8mm Forum: who was the "ken" in Ken Films?

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Posted by Eric Baucher (Member # 809) on June 09, 2007, 05:08 PM:

does anybosy here know of anyone who worked or know any history of the company? when it started? do you think it be worthy to write a book about the company like that book was written about Castle films?

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on June 10, 2007, 02:51 AM:

We've been trying to find out the very same thing about Ken Films. There is just no information out there. However, Wilton did knock up a couple of soundtracks for them many years ago so we'll be sticking that in when we get around to documenting 'Ken Films'.

Posted by Pablo Alvarez Roth (Member # 655) on June 10, 2007, 09:56 PM:

Check out this passed massage abou the topic on ken films history

interesting

http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000716#000003

cheers
pablo.

Posted by Eric Baucher (Member # 809) on June 12, 2007, 05:43 PM:

thanks! didnt know that thread was there!

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on June 12, 2007, 07:54 PM:

I don't think a book just on KEN would sell enough to warrant publicatiuon, rather it should be lumped in with SELECT, GRIGGS, CORNET and others as a compendium of most all of the distributors, even if it's just a blurb or so - Many of the outfits were small scale and information might fill apage or so - Best to place a want-ad in BIG REEL and elsewhere inquiring as to those people who were employed by these places and arrange interviews - Castle and Blackhawk were (are) leaders in the field, so there is even more information out there I'm sure, but of the lesser-known companies, the collating would be fascinating enough - Many of them produced some nice quality in the shorts department and do merit attention and remembrance - Again, box-art must be emphasized and where, who created them - Shorty

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on June 13, 2007, 01:51 AM:

As far as I know Ken were bigger that all other dealers by the time Super 8 hit its heights.

But is there anything else to know about this firm? The most important information is the catalogue of titles they put out. As with all previous instalments of the history of film collecting in 'smallformat' box arts have been the main feature. I assume you've been missing out Shorty??? Shame on you!

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on June 13, 2007, 02:14 PM:

Ken really put super 8 collecting on the map in the U.S.

There were already very respectable film companies here, like BLACKHAWK FILMS and CASTLE, but when KEN FILMS released "Star Wars" digest, super 8 sort of exploded. You began seeing super 8 projectors and films in places that they hadn't been before. Even the Sunday newspaper began advertising super 8 material. It was short lived, though, because video was just around the corner [Frown]

.

James.

Posted by John Hourigan (Member # 111) on June 13, 2007, 09:03 PM:

I agree -- while Castle and Blackhawk were the tops in terms of print (and editing) quality, it really was Ken Films that "popularized" film collecting (for a brief time) in the late 1970s.

It was actually Ken Films that got me started film collecting in the early 1970s -- riding my bike up to K-Mart to purchase 50-foot digests from Ken Films.

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 549) on June 14, 2007, 12:06 AM:

I think the Ken Star Wars got as many into Super 8 collecting than early castle Horror and Sci Fi. I too used to go to K-Mart and buy the 50 footers, but our K-Mart stocked mostly Columbia who I feel are the forgotten distributor. They had a catalog to rival Castle and were the first to really make it big with the 400fters from their feature library.

I would bet that Cat Ballou, Silencers, Jolson Story, River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia etc would be amongst the most popular titles out there. I can recall full page ads for Columbia films sold by a dept store here in the late 1970's in a daily newspaper.

Columbia always gave value on their reels with good production values and editing. Look at the prices their Three Stooges titles still bring on film; bulletproof prices for 30 years now, perhaps untouched except by L and H in the value stakes.

David

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on June 14, 2007, 04:14 AM:

The first Ken films I bought new was back in the 70s "The Poseiden Adventure" which was really good "still is" most of the films imported here came from the States and I always considered Ken films as a quality product, whoever Ken of Ken films were, they certainly did a superb job to put Super8 on the map for the home movie collector.

Graham.

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on June 14, 2007, 06:52 AM:

Graham-

What a coincidence! Ken's "Posiedon Adventure" was my first 400 foot color/sound digest. I was around 14 years old. It was behind a glass case in a camera store in downtown D.C.

I saved up the fifty dollars all by myself, through paper routes, baby-sitting, etc.

When I finally picked it up and brought it home, I ran that film at least 5 times (until mom yelled "That's enough!!").

Good digest to a great flick.

James.

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