Pierce Rafferty
Encyclopedia
Filmmaker Pierce Rafferty (born 1952) grew up in Connecticut and moved to New York City
in 1982. Some of his relatives include grandfather Marvin Pierce
, president and later chairman of McCall Corporation, the publisher of the popular women's magazines Redbook
and McCall's
; and an early New England colonist named Thomas Pierce, also an ancestor to Franklin Pierce
, the 14th President of the United States. Pierce attended Phillips Academy Andover
and briefly attended Yale University
.
Pierce and his former spouse, Margaret Crimmins, founded Petrified Films, Inc. in 1984, a pioneering independent stock film footage library that held the Elmer Dyer Film Library, Warner Bros.
and Columbia Pictures
' feature film outtakes.
Pierce spent more than a decade organizing and cataloguing vaults all over NYC that were filled to the ceilings with cans of film. Located in New York City's The Meatpacking District
, Petrified licensed archival footage to film, television, and commercial producers before being acquired by The Image Bank. The Image Bank was later acquired by Getty Images
. With his brother Kevin Rafferty
and Jayne Loader
, Pierce made the cult classic
film The Atomic Cafe
(1982).
He is now Director of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum, Fishers Island, New York
As writer:
Miscellaneous:
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1982. Some of his relatives include grandfather Marvin Pierce
Marvin Pierce
Marvin Pierce was president of McCall Corporation, the publisher of the popular women's magazines Redbook and McCall's.-Biography:...
, president and later chairman of McCall Corporation, the publisher of the popular women's magazines Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
and McCall's
McCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
; and an early New England colonist named Thomas Pierce, also an ancestor to Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
, the 14th President of the United States. Pierce attended Phillips Academy Andover
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
and briefly attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Pierce and his former spouse, Margaret Crimmins, founded Petrified Films, Inc. in 1984, a pioneering independent stock film footage library that held the Elmer Dyer Film Library, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
and Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
' feature film outtakes.
Pierce spent more than a decade organizing and cataloguing vaults all over NYC that were filled to the ceilings with cans of film. Located in New York City's The Meatpacking District
Meatpacking District, Manhattan
The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan which runs roughly from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street, although recently it is sometimes considered to have extended north to West 16th Street and east...
, Petrified licensed archival footage to film, television, and commercial producers before being acquired by The Image Bank. The Image Bank was later acquired by Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
. With his brother Kevin Rafferty
Kevin Rafferty
Kevin Rafferty is an American documentary film cinematographer, director, and producer, best known for his 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe.-Background:...
and Jayne Loader
Jayne Loader
Jayne Loader is an American director and writer. She co-directed The Atomic Cafe with Pierce Rafferty and Kevin Rafferty. She is the author of Between Pictures , a novel, and Wild America , a collection of short stories. In 1995, Jayne created the CD-ROM and Website Public Shelter...
, Pierce made the cult classic
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
film The Atomic Cafe
The Atomic Cafe
The Atomic Cafe is an American documentary film produced and directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty, and Pierce Rafferty.-Synopsis:The film covers the beginnings of the era of nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival film from the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s - including newsreel...
(1982).
He is now Director of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum, Fishers Island, New York
Miscellanea
- He and his brother KevinKevin RaffertyKevin Rafferty is an American documentary film cinematographer, director, and producer, best known for his 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe.-Background:...
helped teach the craft of filmmaking to Michael MooreMichael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
during the production of Roger & MeRoger & MeRoger & Me is a 1989 American documentary film directed by Michael Moore. Moore portrays the regional negative economic impact of General Motors CEO Roger Smith's summary action of closing several auto plants in Flint, Michigan, costing 30,000 people their jobs at the time and economically...
in (1989)1989 in film-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
.
- Collaborated with Diane KeatonDiane KeatonDiane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
in the mid 90's, supplying vintage imagery for one of her photography books.
- Pierce's company, Petrified Films Inc., contributed archival footage to the 1995 documentary film Trinity and BeyondTrinity and BeyondTrinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie is a 1995 American documentary film directed by Peter Kuran and narrated by William Shatner. Using restored archive footage, the film traces the development of nuclear weapons and their testing, from America's Trinity test of 1945 to the first Chinese...
, a film often compared to Pierce's own documentary, The Atomic CafeThe Atomic CafeThe Atomic Cafe is an American documentary film produced and directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty, and Pierce Rafferty.-Synopsis:The film covers the beginnings of the era of nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival film from the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s - including newsreel...
.
- Is the nephew of Barbara Bush and first cousins with President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Filmography
As Director, Producer:- The Atomic CafeThe Atomic CafeThe Atomic Cafe is an American documentary film produced and directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty, and Pierce Rafferty.-Synopsis:The film covers the beginnings of the era of nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival film from the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s - including newsreel...
(1982) (co-producer)
As writer:
- Heavy Petting (1989)
Miscellaneous:
- The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998) (archival footage)
- ThereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
: An Electronic Odyssey (1994) (thanks) - YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
: 9012 Live (1986) (V) (archival film and photo supplier) - The Atomic CafeThe Atomic CafeThe Atomic Cafe is an American documentary film produced and directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty, and Pierce Rafferty.-Synopsis:The film covers the beginnings of the era of nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival film from the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s - including newsreel...
(1982) (archival researcher)