Charles Guggenheim

A short history of civil rights movements in the US. Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject

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On May 30, 1889 the South Fork Dam, which maintained a pleasure lake for wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists and their families, failed due to very heavy rains and poor maintenance by the dam's owners. The burst dam sent a wall of water and debris, 40 feet high and half a mile wide, 14 miles downstream to the bustling industrial city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. More than 2000 people lost their lives in the disaster. This documentary tells the story, and tells us that the disaster was easily avoidable.

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The story of Ellis Island and the American immigration experience. This film is a tribute to the 18 million men, women and children who made the torturous journey from the Old to the New World between 1890 and 1920, in the single largest migration in human history. The film radically tells the immigrants' stories as they braved the unknown, from the time they left their homelands, their journey across the ocean, to the moment the doors of Ellis Island opened, revealing the great promise of America.

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High Schools is a 1984 American documentary film produced and directed by Charles Guggenheim. It is based on Ernest L. Boyer's book, High School, and was filmed on location in seven American high schools. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

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A documentary about the design/construction of the National Gallery of Art's East Building in Washington, D.C.

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This documentary provides an example of a piece of legislation being enacted by the U.S. Congress by describing how HR 6161 - a bill amending the Clean Air Act - goes through the processes of conception, committee amendment and final passage.

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This film highlights the East Building's architectural conception and construction, beginning with the challenge initially faced by architect I. M. Pei. Documentation of construction includes footage of the works of art commissioned for the building.

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This moving film tribute to a man who had hoped to win the presidency created a historic moment when it brought the Chicago Democratic National Convention to a standstill and the crowd, in tears, to its feet. Commissioned by the Kennedy family, the film begins with the funeral train to Washington, D.C. and follows the triumphs and tragedies in the late Senator's life with extraordinary newsreel footage, archival stills, and home movies. The film was produced in only four weeks, two months after the Senator's assassination, in order to meet the Convention deadline. Guggenheim Productions, with the country's resources at its fingertips, worked around the clock to complete this film honoring RFK's life and the Democratic Party. "Robert Kennedy Remembered" is a poignant film biography that evokes the spirit, quality and commitment Robert Kennedy brought to his life and work. This film went on to win Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1968.

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Documents the evolution of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Arch from concept drawings, to fabrication of its stainless steel sections, to assembly and completion. Innovative structural techniques and brilliant design show why this avant-garde monument is among the greatest civil engineering achievements of the twentieth century. Oscar Nominee: Best Documentary Short

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Children Without is a 1964 American short documentary film directed by Charles Guggenheim, about a young girl and her brother growing up in the housing projects of Detroit. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.

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The Arkansas school integration crisis and the changes wrought in subsequent years. This film profiles the lives of the nine African-American students who integrated Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas, during the fall of 1957. The film documents the perspective of Jefferson Thomas and his fellow students seven years after their historic achievement. Central to this story is their quiet but brave entrance into Little Rock High, escorted by armed troops under the intense pressure of the on looking crowd. We learn first hand their impressions of the past and present and their hopes for the future. Their selfless heroism broke the integration crisis and pioneered a new era. This film went on to win an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1964.

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Set in Brazil, this drama is based on a short story by Oscar Wilde about a fisherman who meets and falls in love with a mermaid, giving up his soul in the process.

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Career criminals and a local youth carefully plan and rehearse the robbery of a Missouri bank.

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A City Decides chronicles the events that led to the integration of the St. Louis public schools in 1954. An Oscar-nominated short documentary from 1956.

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St. Louis’s annual report to taxpayers. The Big City visually illustrated how tax dollars were put to good use and was considered a “graphic, fluent and compact documentary” by Howard Thompson. Note: Sixteen prints were made for exhibition by schools, civic organizations, and church groups. For more on the filmmaker, see Shelby Coffey III, “Politics as an Art Form: Guggenheim and the Movies,” Washington Post, Feb. 9, 1969, 262.

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Children Without is a 1964 American short documentary film directed by Charles Guggenheim, about a young girl and her brother growing up in the housing projects of Detroit. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.

Open details →

The Arkansas school integration crisis and the changes wrought in subsequent years. This film profiles the lives of the nine African-American students who integrated Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas, during the fall of 1957. The film documents the perspective of Jefferson Thomas and his fellow students seven years after their historic achievement. Central to this story is their quiet but brave entrance into Little Rock High, escorted by armed troops under the intense pressure of the on looking crowd. We learn first hand their impressions of the past and present and their hopes for the future. Their selfless heroism broke the integration crisis and pioneered a new era. This film went on to win an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1964.

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Set in Brazil, this drama is based on a short story by Oscar Wilde about a fisherman who meets and falls in love with a mermaid, giving up his soul in the process.

Open details →

Career criminals and a local youth carefully plan and rehearse the robbery of a Missouri bank.

Open details →

St. Louis’s annual report to taxpayers. The Big City visually illustrated how tax dollars were put to good use and was considered a “graphic, fluent and compact documentary” by Howard Thompson. Note: Sixteen prints were made for exhibition by schools, civic organizations, and church groups. For more on the filmmaker, see Shelby Coffey III, “Politics as an Art Form: Guggenheim and the Movies,” Washington Post, Feb. 9, 1969, 262.

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