Etling and Mitchell family films, approximately 1954-1975

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Summary

Title:
Etling and Mitchell family films
Dates:
approximately 1954-1975
Creators:
Etling, William and Mitchell, Renton, 1926-2012
Abstract:
Ten motion picture films (8mm, Super 8) and one audio cassette created by William Etling, Sr., and his father-in-law Renton Mitchell in Santa Barbara County and elsewhere on the Central Coast of California.
Extent:
4 Linear Feet (10 motion picture films, 1 audiocassette)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of Item], Etling and Mitchell family films, SBHC Mss 148. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection of home movies and amateur films is composed of ten motion picture films (8mm, Super 8) and one audio cassette created by William Etling, Sr., and his father-in-law Renton Mitchell.

The majority of the films are "home movies" documenting family life and recreational activities, including surfing in Santa Barbara County and elsewhere on the Central Coast. Two of the titles are amateur films created by William Etling, Sr., "Broken Valley Hay Haulers" and "Chumash Muerto."

Biographical / historical:

William J. Etling, Sr. (July 8, 1953-) was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Benjamin Harry and Marion Etling. Benjamin Etling was attending Vanderbilt University studying to be an Army medic when World War II ended. Consequently, he turned to engineering and took up employment with Western Electric. In 1966 Benjamin moved his family to Santa Ynez, California, to take up a position at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

After graduating from Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in 1971, William Etling, Sr. attended UCSB. It was in this period that he made the films "Broken Valley Hay Haulers" (1975) and "Chumash Muerto." He also studied business at California Lutheran University, surfed in Santa Barbara County, hauled hay, and engineered for telephone companies from the Virgin Islands to Honolulu. In 1990 he became a full time real estate broker and opened a real estate office in Los Olivos.

Renton Mitchell (1926-2012) was born in Glasgow Scotland, one of six children by Walter Mitchell and Helen (Hunter) Mitchell. His father became an entertainer and advertising man in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Renton enlisted in the British Navy in 1942 and served until July 1946. After the war he drove a taxi cab and then worked on civilian ships, including a whaling ship that sailed to the Cape of Good Hope and around Antarctica. In 1950, he settled in the United States, where he met Jean Irene Frame in Los Angeles. Jean had a daughter, Robbie, whose step-sister Margaret, was born to Renton and Jean in 1953. Renton bought and operated a gas station in Riverside, California, until 1971 when he moved the family north to Solvang and became a Sheriff. His wife, Jean Irene, passed away in 1962. He married his second wife, Doris Christiansen Doll in 1963 and adopted Doris' three daughters. Mitchell was active in the Solvang Business Association and co-chair and Chairman of Danish Days. He left law enforcement in 1970 and began his real estate career at E. David Davis' Los Olivos office. He also operated Solvang Antique Imports in the mid-1970s and ran Santa Ynez Valley Printing and Lithography for twenty years.

Acquisition information:
Gift of William Etling, Jr.
Physical location:
Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Zachary Liebhaber, 2025.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-06-05 15:23:36 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Audiovisual materials must be reformatted for access. Please contact the Department of Special Research Collections in advance to request access.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.

All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of Item], Etling and Mitchell family films, SBHC Mss 148. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Location of this collection:
UC Santa Barbara Library
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
Contact:
(805) 893-3062
special@library.ucsb.edu
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