Producer: Dr. Harry B. Wright
Audio/Visual: silent, color
Harry B. (Bernard) Wright (1897-1958), an orthodontist practicing in Philadelphia, was also a passionate traveler and amateur filmmaker. A member of the Explorer's Club in New York City, Dr. Wright also wrote a book based on his travels, A Witness to Witchcraft (1957), which was originally to be titled My Colleague, the Witch Doctor. Dr. Wright traveled to and made 16mm films in several countries, in Latin America, West Africa, and Oceania (New Guinea). One produced film, some elements of which we may have in our collection, was called Savages in Paradise (1954), and took place in Papua New Guinea. We do not seem to have a complete print of this film or know where another print exists. Dr. Wright does not seem to have consulted with anthropologists or area specialists in his investigations outside of his own culture.
It can be noted that there was another Harry Wright making amateur travelogue films at the same time, whose films can be found at the Library of Congress. Thanks to research by Magdalena Acosta of the Mexican Film Archives we have distinguished the two creators, her emphasis on the latter reveals him to be an American living mostly in Mexico City, note also that the latter Harry Wright had no middle name
