Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Moving Images series
General material designation
- Moving image
Parallel title
Description type
Private
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Series
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
196-?-1982 (Creation)
- Creator
- Lumby Productions Ltd., 1965-1988
-
1960s-1982 (Accumulation)
Physical description area
Physical description
318 film reels (37 hr. 20 min. 7 sec.)
3 videotapes (30 min. 59 sec.)
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Lumby Productions Ltd. of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan had its beginnings as a part-time recording operation formed through the partnership of John and Helen Lumby on September 15, 1961. The Lumbys stated intent was to "carry on trade and business of musical and dramatic productions and distribution of phonograph records".
The company became a full time operation in 1965 when it was incorporated as Lumby Productions Ltd., and continued to produce sound recordings, films, radio and television commercials, slide-tape presentations, promotional brochures and photographic work as well as other public relations services throughout the late 1960s and into the mid-1980s.
During the company's early existence in the 1960s it concentrated on the production and marketing of sound recordings. These included two volumes of a very successful children's record featuring Helen Lumby, "Miss Helen's Kindergarten Party." As well, Lumby Productions produced sound recordings and did marketing work for various local Saskatoon performers including the University of Saskatchewan's Greystone Singers and the Saskatoon Boys' Choir. It also produced two Saskatchewan Jubilee albums featuring various Saskatchewan artists.
In 1965, Lumby Productions branched out into custom recording services, architectural and industrial photography and motion picture production. Lumby Production's move into film was aided by contract work with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. During the late 1960's and early 1970's the company did most of the film and news production for CBC Saskatchewan. This led to the opening of a Regina office to help service the CBC account, and to the hiring of movie photographers Wilf Weber and Gerry Moir. Weber became a shareholder in Lumby Productions Ltd. in 1969.
Films were also produced for a number of provincial government departments and for private and crown corporations such as the Prince Albert Pulpwood Co. and the Saskatchewan Forest Products Corporation.
Over the years the scope of work undertaken by Lumby Productions Ltd. grew. Truely a multimedia production operation, the company engaged in the production of most pre-computer media that were used commercially. Lumby Production Ltd. provided clients with recording and record pressing services, photography, aerial photography, radio jingles, TV commercials, print advertising, public relations work, film production, film processing, animation and music for film.
The activities of Lumby Productions Ltd. were phased out during the early 1980's. During 1985-1986 the assets of Lumby Productions were transferred to Size Small Productions Inc., a new company formed by the Lumbys in 1981. Lumby Productions Ltd. was fully dissolved in 1988 and was struck from the Saskatchewan Corporate Registry in 1989.
Many of the Lumby film productions won awards at international competitions for documentary and industrial films. [For a partial list of nominations and awards see Introduction to A 679.]
John and Helen Lumby met while working at CFQC-TV in Saskatoon in the 1950s. John Lumby (1930-2017) studied engineering at the University of Saskatchewan in 1949 and graduated from the Officer's Indoctrination Course University Reserve Training in June 1950. After an apprenticeship in industrial and commercial photography at Hansen Photographers in Edmonton, he worked as a photographer with the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix in the early 1950s. John Lumby served as Director of Photography at CFQC-TV in Saskatoon from 1955 to 1965 when he moved into full-time production work at his own company. He received a Certificate of Business Administration from the University of Saskatchewan in 1964.
Born ca. 1934 at Souris, Manitoba and growing up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Helen Hase Lumby worked as a writer, producer, operator and performer with CFQC Radio and CFQC-TV prior to forming the partnership in Lumby Productions. She was co-host of CFQC programmes "Little People" and "Carnival" during 1957-1958. She also produced a children's show and performed national radio spots for CHUM in Toronto for a brief period before rejoining CFQC-TV in 1960. At CFQC, Helen Lumby produced the children's television show "Miss Helen's Kindergarten", designed to fill the void left by the discontinuance of the kindergarten programme by the Saskatoon School Board in the late 1950s. The show aired between 1956 and1962 and won awards for exellence in children's programming. In the 1960s she was co-host of CBC radio's "The Passing Show", a fifteen minute arts and entertainment program.
At Lumby Productions Ltd. Helen Lumby worked primarily writing advertising copy and doing voice-overs for radio commercials. She also produced and was featured in the "Miss Helen's Kindergarten Party" phonograph records. Helen Lumby was active in the public relations aspects of Lumby Productions including print, radio and television advertising, press releases, brochures and promotional films.
Both John and Helen Lumby moved into production work with Size Small Productions Inc. in the 1980s. The Lumbys married in Saskatoon in 1956. They had three children: Lisa, John Jr., and Jeff.
Custodial history
See fonds level.
Scope and content
This series consists of documentaries, instructional films, aerial views, film footage reports, promotional spots, interviews, statements, television spots and commercials produced by Lumby Productions Ltd. for a variety of commercial, industrial, agricultural, educational and cultural clients, as well as government agencies. A primary client for many Lumby films was the Prince Albert Pulp Co. and its parent company, Parsons and Whittemore of New York. These films deal primarily with the forest industry in Saskatchewan. Other major clients included the Saskatchewan Department of Natural Resources, Saskatchewan Forest Products Corporation and the Saskatchewan Department of Education.
Included are negative masters; work prints, show/answer prints, release prints and cutting copy of films.
This moving image material within the fonds that was stored separately from other operational records. The records appear to have belonged to the Lumby Productions Ltd. film library.
Additional moving image material is found in Series 5: Production Orders series.
Notes area
Physical condition
Records are in good physical condition.
Immediate source of acquisition
John Lumby donated these records to the Saskatoon office, Saskatchewan Archives in 6 accessions between 1981 and 1994: S81-167 (September 1, 1981); S85-111 (June 11, 1985); S85-181 (September 24, 1985); S88-73 (September 28, 1988); S94-59 (July 5, 1994), and S94-64 (July 14, 1994).
Arrangement
These records appear to originally have been physically stored apart from other records and therefore, were assigned a separate series definition. No specific arrangement of records has been followed. Listing of film reels and videotapes is by item only.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
See fonds level.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
See fonds description.
To consult the records, visit or contact the Regina office.
Finding aids
SAFA 24
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
See fonds level.
Conservation
All films described in 2003 were cleaned, inspected and had splices repaired by archival staff.
Alpha-numeric designations
Series VIII.
Film reels: FILM S-1 to FILM S-76.1, FILM S-1876 to FILM S-2102;
Videotapes: VT R-11773, VT R-11779 to VT R-11780.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Saskatchewan Archives. Archival Description Manual 2004.
Status
Final
Level of detail
Language of description
- English
Script of description
- Latin
Sources
Content of series.