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Author Topic: Atlas Films
Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005


 - posted November 22, 2008 05:22 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I always thought that Atlas films was a little company releasing 200ft black and white silent cheapies with incredibly bad image quality, but I get the feeling that they did far more than that.

Can anybody give some history on this company, AND what they released in fact?

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Brian Hendel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 902
From: New York, New York
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted November 22, 2008 06:08 PM      Profile for Brian Hendel     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I'm very nostalgic for Atlas films... the camera/electronics shop in New York City's Penn Station always had many of them for sale (store is still there, films are not, of course). I don't know how they got away with it - but they used to steal other people's digests (ie. Columbia's Sinbad films), change the name, and released them in their own boxes! They also released, New York souvenir films, really cool FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN reels that had different scenes than the Castle release, and excerpts from George Zucco's DEAD MEN WALK, with various titles. There were also various cartoons (Popeye) and Laurel and Hardy shorts. I would love to see a list of all their releases if anyone has one...

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 969
From: Athens,Greece
Registered: Jul 2008


 - posted November 22, 2008 06:58 PM      Profile for Panayotis A. Carayannis     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I ,too, am very much interested in those older US companies like Atlas,Capitol, Adventure and Hollywood Film Enterprises but have never been able to obtain lists of their films so, please if anybody has any,do contribute,PLEASE ! !

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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator

Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted November 23, 2008 06:44 PM      Profile for Douglas Meltzer   Email Douglas Meltzer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Osi,

Although I have quite a few Atlas prints I have never come across a catalog. I was shocked when I picked up a sound/color Atlas release of "Popeye meets Ali Baba". Perhaps if everyone listed the Atlas titles they own we'll have a better idea.

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


 - posted November 23, 2008 08:38 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Doug ...

You don't think you'd potentially, eh, PART with that Popeye print?

By the way, could that print of "Popeye Meets Ali baba" potentially be manufactured by another company but "reboxed" and released by Atlas?

That would occasionally happen with some film distributors.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 969
From: Athens,Greece
Registered: Jul 2008


 - posted November 24, 2008 04:39 PM      Profile for Panayotis A. Carayannis     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Osi
I also thought that Atlas released only short silent one reelers but then,their generic box, pictures, among the usual Laurel and Hardies,Chaplins,Popeyes and Felixes some very Hanna-Barbera looking cats,so they must have been in business at least until the mid-sixties.Anyway,one of my prized possessions is an Atlas print,in its original box,of CHARLEY ON THE FARM ,a 1919 Chaplin cartoon by Pat Sullivan.So one of the reasons I want to see an Atlas catalog,is to see if there are any more Chaplin cartoons hidden among their Chaplin one reelers !

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted February 03, 2009 10:13 AM      Profile for Brad Kimball   Email Brad Kimball   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
There's a copy of "Beasts Unleashed" apparently a 50' extract from "FMTW" released by Atlas in the ob on Fleebay. Just how did ATLAS get away with printing copyrighted material like the Universal Monster titles? Castle was on Park Avenue and Atlas (as I recall) was only about 12 blocks away (a 20-minute walk)in Manhattan and Select Film Library was another 20 minute walk away just eastward. I actually went to Select one day when I was about 12 and I remember being so disappointed. It was just a hole in a wall with a glass window in an office building and some grouchy old birds smoking ciggys and wondering what the hell I wanted and why was I even there - no showroom or films on display anywhere. How could the Castle execs not just "pop" in on Atlas and not start "snooping" around? I know I would have.

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