“The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound” is a new documentary film that explores how, starting in the 1880’s, over 100,000 brave young women, Harvey Girls as they were called, made an unusual decision to leave home and travel west to work as waitresses along the transcontinental railroad opening the doors of both the West and the workplace to women. This popular new film is currently debuting around the country and recently snagged a nomination for a 2014 James Beard Foundation Broadcast and New Media Award . The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society will be hosting the Santa Clarita premiere of “The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound” at 1 pm on Saturday, August 2, 2014. The movie debut will be screened at the Old Town Newhall Library, 24500 Main St., in Newhall, California. The screening will be followed by a question and answer session with Katrina Parks, the film’s Director, Writer & Executive Producer.

But wait….there’s more! This doubleheader event will also feature a screening of the original 1946 movie “The Harvey Girls”, starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, and Angela Landsbury, to be held at Hart Hall in William S. Hart Park, 24151 Newhall Avenue, Newhall, California, at 6 pm in the evening of August 2, 2014. The movie features the famous Johnny Mercer tune “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe”. It was partially filmed at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, California. The evening event will be co-hosted by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, Friends of Hart Park, and William S. Hart County Park. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

In 1946, MGM turned the Harvey Girls into legend when they released the motion picture “The Harvey Girls” starring Judy Garland. Until now, this fictional Hollywood movie has been the only film to immortalize the Harvey Girls. Opportunity Bound examines this important part of America’s history in much greater depth, and tells the story of the Harvey Girls using the voices of those closest to them, including rare interviews with the few remaining Harvey Girls and author and expert on Fred Harvey, Stephen Fried.

In addition, the film explores the life of Fred Harvey and his company which left its mark by not only providing work opportunities for women, but by being among the first companies to promote cultural diversity in the workplace by hiring Hispanic and Native American women to be waitresses along with their Anglo peers. The Harvey Girls, whose workforce continued to flourish until the 1960s, were true pioneers and set a new standard of excellence for women in the workplace, paving the way for generations of independent young women to come. This is their story!

Photo: Rebelseedfilms.com

Katrina Parks – Director, Writer & Executive Producer
Katrina has produced programs for networks including A&E, Discovery Channel, History, Lifetime, PBS, Planet Green, Spike, TLC and Travel Channel. As a director, Katrina has received grants from museums and foundations, and her short films have been featured in many showcases. Her video performance work “Wrappings” won a SASA Award from the United Nations. “The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound” is Katrina’s full-length directorial debut. She has a BFA from the University of New Mexico in painting and drawing, and an MFA from San Francisco State University in Film Production.

The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society is pleased to present the SCV premier of “Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound” along with a special screening of Judy Garland in “The Harvey Girls”! The general public is welcome. Admission to the documentary screening will be free. The evening event will be a fund raiser for the Historical Society with an admission fee of $2.00 for Historical Society members, $5.00 for nonmembers. Nonmembers who elect to sign up for Historical Society membership will be admitted for the $2.00 fee. Advance reservations will be available for purchase on www.scvhs.org. For more information on this and other upcoming programs from the SCVHS, please call Alan Pollack at 661-254-1275. Website: www.scvhs.org.