8mm Forum: Best Musicals Available on Super 8

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Posted by Mike Newell (Member # 23) on August 22, 2015, 01:59 PM:

A personal choice as musicals didn't feature greatly in my collecting

Singin in the Rain FL musical about the movies simply the best
Grease FL great 1950s musical and teenage memories from 1978
3 classics from Judy Garland

Wizard of Oz FL , Meet Me in St Louis Fl and Easter Parade FL superb Derann prints.

Calamity Jane FL and 400 superb comedy western musical from Doris Day. Stunning print from Derann . 400 ft promo from Derann is a brilliant digest of the movie despite the minor marks in places.

Little Shop of Horrors FL superior remake of American International b horror.. Great songs and Steve Martin. Originally a bargain optical release from Derann a number were striped and redecorated to allow standard super 8 projection. Sound was superb but no guarantee stripe will stay in place forever.

The Blues Brothers 2x400 manic comedy musical which actually works better as mini feature than full length movie but an extra reel would have been neat.

That's Entertainment 1 and 2 FL an mixture of all musical tastes catered for. It does tend to be watched on a reel basis rather than as a feature.

Beauty and the Beast FL Superb animation and musical from Disney with stunning print and sound from Derann.

That's Dancing FL I was surprised how much I liked this movie. Same format as Entertainment. Starts from the talkies in 1930s , Busby Berkley ,Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly but goes right up to 1980s with Fame and Michael Jackson .

Other contenders but not my choice would have to be Sound of Music FL, Fred Astaire movies Top Hat and Flying Down to Rio. Also worthy are West Side Story Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins and Cabaret features.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on August 22, 2015, 02:20 PM:

Mike, I have always been a big fan of the MGM and early Warners musicals. I have the following feature length Derann prints of the MGM classic musicals, and they are all superb quality prints:

Singin' In The Rain
Meet Me In St Louis
American In Paris
High Society
Show Boat
That's Entertainment 1
That's Entertainment 3

Also
Grease (Scope)
Calamity Jane Promo

Of the Warner/Berkeley classics , I have the following 2 x 400 Derann digest prints:

Forty Second Street
Goldigers of 1933
Footlight Parade
Dames
Three Cheers For The Girls 1 x 400

All these films are superb entertainment and have great repeatability value, and for the most part the prints are stunning.

Posted by Mike Newell (Member # 23) on August 22, 2015, 02:30 PM:

Great titles Paul and those 2x400 were superb cut downs of Berkley numbers.

Mike

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on August 23, 2015, 03:39 AM:

I did purchase part two of that's dancing. It starts off at just in the right era. I saw the feature on dvd so decided. That I would like to be able to get hold of parts 4/5. Chances would be almost nil.
Recently more than a stroke of luck came my way. One of our collector friends only put on ebay parts 4/5 supplied on an elmo 800ft spool.
Not only that,it had the derann tailer spliced at the beginning which makes a great little title/intro start. I had to bid. And I have to say I did not expect to get it but I did. It's a perfect one hour version and with a really good introduction using the trailer. I think it's one of the best musicals around on the big screen and as the box states, the happiest movie in town.

Posted by Mike Newell (Member # 23) on August 23, 2015, 05:11 AM:

Funny Tom that's how I started collecting That's Entertainment. Derann were selling odd parts every month on their list for £14 to £19 for a 400 extract until I collected the entire feature. I picked up TE2 and Dancing via Perry's for some silly price like £69 each because collectors are not terribly fussed on owing the whole movie. Whilst certain segments of Entertainment are spectacular there are other portions that I could live without. I would actually say Dancing is the best and has stayed fresh in format compared to the other two.

Posted by Paul Spinks (Member # 573) on August 23, 2015, 06:37 AM:

The Mountain feature of "Top Hat" is my favourite. It's got Fred and Ginger, Irving Berlin's wonderful songs, a great story and it makes me feel good every time I watch it. My film is made up of two different Mountain prints as my first print was slightly abridged, but I found a seller on ebay selling an incomplete feature so I was very happy. I've also got the 5X400ft version of "Flying Down To Rio" and that comes a close second.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 23, 2015, 09:23 AM:

For the music, Hello Dolly is my number one but my favourite musical to watch over and again is I reckon Calamity Jane.
There are many many others, but Clam wins just because "My Secret Love" features in this favourite of many.

Outside of super 8, I have many films that I enjoy the soundtrack to and though not what you would call "Musicals" some of those of those include:
1/ The Business
2/ Pulp Fiction
3/ Billy Elliot
4/ Jimmy Grimble
5/ 24 hour Party People
6/ Trainspotting
Etc etc...

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on August 26, 2015, 07:57 AM:

I enjoy the 200 foot 'scope extracts Derann did from musicals. Projecting one almost feels like putting a 45 on the turntable! (Yes, I am that analogue...and old!)

I have:

Summer Nights (Grease)
America and Maria (West Side Story)
DoReMi (Sound of Music)
South Pacific Promo

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 26, 2015, 09:05 AM:

I used the doReMe extract to splice into the 3x600 abridged feature. It really does enhance this section of the abridged feature by giving you the full song. No colour difference either which always helps.

As Steve says, the musical extracts are great fun to watch by themselves. Kinda like a first generation video jukebox!

Posted by Kevin Clark (Member # 211) on August 26, 2015, 11:35 AM:

Singin' In The Rain and Wizard Of Oz are my favourite Super 8 musical features - I really wish someone had managed to put together a 'scope digest of The Girl Can't Help It.

Kevin

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 26, 2015, 12:11 PM:

Two more fabulous musicals mentioned there Kevin as indeed is the King And I. Yet Another one of those Rogers & Hammerstein masterpieces.

Posted by Mark Silvester (Member # 929) on August 26, 2015, 12:17 PM:

Hi all

I have had Thats Entertainment 1 and 2 - wonderful movies, bought those new from Derann. Also An American in Paris which was 5x 400 in the grey pvs case...bit soft and missing the Oscar Levant scene where he plays ever member of the orchestra. Also had Wizard of Oz another great title. But it was always "Singing in the Rain" that was my favourite.

I find it funny with musicals in general...I never really enjoyed watching Astaire...always Gene Kelly for me.

Not long before Derek passed away I presented to him via his staff a genuine signed autograph of Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'conner and Stanley Donen with a picture from that film.

Mark [Smile]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on August 26, 2015, 12:47 PM:

"Singing in the Rain" hands down! It works on many more levels than just a musical! [Smile]

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 26, 2015, 01:23 PM:

On British TV recently, our general public were asked of their opinion of what they considered the best Musicals ever.

Not surprisingly Dirty Dancing and Grease were right up there, but guess what was considered king of the crop?

Yep "Singing In The Rain"

Truly a fantastic timeless classic that's still clearly a favourite of our general public even in 2015! [Smile]

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