Through The Decades: 1950's With Warren Miller

"Through The Decades" explores 70 years of cinematic breakthroughs, history-making, comedic genius, athletic feats and the pure joys of celebrating winter with Warren Miller films.

 

 "Deep and Light"  (1950)

Warren's first film "Deep and Light" is released and the worlds of skiing and film are never the same.

At this time, these films had no sound and Warren would host and narrate his screenings.

 

At first, he was using a borrowed camera and Warren couldn't afford to hire a narrator for his film, so decided to do it himself, despite never having addressed an audience before. 


"I was really nervous. I had never given a speech to a crowd before. I was going to face hundreds of people who had hired babysitters and taken their wives or girlfriends or spousal equivalents to dinner before coming to spend $1 on me. When I saw that the auditorium was filling up, it was exciting but also intimidating. I had arranged to do a warm-up introduction, which turned out to be a good idea. I walked out onto the stage to face the crowd and started my introduction – a tale of the ski bum life: living in a small trailer in the Sun Valley parking lot, spending only $18 total for lift tickets for four months’ skiing. I talked about shooting rabbits and Shoshone for dinner and the rotary plow that threw our buried rabbit skins into the tree above the trailer and the intricate dance routine involved in getting undressed outside in the freezing night air in order to get into bed in the freezing cold teardrop trailer after a dinner date. The audience laughed at my stories, not just polite laughs, but loud laughter. So far, my ski movie night was working, and I hadn’t shown the movie yet." - Exerpt from Warren's autobiography "Freedom Found". 

 

He was living in the Sun Valley Resort parking lot. 

Number of frozen rabbits Warren ate while living in the Sun Valley parking lot his first year: 174

  

Warren said he was getting in about 250 days of skiing each year when he first started making films.

 

 "Have Skis Will Travel"  (1956)

First time (of many) Warren Miller features Switzerland in a film.

While in Switzerland, Miller films the first downhill ski race to be featured in a Warren Miller film.

 

  

 

 

 Stein Eriksen

Norwegian ski legend Stein Erikson, known for his aerials and creating the modern ski school we know today, is featured for the first time in Warren Miller film's in 1956 and 1958.

 

 

 "Are Your Skis On Straight?"  (1958)

 Skiers at Soldier Field in downtown Chicago are featured in the first urban segment. 

 

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With 70 years years of filmmaking under our belt, Warren Miller Entertainment is thrilled to be releasing our 70th anniversary film, Volkswagen presents Warren Miller's Timelessin fall of 2019. Learn about the film and the 2019 tour here. 

 

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