A 16mm print of the film “Pages of Death” was recently discovered in the collection of the Portland-based Oregon Historical Society (OHS). Before this discovery, the film had been included on a list of lost films, defined as films in which no copy is known to survive.
An anti-pornography and pro-censorship film running 27 minutes in length, Pages of Death was produced by the Citizens for Decent Literature and narrated by Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon. Created in 1962, the film was ranked #14 in Gambit Magazine's list of 15 Films Lost to Time.
To quote Jim Linderman in Vintage Sleaze, the film tells the story of a fellow named Paul Halliday, who "hung out reading pornography at Baker's Variety Store until he couldn't stand it any longer and murdered a girl in a whipped up frenzy of smut inspired rage."
Told in a "Dragnet" type storyline — bookended by Harmon's scare narration — Pages of Death was a direct response to the growing accessibility of questionable material in local five-and-dime shops in the early 1960s.
In the film, the proprietor of the drug store is held in contempt by the detectives as a peddler of filth for wayward youths. A stylized and over the top storyline, Pages of Death stands in stark contrast to the ease by which similar materials is available on the internet today.
A low resolution reference copy of the film is viewable on the OHS YouTube page.
Oregon Historical Society archivists look forward to learning more about this film — including whether it is in fact the only surviving print — and planning appropriately for its preservation. If organizations are interested in scheduling a screening of the film, assisting more broadly with its preservation, or have information regarding the existence of any elements of this film in other collections, contact Archivist Matthew Cowan by email at matthew.cowan @ohs.org.
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