Preserving “Hoosiers” in Anspaugh Collection

The effort to preserve them, and to preserve the rest of the collection donated to the IU Libraries Moving Image Archive (IULMIA) by acclaimed director and IU alum David Anspaugh, required the expertise and collaboration of IU Libraries staff.

The Anspaugh collection, including production documents, photographs, and promotional materials, is a glimpse of both Anspaugh’s early and later work. Madeline Webb-Mitchell, IULMIA Media Archivist, concentrated on the documents and papers while Carmel Curtis, the interim head of the IULMIA, oversaw the digitization of Anspaugh’s student and amateur films. Calvi performed the conservation treatment of the basketball player figures.

Anspaugh’s production designer created the basketball players for “Hoosiers,” Anspaugh’s 1986 movie focusing on a small-town basketball team that went on to the Indiana State Championship Finals.

“That’s how I planned out a lot of my filming sequences for the games,” Anspaugh said. “I showed them to the camera man, and we talked about different angles we could shoot. It was like doing a war film, like planning battles.” 

“If the basketball figures are handled, it will be with care in a supervised reading room," Calvi explained. "The wear and tear they came to us with is part of their life history, so the goal of treatment is stabilization rather than trying to make them look new again.”  

Calvi was concerned that the figures were not going to be stiff enough to stand after applying a reversible, lightweight adhesive between the delaminated layers of mat board.

“But the adhesive worked like a charm,” Calvi said. “They’re so cute.”

She also replaced a missing quarter that was used as a weight on the bottom of one of the figures so that it could stand. 

The collection spans from Anspaugh’s college days, beginning in 1965 on the IU Bloomington campus, through 2019. Anspaugh was born in Decatur, Indiana.

“This collection fits well into what IU does” said Rachael Stoeltje, founding director of the Moving Image Archive and recently appointed as the Chief of Library of Congress’ National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. “Anspaugh is a five-decade Hoosier filmmaker. IU is committed to preserving our local and national film heritage, and we are fortunate to have this opportunity to respect his legacy by preserving these items.”  

Webb-Mitchell said she began processing and digitizing Anspaugh’s documents just a few months after they arrived in 2023. Following his own appraisal, Anspaugh donated five bankers’ boxes of documents, including working products and production material, from popular TV series he helped direct and produce in the 1980s, including “Miami Vice,” “St. Elsewhere” and “Hill Street Blues." 

During processing, Webb-Mitchell used a large whiteboard as she categorized papers into subject areas. She organized materials from the perspective of researchers and made them searchable. She also labeled, described and scanned the material, while making copies of delicate copied papers that needed extra care for preservation.

A unique aspect of this collection is the relationship between the IULMIA and Anspaugh, who has made himself available to answer questions about his personal materials. Webb-Mitchell pointed out that often collections come to an archive from other sources, not their original creator.  The ongoing discussion with Anspaugh is an opportunity to develop high quality metadata about individual items, multiplying the value of the collection to scholars now and long into the future.  

Anspaugh’s film “Hoosiers” is based on the true story of the Milan High School basketball team’s Cinderella-like run to victory during the 1954 Indiana State Basketball Championship. It has been named to the National Film Registry and the US Library of Congress holds original theatrical production print.  The Anspaugh Collection includes items relating back to the original Milan ‘54, including original newspaper articles.

Anspaugh directed an additional iconic sports film set in Indiana with the 1993 hit “Rudy,” which follows the titular character’s journey from steel mill worker to walk-on player for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.  

“I’m a big fan of collecting material that’s related to the geographical area,” added Stoeltje, “We’re really grateful these materials were donated to IU.” 

Other items Anspaugh donated include production materials from various film and television projects, such as casting information, scripts, call sheets, shooting schedules and many documents regarding the technical aspects of production. It also includes photographs, correspondence, promotional and marketing materials, press and reviews of Anspaugh's work. The collection includes significant documentation for his two major films, other feature films he directed, and early works shot and created by Anspaugh and friends, including screenwriter Angelo Pizzo and Spyridon "Strats" Stratigos.  

Anspaugh said he hopes IU students interested in film and screenwriting can benefit from seeing his early films and the behind-the-scenes work involved in breaking down scenes, setting up cameras and everything else happening on a television set. But above all, he hopes it will show students that even students from small towns like Decatur can achieve in a career in film.