Image: A film still showing a man enjoying the cold outdoors (SPRA 1974.74.22L, Fonds 138: Griff James fonds)
Movie Monday highlights videos from the Archives’ film collection. Every week, an archival film will be featured on our YouTube channel and here on our blog. The Movie Monday project is made possible with the generous funding support of Swan City Rotary Club of Grande Prairie.
Welcome back to Movie Monday! Today we are featuring the first of seven films from the Griff James fonds. This particular video features various outdoor activities such as hunting, off-roading, flying planes, swimming, fishing, and boating – at least some of which presumably took place at Murray River. The film was taken in 1955.
As the content of this film indicates, Griff James loved the outdoors. He was born on April 27, 1914 in Fort George, British Columbia. His father, G. A. James, became Grande Prairie’s first elected mayor after the family moved here in 1918. In 1928, Griff’s father – who was also a druggist – sold his pharmacy and took up farming instead. But Griff graduated from the University of Alberta as a pharmacist and opened his own pharmacy in Grande Prairie in 1940. Griff married Cora and together they had five children. After many years of serving the community and enjoying all that the Peace Country had to offer, Griff moved to Qualicum Beach in 1988 and died there in 1996.
Be sure to follow along with Movie Monday so that you don’t miss the remainder of Griff James’ films!