[Charles S. Houston—home movies] Reel 37

Date1953 – 1954

AbstractTwo shots of a bookshelf filled with books on mountain climbing. A hand takes down the book Five Miles High and opens it to a picture of K2. A few shots of maps. A few shots of Peter Schoenning giving climbing instructions to three young men. A few shots of some of the members of the 1953 American Alpine Club expedition to K2, including Robert Craig, Dee Molenaar, Robert H. (Bob) Bates and Charles S. Houston. Two shots of several men packing supplies in a kitchen. A shot of a boy holding a boot with spikes. Footage of Bates and Houston marking crates. A few shots of a plane landing and men exiting the plane, including Charles Houston who then shakes hands with Bob Bates. A group shot of some of the members of the expedition, including Bob Bates and Arthur (Art) Gilkey. A shot of a man taking off his sunglasses. A few shots of a busy street in Pakistan, including a shot of a sign for a Warner Bros. movie shot in Technicolor called Return of the Frontiersman starring Gordon MacRae. A few shots of mountains. Footage of men, including Houston and Bates, getting off a plane and being greeted by a large crows of men and boys holding banners and signs. One sign reads, “We appeal our American friends to get Kashmir problem solved.” Another reads, “Convey our heartfelt greetings to the great American nation.” A shot of a large procession moving through a street in Pakistan. A few shots of porters, including a few of the climbers addressing them and some porters hiking. A few shots of a large procession down some hills, including some of the expedition members. A few shots of men being ferried across a river. Footage of men hiking, one of whom is carrying an umbrella that reads, “1953 K2 Expedition.” Footage of men using a rope line and a raft to get themselves and their gear across a river. Footage of men crossing a rope bridge. Footage of some of the climbers, including Craig, Bates, George Bell and Houston, relaxing in a spring. A few shots of young girls working with yarn in a local village. Footage of local men, including a few dancing. A shot of men descending a mountain. Footage of a few men crossing a rope bridge. A few shots of the climbers, several porters and their gear. Footage of men hiking. A few shots of one of the climbers giving medical attention to some of the porters. Footage of men hiking. A few shots of Bob Bates sitting on a rock and waving to the camera. Footage of porters, including one packing his pack. A shot of a man carrying another man across a river. Footage of men hiking. Footage of a campsite, including the porters getting paid, the climbers packing gear and supplies, two of the climbers getting hair cuts and a man washing. NHF Notes: Some of this footage may have been used as outtakes for the television program ‘K2 The Savage Mountain’ on Reels 38 & 39 of the Charles S. Houston Collection.