Sid Laverents
Encyclopedia
Sidney Nicklas "Sid" Laverents (August 5, 1908 – May 6, 2009) was an American
amateur filmmaker, who started making films at home when he was 50. Recognized as one of the industry's most successful hobbyists, his 1970 film Multiple SIDosis
is one of the few amateur films to have been selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry
.
, harmonica
and the ukulele
. He figured out how to play a woodblock with a string and cymbals with his elbows while playing the banjo or ukulele, and left to become a traveling musician after meeting an act that had performed at a theater his father owned. During the Great Depression
, Laverents made a living as a one-man band appearing in vaudeville shows.
He was employed as a sheet metal worker at Consolidated Aircraft
in San Diego, California
starting in 1941, and with the exception of military service remained with the firm until 1967, by which time it had become part of Convair
. During World War II
, he was assigned to repair aircraft in Calcutta for the United States Army Air Forces
and he later studied engineering at San Diego State College
. After leaving Convair, he worked for Hughes Tool Company
until his retirement in 1972.
Bolex
camera. The 20 films he made during his second half-century included nature films such as Snails and How They Walk about snails in his backyard that included a snail race with hand-painted numbers on their shells, as well as It Sudses and Sudses and Sudses, a comedy about shaving cream cans gone crazy. A four-part biography, The Sid Saga, was finished while he was in his 80s.
Laverents was best known for Multiple SIDosis, a nine-minute film that features multiple images of himself playing various instruments to the tune of the Felix Arndt
song Nola. The film, which took four years to complete, begins with Laverents opening a Christmas present of tape recorder from his third wife, Adelaide, which he uses to play the song accompanying himself by humming, whistling and playing many of the instruments he had used in his one-man band. With the technology available at the time, he added the additional images of himself by re-exposing the film multiple times to include 11 images of himself using custom-designed equipment that he had developed to ensure that the sound and images were synchronized during the re-recordings. The multiple re-exposures meant that an error on any of the dozen images would require starting from scratch.
At the age of 92, in the year 2000, the National Film Preservation Board
of the Library of Congress
selected Multiple SIDosis
for preservation as part of the National Film Registry
, making it one of the small number of amateur films included, joining the unscripted Zapruder film
of the John F. Kennedy assassination
.
Stephen Leggett of the National Film Preservation Board described the film as "technically quite adept and inventive, amusingly droll and quite mesmerizing to those who see it" and noted that it was chosen to "honor all the many terrific films produced by amateur ciné club filmmakers throughout the U.S. over the years".
.
Worried that his health might prevent him from attending a party celebrating his 100th birthday, he prepared an apology video in advance, but was ultimately able to attend.
Laverents lived in Bonita, California
, and died at age 100 on May 6, 2009 in Chula Vista, California
due to pneumonia
. His first three marriages ended in divorce twice and he was widowed once. He was survived by his fourth wife, Charlotte, who he married in 1991.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
amateur filmmaker, who started making films at home when he was 50. Recognized as one of the industry's most successful hobbyists, his 1970 film Multiple SIDosis
Multiple Sidosis
Multiple SIDosis is a 1970 short film in which a single performer creates an entire multi-part performance of the song "Nola". It is an example of a kind of one-man-band musical performance....
is one of the few amateur films to have been selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
.
Biography
Laverents was born on August 5, 1908 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and moved frequently with his family as his father was a real estate speculator always trying to find the next opportunity, ultimately attending high school in Florida. He learned to play piano from his mother, took drum lessons, and was self-taught on banjoBanjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
and the ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
. He figured out how to play a woodblock with a string and cymbals with his elbows while playing the banjo or ukulele, and left to become a traveling musician after meeting an act that had performed at a theater his father owned. During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Laverents made a living as a one-man band appearing in vaudeville shows.
He was employed as a sheet metal worker at Consolidated Aircraft
Consolidated Aircraft
The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the subsidiary was being closed by its parent corporation, General Motors. Consolidated became...
in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
starting in 1941, and with the exception of military service remained with the firm until 1967, by which time it had become part of Convair
Convair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was assigned to repair aircraft in Calcutta for the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and he later studied engineering at San Diego State College
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. After leaving Convair, he worked for Hughes Tool Company
Hughes Tool Company
Hughes Tool Company was established in 1908 as Sharp-Hughes Tool Company when Howard R. Hughes, Sr. patented a roller cutter bit that dramatically improved the rotary drilling process for oil drilling rigs. He partnered with longtime business associate Walter Benona Sharp to manufacture and market...
until his retirement in 1972.
Filmmaking
He started making films in 1958 as part of the San Diego Amateur Moviemakers Club using a 16-millimeter16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
Bolex
Bolex
Bolex is a Swiss company that manufactures motion picture cameras and lenses, the most notable products of which are in the 16 mm and Super 16 mm formats. The Bolex company was initially founded by Jacques Bogopolsky in 1927. Bolex is derived from his name. He had previously designed cameras for...
camera. The 20 films he made during his second half-century included nature films such as Snails and How They Walk about snails in his backyard that included a snail race with hand-painted numbers on their shells, as well as It Sudses and Sudses and Sudses, a comedy about shaving cream cans gone crazy. A four-part biography, The Sid Saga, was finished while he was in his 80s.
Laverents was best known for Multiple SIDosis, a nine-minute film that features multiple images of himself playing various instruments to the tune of the Felix Arndt
Felix Arndt
Felix Arndt was an American pianist and composer of popular music. His mother was the Countess Fevrier, related to Napoleon III....
song Nola. The film, which took four years to complete, begins with Laverents opening a Christmas present of tape recorder from his third wife, Adelaide, which he uses to play the song accompanying himself by humming, whistling and playing many of the instruments he had used in his one-man band. With the technology available at the time, he added the additional images of himself by re-exposing the film multiple times to include 11 images of himself using custom-designed equipment that he had developed to ensure that the sound and images were synchronized during the re-recordings. The multiple re-exposures meant that an error on any of the dozen images would require starting from scratch.
At the age of 92, in the year 2000, the National Film Preservation Board
National Film Preservation Board
The United States National Film Preservation Board is the board selecting films for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. It was established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988...
of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
selected Multiple SIDosis
Multiple Sidosis
Multiple SIDosis is a 1970 short film in which a single performer creates an entire multi-part performance of the song "Nola". It is an example of a kind of one-man-band musical performance....
for preservation as part of the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
, making it one of the small number of amateur films included, joining the unscripted Zapruder film
Zapruder film
The Zapruder film is a silent, color motion picture sequence shot by private citizen Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera, asU.S. President John F...
of the John F. Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
.
Stephen Leggett of the National Film Preservation Board described the film as "technically quite adept and inventive, amusingly droll and quite mesmerizing to those who see it" and noted that it was chosen to "honor all the many terrific films produced by amateur ciné club filmmakers throughout the U.S. over the years".
Personal
In addition to his films, Laverents wrote two books; His autobiography, The First 90 Years Are the Hardest and the novel Raging Waters about a devastating 1929 flood in Elba, AlabamaElba, Alabama
Elba is a city in Coffee County, Alabama. At the time of the 2000 U.S. census, its population was 4,185.Elba is the official county seat of Coffee County, though Coffee County has two County Courthouses, with the other one being located in the town of Enterprise...
.
Worried that his health might prevent him from attending a party celebrating his 100th birthday, he prepared an apology video in advance, but was ultimately able to attend.
Laverents lived in Bonita, California
Bonita, California
Bonita is a census-designated place in southern San Diego County, California, nestled between the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego. The population was 12,538 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bonita is located at ....
, and died at age 100 on May 6, 2009 in Chula Vista, California
Chula Vista, California
Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the State of California, and the seventy seventh largest city in the U.S....
due to pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. His first three marriages ended in divorce twice and he was widowed once. He was survived by his fourth wife, Charlotte, who he married in 1991.