Ione: An Inspiring 92-Year-Old

On the subject of bugs, Ione Grannis, recalls "you name it, we had it...in great quantities." The 93-year-old is speaking of a much earlier time, growing up on a farm in Missouri near the turn of the century. A time when crank telephone calls referred to the mechanism of the phone, not the type of caller; a time when little tree branches were used for dental hygiene, since there were no toothbrushes; a time when her Grandfather, a country doctor, was more likely to be paid in chickens and eggs for services rendered than in legal tender. A single-camera, straight-on interview, this series of recollections by Ione Grannis (divided by brief title cards such as "I like tart things" or "wooden toilets") is a grab-bag of loosely connected compendia about the early 1900's, which culminates in the story of Grannis's teaching experiences and earning her Master's degree at the age of 82. Filmed by Warren Hatch, an elementary school teacher, the program is unlikely to capture the attention of the MTV crowd, to whom it's at least partially directed; and the generally unedited segments allows the weighty and the mundane equal play (the film would have been more entertaining at 30 minutes, though not nearly as detailed). An oral history captured on video, Ione: An Inspiring 92-Year-Old is an optional purchase, which should find a home in larger collections. Aud: I, J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)