In 1967 or 1968 Jimmy Smith stole and traded a "time capsule" of lost Factory relics that included film footage, photos, and other documentation. The time capsule was recovered in 1987 from room #217 of the Chelsea Hotel. After a circuitous journey—from construction crew to Hotel residents to Hotel ownership to Hollywood—the archives have found a home at The New School, where they have been restored and made available to the public.
The materials are quintessential to 1967 Warhol: screen-tests, Chelsea girls, trannies, swoon-worthy leading men, snapshots and film from the Factory and the Gershwin Hotel. As a time capsule, the materials focus on a specific moment, and we're afforded an insight to some of the lesser-known factory players. Four short films,* collectively titled "Being Andy Warhol," concern "Al," who was possible a Warhol romantic interest in 1966 or 1967.
Five factory regulars, Natalie "Tussi" Souza, Louisa "Jackie" Foster, Mike Dallas, Nathaniel "Goldy" White, and "Helena Handbasket" are interviewed in the short films. For reference, and thanks to the Hopper archives, their screen-tests have been posted here.
* We were not able to salvage all of the film. The original content, likewise, had some gaps, filled in by leader generated at the Factory. When necessary, we reproduced this leader to fill in our own gaps. Our intention was to more closely approximate the original film, and to retain as much as we could of the audio tracks, which were relatively well-preserved. The audio reels have been restored, digitized and remastered.