Jim Jarvis made two movies in 1917-18. The first was "Small Town Vamp", which has a great plot which has Jim himself waiting at the railroad depot for the train. However,the second is perhaps of more interest here. This was "Snow Wonderland". Quoting from the Durango Herald for August 15, 1993:
"The film was about the train, its workmen and how they kept the tracks clear of snow from Durango to Silverton. However, Jarvis's filming ended near Trimble Lane in the Animas Valley.
Marion Jarvis said, "the movie wasn't really that much of a story, but the shots he took were beautiful. During the time he shot the movie we had more snow than normal. We'd have five or six feet of snow on the level in Durango.""
Both of these films were shown as "selected short subjects" in movie houses around the country. They are both about 15 minutes long. The last time that I know "Small Town Vamp" was shown was 1948. At that time it was owned by Republic Pictures.
I have never seen either picture. Rod Barker, and his mother Jentra, have talked with me about them. Jentra is a "Jarvis". Rod, her son, now operates (and maybe even owns, now that Earl Barker is dead) the Strater Hotel. Rod remembers seeing "Small Town Vamp" when he was a boy.
What happened to the prints? Believe it or not, Earl became concerned about the old film catching on fire, so one day he burned it in his backyard. He never thought of having his copy transferred onto safety film.
I have contacted all the sources I can think of about a copy. American Film Institute, etc. I have not found a copy. I do not know who acquired the films from Republic. Maybe someday I'll get to see them. That would really be something. If any of you have ideas, I would love to hear them.
