‘A Camera Bug as a Boy’: WALSH TAKES ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS TO ITALY

By Becca Bacon Martin

Posted: November 6, 2009 at 7:13 a.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — His name may not be as well known as Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino, but Stan Walsh is famous filmmaker in his own genre.

Walsh makes travel films. It’s a unique blend of photojournalism and entertainment that started with the hand-colored lantern slide “travelogues” of Burton Holmes at the turn of the 20th century and grew with the expeditions of Lowell Thomas between the world wars.

Walsh was inspired by his predecessors.

“I was always a camera bug as a boy,” he says. “Then, when I was studying engineering at the University of Southern California, I got a job running the projector for traveladventure movies made by people like Lowell Thomas and Burton Holmes. I became intrigued by it.”

Although Walsh “decided I’d stay with engineering,” his work took him to Italy, “where I made a film just to see if I could do it.”

“Tuscany: Italy’s Golden Province” was a hit.

“I knew some agents in Hollywood, and I took the film to one of them,” he recalls.

“He said, ‘Well, go over and show it to Elmer Wilson at the Pasadena City Auditorium, and if it’s any good, we’ll book it.’

“When the lights went up, Mr. Wilson said, ‘When are you available?’ I knew I was in!”

On Thursday, Walsh returns to Italy for “Corsica and the Rivieras,” a look at the island that was Napoleon Bonaparte’s home and the French and Italianvacation destinations that draw tourists from all over the world.

“We do try to get off the beaten path,” he says, but the film includes stops at Carrara, where Michelangelo quarried marble for his sculptures;

Cannes, home of the world’s most prestigious film festival;

and Monte Carlo, perhaps the world’s most luxurious resort city.

Walsh says people enjoy travel films for all the reasons he enjoys making them.

“They like to relive trips they’ve taken and see places they might have missed,” he says. “Sometimes they want to brush up before they go. And sometimes they just share the adventure with me.”

Sponsors host a social hour at 1 p.m. before each ACO travel film, and at 2 p.m., the presentation begins in the auditorium. Reservations are not required, and tickets are $9 for ACO member adults, $10 for nonmember adults and $5 for students.

Also scheduled for 2009-10 are:

! “Barbados: Island in the Sun,” March 11 with filmmaker Steve Gosner. Barbados is a sophisticated tropical island with a rich history and plenty to capture the attention of visitors. Seemingly endless white-sand beaches and a rich West Indian tradition are what put Barbados on the map. The people reflect the island’s atmosphere - deeply religious, open, generous, friendly and thoughtful. Thepeople as well as the history, culture, attractions and majestic landscapes repeatedly draw visitors to this island in the sun.

! “Hello! Louisiana,” April 8 with filmmaker Monty Brown.

Join musicians Monty and Marsha Brown as they explore Louisiana, where the Caribbean meets the Old South; where French and Spanish flavors mingle with Africa in America, forming a brew of music and cuisine that delights the whole world. And no trip to Louisiana would be complete without a tour of the Big Easy, fabulous New Orleans, birthplace of jazz.

! “Yellowstone’s Trails and Tales,” May 6 with filmmaker Sandy Mortimer.

Yellowstone’s otters are the guides through the seasons ofthe year in the nation’s first national park. From springtime, with the captivating endless play and interaction of the young, through the summer adventures, and into autumn and winter, when life grows harsh, the otters take viewers on a remarkable journey.

Entertainment, Pages 16 on 11/06/2009

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