Karl Maslowski in his twenties, in WWII, and during
the height of his production years
Karl Maslowski made a number of well-made films on wildlife, and
engaged sons Peter and Steve in producing them as well. We thank Steve
for the following biography:
Karl Maslowski was born in Atlanta, GA, on February 5, 1913, and moved
with his family to Cincinnati in 1915, where he lived the rest of his life.
Karl's first involvement with educational films occurred in 1942 with the sale of black and white footage for a show produced and released by
Eastman Kodak. The 10-minute educational film compared and contrasted the
response of a pair of black-necked stilts when their nest in a pasture was
approached first by a lamb and then by an adult sheep.
He entered the military in 1943, and often told the story about getting
assigned to a warehouse outside of Denver, and writing to his commanding officer
that it was a waste of his time and the nation’s resources to have him, an
experienced cameraman, to move boxes from one end of the building to the other.
His commanding officer was Ronald Reagan, who very soon thereafter sent
Karl to Corsica, where he was a combat cameraman in the air corps. Among the
shows he was involved with include Memphis Belle and Thunderbolt. He also got
some invaluable training under William Wyler. After the war he came back
to Ohio and resumed wildlife film making.
Maslowski then entered into his long, productive freelance career producing
conservation and natural history documentaries. Three of his biggest clients
included the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Standard Oil of Ohio, and the Kentucky
Department of Fish and Wildlife. He also produced lecture films that he
personally narrated around the country, mainly for the National Audubon Society,
but also for a variety of other organizations, including National Geographic.
In 1973, Maslowski began educational film production in cooperation the Centron
Corporation, (as I recall, under the guidance of Dixie Powers). These shows, all
12 - 15 minutes long, were made with the assistance of one or more Maslowski's
sons. In 1984, Karl stopped producing films, and there was a hiatus
in his family's educational film production. Son Steve Maslowski resumed making films
in the late 1980's with a about half a dozen productions for Coronet, which were
produced on film (but perhaps released only on video,) then started producing
for the Altschul Corporation (AGC), later acquired by United Learning, followed
by Discovery Education. Steve has produced at least 40 shows for Alschul/United
Learning/Discovery.
Karl Maslowski enjoyed good health and lived independently in Cincinnati until
he passed away in 2006 at the age of 93.
Filmography
Small Predatory Mammals - 1973 Karl and Peter Maslowski
Songbirds - 1974 Karl, Peter and Steve Maslowski
Owls - 1976 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Hawks - 1976 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Eastern Cottontail - 1976 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Gray Squirrel's Neighborhood - 1978 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Animals of The Arctic - 1979 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Animals of Africa - 1979 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Animals of North America - 1979 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Insect Life Cycles - 1980 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Unfriendly Flora and Fauna - 1980 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Baby Birds and Their Parents - 1981 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Raccoons - 1981 Karl and Steve Maslowski
Nature's Sights and Sounds: (Beacon Films) - Karl and Steve Maslowski
• Spring - 1983
• Summer -1984
• Autumn - 1984
• Winter - 1984
