The Ponderosa Stomp music festival has been growing every year, giving birth to a music history conference and film series during the day before the concerts, then a record hop. For film series producer Madeleine Molyneaux, Clandestine Celluloid, the second incarnation of the moving image component of the Ponderosa Stomp Festival “will expose Stomp attendees to film subjects and archival footage that have, due to circumstances often beyond filmmaker or audience control, remained secret, silenced or submerged … until now.”

The two-day series, with filmmakers in attendance, includes several New Orleans premieres as well as extremely clandestine films that have been scarcely seen and hotly pursued by those who have heard the whispers.

Clandestine Celluloid will be presented at One Eyed Jacks, the beloved music venue/bar and former movie theater, just a few blocks from the Cabildo and the Music History Conference.

Clandestine Celluloid Schedule:

• Friday, September 24th

  • 11:00 am:

    “Heroes of the Ponderosa Stomp (Part One)” (Compiled by Joe Lauro, 30 min)

    Stomp regular contributor, filmmaker and master archivist Joe Lauro of Historic Films Archive will be in attendance following each of his programs Friday and Saturday.

    “Bayou Maharajah”(dir. Lily Keber, work in progress, 2010, 30 min)

    Filmmaker Lily Keber and longtime Booker associate Bunny Matthews will be in attendance to discuss the ongoing project – and James Booker – after the screening.

  • 12:30 pm:

    “Crescent City Shadows” (Compiled by Joe Lauro, , 60 min)

    Rare and unseen early New Orleans music and images, slices of everyday life and celebration circa 1900-1960’s, culled from private collections, raw newsreel coverage of Mardi Gras and other events!

  • 1:30 pm:

    “Hot Pepper” (dir. Les Blank, 1973, 58 min)

    “J’ai Ete Au Bal/I Went To The Dance” (dir. Les Blank, Maureen Gosling & Chris Strachwitz, 1989, 30 min/clips)

    Filmmakers Les Blank and Chris Strachwitz in attendance.

    Discussion to follow screening about field recording, producing music, and documentary filmmaking.

  • 3:30 pm:

    CLANDESTINE!!!
    A scarcely screened documentary about Mississippi blues featuring R.L. Burnside. (dir. Bradley Beesley, 1999, 60 min)

    Filmmaker Bradley Beesley in attendance; Q&A to follow screening.

• Saturday September 25th

  • 11:00 am:

    “Heroes of the Ponderosa Stomp (Part 2)” (Compiled by Joe Lauro, 30 min)

    “The Zakary Thaks Cover Songs” (Courtesy Cicadelic Records and Zakary Thaks, 1967, 30 min)

    Big thanks to Michael Greisman/Cicadelic and of course to The Zakary Thaks!

  • 12:00 pm:

    “It's What's Happening, Baby!” (Courtesy Peter Altschuler/Historic Films Archive, 1965, 89 min)

    This will be the first time the show has been screened in its entirety since its original broadcast. To date, this historic program, hosted by the iconic East Coast DJ Murray the K, has not been released on DVD/home video, nor shown theatrically.

    Very special thanks to Murray the K’s son, Peter Altschuler, for his gracious permission to screen this show!

  • 1:30 pm:

    “Teen-A-Go-Go” (dir. Melissa Kirkendall, 2008, 86 min)

    Director Melissa Kirkendall and producer Mark A. Nobles in attendance, in conversation to follow the screening with Fort Worth music historian William Williams and veteran of the Fort Worth teen scene, Billy Miller of Norton Records

  • 3:30 pm:

    CLANDESTINE!
    So secret we can’t call it by name…A rarely screened film about a rock and roll legend (dir. Les Blank 1974, 72 min)

    Called by the Washington Post the "best film ever made on Rock and Roll."

Ticket Information:

Those attending the Clandestine Celluloid film series are asked to make a suggested donation of $20 per day upon arrival.

The donation also gets attendees entry to the Stomp Music History Conference, the Record Hop record fair and the Ponderosa Stomp curated “Unsung Heroes” music exhibit.

Tickets to the Ponderosa Stomp concert are $50 per night and can be purchased online.

The Louisiana State Museum’s Cabildo is conveniently located a two-block walk from One Eyed Jacks music club in the historic French Quarter.

Cash bar at One Eyed Jacks.