Secret of the Stone
House (1975)
House (1975)
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
History combined with the supernatural, love and romance against the backdrop of the
Revolutionary War, Colonists versus the Tories, all this and more - in the second feature filmed
entirely on location in Horsham at Keith Mansion, the home of the first governor of Pennsylvania,
Sir William Keith. And although the governor's estate was, indeed, the great house in the title -
Secret of the Stone House - the summer media production dealt for the most part with the
granddaughter of Sir William - Elizabeth Graeme, and her romance and marriage to Hugh Henry
Ferguson.
Filmed with the cooperation of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, the Union Library of Hatboro,
and Mrs. Welsh Strawbridge who donated the property to the Commonwealth in the mid-1960's, a
previous script had our young media crew on site in 1970 - the second year of the unique summer
cinema program. A more sophisticated treatment, with more elaborate furnishings brought just for
this production, was staged five years later to be ready to celebrate the Bicentennial in
1976.
There is a legend that the ghost of Elizabeth Graeme Ferguson still haunts the mansion. On both
occasions, 1970 and 1975, student filmmakers reported strange experiences when doing night
filming at the Keith House. But - you have to decide for yourself where history ends and fantasy
begins.
Secret of the Stone House was filmed on Super 8mm (silent) motion picture film during July 1975.
Combining fact and legend, the script required students to provide historical authenticity in
costumes, sets, props, and makeup. Approximately one hundred 5th through 12th graders shared
the experience, including fifty actors and two dozen sets. It took until March 1976 for the completion
of ‘rough’ editing. Once the editing team had catalogued all the footage shot – 3700 feet of film –
the individual scenes had to be cut together, a long arduous process. The edited film was then
printed and a magnetic stripe added, onto which the soundtrack was recorded in postproduction.
Soundtracking was done in a modified format that year, with 20 students devoting 3 full days to the
job, carefully timing sound effects, dialog, music, and narration to synchronize with the visuals.
Finally, W. A. Palmer Films in San Francisco (using a liquid gate duplication process) struck a
16mm optical sound print.
Viewers take note: the picture and audio have been transferred from an original S8mm sound film.
By today’s digital standards, they are somewhat antiquated. You must forgive the soft image, the
shifts in color and the ‘muddy’ sound track. This was a summer movie … made more than thirty
years ago.
THE CAST (in order of appearance):
Mike May, Steve Kent, Brian Cain, Dave King, Jack Stayt, Fred Krauss, Suzi Lewis, Billy Power,
Maria Jennings, Andria Lure, Chuck Conrad, Jennie Thomson, Liz Betterley, Sam Cramer, Tom
Russo, Karen Clemens, Dan Ochsenreither, Lisa Hitchcock, Andy Faunce, Laura Hitchcock, Jim
Kripitz, Robyn Worthington, Ann Beswick, Lisa Schwab, Bob Platt, Valerie McGaffin, Rebecca Clark,
Sue Krauss, Dave Power, Jeff Worthington, Jane Bickel, Carol Conrad, Brian Swift, Ed Hitchcock,
Linda Van Wieren, Rick Bond, Ed Dumberth, Gregg Picard, Steve McLane Doug Van Wieren, Paul
Gindhart, Scott McGowan, Diane Klawans, Linda Raine, Valerie Mays with Fritzi Bennett, Caitlin
Conroy, Cindy Fricke, Clelland Green, Rachel Karton, Eileen Klawans, John Kohler, Nancy Levin,
Kathy O’Donnell, Charles Scalies, John Stills, David Swift.
THE CREW:
Lee Barford, David Belli, Steven Bennett, Tony Beswick, Ethan Blynn, Rusty Booz, Helene
Brandstater, Charles Conrad, Holly Drauglis, Ann Dunleavy, Setsuko Edayoshi, Danny Fox, Andy
Fuller, Skip Fulton, Jimmy Gilmore, Mark Gindhart, David Grillo, Mark Holmes, Alan Johnson,
Diane Johnson, Brenda Kiesling, Joe Klusman, Harold Kormos, Matt Leonard, Donna Lewis,
Michael Marinari, Robert Messerschmidt, Don Messner, Bill Nuss, Kurt Odendahl, Jeff Pippel,
Julie Pippel, Bruce Raine, Theresa Shanko, David Slaugenhoupt, Jeff Stein, Mary Steinmetz, Dave
Van Wieren, John ‘Grasshopper’ Williams, Bob Young.
Revolutionary War, Colonists versus the Tories, all this and more - in the second feature filmed
entirely on location in Horsham at Keith Mansion, the home of the first governor of Pennsylvania,
Sir William Keith. And although the governor's estate was, indeed, the great house in the title -
Secret of the Stone House - the summer media production dealt for the most part with the
granddaughter of Sir William - Elizabeth Graeme, and her romance and marriage to Hugh Henry
Ferguson.
Filmed with the cooperation of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, the Union Library of Hatboro,
and Mrs. Welsh Strawbridge who donated the property to the Commonwealth in the mid-1960's, a
previous script had our young media crew on site in 1970 - the second year of the unique summer
cinema program. A more sophisticated treatment, with more elaborate furnishings brought just for
this production, was staged five years later to be ready to celebrate the Bicentennial in
1976.
There is a legend that the ghost of Elizabeth Graeme Ferguson still haunts the mansion. On both
occasions, 1970 and 1975, student filmmakers reported strange experiences when doing night
filming at the Keith House. But - you have to decide for yourself where history ends and fantasy
begins.
Secret of the Stone House was filmed on Super 8mm (silent) motion picture film during July 1975.
Combining fact and legend, the script required students to provide historical authenticity in
costumes, sets, props, and makeup. Approximately one hundred 5th through 12th graders shared
the experience, including fifty actors and two dozen sets. It took until March 1976 for the completion
of ‘rough’ editing. Once the editing team had catalogued all the footage shot – 3700 feet of film –
the individual scenes had to be cut together, a long arduous process. The edited film was then
printed and a magnetic stripe added, onto which the soundtrack was recorded in postproduction.
Soundtracking was done in a modified format that year, with 20 students devoting 3 full days to the
job, carefully timing sound effects, dialog, music, and narration to synchronize with the visuals.
Finally, W. A. Palmer Films in San Francisco (using a liquid gate duplication process) struck a
16mm optical sound print.
Viewers take note: the picture and audio have been transferred from an original S8mm sound film.
By today’s digital standards, they are somewhat antiquated. You must forgive the soft image, the
shifts in color and the ‘muddy’ sound track. This was a summer movie … made more than thirty
years ago.
THE CAST (in order of appearance):
Mike May, Steve Kent, Brian Cain, Dave King, Jack Stayt, Fred Krauss, Suzi Lewis, Billy Power,
Maria Jennings, Andria Lure, Chuck Conrad, Jennie Thomson, Liz Betterley, Sam Cramer, Tom
Russo, Karen Clemens, Dan Ochsenreither, Lisa Hitchcock, Andy Faunce, Laura Hitchcock, Jim
Kripitz, Robyn Worthington, Ann Beswick, Lisa Schwab, Bob Platt, Valerie McGaffin, Rebecca Clark,
Sue Krauss, Dave Power, Jeff Worthington, Jane Bickel, Carol Conrad, Brian Swift, Ed Hitchcock,
Linda Van Wieren, Rick Bond, Ed Dumberth, Gregg Picard, Steve McLane Doug Van Wieren, Paul
Gindhart, Scott McGowan, Diane Klawans, Linda Raine, Valerie Mays with Fritzi Bennett, Caitlin
Conroy, Cindy Fricke, Clelland Green, Rachel Karton, Eileen Klawans, John Kohler, Nancy Levin,
Kathy O’Donnell, Charles Scalies, John Stills, David Swift.
THE CREW:
Lee Barford, David Belli, Steven Bennett, Tony Beswick, Ethan Blynn, Rusty Booz, Helene
Brandstater, Charles Conrad, Holly Drauglis, Ann Dunleavy, Setsuko Edayoshi, Danny Fox, Andy
Fuller, Skip Fulton, Jimmy Gilmore, Mark Gindhart, David Grillo, Mark Holmes, Alan Johnson,
Diane Johnson, Brenda Kiesling, Joe Klusman, Harold Kormos, Matt Leonard, Donna Lewis,
Michael Marinari, Robert Messerschmidt, Don Messner, Bill Nuss, Kurt Odendahl, Jeff Pippel,
Julie Pippel, Bruce Raine, Theresa Shanko, David Slaugenhoupt, Jeff Stein, Mary Steinmetz, Dave
Van Wieren, John ‘Grasshopper’ Williams, Bob Young.