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Topic: The Story of Ken Films ....
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted November 08, 2009 09:24 AM
There have been some requests, desiring a history of Ken Films. I honestly know very little about it's history, beyond the fact that it seems that they were, to an extant, an "Umbrella" Super 8 company. A number of different studio's were released by Ken films. For instance ...
American International Pictures
Fox Films
Republic Pictures
Paramount
United Artists
They were located in Fort Lee, New Jersey and for awhile, they were the most prolific company. They secured large contracts with major distributors in the retail market, (for instance K-mart), while many of the other companies were limited to camera stores or direct mail order.
They're last hurrah was with the Empire Strikes Back digests, which means that they're demise was around the end of 1981.
Beyond that, I can give little other info on the company, but I'm sure that many others can give far more info on the company.
Who began the company, for instance?
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator
Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted November 08, 2009 11:56 AM
Osi,
United Artists (UA-8) and Republic Pictures home movie division were not originally part of Ken Films. Bob Lane (President and Founder of Ken) acquired them in the mid – late 1960’s. United Artists also put out Standard 8mm sound editions of their cutdowns, but Ken discontinued that practice. In addition to the UA-8 and Republic library, Ken released silent digests of American International Pictures horror films and cartoons, along with a number of Warner Brothers titles.
In 1973, Ken signed a deal with Paramount to release a large number of 200’ and 50’ silent versions of some of their most popular features, starting with two parters of “The Greatest Show on Earth”, “The Ten Commandments” and “Samson & Delilah”.
Ken Films made the big jump into color and sound in 1974 with 200’ versions of all 5 “Planet of the Apes” movies. That deal with 20th Century Fox resulted in a staggering amount of 400’ releases in early 1975, starting with “The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre”. Ken also put out a large number of 200’ color/sound American International product during this period.
The highlight of the Ken Films story (and package movie history in general) has to be the Ken release of the 200’ color and sound “Star Wars” while the film was still playing in theaters!
In 1978, Ken and MGM came to an agreement for Ken to distribute selections from MGM’s vast library, starting with “Dr. Zhivago”. This title, along with a number of others, was later released in 3x400’. American International also got the 400’ clamshell case treatment and in the case of “Meteor”, a 3x400’ release.
“The Empire Strikes Back” (Part two) was Ken Film’s last 400’ non-MGM title. Ken released feature length prints into the early 1980's including “The French Connection”, “Casablanca”, “Gone With The Wind”, “Singin' In The Rain” and “2001: A Space Odyssey”. They also distributed the ABC line of features. In the mid 1980’s Bob Lane brought Ken Films to an end, with Derann receiving many of the Ken’s feature negatives.
Doug
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I think there's room for just one more film.....
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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator
Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted November 08, 2009 04:29 PM
Osi,
I can't be sure which feature was Ken's last. You've made me curious though, so I checked the May 2007 issue of Small Format which has the eigth installment of John Clancy and Keith Wilton's excellent "Out of the Box" series. They mention that Bob Lane and Derek Simmonds of Derann had "a good relationship that resulted in a 50 copy limited run of "That's Entertainment II" released as a joint venture between Ken Films and Derann". They go on to say Bob Lane did the negotiating on behalf of Derann to obtain negatives for "The Wizard of Oz", "The Three Musketeers", "Meet Me in St. Louis", "Tom Thumb", "Rocky", "Some Like it Hot", "To Have and Have Not", and "Gone with the Wind". The article also says that among the MGM and Fox negatives that went to Derann after Ken Films ended were "Robin Hood", "Casablanca", and "Von Ryan's Express".
Doug
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I think there's room for just one more film.....
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted November 08, 2009 07:23 PM
Greg ...
A word of caution though, on purchasing original Ken Films features ...
They were not, from what I understand, printed on L.P.P. stock.
My print of "French Connection", while a superior print, is Kodak SP, and while mint, needs special storage to keep that color pristine. I'm sure that the Derann prints from Ken negatives were on superior stock.
Just to say, have caution as to which "Singing in the Rian", for instance, you buy.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Greg Marshall
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 612
From: Nashville, TN USA
Registered: Sep 2008
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posted February 07, 2010 09:12 PM
OK, I just got a copy of 'The Sound Of Music', and 'Butch Cassidy', both 400' versions. I have to say that both of these prints have kept, I'd say, 65-75%, if not more, of their color... especially TSOM. I checked the stock, thinking they might be SP, but they are both Eastman. I already had a print of TSOM already, all pink, absolutely no color left at all, not even a faint green or red.
Were there different variations of the Eastman stock I'm not aware of?
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