Gary Goldsmith

Gary Goldsmith, a veteran academic film producer, director, and writer, passed away in early 2019. From 1956 through 1959, Goldsmith made films for Film Associates. In 1960 and 1961, he made films and served as Vice-President for Sutherland Educational Films. In 1962, along with Ed Schuman, he co-founded Dimension Films, whose films were distributed through 1984 to classrooms through Churchill Films. Today, he continues being engaged in a plethora of mediated instruction projects.

Biography

Here is a snapshot of Gary's life in film, in his own words:

" I was majoring in Anthropology when I spent a year in Paris that changed my life. Day and night I was seeing great movies at Cine Clubs and the Cinémathèque Française—classics and exciting new Italian Neorealism and French New Wave. Inspired, I came back to the UCLA film school. After graduating, with a partner we hired our best instructor to shoot and edit, and made a doc about children's creative dancing, followed by a dramatic short aimed to launch our Hollywood careers. Instead, the dance movie attracted an offer out of the blue to make an educational film for kids.

"Hollywood never called, and my partner left town, but I discovered that making educational films was challenging, creative, and the right niche for me. After a few years making films for other companies, I joined with Ed Schuman to start Dimension Films. We saw ourselves as filmmakers and story-tellers who happened to be making educational films, moving past the lecture-based model of the time. We aimed to involve kids actively, rather than viewing passively. No narration—images, sounds and music only in some films; stories without endings in others. Gifted young filmmakers, such as Carroll Ballard, Michael D. Murphy, and Kent MacKenzie among many others worked with us. We had a great run."

Filmography of Gary Goldman's 16mm classroom films

(From 1956-1958, Goldsmith shared producing, writing, directing and editing with Larry and Alyce Frank)

Building Children's Personalities With Creative Dancing (1956) Film Associates, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Goldseeker, The (1957) Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor. Filmed in the ghost town of Bodie, California.

Allen Is My Brother (1957) Churchill/Wexler Films, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

What Do Fathers Do? (1957) Churchill/Wexler Films, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Our Family Works Together (1957) Churchill/Wexler Films, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Dance Your Own Way (1958) Film Associates, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Day With Fireman Bill, A (1958) Film Associates, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Community Keeps House, A (1958) Film Associates, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Policeman Walt Learns His Job (1958) Film Associates, Co-Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Los Angeles From The Air (1959) KTLA/Film Associates, Producer, Writer, Director, Editor. Hosted by Vin Scully.

Newspaper Serves Its Community Producer, A (1959) Film Associates, Writer, Director, Editor. Filmed at the Los Angeles Times. Also 2nd edition, 1986)

Television Serves Its Community (1959) Film Associates, Producer, Writer, Director, Editor

Tugboats And Harbors (1959) KTLA/Film Associates, Producer, Writer, Director.

Catalysis (CHEM Study series, 1962) Sutherland Educational Films, Writer, Director

Nitric Acid (CHEM Study series, 1962) Sutherland Educational Films, Writer, Director

Why Communities Trade Goods (1962) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Directed by Trevor Greenwood.

Space Flight Around The Earth, A (1963) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Directed by Gene Evans and Ed Schuman.

Story Of The Wholesale Market The (1963) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Leonard Greenberg, Director.

Tree, The (1963) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Also made 2nd edition in 1978. Ed Schuman, Director.

True Story Of An Election, The (1963) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer, Director, Editor. Documents the 1962 campaign for the open 34th California District (Orange County) seat in congress.

What “Liberty And Justice” Means (1963) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer. Also made 2nd edition film in 1978.

Why Explore Space? (1963) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Ed Schuman, Director.

Communications and The Community (1963) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Gene Evans, Director.

Born a Man (1964, 35mm) United States Information Agency, Producer, Writer, Director.

My Friend, The Enemy (1964, 35mm) United States Information Agency, Producer, Writer, Director.

Rainshower (1965) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Ed Schuman and Michael D. Murphy, filmmakers.

Time, Lines, And Events (1965) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer, Director.

Money In The Bank—And Out (1966) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer, Director, Editor

Duke Thomas, Mailman (1966) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Ben Jackson, Director.

A City Awakens, A (1967) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Joe Ravetz, Director.

Final Game, The (1967, 35mm) United States Information Agency, Producer, Writer, Director, Editor. Documents NBA playoff game between the Boston Celtics and Cincinnati Royals. Features Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Red Auerbach.

Job Interview: Ready Or Not? (Film A: Women; Film B: Men; 1967 Dimension Films/Churchill), Executive Producer. Ed Schuman, Director.

Journey To The Pacific (1967) United States Information Agency, Producer, Writer, Director. Official documentary of President Lyndon Johnson's trip to 7 Asian countries, including his secret visit to Cam Ranh Bay military base in Viet Nam. Narrated by President Johnson.

Pigs! (1967) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Carroll Ballard, Director.

Perils Of Priscilla, The (1968) Dimension Films/Churchill,, The Executive Producer. Carroll Ballard, Director.

Saturday Morning (1968) Dimension Films, distributed by Columbia Pictures, Executive Producer. An 88 minute documentary of an encounter group of eighteen diverse high-school students, probing relations with parents, and issues with sex, gangs, and race. Kent MacKenzie, Director.

'The Searching Years' series (1968) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. A series of 17 short films in four groups: The Family; Dating and Marriage; Differences; and, Sex/Feelings/Values. Springboards for discussion, using role-plays and encounter group exchanges. Same cast, but different material from Saturday Morning (above). Kent MacKenzie, Director. Films in the series include:

- Barriers (1973)
- Can a Parent Be Human? (1970)
- How Close Can You Get (1971)
- I Owe You Nothing (1970)
- Ivan and His Father (1970)
- Mom - Why Won't You Listen (1971)
- Olivia - Mexican or American (1973)
- One or Many (1971)
- Ruben and Gangs (1973)
- Wait Until Your Father Gets Home (1970)
- What Do Girls Want from Boys (1971)

Cow, The (1969) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Michael D.Murphy, Director.

Sheep, Sheep, Sheep (1969) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Michael D. Murphy, Director.

'Values' series of films (1969) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer, Director, Editor. Open-ended dilemmas of honesty, responsibility, and conflict between individual and group standards. Springboards to classroom role-plays. Adapted from short stories by George Shaftel. Films in teh series include:

- Clubhouse Boat, The
- Paper Drive
- Trick Or Treat

Way Of Life, A (1969) John Deere, Executive Producer. Ed Schuman, Director.

Buttercup (1970) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Robert Brown, Director.

City At Night (1971) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Joe Ravetz, Director. The city slowly shifts from dusk to darkness. Dinnertime, warm and friendly. Kids going to bed. Square dancing; movies. Closing up. The moon sets. All-night coffee shop. Empty streets. A house is moved.

Team Nursing (1971) Dimension Films/Churchill, Researcher/Writer

Marching Band (1973) Children's Television Workshop/PBS, Executive Producer. Robert Emenegger, Director.

Numbers In The Street (1973) Children's Television Workshop/PBS, Executive Producer. Carroll Ballard, Director.

Chick,Chick, Chick (1974) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Robert Brown, Director.

Crystallization (1975) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Carroll Ballard, Director.

Job Attitudes (1975) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Ed Schuman, Director.

Dogs (1978) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Michael D. Murphy, Director.

Rosey Grier: The Courage To Be Me (1979) Dimension Films/Churchill, Executive Producer. Miles Watkins, Director.

Job Interview: Whom Would You Hire? (2nd ed.; Film A: Large Business; Film B: Small Business; 1980) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer, Director.

Computers: The Inside Story (1984) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer, Director.

Computers: Tools For People (1984) Dimension Films/Churchill, Producer, Writer, Director.

Writing: The Constant Search (1986) BFA, Producer, Writer, Director.

Meet Sid Fleischman (1987) Pied Piper, Producer, Writer, Director.

STD Blues (1987) Phoenix, Producer, Writer, Director.

Not Yet, Baby! (1990) Phoenix, Producer, Writer.

Indians Of The Plains (1991) Barr, Producer, Writer, Director.

Legend Of The Bluebonnet Producer, The (1991) Barr, Writer, Director.

Marijuana And The Mind (1991) AIMS, Producer, Writer, Director.

Post 1991, Goldsmith engaged in a number of other mediated instruction projects.