John McNaughton Collection
McNaughton later became known as the director of feature films Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and Wild Things (1998).
8mm and Super 8 home movies in the collection include films shot to document birthdays, Christmas holidays, and other family activities in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood, where the McNaughton family lived, as well as films shot during family trips to Hot Springs, Arkansas (where they stayed at the Buena Vista resort on Lake Hamilton) and the Ozarks, at Cub Scout Pow Wows, and other excursions. These reels were shot between 1949 and 1965.
Videotape footage in the collection comprises four sets of material:
1. A ½" videotape, shot with a Sony Portapak camera, containing unedited footage of jazz musician Art Pepper, shot by John McNaughton at New Orleans club Lou and Charlie's in 1976. This was one of the first times McNaughton had ever used a video camera.
2. Two U-matic tapes containing raw footage of blues musicians Junior Wells and Buddy Guy performing at a club called Just Angels in Harvey, Illinois. McNaughton shot these tapes in August 1979 using a Hitachi video camera he was still learning to use.
3. Two U-matic tapes containing documentary footage from an unfinished project called “Sisters." These tapes contain footage directed by John McNaughton and shot by cinematographer Jean de Segonzac in November 1980 for a class project (McNaughton was a student and Jean de Segonzac was a teaching assistant for Marian Marzyński, the class instructor). The footage depicts a dinner organized by John at his mother's house in South Holland, Illinois attended by his mother Tillie and her four sisters, Alyce, Catherine, Joan, and Anita.
4. Tapes related to the production of McNaughton's documentary film “Condo Painting” (2000). Per a CFA staff interview with John McNaughton, these tapes represent “full camera rolls,” which are excerpted in the final documentary. They were shot on July 20, 1996 at Burroughs's home in Lawrence, Kansas. The collection also includes a DVD of the finished film.
Collection Items
![[Junior Wells and Phil Guy] #1](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/5/1097_ca_object_representations_media_7506_large.jpg)
![[Junior Wells and Phil Guy] #2](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/5/9918_ca_object_representations_media_7507_large.jpg)
- 1950 Christmas #2
- 1952 Daddy Diving, Kiddyland
- 1954 Vacation; Browns Lake, Craigo Party, Zoo
- Art Pepper
- Buena Vista 7-58; Pow Wow '58
- Buena Vista 1959
- Buena Vista on Skis 57
- Canada 1957
- Christmas 51+52
- Condo Painting [DVD]
- Easter 1956 and Communion
- Golden Anniversary 7/52
- John at 8 Months 1/49
- John McNaughton presents: Carnykill (Paper or Photographic Materials)
- [Junior Wells and Phil Guy] #1
- [Junior Wells and Phil Guy] #2
- Mae Birthday 1965
- Mostly Johnny 5 Mo
- Ozarks Vacation July 1953 #4
- Pow Wow 1958; Buena Vista + Penny
- Sisters #1
- Sisters #2
- Summer 1954
- Thanksgiving + Christmas Morn Johnny [1956]
- William Burroughs & George Condo 7/20/96 Lawrence, Kansas [Betacam-SP]
- William Burroughs & George Condo 7/20/96 Lawrence, Kansas [VHS]
- Xmas 1952 #3
John McNaughton grew up in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood with his parents, Tillie and Jack. His grandparents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins lived nearby.
Before becoming a filmmaker, he worked at numerous occupations, including working as a carnival barker, jewelry maker, sailboat builder, bartender, operator of a laser light show, and working for Encyclopedia Brittanica, Chicago Bridge and Iron, Republic Steel, Pullman Bank, International Harvester Company, Campbell Mithun Advertising.
John studied fine arts at the University of Illinois-Urbana and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in film production and still photography. His first feature film was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), which he directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Since then, he has worked continuously directing feature films, TV pilots, episodic television, documentaries and occasionally, live theater.