Q: How many sled dogs were involved in the expedition?

 

A: There were 153 sled dogs on the expedition.

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Q: Where was the film stored prior to restoration? It’s sad that most of it was lost. Was it ever shown as a whole?

 

A: The films were stored in multiple places over the years before they came to us at the Byrd Center, including a warehouse and a barn. These were Byrd's lecture films, so we assume that they were shown in part, depending upon the lecture engagement, time available and so forth.

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Q: Any idea of the content on the film reels that didn’t survive?

 

A: Fortunately, there was a lot of duplication. As Pam explained during the webinar, there were copies held at different places across the country to make the logistics easier on Byrd as he went from venue to venue on his lecture circuit. So we think we have the majority of the story in what survived! In places where scenes seemed to be lacking, Pam used still photography to supplement.

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Q: Breathtaking film footage!! Fascinating topic! Congratulations! Who is the intended audience for the film? Is there any kind of structured annotation to the film? For example: Was was the date of opening scene, the ticker-tape parade in NY City? Was that Fiorello LaGuardia, mayor (1934-1945) in the car with Byrd or John P. O'Brien (mayor, 1933)? [I did at least recognize Franklin D. Roosevelt.]

 

A: The audience is general audience - as that was the intended audience for the original footage. The opening scene is a still combined with a separate audio file from the archives, to set the scene. Since no one today recognizes the heroic status Byrd held at that time, that's the reason for that as an opener. I think it's LaGuardia. Byrd had multiple ticker tape parades in his lifetime.

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Q: Are these the films that Byrd took on his speaking tours after he returned?

 

A: Yes, these are the lecture films from his tour post expedition.

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Q: Did Byrd or someone else do the filming?

 

A: The filming was not done by Byrd but by two Paramount News cameramen.

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Q: I greatly enjoyed the film.  I knew Dr. Larry Gould while at the University of Arizona, and heard his stories which brought Antarctic exploration to life.  This film added so much detail to those stories.  Larry regaled a very young graduate student in Tucson, and I am sure those experiences inspired my own career in the Arctic.   My question is, during the credits at the end, I saw the roster for the 2nd expedition.  Did I miss his name for the first trip?

 

A: The roster at the end was for the members of the 2nd expedition. The footage is primarily 2nd expedition footage, though there is some from the first expedition as you have noted.

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Q: How much of the unused footage is there that is viewable?

 

A: Pam used every single second of the preserved film.

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Q: I was unaware that Byrd’s second expedition had any government funding. What form of government support did he have and how substantial was it.

 

A: Byrd's expeditions were self funded up until the US Antarctic Service Expedition of 1939. The government leant Byrd scientific instruments, and leased the flagship of the expedition to him for $1 per year. But the majority of funding came from private donors, both of money and equipment.

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Q: Why did some of the film survive and other films didn't?

 

A: Probably due to the various storage conditions of all of these reels. Once the decomposition starts, it spreads and infects the film.  We know that some reels were stored in a barn, for example.

 

Q: does the original film still exist? How has it been stabilized?

 

A: The original film does still exist. It is currently housed in the climate controlled warehouse of the Book Depository on OSU's campus. The temperature and humidity are kept low in this facility, and the films are housed now in inert archival containers.

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Q: How were the members of Byrd’s expedition chosen?  what were their qualifications…Was there an opportunity for folks to apply for the privilege of being involved, or did Byrd contact and chose the people he knew of and wanted with him?

 

A: Yes, people applied for the various positions. Many of the men that went had been with him previously in 1928-1930. There are files of applications contained within the archives!

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Q: Pam referred to Byrd's book "Alone" as a novel. Wasn't it nonfiction?

 

A: Yes, it was non-fiction. There was a ghostwriter. More info is at https://byrd.osu.edu/history-corner/ghostwriter

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Q: What is the connection, if there is one, between “Byrd 1933” and the Byrd’s 1947 documentary “Discovery”?  Clearly, some of the footage is the same in both films.

 

A: Great question. Yes, they are related with overlapping footage, but this film was intended to be used with Byrd doing the narration during a live lecture, as opposed to the film that was created to be shown in the movie theaters.

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Q: Do you have any additional information about Byrd’s selection of the BEAR OF OAKLAND as one of his expedition ships.

 

A: The Papers of Admiral Richard E. Byrd hold a lot of detail about the acquisition of the ship. In short, he acquired it from the city of Oakland, CA.

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Q: Did they bring back some penguins?

 

A: Yes, they attempted to bring some back for various zoos and for further study. However, conditions on board the ship were not favorable to the penguins and they did not survive. The Polar Archives has a specimen that was brought back on the US Antarctic Service Expedition, 1939-1941.