In the 1930s, nearly everyone in America was going to the movie theaters on a weekly basis -- but it was rare for those films to feature small-town residents or settings. That wasn't the case for the Movie Queen films, a series of short movies produced by the Boston based Amateur Theatre Guild. One such surviving film -- Lubec Movie Queen -- offers a rare glimpse into the community in 1936.
      Filmed around the northeast, 16 Movie Queen films were created, all of which had women directors from the Amateur Theatre Guild at the helm. Margaret Cram directed several of the films, including Lubec's production. The directors traveled to the various communities to recruit local talent for the films, coordinating a live stage show and band simultaneously. All of the Movie Queen films used a script written by Lauren Kenyon Woods, the guild's proprietor.
      Over time, nine of the films -- including one filmed in Eastport -- were lost, a fate that Lubec Movie Queen narrowly avoided. The only existing copy of the film was donated to Northeast Historic Film (NHF) in 1989 by Lubec resident Helen Burns. NHF was able to preserve and duplicate the film, holding public showings in Lubec that same year in commemoration.
      Shown 53 years after the film was made, the 1989 presentation included the original lead actors: Evangeline Morrison, who played the Movie Queen, and Jimmy Simmonds, who played the role of the hero. For those who hadn't seen Lubec Movie Queen before, it was an eye opening glimpse into the town's history.

Hustling, bustling Lubec
      The plot of the Movie Queen films was designed to promote local interest in the endeavor as much as possible. As such, it included a parade through the town and intentionally showcased Main Street businesses and area residents.
      After the Movie Queen -- being a fictional Hollywood actress returning for a visit to her hometown -- completes her rounds through the town, there is an attempted kidnapping by a gang of six ne'er do wells. She is saved by a bicycling hero in what Karan Sheldon of the NHF describes as a "comic rescue" in her 2010 paper on the series.
      In the case of Lubec Movie Queen, 20 year-old Morrison was chosen for the part based on her attractive looks and her acting aptitude, which had been honed at Dr. Curry's School of Expression in Boston. "I'm sure they had better talent in town, but they chose me, and I'm glad they did. It was fun," Morrison recalled in a 1989 interview with her, Simmonds and Burns.
      "I was no polished actor, that's for sure," shared Simmonds in the same 1989 interview. "It seems like all the locals were in on something, out to the Grange or after school. We were active in that sort of thing, and I guess they kind of figured we had the talent for it. And I owned a bicycle."
      The lead ruffian was played by Reverend Cleveland, pastor of the Ridge Baptist Church. Other members of the gang included many of the town's luminaries, Sheldon writes.
      In 1936, Lubec had a population of around 3,000 people and an active business district, all of which came through well in the film. "A harbor town alive with fisheries and waterfront canneries, Lubec was a tight knit and active community," Sheldon writes.
      Seeing the film in later decades -- including in 1989 when Simmonds and Morrison saw it again for the first time -- highlights the comparison with yesteryear. "My goodness, we had quite a town and didn't realize it," Simmonds commented after the 1989 showing.
      The impact is even stronger on today's viewers, one of whom is Jennifer Multhopp, who served as the librarian at Lubec Memorial Library for 15 years before retiring last July. She became interested in Lubec Movie Queen in 2005 while writing a tribute to Morrison's life for The Lubec Light, leading her to track down a copy and view it. She found the film "to be remarkable as a moving portrait of town memories, places, people and history."
      The 1996 version of the film features narration by Morrison at the age of 80, which Multhopp found to be particularly interesting as Morrison identifies various people in the film. "Thus we saw a smiling and waving Audrey Stein, Mildred Denbow and Madeleine Joy dressed up in their finery to meet the Movie Queen, all wearing hats," Multhopp says.
      "Since the movie was also a vehicle for local merchants to promote their wares, the film is a running record of town commerce on that day in 1936," Multhopp continues. "What struck me as I watched was the hustle, bustle, vitality and apparent prosperity of Front Street, now Water Street."
      Asked what changed after the film was shot, Burns spoke up in the 1989 interview. "It seems as if after the war, things just started to fall down."

Preserving the past
      Today, the Lubec Memorial Library owns several copies of the film, some of which may be borrowed by the public. During her time as a librarian, Multhopp organized multiple screenings of the film, all of which were "well attended and always elicited new information." Since retiring, she has continued to show the film, including a presentation this past March.
      "The Movie Queen never fails to reveal the interest, regard and pride that local viewers have in their town and its history," Multhopp shares. "And, of course, there are also reactions of sadness and regret at all that has been lost through the years with so many buildings, businesses and residences burned, demolished and destroyed."
      "As a record of the town, Lubec Movie Queen is a rare treasure," Multhopp asserts. "Each time I see the film I am grateful that it was made, that Helen Burns had the foresight and determination to rescue it and that Evangeline Morrison was able to bring it to life by sharing her memories."
      There will be a public screening of Lubec Movie Queen on Friday, July 5, at 6 p.m. in conjunction with Lubec's 4th of July celebration.