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Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on January 10, 2008, 02:18 PM:
 
Mickey Mouse - the First Fifty Years
Collectors Edition
400ft, 20 mins, color and B&W





By now we are all used to getting special edition DVD’s with packaged extras, but here is a super 8 film that started this trend over 25 years ago! This special collectors edition of Mickey Mouse excerpts comes with packaging that rates a 10 on the Peckham scale ! The 400ft reel is contained within a beautiful book- type, very rugged red cardboard box embossed with gold lettering and a picture of Mickey, and even has a slip-off clear plastic cover with the contents of the film highlighted in white! Inside the box is a very nice 14 page booklet with information and photos about the film and Mickey’s career. Very cool! Probably the best packaging I have ever seen on a super 8 film.
But no matter how great the packaging, it’s the film itself that counts. And here we are not disappointed. The various excepts include Mickey’s first talkie, ‘Steamboat Willie’, ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, plus many other film highlights, and The Mickey Mouse Club, all centered around the theme of Goofy preparing a cake for Mickey’s birthday party.
A fabulous 20 minute reel that will delight any audience . Like all Super 8 Disney prints, the quality is superb, with beautifully rich color and pin sharp resolution. Here again, we see that, for whatever reason, the Disney prints look so much better on super 8 than DVD. The print on my copy was by Bucks Labs in the UK, who have even tacked on their own personal happy birthday greeting to Mickey at the end of the movie – a nice touch, and also indicative that Bucks were very proud of being selected to print this film. My print must be 20 years old or more, and still the color is beautiful.
This movie pops up a lot on dealers lists, often at ridiculously low prices. I paid 5 pounds for my NEW print from Derann! If you see one, grab it.

Print A+
Sound A
Content A+
Packaging : 10 on the Peckham scale

[ January 10, 2008, 03:40 PM: Message edited by: Paul Adsett ]
 

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 10, 2008, 04:32 PM:
 
"Peckham scale" Hmm Funny.

This is great release. I like your Red cover with not only the gold lettering, BUT ALSO, white lettering too. That isn't on my Silver box edition. Also, the "Happy Birthday Mickey at the end of the film, that's certianly a rarity, as mine doesn't have that.

Do you still have the additional card that was included in this release originally, which stated that there were clips from assorted black and white films in this release and therefore asked the owner to expect that? I have that and it is usually lost, though I wish I had that certian release. Mine is on Eastman, but it must be a good grade as there is no fade on mine as well. Perfect blacks and, as you said, a lovely sharp print!!
 

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Posted by Keith Ashfield (Member # 741) on January 10, 2008, 05:26 PM:
 
I agree with everything Paul said about this release. It is a "must have" for any collection. Mine has the "Limited Edition" Gold Box (NUMBER 2083 OF 5000) with the "slip cover", booklet and card. Wouldn't part with it. It's a great companion for "Once Upon A Mouse"

[ January 14, 2008, 04:47 AM: Message edited by: Keith Ashfield ]
 

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Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on January 10, 2008, 05:33 PM:
 
Osi I can't believe that you have not heard of the Peckham scale for super 8 film packaging. For your information it is repeated below:

1 No Box
2. Wrapped in old newspaper
3. Wrapped in toilet paper
4. White cardboard box
5. White cardboard box with label
6. White cardboard box with printed grahic art
7. Generic distributor box with label
8. Plastic clamshell with specific color graphics and notes
9. Hard plastic clamshell, color grahics, and notes
10. Special deluxe packaging with special features and the Mike Peckham seal of approval.
 

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Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on January 10, 2008, 07:28 PM:
 
Paul,

Terrific review, brilliant work on the Peckham scale!
I do believe there is a special case that would warrant an 11. That would be special packaging with the magic number M31 on it.

Doug
 

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on January 10, 2008, 08:15 PM:
 
Paul
Excellent review of a must have film, I bought my copy as new around 1979 as a Limited Silver Edition No 641 and the colour is still very good, still has the original collectors booklet and the small "Please Note" card as well, in the 70s imported Disney films from the US were considered the best, its a pity many are now fading.

Graham.
 

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 11, 2008, 08:48 AM:
 
Okay Doug, you've got me curious, what's "M31"?

My favorite part of this Mickey 50 is the whole Mickey Mouse Club theme in stunning color!

The only part I think it could have done without, is the 30 or so seconds, (thankfully, they limited this) of live action Mickey, which takes it briefly out of the realm of magical cartoons.

Exzellent wraparound story in "Mickey's Birthday party" as the story that surrounds it. You actually get most of that six minute cartoon!

Later on, as most will remember, they continued to release this, but in a regular 400ft. clamshell with "Happy Birthday Mickey" with different images of MIckey over the years and was a far cry from the special boxing.

I wonder if anyone out there still number #1 of all the limited release?
 

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Posted by Kevin Faulkner (Member # 6) on January 11, 2008, 10:40 AM:
 
I dont remember seeing this extra card in with the UK prints. I will check mine later.
The Prints for the UK were printed by Bucks Labs and they were printed on Fuji stock. When I viewed mine about a year a go it still looked as nice as the day I bought it.

As Keith says its a nice companion to "Once Upon a Mouse"

I have seen some of these prints about in a Gold box instead of the red and also some in a std Disney card box like the rest of their 400 footers of the time. I think it had Yellow artwork.

Kev.
 

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Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on January 11, 2008, 10:48 AM:
 
I have the Gold box (number 3063 of 5000!). No card, though.

Osi,

Check out the M31 riddle.

Doug
 

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Posted by Kevin Faulkner (Member # 6) on January 12, 2008, 08:10 AM:
 
No mine in a Red box didnt have the card.

Kev.
 

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 12, 2008, 12:23 PM:
 
The card wasn't absolutely necessary, but a nice little ad on. It seems that up to that point, Disney hadn't personally released any black and white ...

wait, I'm wrong, (i think).

Didn't Disney release a 200ft B/W edition of "The Mickey Mouse Club"?

I think I've seen one on ebay once, but it must be extremely rare!

I just pulled out my copy of Mickey 50th" and it still has that great color. The other folks are right, there was nearly not a person who equaled Disney for quality of it's releases. At least, when it came to thier cartoons. MGM and especially Warner Brothers, were released with some Gawd-awful prints. With the advent of Derann releases we got a lot sharper prints.

Though he optical prints were very good.
 

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Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on January 12, 2008, 03:26 PM:
 
I have the print in the red box, no card. But I would like to ask if the prints in the standard box (i think black with a big 50 on the front) were printed on the same film stock ?

Graham S
 

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 14, 2008, 12:04 AM:
 
JUst a quick note ...

My copy of Mickey Mouse 50 years, does not have a number on it, (number whatever of 5,000, for instance). It's one of the silver boxes with plastic slipcase, but no number denoting limited prints.

Was my box a second release run of a very popular title?

... as I have seen most have a number to them.
 

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Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on January 14, 2008, 07:14 AM:
 
Osi,
I was refering to the release in the standard disney 400 foot box (no slip cover or hinged front). Ive seen a number of copies in this type of box and they look older releases. They have a big '50' on the front with images of mickey inside the big '50'. Im not sure if these are printed on the same film stock as the red and silver boxes.

I also bought mine 'New' form derann cheap. They had a big pile of them so obviously they printed lots of copies.

Graham S
 

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Posted by Kevin Faulkner (Member # 6) on January 14, 2008, 04:57 PM:
 
I cant work out what disney were up to with this release.

The red boxes like mine had Collectors Edition and un numbered (This was the first release of this in the UK) then there was the gold which was a limited edition so what did the silver one have on it?
I think they just ran so many thousand copies and had to find ways of shifting them!?

Kev.
 

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Posted by Kevin Faulkner (Member # 6) on January 14, 2008, 04:57 PM:
 
I cant work out what disney were up to with this release.

The red boxes like mine had Collectors Edition and un numbered (This was the first release of this in the UK) then there was the gold which was a limited edition so what did the silver one have on it? They all have exactly the same content.
I think they just ran so many thousand copies and had to find ways of shifting them!? A marketing exercise?

Kev.
 

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 14, 2008, 10:47 PM:
 
I don't know either Kevin, all i know is that my silver box edition has no number on it. Perhaps this means that it was a later printing?

Still it doesn't take away from the enjoyment one bit.
 

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on January 18, 2008, 09:44 PM:
 



This was the numbered edition, the small card that came with it states,

"Please Note"

Mickey Mouse appeared in numerous films before the advent of color motion pictures. To provide you with a complete retrospective of Mickey's career, some of that rare black-and-white footage is included in this film.

Its surprising all the different coloured boxes and the "Limited Editions" that are around.

Graham.
 

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Posted by Kevin Faulkner (Member # 6) on January 19, 2008, 03:58 AM:
 
Same booklet as in the red box. All very strange these different editions.

K.
 

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Posted by Mike Peckham (Member # 16) on January 26, 2008, 02:05 AM:
 
The Peckham scale, I love that!

Sorry Paul only just seen this post, have been busy with other things recently so now trying to do a bit of catching up.

I have to agree though, the packaging for Mickey Mouse would certainly rank a clear 10 on the Peckham Scale. Unfortunately, mine has suffered a little from having a dealers price sticker stuck on it that has never quite come off but gone rather gooey...

The film itself though is great, a worthy souvenire and a great show filler for audiences of all ages!

Mike
 

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Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on June 16, 2019, 12:47 PM:
 
Screened this last night and it is always a great 20 minute viewing.
I am wondering if this film was shown on TV or on DVD, or is this WD film exclusive to super 8mm?
 

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Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on June 16, 2019, 03:41 PM:
 
I still have mine! A nice print and the color is still nice! The one I have is in the original cardboard box! This must be the first printing? Let me know!
 

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on June 18, 2019, 11:03 AM:
 
I've been lucky on this one too. My copy is a UK Fuji Film copy. Two neat curiosities about the UK version ...

1. At the end of the film, after the "the end" title, there is an addtional card on the screen which reads, "Happy Birthday Mickey from "Buck" (or "Rank"?), which is not on the U.S. version.

2. Even with un-faded color, some of the clips have slightly mediorcre color to begin with.
 

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Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on June 18, 2019, 02:47 PM:
 
A very injoyable short! I came across this film about three times and they were nice prints with good to nice color! A true crowd pleaser!
 

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on June 21, 2019, 11:10 AM:
 
I always did like that "Peckham scale"!

Though it's not necessary to enjoy the film, of course, I like having that little card disclaimor about some portion of the film being black and white. it just makes this that much more complete.
 

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Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on June 21, 2019, 11:31 AM:
 

quote:

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I always did like that "Peckham scale"!

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