[Joe Griffith Starts Marathon Swim]
Identifier
F.2012-03-1274
Date Of Production
July 14 1958
Abstract
Lifeguard Joe Griffith begins his 3rd attempt to swim across Lake Michigan from Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana. No one had previously completed the 36¾ mile swim.
Griffith's attempt was sponsored by local automobile dealer Jim Moran, who appears in the footage applying sunscreen to Griffith's torso while Griffith's wife massages his muscles. A crowd of onlookers—including press and Chicago police—gather on the dock as Griffith prepares to enter the lake near what is now Museum Campus. Griffith sets off on his marathon swim with Moran and his wife in a rowboat beside him. The camera travels with the group until settling on a construction scene on the shore.
Griffith's 1958 swim was ultimately unsuccessful; he would try again in 1959, but needed to be pulled from the water 28 miles into the journey.
Griffith's attempt was sponsored by local automobile dealer Jim Moran, who appears in the footage applying sunscreen to Griffith's torso while Griffith's wife massages his muscles. A crowd of onlookers—including press and Chicago police—gather on the dock as Griffith prepares to enter the lake near what is now Museum Campus. Griffith sets off on his marathon swim with Moran and his wife in a rowboat beside him. The camera travels with the group until settling on a construction scene on the shore.
Griffith's 1958 swim was ultimately unsuccessful; he would try again in 1959, but needed to be pulled from the water 28 miles into the journey.
Run Time
7 min 37 sec
Format
16mm
Extent
300 feet
Color
B&W
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Trims and Outs
Genre
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Related Places
Main Credits
Koza, Frank (is filmmaker)
Participants And Performers
Griffith, Joe (is participant)
Moran, Jim (is participant)
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