Like many of us who grew up in Central Indiana during the 1960s, Eric Grayson was mesmerized by a spooky local TV host named Sammy Terry. Terry hosted what could best be described as “B-Movies of the horror/science fiction genre” every Friday night on WTTV (Channel 4). However, unlike most of those viewers, Grayson paid particular attention to the films.

Despite the unusual interest, Grayson pursued a pretty traditional path at Purdue University majoring in electrical engineering following graduation from Lawrence Central High School. Slowly but surely, the interest in vintage films moved from hobby to vocation.

Today Grayson is a film historian, preservationist and projectionist, dedicating his full-time attention to collecting obscure and even never-been-seen films. His expertise is so renowned in the field of film and film stars that his advice and counsel is sought by many institutions including the Library of Congress.

  While he views it all as treasure, he readily adheres to science fiction writer Ted Sturgeon’s law. “He used to say that 90 percent of everything is junk, and that’s certainly true in this case.”

Undaunted, he finds himself in old theatres throughout the country, sifting through dusty reels. “I find films that would be at the end of their theatrical run, and the studio wouldn’t want to pay the return postage for the film,” he explains.

Applying Sturgeon’s ‘rule of junk,’ he says amid the 300 or so pounds of junky prints of “Invasion of the Blood Farmers”, and “Night of the Zombies,” he discovered a rare British print of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

Being an aficionado of films, one would conclude that Grayson would abhor recent Ted Turner’s colorizing of classic black and white films. While many film enthusiasts criticize those efforts, Grayson has another take on it. “While I can say, ‘yes, those are awful,’ I don’t think most people realize the profound contribution Turner has made in terms of actually preserving films for future generations.”

Grayson admits the thrill to being a film collector is in the pure element of surprise and the unknown. “I find stars that I never knew were cool, and actors who have been neglected for 75 years,” he says. 

That thrill is the impetus for continuing to dig through old film. “My favorite film is waiting for me in a can somewhere. I’m sure there’s something that’s out there that nobody’s heard of in 75 years, and I’m going to find it someday, put it in a projector and it’s gonna be fun. That’s what I enjoy the most.”

Grayson shares his collection with the public through monthly “Vintage Movie Nights” at the Garfield Park Arts Center, 2342 Conservatory Drive in Indianapolis, through December. For more information, call 317-327-7135 or visit www.gpacarts.org. His next film showing is Saturday, August 20th featuring The Hoosier Schoolmaster (1935) with Norman Foster and Otis Harlan.
For more information about Grayson and his musings regarding vintage films, visit his blog, http://www.drfilm.net/blog/