Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted August 04, 2015 04:42 AM
I have just been projecting a Super 8 print of "Lights Out...and the Stars appear". The box is a bit poor as the words "Michael Bentine" are in very large print giving the impression that he is in the film. However, all he contributed was the commentary. Michael was great fun but pretty poor as a commentator.
The film is the story of 9.5mm and was filmed by John Burgoyne-Johnson in 1972. We see and hear Patrick Moules (Flickers & Novascope), Gerald McKee and Ivan Watson (Amateur Cine World.)
Most 9.5mm equipment is shown but few models are actually named. There's a quick glimpse of Pathe's 17.5mm projector working. Film fairs are shown and it's a pity that names were not used to identify faces.
A DVD of the film (including many extras) is available from Grahame Newnham.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted August 04, 2015 05:01 AM
It has been said that Pathescope only made money by selling the short prints of Mickey Mouse to young collectors.
Walt Disney refused the issue of 9.5mm sound prints so Pathescope approached Max Fleischer which explains the large collection of Popeye and Betty Boop on 9.5mm.
Whilst the film shows a quick glimpse of Felix the Cat, it's a great pity that it did not include any Popeyes or Bettys.
My Eiki 9.5 conversion has just been returned after exhaustive work by my engineer and for testing I lent him "Betty Boop and Grampy". I never fail to laugh when Grampy's kitchen equipment accompany him with his rendering of "Tiger Rag".
Posts: 540
From: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Registered: Nov 2013
posted August 04, 2015 07:35 AM
Michael Bentine was a film buff/collector in his own right and presented a series called "The Golden Silents" on the BBC around 1969
posted August 04, 2015 08:27 PM
I would like to find a super 8 print of this film. I don't collect 9.5 but it is an interesting little film....I have a copy of it on VHS that I made a nice clamshell cover for. I don't even remember where I got it from.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted August 05, 2015 03:09 AM
Terry No, I wasn't referring to the Buckingham Elf conversion, but to an Eiki Slimline SNT3 which came with a large 9.5mm collection.
posted August 15, 2015 11:48 AM
I have the DVD of 'Lights Out' and I think it is a great capsule of 9.5mm history, and very entertaining. I had it running continuously on a portable DVD player at the US Cinesea convention in April, right alongside a Pathe Baby, and it seemed to get quite a lot of attention.
-------------------- The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection, Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj