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 * Arts+Entertainment
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December 06, 2023


SPANG'S FIRST CENTURY BRINGS OLD PITTSBURGH TO LIFE WITH A CONTEMPORARY
SOUNDTRACK

By Colin Williams

click to enlarge
Still from Spang's First Century

Current Pittsburgh residents probably have less firsthand experience with the
steel industry than at any time in at least two centuries. Recent numbers bear
this out — U.S. Steel currently employs fewer than 4,000 people, a far cry from
the 150,000 steelworkers toiling in furnaces and forges before Big Steel's
collapse in the ’70s and ’80s.

For those curious about the heyday of industry, a rediscovered silent film from
Pittsburgh Sound + Image is a richly detailed look back at one company during
the height of local manufacturing. Spang's First Century tracks the growth and
processes of Spang & Chalfant Co., once a major producer of iron and steel pipes
with factories in Etna, Ambridge, and elsewhere. This carefully restored look
back, accompanied by contemporary music from seven local musicians, conjures the
past through the sounds of the present day.

The film only became available for viewing by happenstance. After the demise of
Pittsburgh Filmmakers in 2019, Regent Square Theatre, one of the independent
movie theaters the organization oversaw, sat empty. Hidden behind the screen was
a collection of old reels and equipment. Pittsburgh Sound + Image co-founder
Steven Haines, a film historian and archivist, was looking through the material
before the cinema's conversion to an art gallery when he noticed several
bulkier, older-looking cans. He would later learn they were from the 1920’s.

"I could tell right away it was a silent film," Haines tells Pittsburgh City
Paper. He pored over the reels — there were seven in all — and was surprised to
discover the film was local. Haines' initial research and outreach revealed
little about the film's origins and producers, though it clearly involved a
substantial crew and resources.

"It looks very likely this is all that survives of this film," he says.

After being made and presumably shown by Spang & Chalfant, the film sat for
decades in a local warehouse. It then passed through the hands of David Newell,
whom locals more likely know as Mr. McFeely of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fame.
Newell bequeathed the reels to Pittsburgh Filmmakers, and they eventually landed
in Regent Square.

Haines says the film's reappearance was fortuitous and on-mission for Pittsburgh
Sound + Image. "One of the core components of Pittsburgh Sound + Image is
building an archive of Pittsburgh film," he tells City Paper.

To get Spang's First Century ready for that archive in both physical and digital
formats, however, the organization needed money. The National Film Preservation
Foundation stepped in with $20,000, and a Kickstarter campaign held earlier this
year provided the rest, eventually exceeding the $24,000 needed to conserve the
movie — and giving Pittsburgh Sound + Image the funds necessary to provide a new
soundtrack. After brainstorming a list of local musicians to contact, the
nonprofit reached out to INEZ and other Pittsburgh-based artists.

INEZ says "the Steves" (Haines and Pittsburgh Sound + Image executive director
Steve Felix) emailed her shortly after the Kickstarter campaign concluded. She
was both excited by the project's potential and a little daunted. "This is the
first time I've scored something of this caliber," she tells CP. Haines and
Felix assigned a reel each to INEZ and six other artists, with INEZ assigned the
seventh of seven. "It was nerve-racking," she says with a laugh.

The other artists scoring Spang's First Century include Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh,
Bryce Rabideau, Bri Dominique, Hezreel Robertson, Trē Seguritan Abalos, and
Margaret Cox. While INEZ's portion of the soundtrack skews more toward movie
tradition and the sonic palette of old news themes, each section is different.
The movie opens with jangling piano and a flashback to Spang's founding before
noisier and more experimental music ushers in scenes of the fiery processes
behind Spang's products.

click to enlarge
Still from Spang's First Century

The ebb and flow of sound complements the film's fluid imagery. It's clear from
the outset that Spang & Chalfant spared no expense in making the movie, which
features animated diagrams of pipes being forged, double-exposures of whirling
machinery, on-site shots of steelworkers on factory floors, and the motion of
trains and boats carrying Spang's pipes and tubes to the world. For what amounts
to essentially corporate propaganda, it's lovingly crafted.

INEZ says she was captivated by the imagery and tailored her part of the
soundtrack closely to the events on screen. "I leaned really heavily into
watching it, seeing what people are doing," she says. "When I saw there was one
part where the big steam carriers were moving through the water, I was like, I
kind of want that section to feel strongly percussive."


She also thought back to her family who'd worked in the industry, including her
steelworker uncle. Even though the film presents a sanitized version of the
company's history — everyone shown on screen is white, and INEZ is Black — she
tells CP that "watching, I can connect with what my uncle would have gone
through."

Haines says it's probable that the film served an advertising purpose. He
speculates that it may once have been played at the company's onsite cinema in
Etna or shown at trade conventions, and doubts it presents a realistic view of
safety. Given strikes at Spang & Chalfant in the 1930s, Haines says, it's fair
to second-guess the company's intentions.

Even with this rose-colored vantage point, though, Haines hopes the film gets
viewers to reflect on the steel industry and Pittsburgh history more broadly.
"This is a really unique film; it's not the usual Hollywood narrative," he tells
CP. He says early reactions have been positive. "I would really love to see
other local folks connecting with it and their stories starting to come out."

Spang's First Century premieres Thurs., Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Harris Theater
downtown.


TAGS

 * Screen,
 * Screen,
 * U.S. Steel,
 * Pittsburgh Sound + Image,
 * Pittsburgh Filmmakers,
 * Regent Square Theatre,
 * Steven Haines,
 * Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,
 * INEZ,
 * The National Film Preservation Foundation,
 * Kickstarter,
 * Harris Theater


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