Digging Up Oklahoma City's 'Reel' History

By Darren Brown, News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City appreciates a good movie now and then.  Popcorn, sodas and a favorite actress make for an enjoyable few hours.  However, many folks might not be aware of Oklahoma City's rich film history as a film exchange.  Bradley Wynn, a local history buff, hopes to change that.

Oklahoma City was one of perhaps a few dozen film exchanges across the country.  Often referred to as "Film Row," it provided the day's motion pictures to moviegoers from all over. 

"All the theatres across the whole state got all their movies from one place," said Wynn.  "This place--downtown Oklahoma City."

The clients weren't only from Oklahoma. The Film Exchange also supplied theatres from surrounding areas such as Kansas, Missouri and north Texas. Oklahoma City's Film Row operated as a vibrant business district for almost 80 years, until the last business, Columbia Pictures, closed its doors in 1971. 

Wynn's taken it upon himself to personally document the district's almost century-old story.  From the early beginnings to the current renovations, he's been studying every facet.  Each week, he travels to the Oklahoma History Center's research library and spends hours piecing together the district's story. He regularly pores through business directories from the early 1900s.

"It's a history that's been lost, or forgotten about," said Wynn.  "And so I do it because no one else is."

Film Row's history is not only evident in the numerous directories he comes across though, it's also hidden in the stacks of photos he's been able to find.

"Some of the historic photos that I've come across, (where) these people are in their offices, smiling," Wynn said. "They loved what they did, they were passionate about what they did, and it shows in those photos."

When Wynn began his research years ago, he was unable to find any books on Film Row's history. According to him, that's because there are none. 

"There's never been a book about this--ever," Wynn said.  "There's nothing written about the Film Exchange."

Wynn plans to change that, and soon.  He's working with a publisher that's excited about this new history of Oklahoma City.

But the publisher is probably not nearly as excited as Wynn is himself.

"This really was a film district, I'm not makin' it up, it really was," Wynn said.  "And that's really cool."