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The new documentary film by Connecticut filmmaker Bailey Pryor “The Charles W. Morgan” will have its premiere at the Garde Arts Center in New London Sunday, May 4 at 7 p.m.
The one-hour documentary film, directed by five-time Emmy winner Pryor, tells the extraordinary story of America’s last wooden whaleship and the incredible saga of whaling, the first global industry dominated by America. From her humble beginnings in New Bedford in the year 1841, the film follows the adventures of the Morgan on 37 voyages around the world where this “Lucky Ship” survived freeze-ups in the Arctic, attacks by hostile natives, fire aboard ship, and a host of other stories, each of which had the potential to end the vessel’s life. Yet more than 170 years later, the Charles W. Morgan lives on, and she is poised to sail again, on her 38th Voyage in June of 2014.
The film will receive its broadcast debut on CPTV on May 12 at 9 p.m., after which it will be aired on PBS affiliate stations around the country.
The screening of the film at the Garde will be followed by a panel discussion with Pryor, Executive Producer Steve Jones, Morgan Historian Matthew Stackpole, and Mystic Seaport Shipyard Director, Quentin Snediker, who oversaw the ship’s recent five-year restoration. Mystic Seaport President Steve White will moderate the discussion.
Bailey Pryor
Filmmaker Bailey Pryor has worked in the film and television industry for more than 25 years. He has produced six feature films and over 150 television programs for ABC, PBS, Outdoor Life Network, Versus, Fox Sports Net, ESPN, Discovery Channel, Spike TV, Animal Planet, Tennis Channel and Travel Channel. He is currently the President & CEO of Telemark Films, and has previously held the positions of President & CEO of Warren Miller Entertainment, Staff Producer and Associate Vice President of Production at Sonalysts Studios, Marketing Assistant for the Samuel Goldwyn Company and Producer’s Assistant on the feature films “Mystic Pizza” and “Home Alone.”
