8mm Forum: A Little Bit of Nostalgia

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Topic: A Little Bit of Nostalgia

David Ollerearnshaw
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1373
From: Penistone Sheffield UK
Registered: Oct 2012

posted November 21, 2012 03:17 PM

Here’s a little bit of nostalgia for you, from the ‘Columbia 16mm Catalogue’ 1966.

Lawrence Of Arabia 26 reels £26.5.0 or £26.25. At 206 mins is it edited version?
Anatomy Of A Murder 18 reels 160 mins £9.9.0 Just rented this one on DVD think it works out at around 60p to rent.
The Silencers 12 reels 104 mins £10.10.0 available Jan 1967.

In them days defiantly NOT for the home user. (Unless rich).

How did these prices for past hire on 16mm compare to America? Or anywhere else for that matter.

--------------------
I love the smell of film in the morning.

http://www.thereelimage.co.uk/

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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

posted November 21, 2012 08:40 PM

Why only 10 minutes per reel? Or were these "studio roll" measurements?

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Mark L Barton
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 621
From: Bristol, South Glos, England
Registered: Mar 2009

posted November 22, 2012 03:54 AM

When I was at secondary school (73 TO 78)we always had a film club, with prints on 16mm. In my last year I was part of the team that could choose the films for the comimg year. What a time was had pouring over the hire catalogues from Columbia, 20th Century Fox et al. We ran Thunderball one time and I always imagined being allowed to take the projector and film home, of course never happened. But those hire catalogues, oh boy!!!!

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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God

Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012

posted November 22, 2012 05:35 AM

Hi Bill,that's just how the companies described them in their
catalogues,they were of course issued on 1600' spools.

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Allan Broadfield
Master Film Handler

Posts: 452
From: Bromley, Kent
Registered: Nov 2010

posted November 23, 2012 05:05 AM

I could only dream, in the fifties, of owning hundreds of films. Now that I have just about every film I ever wanted on DVD, and mostly in brilliant quality, you would think that I am like the cat that got the cream. It's good, but something has gone, the fact that I was never going to be able to afford any of the 16mm prints listed in the Rank film library catalogue somehow made them even more special.
The occasional film show at school, with the 16mm projector, screen and speaker set up was marvellous to me, only having my Pathe Ace machine at home with the odd 300ft silent film. 'King Kong', having a showing on the TV at christmas was something to look forward to, but now I've seen it so many times I'm watching the colourized version for added interest. When today's kids see a cartoon at school for christmas, it's usually on a TV screen, the same as they have at home.
I put on a 16mm show at a nursing home some time back, and one of the nurses asked why I didn't just put a DVD on. I said 'it's more fun this way', but I don't think she got the point.
This is progress, but I got a surprise the other day when my local cinema actually showed 'Skyfall' using 35mm film and not digital!

[ November 26, 2012, 02:46 AM: Message edited by: Allan Broadfield ]

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David Ollerearnshaw
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1373
From: Penistone Sheffield UK
Registered: Oct 2012

posted November 23, 2012 02:13 PM

In that catalogue they list 17 serials too.

My first close encounter of the film kind was also at school 'Oh What A Lovely War' my 2nd year at PGS be about 12. Weren't many to watch, about one a month. Its the only one I remember though.

I never hired 16mm, but did hire super 8 from the Columbia Library late 70's.

--------------------
I love the smell of film in the morning.

http://www.thereelimage.co.uk/

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Ken Finch
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 543
From: Herne Bay, Kent. U.K.
Registered: Oct 2011

posted November 25, 2012 11:16 AM

Hi, I am an ex secodary school teacher. It was common practice to have a film show in the school hall at Christmas, and it frequently fell upon me to be the projectionist. In those days, teachers had to have a "visual aids competance certificate" before being let loose on 16mm film projectors. One had to be confident in the operation of a number of different makes and models. Unfortunately this all changed with the advent of self threading machines when someone in their wisdom. or lack of it, decided that this was no longer necessary and there was a dramatic increase in the hire charges for films! Not that they were ever cheap enough for home users. Having said that, there were a few independent libraries like Watsofilms and John King which I was able to use. There were also a large number of sponsored film libraries which were free except for postage and many of these provided very good programme fillers.Ken Finch.

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David Ollerearnshaw
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1373
From: Penistone Sheffield UK
Registered: Oct 2012

posted November 25, 2012 01:26 PM

My dad used to work at David Browns in Penistone. In the sixties we kids always went to the Christmas party in the large canteen which was in the basement. The highlight was always the film shows, Tom & Jerry, Disney's, Woody Woodpecker. And of course the jelly and ice cream. 100's of kids were there, I think Browns had 1500 working there. (Not kids).

Did companies in other parts of the world have anything similar?

--------------------
I love the smell of film in the morning.

http://www.thereelimage.co.uk/

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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God

Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012

posted November 26, 2012 06:34 AM

Yes,in my home town of Whitehaven,they had a youth club that
was quite a large modern building called "The Welfare".At certain
times, 16mm film would be shown to the youngsters on a screen
up on the stage.When the film broke, this of course was right up
the kids street for a carry on,whereupon one of the organisers
would rush out to the front with a whip and chair shouting " Back!
Back! Rabble!" The kids enjoyed this no end.Happy days.
I can still remember when it was due for demolition, and the demo lads thought it would be a piece of cake, unfortunately
for them it had been built with reinforced brickwork that caused
a bit of fun for us kids watching,the wrecking ball swung and
not a lot happened.Happy days indeed.

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