8mm Forum: "The Golden Age of Comedy"

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Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 21, 2008, 05:22 AM:

I recently bought the Super 8 sound Walton Robert Youngson's "The Golden Age of Comedy" in a single 400' box.

A lot of stars are mentioned on the box and opening credits but they seemed a long time appearing until suddenly "End of Part One" came up.

How many parts are there to this film and does anybody have the remaining reels for sale?

Posted by Barry Attwood (Member # 100) on August 21, 2008, 09:44 AM:

Maurice,

There was 4 parts to this, it was released by Walton Films, and I think they sold it as a 4x400' feature, and single parts too, hence your part 1. By the way I noticed Ian at Perry's had the feature of "Days of thrills and Laughter" for sale, another Robert Youngson silent comedy compilation, it may be still there!

Barry.

Posted by Steve Carter (Member # 4821) on June 18, 2015, 08:34 AM:

I love the Youngson Comps, I used to have 'Thrills and Laughter' I think that was 5 x 400 if I'm correct, but the sound dipped and was muffled at times. 'Golden Age' is one of my favorites, at 4 x 400 it may be shortened, I'll have to look at the running time as I have most of Youngsons on Region 1 DVD's...I think Monkhouse's 'Mad Movies' are out there somewhere on 8mm or 16mm correct me if I'm wrong...

Posted by Yanis Tzortzis (Member # 434) on June 18, 2015, 06:55 PM:

How about 'When comedy was king'? Is it a separate film or another name for'Golden Age'?

Posted by Steve Carter (Member # 4821) on June 19, 2015, 03:37 AM:

'When Comedy Was King' is a separate film in it's own right, I always think of 'Golden Age' and 'When Comedy Was King' as vol 1 & 2...

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on June 20, 2015, 01:16 PM:

The Golden Age Of Comedy was also released by Les Grands Films Classique (looks like a Film Office box) under the title "La grande époque". It came on 4x120 meters (400 ft).

Posted by Antoine Orsero (Member # 41) on June 20, 2015, 01:35 PM:

I have it! It is excellent and comprehensive

Posted by Joseph Randall (Member # 4906) on June 20, 2015, 02:55 PM:

Youngson was a genius at what he did. GOLDEN is more desirable now than COMEDY/KING since most of the films in the latter are easily obtainable in 8mm, while GOLDEN has some rarer clips.

To understand Youngson's genius, simply watch the WE FAW DOWN clip in L&H's LAUGHING '20s, then watch the full-length short from Blackhawk. Night and day! WE FAW DOWN is actually one of the weakest L&H silents, but Youngson's clip makes it seem like a classic.

Posted by Clive Carmock (Member # 347) on June 25, 2015, 06:08 PM:

a sealed copy of Part 3 is on eBay right now

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Walton-Super-8-Film-/141702607706?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20fe22335a

Posted by Steve Carter (Member # 4821) on June 26, 2015, 08:02 AM:

I saw this, he also had part 1 which went for £9.99, I don't understand the statement which reads as follows; 'Smart water protected to prevent fraud'...

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on June 26, 2015, 08:11 AM:

Steve, I didn't understand,neither. I thought it was an English expression I didn't know, so I made a search. It seems that "Smart Water" is an insurance but I didn't go further in my investigations.

Posted by Steve Carter (Member # 4821) on June 26, 2015, 08:27 AM:

I don't understand why you would need 'Fraud Protection' on an old super 8 film, who would want to copy etc,as it would be very inferior copy wise, my mind boggles...

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on June 26, 2015, 08:31 AM:

I'm happy to see I'm not the only one to find that strange.

Posted by Mathew James (Member # 4581) on June 26, 2015, 09:11 AM:

Hi Gents,
The term is very much confusing, I agree, but I hope I can help. This is from wikipedia:
SmartWater is a traceable liquid and proprietary forensic asset marking system that is applied to personal, commercial, and industrial items of value to deter theft and to identify culprits for prosecution. The non-hazardous liquid leaves a long lasting and unique identifier that is invisible to the naked eye except under an ultraviolet black light. The SmartWater crime suppression system is marketed globally by SmartWater Technology Ltd, in conjunction with their proprietary crime reduction program, called 'The SmartWater Strategy' (US patent pending).

I think the idea is not to prevent copying, but rather to prevent theft. In other words, if someone were to steal this copy, one could tell the police who, if they found the items, could detect the 'smart water' mark for identification.
Cheers,
matt

Posted by Steve Carter (Member # 4821) on June 26, 2015, 09:28 AM:

Yes but is the marking on the reel, film, box, or the cellophane wrapper, I really don't think it's a selling point, and as the print is at least 40 years old, maybe it's worn off...By the way all his previous Walton prints were advertised in the same way, with 'Smart Water' I always thought Walter was the dumb one in 'Nearest and Dearest'...

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