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Interesting quote from Sitzman...


Jack White

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"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

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"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

Nice catch Jack. Odd that a 'couple' of the other women would have been standing there and then...moved?

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From The Sixth Floor Museum website:

12:25pm

As tens of thousands greeted President Kennedy in downtown Dallas, Abraham Zapruder filmed two of his employees waiting near a grassy knoll just a block from Jennifer Juniors, Zapruder's clothing company. Receptionist Marilyn Sitzman waved to the camera as payroll clerk Beatrice Hester sat with her husband Charles on a nearby bench. "Mr. Z" then climbed atop a concrete abutment and waited, with Sitzman holding on in case Zapruder became dizzy. He stood 65 feet from the center of Elm Street.

From an interview on November 29, 1966 with Josiah Thompson:

Thompson: I'm talking to Marilyn Sitzman. Marilyn Sitzman was standing on the concrete pedestal with Abraham Zapruder. Marilyn, could you just describe in your own words then the events of November 22, beginning, oh, perhaps, five or ten minutes before the assassination occurred?

Sitzman: Well, before the presidential motorcade came down the street, Mr. Zapruder ran a few frames of the film, just with us standing there on the lawn in front of the marble ... whatever you call it.
Edited by Michael Hogan
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"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

Jack, what is the source for the quote? Also, is it not possible that Sitzman assumed that Zapruder might be filming her when in fact he may have been merely waiting for the right moment to start filming like he did when she got up to the Hester's? (Personal noe: I have aimed my cameras many times in the plaza and other places so to get a feel of what I might be filming soon for one reason or another, thus I feel that is what Zapruder was doing and that Sitzman made a wrong assumption. I didn't hear in Sitzman's comment that she knew for sure that Zapruder was actually running his camera, nor did I see where she had ever seen herself on his film as she walked towards him. All this makes me think that iwhat Sitzman said was only supposition on her part.

Bill Miller

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"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

Jack, what is the source for the quote? Also, is it not possible that Sitzman assumed that Zapruder might be filming her when in fact he may have been merely waiting for the right moment to start filming like he did when she got up to the Hester's? (Personal noe: I have aimed my cameras many times in the plaza and other places so to get a feel of what I might be filming soon for one reason or another, thus I feel that is what Zapruder was doing and that Sitzman made a wrong assumption. I didn't hear in Sitzman's comment that she knew for sure that Zapruder was actually running his camera, nor did I see where she had ever seen herself on his film as she walked towards him. All this makes me think that iwhat Sitzman said was only supposition on her part.

Bill Miller

Read it again Bill.

She says he turned off the camera when she got to where Mr. Z was standing. Those old wind-up movie

cameras made noise when they were running. It is reasonable to believe she heard the camera running.

She also says that the film shows her walking towards Mr. Z. That sure sounds like she saw a

film showing just that. She does not qualify the statement with a might, could or should have shown her.

As an observation only....you seem to pounce on alot of Jack's posts with negative feedback. Have you

ever responded positively to anything Jack has posted here?

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Guest Richard Bittikofer
"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

Jack, in 1992 I wrote a letter to Penn Jones asking him if he had any copies of the Z-Film. Marilyn Sitzmman is correct. The film I purchased from Penn does indeed have at the begining, what Ms. Sitzman describes. Edited by Richard Bittikofer
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"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

Jack, in 1992 I wrote a letter to Penn Jones asking him if he had any copies of the Z-Film. Marilyn Sitzmman is correct. The film I purchased from Penn does indeed have at the begining, what Ms. Sitzman describes.

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"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

Jack, in 1992 I wrote a letter to Penn Jones asking him if he had any copies of the Z-Film. Marilyn Sitzmman is correct. The film I purchased from Penn does indeed have at the begining, what Ms. Sitzman describes.

Richard...you need to look at Penn's film again. It does NOT show what Sitzman

describes (WALKING TOWARD ZAPRUDER), but does show her and the Hesters.

The Hesters are seated, and Sitzman's back is turned to Zapruder. Attached is a scan

made directly from one of Penn's 8mm films which I obtained about 1977.

It switches directly from the Sitzman sequence to the limo sequence without

a break. So you are wrong is saying "Sitzman is correct."

Jack

Edited by Jack White
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"Marilyn Sitzman: As I came down that street Mr. Zapruder and a couple of the other women were standing up on the [grassy knoll]. The first part of that film shows me walking up towards him. And I got up there, he turned off the camera, and we're talking about, well, where could he stand...because by that time, there's quite a few people gathering. And we'd go look at this place, and we'd go look at that place. We went over to where that concrete pergola was, and we decided that would be the best place because, I says: "You can get up here. You'll be above everybody. No matter how many people are down there, you won't have anybody blocking your view." And so, he said...he had vertigo, though. If he got up there, he'd get dizzy. So, he says, "You'll have to stand behind me and hold onto me." I says, "It's no problem at all." So we both got up there, and I stood behind him, and I held on to him. "

.................

Apparently Sitzman tells of Zapruder shooting a sequence which is not seen

in the extant film. Hmmmmmm!

Jack

More of Marilyn's quote (from historynet.com witness interviews):

"Marilyn Sitzman: When we got down, Mr. Zapruder apparently went directly back to the office. He didn't even stop. I ran down the slope. There were three men in suits running up and that's who I met. And I said: "They killed him! They killed him! And my boss has it on film!" And that's when they got interested in me, when I said that. "

Marilyn says she RAN DOWN THE SLOPE after getting off of the pedestal, where she met three men in suits.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

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