8mm Forum: WTB: Optical sound airline shorts...

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Posted by Iman Yahya (Member # 5842) on October 12, 2019, 09:42 AM:

Still looking for *any* optical sound in-flight airline advert/newsreel-type shorts.

Thanks to a collector friend, I have an incomplete (but remarkably low-fade) French-dubbed example from the "World on Parade" series, wondering if there are any others lurking about. Not fussed on fade or language.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on October 13, 2019, 09:57 AM:

Iman ...

Probably a more even EXTREME super 8 optical sound short rarity, is a series of 1950's MGM shorts, (the name of the series escapes me at the moment) that were comedic and dealt with everyday life in a comedic way. I will get back to you as to the name of the series when I get back to Mountain Home.

I found out about these quite accidentally when i bought a number of Super 8 optical sound features that a fellow found on a few large pallettes that were about to be thrown away entire, from a now defunct super 8 library in, yes, you guessed it, South Africa.

For some odd, wonderful reason, MGM, when they released these features on super 8 optical sound, for this library, also printed these short subjects (black and white but sepia tone on color film stock), and spliced them onto the beginning of these features.

So, for instance, you would check out the feature, "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing", and you'd get a wonderfully unexpected short subject film at the beginning of the feature, running approximately 9 or so minutes.

These short subjects, strangely enuf, were a good deal sharper than the features! This is in large part because these short subjects were originally in that flat ratio while the features would be blown up and pan and scanned scope features. The short subjects would have little grain, and the features could be quite grainey. "Westworld" is a case of this, being quite grainey, but the short subject is great and, being unexpected, a real treat.

I don't know if any other optical sound librarys did this elsewhere, but the South African library had reprints of classic MGM features, as well as other studio features, which is why I am now the proud owner of ...

Westworld
Vera Cruz (54)
Never So Few (59)
Pocketful of Miracles (62)

... as well as other great super 8 opticals that I have never heard being released elsewhere!

Could anyone else put up a post saying that they have any of these optical sound shorts in they're collection?

Posted by Iman Yahya (Member # 5842) on October 22, 2019, 10:30 PM:

Very interesting, Osi. Would these be the Pete Smith Specialties? Interesting to hear MGM library prints had optical sound, I recall seeing a compilation reel of Tom and Jerry optical shorts for sale recently from one long-time US dealer.

All tangentially related of course but fascinating nonetheless. Still on the lookout for those airline shorts, just won another French-dubbed World on Parade short off eBay. Looking forward to see if the colour has held up.

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