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Topic: Sound films for silent projectors

Dominique De Bast
Film God

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From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted October 30, 2014 02:30 PM

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I saw an ad for standard (regular) 8 accompanied with a 33 rpm record (in English). The system is easy to understand : you screen the (silent) film with your silent projector and at the same time you play the record with your record player. Does any one know if there had been many films relased this way ?

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Dominique

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Douglas Meltzer
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From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 30, 2014 02:39 PM

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Dominique,

Americom Films released silent Standard 8 & Super 8 films along with a soundtrack record. The films also were subtitled.
Here's one thread about them.

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Maurizio Di Cintio
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 977
From: Ortona, Italy
Registered: Jan 2004

posted October 30, 2014 03:53 PM

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How did they keep in sync???? [Confused]

[Confused]

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Maurizio

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Douglas Meltzer
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From: New York, NY, USA
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posted October 30, 2014 04:27 PM

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Maurizio,

I got some of these when I first started collecting. I had a variable speed Ricoh projector and I'd have to adjust the speed every so often. It was never in perfect sync, but I didn't care! I could show movies with sound!

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

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From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted October 30, 2014 05:06 PM

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Thank you, Doug !

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Dominique

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John Yapp
Expert Film Handler

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From: Telford England.
Registered: Dec 2011

posted October 30, 2014 05:32 PM

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"Start Projector on tone."

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 30, 2014 05:57 PM

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The audio was modulated to play at 18fps. When you listen to the records today it's so apparent that the audio has been slowed down a tad. It sounds pretty awful. Years ago it was a big thrill to be able to actually have the audio accompanying the film and at the age of 12...Who knew? The Americom film with records were a great novelty that unfortunately didn't last long being that Americom went bankrupt some time in the mid 70's. The film prints were actually printed by Triangle Laboratories in New York and the licenses were held by Columbia in partnership with Americom (a flexi-disc company) also based out of New York. Triangle did the prints for Columbia's 8mm home movie division. I've heard that Triangle also did many prints for Blackhawk after Blackhawk's lab suffered considerable damage due to a fire in their building. This would explain the vast quality differences that collectors often refer to during Blackhawk's last few years in the 8mm game. Many of their 16mm titles were printed by a different lab, but I don't know whom.

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Maurizio Di Cintio
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From: Ortona, Italy
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posted October 31, 2014 08:51 AM

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Thanks, Doug. One of the previous posts mentioned the fact the sound was slowed down without altering the pitch- How was that possible considering the era's technology? Would it be possible to put some mp3 samples of these discs on here?

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Maurizio

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Douglas Meltzer
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From: New York, NY, USA
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posted October 31, 2014 08:58 AM

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If any members have an mp3 file of sample audio from an Americom release and can send it to me, I'll provide a link.

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Gary Crawford
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From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 31, 2014 09:15 AM

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I had to tape the records onto reel to reel and later to cassette to run them....and yes the sound was a bit odd and never in perfect sync...but I remember Curse of Frankenstein worked pretty well since it had little or no dialog.

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Jean-Marc Toussaint
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From: France
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posted October 31, 2014 10:11 AM

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Same here, although it was for "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea".

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The Grindcave Cinema Website

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: Highland Mills, NY USA
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posted October 31, 2014 11:18 AM

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Gary's correct... "Curse Of Frankenstein" is mostly music and sound effects, but "Birth Of Frankenstein", "Horror Of Dracula" and the "Fu Manchu" titles have more dialogue that is very difficult to sync up to. They're still fun to watch, though. My kids, of course, think the whole concept is outrageous and can't wrap their brains around any of it. You had to be a collector back in the day to really grasp how this was (as kids today say) "bangin'". My Lord how things sure have changed. Including the english language. I asked my daughter if "bangin'" was a word she learned in class. To which she replied (fortunately) "No..Silly....It's something kids say when something is really cool. Dad... you're so out of touch". Then she giggled and said "enjoy your movie, Dad" and left the room.

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Brian Fretwell
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From: London, UK
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posted November 01, 2014 08:16 AM

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I had/have a Laurel & Hardy one and a cartoon "Beetle Bailey". At the time I had a battery/mains projector which could be slowed down by touching the manual frame advance and a turntable that could be slowed by putting a finger on it. I could keep sync roughly like that,.

I'm not sure where they are now, but do still have the projector - now unused as it has a flat gate and scratches all films.

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Len Horowitz
Junior
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From: Culver city CA
Registered: Sep 2010

posted August 07, 2017 09:33 PM

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I purchased some Offical Films that were 8mm Vitaphone with lip synch. I want to find that projector. One 12 " record with each 200 ft reel of film. Can you help me?

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Len Horowitz

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Guy Taylor, Jr.
Jedi Master Film Handler

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From: Galveston, Texas, U.S.A.
Registered: Mar 2007

posted August 08, 2017 05:08 AM

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Actually it is "Birth of Frankenstein," an extract from "Curse of Frankenstein," that is the one with little dialog. It begins with the scene in the graveyard with them cutting down the body from the gallows.

This was the only one I had from Americom. Like Warner Brothers, the Vitaphone Sound System was my first method of sound movies.

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Guy Taylor

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William Olson
Master Film Handler

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From: Poughkeepsie, NY USA
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posted August 08, 2017 10:47 AM

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I still have Americom's Curse of Frankenstein with the original packaging including the record.

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
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From: Athens,Greece
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posted August 09, 2017 02:03 PM

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[ August 10, 2017, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Panayotis A. Carayannis ]

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
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From: Athens,Greece
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posted August 13, 2017 03:49 AM

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This topic and "Vitaphone 8" should be joined together as they deal with the same question. Yes,there were other companies selling films with discs.I have seen an ad from the thirties of a 16 mm projector/disc player combined unit. For some reason I couldn't upload all four pictures I took from my (only!) film- with-disc,(the first photo was appearing four times) So,I am posting them separately.

Now, a similar thing happened.I posted another picture,it looked ok at the preview post but,it also changed the previously posted picture into the recent one.Pleaase explain someone [Confused]

[Confused]

[Confused]

[Confused]

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted August 13, 2017 05:58 AM

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Western Electric had a 16mm sound-on-disc projector in the early thirties. The projector was made by Victor, and the sound by W.E.
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/motion-picture-projector-western-electric-16mm-sound-on-disc-projector-and-speaker/HAHiNr81u2IWAQ

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Maurice

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Douglas Meltzer
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From: New York, NY, USA
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posted August 13, 2017 02:40 PM

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Panayotis,

The change in picture has to do with how you've named it. If you upload a picture with the name "picture 150" it will replace the previous picture named "picture 150". Try using a combination of your first name, the subject and a different number to differentiate between the pictures you upload.

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted August 14, 2017 12:50 AM

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Thank you. I will ty it.

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