UT Dallas Library Lands Role in Hollywood Release

Fans of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones television series, which started appearing last month for the first time on DVD, may be surprised to know that McDermott Library landed a role in the production.

The library’s Special Collections Department worked with the makers of the series created by Hollywood producer and director George Lucas to provide historic material for the discs’ special features.

The library department’s Web site is listed in the bonus materials in Volume 2, Episode 12, “Attack of the Hawkmen.” The disc’s bonus materials feature an historic timeline that lets audiences delve more deeply into actual, early 20th-century events that inspired the fictional adventurer Jones’ exploits.

“The Special Collections staff worked with JAK (George Lucas) for about two years on this project, in which we supplied moving and still images,” said Paul Oelkrug, coordinator of special collections.

The producers used material in the library’s History of Aviation Collection. Moving images from the Hugh Wynne Collection were used in three documentaries:

• “Anthony Fokker: The Flying Dutchman.”
• “Flying High for France: The Lafayette Escadrille.”
• “Blood Red: The Life and Death of Manfred vonRichtofen.”

Still images from the Ed Ferko WWI Aviation Collection and the Puglisi Collection were used in “Blood Red,” and still images from the Penttinen Collection were used in the “Lafayette Escadrille” documentary.

At least for now, fans apparently can’t use McDermott to check out The Young Indiana Jones discs.  The library’s online catalog doesn’t list the series in its holdings, although there are listings for the Indiana Jones movies, starring Harrison Ford, which inspired the TV series.

Volume 1 of the TV series, which made its debut in October, is the first of three collections of the series released by Lucasfilm Ltd., CBS Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. The second volume is to be released in December.

The first 12-disc set includes seven feature-length episodes and 38 in-depth companion documentaries, an historical overview, an interactive game and an interactive timeline.

All three volumes will include the interactive timeline that was supported by McDermott Library’s Special Collections materials.

Lucas is a four-time Academy Award-nominated director, producer and screenwriter known for American Graffiti, his Star Wars movies and Indiana Jones films.