Intro: The late Ralph Peterson and his wife Evelyn raised their family in Ann Arbor which included sons Duane and John.
MOVIES ON A WHITE SHEET
In the 1950s, Ralph Peterson, associate professor at Eastern Michigan University, proved the timeliness of individualized instruction in a rural setting with his novel and popular outdoor, motion picture shows in Washtenaw County’s small communities.
The unique venue was a theater under the stars as Peterson would magically convert a schoolyard, Village Square, a vacant lot or a cow pasture into the expanse of an outdoor movie house. At the height of the summer, the schedule would include presentations in 20-25 different communities per week with in excess of 100 attending.
"Television was still a new-fangled invention to most people," recalled William Thornton, a friend who assisted Peterson in staging his shows, "Motion pictures remained a popular form of entertainment."
Peterson and his helpers- including his son Duane- became the respected showmen of the county. It was a special evening for the homefolk to gather and watch the giants of Hollywood perform on film. Their tools included a 16mm projector and an ingenious, homemade movie screen familiar to most as a bed sheet. Why, the film images of the movie stars were as clear as any Silver Screen. Well, almost. "I can visualize Ralph and I climbing these tall ladders, balancing somewhat precariously, and stretching this large piece of fabric across the back wall of an one-room a schoolhouse," Thornton said, spreading his hands as he described their gymnastics.
At dusk, the parade of citizen ants filed to the grounds from all points, including most of the area farms. The evening shadows would soon obscure the assorted lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets. It was a lovely evening of family entertainment for adults and children of all ages.
"Remember, there were just a few home television sets, no Internet and multi-theater movie houses," commented Duane Peterson, who grew from an eight-year-old to a teenager of 17 over the period of the summer shows.
"At times I saw it only as a job but I also remember the excitement and apprehension when the show was about to begin."
What was the price of admission to the shows? Surpisingly, no charge. "Dad had a good working relationship with many of the out- County country stores and gas stations. He would drop in a week prior to the show to ask for their support as a gesture of community spirit. He seldom walked away empty-handed," Duane said.
Although each community had their favorites, "Westerns and Romantic" films were generally the most popular. The celluloid performances included comedies and an assortment of film shorts.
"A back-to-back series of an adventure film, a movie star biographical and/or cartoons seemed to hold the audience’s attention the best," Duane recalled. "The sound of crickets were louder than our movie-goers who remained relatively quiet during the show. Of course, there was always a crying infant that had to be quieted by its mother."
Once Duane earned his driver’s license, dad Peterson would frequently pass the projector-baton on to his son. As they say in tinsel-town, Duane soloed admirably.
"Now that I am older," Duane recently recalled, "I have some nostalgic feelings and pleasant memories when I pass through these small communities from time-to-time."
Ralph Peterson's 50's road show provided wholesome entertainment and memories of family togetherness. All that was required, was a simple movie projector, some films, a white sheet and a dad and his son named Duane.
From Mr. Garvin Smith:
I have many fond memories of the "free shows" that were shown in an open field not far from where we lived in East Ann Arbor - Platt in those days. As I recall there was a large 2" x 4" wood frame built to hold the screen. I can't remember if it was a sheet or something bigger. The shows were held weekly in the summers during the war years. It was truly a community event and a great treat for young and old alike. Youngsters like me would arrive early on our bikes and get a good spot in the front row. As I recall we had blankets to set on, but maybe just the ground.
