It Came to Dallas 2 is Great Success For DPA

On October 19, The Dallas Producers Association hosted It Came From Dallas 2, an evening of entertainment and recognition at the Studio Movie Grill in Addison.  There was pre-show entertainment from Bill Seitz Music.  Mr. Seitz himself was on bass; with Neil Slater on the keyboard and Ted Wasser on drums

Bob Dauber, the Event chairperson, introduced the event.  He then turned the evening over to Gary Cogill, the Film Critic for WFAA-TV and Gordon K. Smith, a local film historian.  Mr. Cogill and Mr. Smith delighted the audience with trailers of feature films, commercials and industrial films all made in Dallas.  Some of the commercials were hilarious beyond belief.  My favorites were The Frito Kid (who knew there was so much energy in one Frito chip!) and an alluring woman in a 1967 7-11 training film.

Among the trailers shown was Mark of the Witch (1970)—filmed on the campus of SMU; Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974)—shot in and around Dallas' historic Majestic Theatre; and Horror High (1974), which is in the process of being turned into a musical.  Several guests who were associated with these films and commercials were invited to the stage and interviewed.

The highlight of the evening was when Todd Sims, the Dallas Producers Association President, honored Bruce Jamieson with the DPA Film Pioneer Award.  Bruce's father Hugh Jamieson, Sr. inaugurated the film industry in Dallas in 1916.  Bruce ran the film company beginning in 1950s with his brother Hugh, Jr.  Jamieson Films was the foundation of the film and video industry in Dallas and the largest production company in the Southwest.  Jamieson Film was the training ground for most of the creative and production talent in Dallas.  Jamieson was a full service production company.  The company produced live action commercials, corporate films and animated productions.  Besides having their own sound stages and audio and editing facilities, they manufactured their own processing machines that were marketed and sold throughout the world.

Joe Camp, the Writer and Director of the popular Benji series, wrote a letter to Mr. Jamieson to commemorate the event which included the following:  "Had it not been for you the Dallas film industry would have never existed.  Without which I would've never had the opportunity to learn an develop.  The world, therefore, would have never known Benji."

The evening concluded with a raffle and time for socializing.  All involved thought the evening was a tremendous success—both as a fund-raiser and as a way to enjoy and honor the history of the Dallas Film Community.

For more information on the Dallas Producers Association, please visit their website.

Photo 1:  Todd Sims, Bruce Jamieson

Photo 2:  Bob Dauber

Photo 3:  Gary Cogill, Gordon K. Smith

Photo Credit:  Doc Strange Images 

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