We are happy to announce that our experimental documentary, Walter is Dead (or Shallow Walters) is on its way to a screen near you, thanks to Arts Nova Scotia. The film is an exploration of the impact Hollywood and mass media have on the popularity of given names, particularly for Walter.
Walter was one of the most commonly used boy names throughout late Anglo Saxon and Germanic history. Between 1880 and 1940, it was among the Top 25 most favoured names in North America. That’s a claim very few names can make. Even after the 1940s, Walter remained on the Top 50 for another 30 years. In the 70s, Walter dropped off the Top 100 list for the first time and has since become one of the most unstylish names today. Our thesis: Hollywood killed Walter.