Home Movies

Among an expansive collection of over 3,500 audiovisual items in the Richard G. Lugar Senatorial Papers, one of the most compelling standouts is a series of early home movies that document the childhood and adolescent years of Richard Lugar and his siblings, Tom and Anne, as they were growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana from the 1930s to the 1950s.

These home movies, a majority of which were filmed by Richard's parents, Marvin and Bertha, capture family events like birthday parties, Christmas celebrations, and picnics; local events, such as field days at Indianapolis Public Schools (which all three Lugar siblings attended), parades, and the annual Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, more popularly known as the Indy 500; as well as a number of family vacations to destinations like Lake Wawasee, Indiana; New York City; New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Painted Desert and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

All of the home movies in this collection are contained on 16mm silent film. Many of the movies were captured on color film, and a few of the earliest movies are in black and white; while a couple of the early films, which at first appear to be black and white, are more than meets the eye... to learn more about these unique films, be sure to visit the next page in this exhibit to read a guest post by film archivist Alicia Hickman!

The clips in this exhibit are shorter selections which have been derived from longer reels of film. As the original home movies are made available in their entirety, they will be added to the Richard G. Lugar Home Movie Collection, 1929-1954 in Media Collections Online.

A very young Richard Lugar, age 1, and his newborn brother Tom in Indianapolis, Indiana in December 1933. This home movie was shot on Kodacolor film, a rare and short-lived color film stock that came to prominence in the late 1920s but was phased out by the mid-1930s in favor of Kodachrome film. Kodacolor film must be shown on a projector fitted with a special, tri-color lens filter in order to be seen in color. Without the filter, the film appears in black and white, as it is seen here.

The Lugar siblings—from left to right: Tom, Richard, and Anne—waving American flags on the front porch of their family home in Indianapolis, Indiana in July 1942.

Richard Lugar's 11th birthday celebration in April 1943, along with footage of Richard and friends participating in a mock air raid, seemingly hosted by Richard's father Marvin Lugar's bridge club.

Lugar family and friends on a summer vacation trip to Lake Wawasee, Indiana in July 1944. Includes shots of a sunrise fishing trip on the lake, as well as shots of the Lugar siblings, Richard, Tom, and Anne; their father, Marvin Lugar; and family friends.

Richard, Tom, and Anne Lugar and friends at Tom's 11th birthday party, hosted at the Riviera Club swimming pool in Indianapolis, Indiana in August 1944.

Richard Lugar, around age 16, playing a round of golf in Lake Wawasee, Indiana in July 1948.

The Lugar family on a summer vacation visit to the Painted Desert in Arizona in July 1950. Included are shots of the three Lugar siblings - Richard, Tom, and Anne; their mother Bertha Lugar; and shots of Painted Desert scenery.

Richard Lugar, around age 21, playing with a dog in a yard, circa May 1953.