John Kelso--Film Historian

John Kelso

John K. Kelso
Motion Picture Archivist - Historian - Consultant

Read the Wichita Eagle Interview

Take the Movie Quiz

Read John's Top 10 Lists

Read 98 Years of Favorite Feature Films

A member of the International Buster Keaton Society, Blinking Buzzards - The British Buster Keaton Society, and JKK - John's Kinema Klub. I fell in love with movies when I was six. Since then, I've viewed more than 18,679 features.

Wichita's Biggest "Phantom Menace Fan!! with 170 Viewings

Want to know something about movies? Ask me.
If you don't receive an email answer to your question within a few days, please call 1-316-682-3286 M-F between 8 am - 6 pm CST

I've met such celebrities as Mrs. Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Leonard Maltin, James Karen, Kenneth Mars, Gaylord Carter, Edie Adams, and Dan Kamin. Film historians I have met are Kevin Brownlow, Russell Merritt, Bruce Lawton, David Shepard, John C. Tibbetts, and Wichita film notables, J.B. Kaufman, Jim Erickson, and Bill Shaffer.
My special interest is the film period 1888-1935. D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915) is my favorite film, and I believe that Griffith is the finest director in film history. His Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920) still amaze and thrill audiences today.
I have worked as a production assistant in Kansas on My Name is Legend with Duke Kelly, and watched the Long Beach, California filming of Robert Mitchum's Farewell My Lovely (1975). I have attended all seventeen Keaton Film Festivals in Iola, Kansas, and nine silent film festivals in Topeka, Kansas, plus the Parsons, Kansas ZaSu Pitts Festival in April 1998 and 1999.
I have spent many hours researching film history and am currently looking for work in the film industry.
I am available for film festivals or lectures.
I have given a lecture at Georgetown Retirement Village in Wichita, KS on "The Silent Film: A Lost Art"

What's Wrong With Today's Film

WANTED...

$$ Will pay top dollar for Pioneer and Sony Laserdisc players $$
Laser Disk players must be in good shape and come with the original remote and Instruction booklet.

Also wanted: VHS Hi-Fi Stereo 4 head machines
(Sony, JVC Toshiba only)

The same is wanted on the 4 head VHS Hi-Fi Stereo machines. They must play and record in Hi-Fi. No Mono VHS machines.

Also wanted: Laserdisc movies
and unusual movies on VHS tape

Also wanted on DVD
7th Heaven (1927)
B/W The River, from the Murnau, Borzage and Fox0 set or the complete set.

And... Wanted new blank VHS tapes
(Sony, JVC, Maxell, Fuji Film only)

Contact me by phone please: (316) 682-3286