For Immediate Release:
September 28, 2009
FOR SCREENERS, IMAGES OR LICENSING CONTACT:
Maura King
Frameline
maura @ frameline.org
415/703-8650 x306
FOR COMMENTS OR INTERVIEWS CONTACT:
Seth Randal
www.FALLof55.com
fallof55 @ gmail.com
208/284-0982
FILM ON NOTORIOUS IDAHO SCANDAL COMING TO POCATELLO
Documentary THE FALL OF ‘55 Directed by Former Idaho Falls Resident
NOTE: DIRECTOR SETH RANDAL IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS IN POCATELLO ON 9/30 AND 10/1
BOISE, IDAHO – A film hailed as “the definitive work” (Barbara Wilcox, gay.com) on the notorious, so-called “boys of Boise” sex scandal is coming to Pocatello for the first time. “The Fall of ‘55″ will screen ONE NIGHT ONLY at the Idaho State University College of Education auditorium on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 at 6:30 P.M. The public is encouraged to attend this free community screening.
“The Fall of ‘55 documents a misunderstood part of Idaho history,” said Director Seth Randal. “The morals drive changed lives, families and the city of Boise,” Randal said. “It’s important for Idahoans to understand what really happened — and why it happened.” Immediately after the screening, Randal will participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience.
In the fall of 1955, a gay sex scandal erupted in Boise, as teenage boys who had prostituted themselves to older men began to disclose their dalliances to authorities. Overnight, Boise’s homosexual underworld — comprised mostly of married family men — was splashed onto headlines and thrust into the national spotlight. Reputations were shattered and lives ruined as the rumors and accusations flew. What followed was a classic witch-hunt as the focus shifted to all of Boise’s homosexual community, even men involved with other consenting adults.
Randal, a one-time East Idaho resident and former news producer/fill-in reporter at an Idaho Falls TV station, led an Idaho team to produce The Fall of ‘55. He and Boise State University archivist Alan Virta conducted research and interviews throughout the country over five years, uncovering many details never before revealed. The film brings the scandal alive through new and archival interviews, vintage letters, news articles, film and photographs.
The documentary has appeared at film festivals and community events throughout the country, including in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Boise and Spokane. It is also being used as as an educational tool at universities including American University, Boise State, Columbia College Chicago, Duke, Northwestern, and the Universities of Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia.
“In 1955 Boise, a lot of married men were cheating on their wives with other men. So when this scandal erupted, it caused enormous ripples through the entire community,” Randal said. “It’s still happening, possibly even more so in smaller towns.”
“The Boise morals drive made national headlines, and the consequences continue even today. This happened more than 50 years ago, but we believe the story still has great relevance to Idaho — and America — today,” Randal said.
The Idaho State University Janet C. Anderson Gender Resource Center and ISU Genesis Project are sponsoring the screening and talk, with generous support from the Idaho Humanities Council.
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