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Historic Saranac Lake presents ‘Hotel Hope’ film

SARANAC LAKE – Historic Saranac Lake has announced the release of a new film titled “Hotel Hope” about the history of Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, where tuberculosis patients from the entertainment industry came for treatment.

The film will premiere at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at Saranac Village at Will Rogers.

Admission is free.

Historic Saranac Lake contracted with Jim Griebsch to produce the historical film. Special historian for Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, Leslie Hoffman, provided research assistance. Caroline Welsh, Director Emerita of the Adirondack Museum, and Art and Museum Consultant, assisted with research and sequencing of the film.

Originally planned to be a short film of less than fifteen minutes, the project has grown. It will feature original film footage and contemporary interviews with former patients and employees of the hospital.

“It’s an incredible story,” said Historic Saranac Lake Executive Director Amy Catania. “As a center for TB treatment and scientific research, Saranac Lake attracted tens of thousands of people from around the world with diverse talents. This film tells the fascinating story of the workers in the entertainment industry who suffered from tuberculosis.”

Historic Saranac Lake will premiere the film at Saranac Village at Will Rogers, a natural venue for the event. Jamie Whidden, Saranac Village at Will Rogers Executive Director said, “We are honored to be hosting this special movie premier. It has been a wonderful experience for the staff here to work with the movie producer to help facilitate the creation of a film that features former hospital employees and patients. Through this process we have learned more about our past while focusing on staying true to the roots of service, entertainment and connection that made this a great hospital in the past and a wonderful place to retire today.”

Light refreshments will follow the film.

A special new exhibit honoring Will Rogers will be unveiled following the film. In the spirit of the Will Rogers Foundation, a hat will be passed for donations to support Historic Saranac Lake and the Kollecker Film Project. This important project is led by Jim Griebsch and includes the digitization of historic films from the Adirondack Room of the Saranac Lake Free Library.

A major grant from the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation supported the production of the film as well as extensive exhibit renovations made this year at Historic Saranac Lake’s Saranac Laboratory Museum. The grant supported creation of a new temporary exhibition of antique medical devices titled “Medical Marvels” that opened in the John Black Room in June.

The exhibit features artifacts on loan from Ripley’s Entertainment, Inc. and will be on display through the fall of 2016.

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