correspondence with other amateur filmmakers; articles written by Conneely; flyers, member lists and other organizational documents of Chicago area amateur film clubs; clippings of articles on amateur cinema and photography; schedules and flyers for amateur photography conventions; newsletters and magazine published by amateur film clubs; obituaries of amateur filmmakers; program notes for film screenings; and magazines and books dealing with home movies and filmmaking. The photographs record numerous amateur film club events and conventions taken by a number of photographers. The ephemera are the awards and trophies Conneely won for her films.
Working Filmography:
- Safari (1949)
- The Panhandler (c. 1949)
- The Thing (1950)
- Wanted- A Grandmother (1951)
- So Long Ago (1952)
- Halloween Fun (c. 1952)
- Circus Capers (1953)
- Good Witch's Party (1953)
- The Mass in Miniature (1954)
- The Saga of the First and Last (1954)
- Making Christmas Tree Ornaments (c. 1955)
- The Fairy Princess (1956)
- Fowl Play (1956)
- Fiber Glass Canoe (1957)
- Naturelore (1957)
- Swimming (1958)
- Boating (1958)
- Petticoat Surgeon (1958-1962)
- Basketball Tournaments (1959)
- Mister E (1959)
- Judy and Her Cousin's Hats (c. 1959)
- The Bachelor and the Baby (1960)
- The Gun (c. 1961)
- The 45 (1961)
- The Card Game (1962)
- Chicago: City To See in '63 (1962)
- Murder! (1961)
- The Switch (1961)
- Freddie, the Freshman (1963)
- The Gift (1964)
- New Horizons (1964)
- The World of Ying Ming (1965)
- A Christmas Tale (1965)
- Getting on Abroad (1970s)
- Games for Married Men (1977)
Series In this Collection
Intellectual organization and arrangement
This collection is split into three series.
Series I: Films by Margaret Conneely (Scenario & Medical Films) comprises films that Margaret Conneely contributed to. It is split into two sub-series: her films made with amateur cinema clubs and those made for her job as a medical photographer.
Series II: Collected Films (Amateur & Professional Films) is split into two sub-series: amateur film productions and commercially produced films.
Series III: Conneely Ephemera includes papers, photos, and ephemera created and collected by Conneely.
Series I: Films by Margaret Conneely (Scenario & Medical Films) comprises films that Margaret Conneely contributed to. It is split into two sub-series: her films made with amateur cinema clubs and those made for her job as a medical photographer.
Series II: Collected Films (Amateur & Professional Films) is split into two sub-series: amateur film productions and commercially produced films.
Series III: Conneely Ephemera includes papers, photos, and ephemera created and collected by Conneely.
Collection Items
![[Carl Frazier - Making "Chicago: Why It Grew"]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/5/5/67149_ca_object_representations_media_5526_large.jpg)
![Mary and Joe Chicago Style [unedited Three Kings footage]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/4/8/1318_ca_object_representations_media_4882_large.jpg)
![Thirteen Tokens [Workprint]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/5/4/98832_ca_object_representations_media_5469_large.jpg)
![Mary & Joe Chicago Style [Unedited Mary/Joseph Scenes]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/4/8/63237_ca_object_representations_media_4884_large.jpg)
![Mary & Joe Chicago Style [Titles]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/4/8/17721_ca_object_representations_media_4883_large.jpg)
To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at
info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
Items with Viewable Media
-
SERIES I: Films by Margaret Conneely (Scenario & Medical Films)
- Bird Footage
- Boy Scout Camp 1954-55-56/ St. Tars Basketball
- D&B on Overpass: Chicago
- Explorer Scouts Making Fiberglass Canoes
- Goldfinch
- Outdoor Swim Meet 1959
- Paris
- Paris Travelogue Footage
- Robin Footage
- Tar’s Basketball Intramural Girls 5th Grade 1954
- 16mm Transfers: Fairy Princess, Circus Capers, Saga of the First and Last, Jim’s Card Game, The 45, Games for Married Men, Getting on Abroad
- 45, The
- Behind the Scenes at Central Cinematographers
- Behind the Scenes at Central Cinematographers - At Hogan's, Basement Tokens
- Behind the Scenes, Title Making at Central Cinematographers for “Thirteen Tokens”
- Chicago: City to See in ‘63
- Cine Continuity
- Circus Capers
- Doggone Elections
- Fairy Princess, The
- Fowl Play
- Games For Married Men
- Gift, The
- Gun, The
- Halloween Fun
- Judy and Her Cousin's Hats
- Making Christmas Tree Ornaments
- Making Titles for Mister E
- Mary and Joe Chicago Style [unedited Three Kings footage]
- Mary & Joe: Chicago Style
- Mary & Joe Chicago Style [Titles]
- Mary & Joe Chicago Style [Unedited Mary/Joseph Scenes]
- Mass in Miniature, The
- Metro Picnic
- Metro Picnic at Old Canal
- Mister E
- Murder!
- New Year’s Eve Party of Central Cine Club, The
- Omar and Margaret Conneely
- Panhandler, The
- Picnic Old Canal Metro Pictures
- PSA Chapter Christmas Party
- Rise of the House of Usher
- The Rise of the House of Usher (Original)
- Saga of the First and Last, The
- Silver Bells
- Slow Drying
- Switch, The
- Switch, The
- Thing, The
- Thirteen Tokens [Workprint]
- Freddy the Freshman
- Hibernation Trigger: The Blood-Borne "Trigger" for Natural Mammalian Hibernation
- New Horizons
- Spectacular World of Science and Medicine Through Cinematography
- Spectacular World of Science and Medicine Through Cinematography
- Student Life at Loyola University Medical School
- Surgical Procedure
- Animated Dogs in Christmas Window
- Animated Music
- Black Widow
- Caeser and Cleo
- [Carl Frazier - Making "Chicago: Why It Grew"]
- Chicago: Why It Grew [Work Print]
- Country Roads
- Cuba
- Cuba At Night
- Cuba: Camaguey
- Cuba: Havana
- Cuba: Zoo
- Dressing the Model
- Eyes
- Farmer's Daughter, The
- Fun With Chalk
- Gypsamania
- Her Heart’s Desire
- Laudate
- Mexico
- Now a Word From…
- Ooom Titty Boom
- Peace Beat
- San Francisco Film, Heart Castle
- Shooting of the Girl on the Beach, The
- Shooting of the Girl on the Beach, The
- Something to Look at Besides T.V.
- Sumner
- Watch Out!
- Westward Whoa
- Yes, Lucy
- Adventure Parade: Lion-Tiger Fight!
- Adventure Parade: Wing, Fang and Claw
- Aesop’s Fables: The Cats Canary
- American Engineer
- At the Dog Show
- Baby Burlesks: Kid in Africa
- Balloonatic, The
- The Band Parade: Tony Pastor and His Band
- Battle Royal, The
- Chicago Railroad Fair & Pageant
- Collection of Carols, A
- College Freshman
- Common Mistakes in Filming
- Community Sing: Gypsy Songs
- Coronation of their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The
- County Hospital
- Dentist, The
- Disaster Strikes!
- Dolls of Many Lands
- Don't Shove
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Dwarfs’ Dilemma, The
- Ethiopia
- Ever Since Eden
- Face of the Earth, The
- Fascinating Yosemite
- A Film About Filmmaking
- Flying Action
- Frenzy
- Goats
- Goldielocks and the Three Bears
- Grandma's Boy
- Hare and the Tortoise, The
- Haunted Spooks
- His Royal Slyness
- Holland Days
- Hopping the Bells
- How We Explore Space
- Illustration of Basic Film Editing Principles, An
- Imaginative George Melies, The
- Immigrant, The
- Inauguration of President Harry S. Truman, 32nd President of the United States, The
- Land O’ Burns
- Let’s Sing: Kernels of Korn
- Little King: Christmas Night, The
- Loon’s Necklace, The
- Making A Sound Film
- Mickey's Service Station
- Monstro the Whale
- Music Album: Continental Melodies, The
- Music Album: Easter Carols, The
- Music Album: Farmyard Follies, The
- Music Album: Gems of Song, The
- Music Album: Great Symphonies - Blue Danube Romance
- Music Album: Melody Range, The
- Music Album: Musical Gems, The
- Music Album: Rhumba Rhythm, The
- Music Album: Sweet Syncopation, The
- Music Album: Swing and Sing, The
- Music Album: Western Melodies, The
- A Musical Film Revue: Spike Jones and His City Slickers
- Nature’s Cameo: Bryce Canyon National Park
- Neighbors
- New York Hat
- News Parade 1937
- News Parade 1939
- News Parade 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950
- Night Before Christmas, The
- No Indians Please - Oysters and Muscles - Double Cross at Criss Cross - Dracula
- No More West
- Non-Stop Kid, The
- Old Time Movies: Yesterday Lives Again
- An Organlogue: The Eaton Boys
- Our Gang: Pay As You Exit
- Our Mr. Sun
- Paderewski Playing
- Popeye Meets Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves
- Popeye Meets Sinbad the Sailor
- Quiz Show: Movies Greatest Headlines
- Racquet Action
- Rainbow of the Desert: Zion National Park
- Rebound: "The Witness"
- Red Balloon
- The Red Skelton Show: "Freddy and the Yuletide Doll"
- Ring Up the Curtain
- Romantic Italy
- Secrets of Nature
- Shortest Way Home
- Strictly Vegetarian
- Switzerland: Life in a Mountain Village
- Sword of Lancelot
- Teddy Bears at Play
- Three Stooges: A Pain in the Pullman
- Trip to the Moon, A (Le voyage dans la lune) - The Oracle of Delphi (L'oracle de Delphes)
- Water Daredevils
- Where on Earth!
- World Parade: America's High Spots
- World Parade: Escape In Canada
- World Parade: Hawaii
- World Parade: New England Holiday, The
- World Parade: New York The Wonder City
- World Parade: Rome The Eternal City, The
- World Parade: Washington
- Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Story of Preserved Foods
- You Are There: “The Chicago Fire”
- Your Voice
-
Metro*AACC*CACCA*PSA*Loyola Volume II
Behind the Scenes of Making Films
Metro
Filming in Kennedy's Film Studio (Paper or Photographic Materials) - Metro*AACC*CACCA*PSA*Loyola Volume III (Paper or Photographic Materials)
-
Metro*AACC*CACCA*PSA
Photos
Chicago (Paper or Photographic Materials) -
Metro*AACC*CACCA*PSA Volume I
Honors (Paper or Photographic Materials)
SERIES II: Collected Films (Amateur & Professional Films)
SERIES III: Conneely Ephemera
Collection Identifier
C.2005-01
Extent of Collection
1 reel of 35mm film totaling 235 feet; 375 reels of 16mm film totaling 14757 feet; 3 reels of 8mm film totaling 750 feet; 22 reels of Super 8 film totaling 6176 feet; 6 reels of 1/4 audiotape totaling 1850 feet; 1 3/4 inch videotape cassette; 2 1/2 inch VHS videotapes cassettes; 3 15x13 inch boxes of papers, photos, magazines and books; 1 15x13 inch box with awards; 4 photo albums containing photographs and clippings.
Language Of Materials
English
Subject
Custodial History
This collection contains films and paper created and collected by Margaret Conneely over a sixty year period. She gifted them to Chicago Film Archives in a series of donations over the fall and winter of 2004-2005.
Related Materials
Additional Metro Movie Club films and Amateur Film Club films can be found in John & Marilyn Sanner Collection at Chicago Film Archives. Other Amateur film clubs can also be found in the Ron Doerring Collection and J. Gerald Hooper Collection at Chicago Film Archives.
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
Chicago Film Archives holds the copyright for the films and documents created by Margaret Conneely. For the films, photos, and additional paper materials published by others, any determination of copyright status for reproduction is the responsibility of the user.
Creators
Conneely, Margaret
(was created by)
Chicago movie-maker Margaret Conneely (1915–2007) was active in amateur filmmaking both locally and internationally for nearly half a century. She is best known as a producer and director of scenario films, film competition judge and as an exhibitor.
In 1949 Conneely joined the Metro Movie Club, an amateur film club based in River Park and Chicago, Illinois. She was also a member of the Chicago Cinema Club and the Glenview Moviemakers and was an active member of the Chicago Area Camera Club Association, the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and the Amateur Cinema League. While a member of PSA, Conneely served as organizer and chairman of the PSA's first International Competition (1952-1953) as well as chairman and secretary for the PSA Motion Picture Division and chairman of the 1963 PSA National Convention Committee.
In the 1950s, Margaret’s films won awards from major amateur contests in both America and Europe. In 1956, her film The Fairy Princess (1956) won the International PSA Harris Tuttle Trophy for Best Family Film. By the 1960s Conneely had become a highly regarded film competition judge, attending amateur film festivals around the world. Conneely judged competitions for the PSA, Chicago Area Camera Club Association, Institute of Amateur Cinematographers and local film clubs. Conneely also wrote articles on amateur film that appeared in local club newsletters, the PSA journal, Panorama Magazine, Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. Additionally, Conneely presented and took part in lectures, demonstrations and programs in the 1950s and 1960s to further the art of motion picture making. She presented at Chicago-area camera clubs and at conventions for the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers and PSA.
Margaret later went on to become the director and chief photographer of medical photography and illustration at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois.