8mm Forum: The Passing Years

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 14, 2012, 11:31 PM:

Ever get the feeling you are out getting of touch with things as the years pass by? [Roll Eyes]

.While I was listening to this record from Ringo Starr "Apple Label" from 1974. It made me [Smile]

that todays youth dont remember "Ringo" so much from the Beatles, but more the storyteller from "Thomas the Tank Engine" TV series, how times change.

One other thing I noticed and that was from the making of Super8 the movie Blu-ray, where the young actor Joel Courtney has to ask the director J.J Abrams in a scene, how to use a dial phone. [Big Grin]

so there you have it folks, if you are over twenty you are history. [Frown]

Anyway we can always retire to dream of the good ole days and remember......

Graham.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on March 15, 2012, 07:32 AM:

Hello Graham,that LP cover takes me back,it seems like yesterday
when it first made it's appearance with the striking image of Gort.
The picture below with the lovely Agneta,can't remember what
they sang,I only had eyes for her.Being a Floyd,Sabbath,Zeppelin
fan,I would never at the time have admitted to liking Abba,but
theres no denying they have made a tremendous contribution
to music,and the long haired,bearded creature I was,quite liked
them too.

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on March 15, 2012, 08:35 AM:

Hugh, here's one for ya.
What's the connection between Zepp and Abba?

Posted by Tommy Woods (Member # 2437) on March 15, 2012, 09:23 AM:

Now why have you gone and posted this,as an old air head I too was quite embarassed and concealed my like for ABBA,I would like to thankyou for putting DANCING QUEEN in my head,now I can't get shut of it

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on March 15, 2012, 01:36 PM:

Michael,you've got me there,if I hazard a guess could it be cover
versions,records in the charts reg.length of time or "Stairway to
Heaven"?Whatever it is,Agneta is better looking than any of the Zep boys.

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on March 15, 2012, 01:43 PM:

She certainly is, Hugh [Smile]

IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR was recorded at Abba's Polar Studios.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 17, 2012, 05:55 PM:

You will have to buy ABBA's 1979 concert tour DVD, its good.

....Note the Super8 camera, I bet the home movie film that person took would be worth a few $$$$ these days.

Graham.

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on March 18, 2012, 01:14 AM:

I hated the Beatles because my brothers would want to watch American Bandstand on Saturday mornings and would interfere with my cartoons. But I later got into them, of course. So much for the 60's. Used to watch black and white and B movies at the theater. Saw Led Zeppelin in concert twice. Saw Star Wars on opening day, May 25th, 1977. Wouldn't give it up for anything.

Nowadays, I don't care for the digital cameras that are shooting some major features like 21 Jump Street. They said the Arri Alexa was a film killer, but I saw the trailer in the theater and it stood out like a sore thumb. Hate that electronic look. Don't go to concerts anymore, too expensive. I've really gotten soft on music and only seem to like the women singers.

Don't know what will happen when I grow up.

Posted by Alan Rik (Member # 73) on March 18, 2012, 02:16 AM:

I loved growing up when I did. I would get my Famous Monsters of Filmland and I would go to the back of the magazine and circle all the Super 8 films I was going to get one day. (I didn't know they were 200ft of film. I thought they were complete!)
After Star Wars came out so many magazines came out because of it. Starlog, Cinefantastique, Fangoria.
I got my first Super 8 camera and my friends would come over and make really bad movies. I remember opening up a sound cartridge and trying to jam it in a silent cartridge so I could record the sound in post production. It jammed right away!
I would go down to Kmart to get more Kodachrome 40 and I would look at the revolving Super 8 200fters.
Than every few weeks the LA films catalog (thanks Larry!) would come and I would make a list of all the films I would get one day. I loved growing up in the time that I did.
Do I feel out of touch? No I have a digital camera-all the great things that technology has come about-iphones, etc. But friends coming over to watch a DVD on the plasma is not the same as friends sitting around watching the 400ft Enter the Dragon reel and oohing and awing when Feet and fists would fly. The room was darkened..the whir of the projector....reminded me of "Cinema Paradiso".
When I received a copy of a film in the mail a few days ago I opened it up to look at a few frames. A new worker who is 22 asked what I was looking at. I said "Super 8". He said you mean the Spielberg Movie? I laughed and showed him a frame and he said..."Wow. Now thats Old School!"
Then I felt a little old. Till I watched the film! Than I was 11 years old again. [Smile]

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on March 18, 2012, 04:18 AM:

quote:
I would get my Famous Monsters of Filmland and I would go to the back of the magazine and circle all the Super 8 films I was going to get one day.

Wow!!Me too. I still have many back issues - maybe it's about time for a good read.
[Smile]

Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on March 18, 2012, 10:28 AM:

What a great time in my childhood....And to think I now have every one of these....it only took 40 years!

Doug

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on March 18, 2012, 02:02 PM:

Excellent, Doug. Thanks for posting those.

I can even remember writing to Captain Company, explaining that my friend and I were going to start a local cinema and wanting to know the prices of these movies in Irish Pounds. They even replied, wishing us luck but being unable to covert the prices. I was about 11yrs old at the time [Big Grin]

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on March 18, 2012, 02:23 PM:

Did you know Michael that the Captain Co. was run by Forrest j.
Ackerman himself,a "nice little earner" as Del boy would say.

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on March 18, 2012, 02:34 PM:

I'm pretty certain that James Warren owned that merch company, though if I'm wrong I stand corrected.
[Smile]

[ March 18, 2012, 06:29 PM: Message edited by: Michael O'Regan ]

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 19, 2012, 03:45 AM:

One thing I do miss since the cinema closed down last year was working with the teens as they kept me on my toes. They had a fresh approach to life, as so many folk when they get older loose that sparkle and become boring ho-hum adults.

I hit the 60 mark last January [Eek!]

and cant figure out what happend to all those years, as they have past by so quick. Although still fit and can still zoom around on the push bike at a nearby plantation, a couple of the girls at work last year bought me a walking stick for the projection room.

To Graham.
Thought this might come in handy, sorry it didn't come in tartan so won't quite appeal to your Scottish roots, all the same it might save you from breaking a hip
Much love...... [Smile]

They said later they were joking but were worried I might take it serious. I told them I thought it was neat and very handy. [Smile]

Although for me the early teenage years were the 60s, when groups like The Monkees were big on TV and The Beatles were producing one hit after another. I still think the groups of that time including the like of Simon and Garfunkel made some of the best music ever. [Cool]

Graham.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 24, 2012, 05:04 PM:

I was watching a BBC programme about a family being taken back in time to the early 70s technology and how folk lived then. It was funny to watch this programme, how the dad was not happy driving and complaning about a 70s Ford Cortina. I had two of those cars at one point one being a GT. The reaction from one of the parents "horror" when their son takes of on a push bike into town...without a cellphone [Roll Eyes]

. amazing.

I think they were all very happy to return to today with all its mod cons, how did we survive those days?
When I grew up in Glasgow in the 60s we never had a phone or a car and I never knew anyone that did. As long as you were home by a certain time that was it, spending time at home was not an option, going out doing things, getting into trouble was. [Smile]

Our 60s Ford Cortina taken in the early 90s .It was not regarded then as a classic, just a means of transport.

In 1973 as a mechanic this is where I worked...look at the cars and they were expensive, mostly British but plenty of Holden.

Ah..Our old 50s MK1 Ford Consul, photo taken in the 70s paid $200 sold it for $300. This car was a gutless wonder, heavy and underpowered. The windscreen wipers were run from the vacuum manifold, so if you put the foot down to go up a steep hill they would stop, over the hill going down they went flat out....those were the days, a traveling adventure.

Graham. [Smile]

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on March 24, 2012, 06:09 PM:

Looking at the above picture of Abba and the silhouette of the
guy standing in front of them with arms raised........is this a case
of the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing?
Lucky left hand.More piccy's like that Graham.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 24, 2012, 07:00 PM:

Aint got any more piccy's like that, but think this one is much better.

By the way just curious [Roll Eyes]

would anyone here like to state their "age group" eg 20-30,30-40,40-50,50-60,60-70,70-100. how old are you lot ? [Big Grin]

lastly, I think this is a brilliant NZ photo of a time long past.

Note the rifle. [Smile]

Graham.

Posted by Alex Fox (Member # 94) on March 25, 2012, 12:11 PM:

Hello Graham, I am 84 . had my first toy projector when I was 10 (35mm no less) Alex.

Posted by Bruce Wright (Member # 2793) on March 25, 2012, 04:53 PM:

Hi Graham: I'm 76. Remember watching movies at a U S Army Air Force base in Madison (Station), Miss. in 1942. They were projected on the side of a building painted white (one side only)When it got dark the movie started. With out popcorn!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 26, 2012, 01:56 PM:

Alex and Bruce thanks for sharing that.

Regards Graham. [Smile]

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on April 26, 2012, 04:44 PM:

Came across this old photo taken here in Christchurch of a local cycling club "long before my time I should add" [Smile]

How folk managed to ride the Penny-farthing is amazing, considering in those days many roads were not sealed [Eek!]

no helmets or safety gear, they must have been a hardy bunch.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on July 10, 2012, 11:03 PM:

Came across this amusing article in a local paper you might find of interest.

"A Cup of Tea"

One day my grandmother was out, and my grandpa was in charge of me.

I was maybe two and a half years old. Someone had given me a little tea set as a gift, and it was one of my favourite toys.
Grandpa was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when I bought him a little cup of tea, which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my grandmother came home.

My grandpa made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was just the cutest thing!
Grandmother waited, and sure enough, here I came down the hall with a cup of tea for grandpa, and she watched him drink it all up.
Then she said (as only she would know) "Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?" [Eek!]

Graham.

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on July 11, 2012, 02:57 AM:

Thing I miss most are all the amateur film makers I used to go out film making with who over the years have passed away. Did a film transfer only yesterday and the 1970 style of film making with accompanying music fetched back memories of all the friends now long gone when we used to make films together in various film groups. They were very happy days indeed.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on July 11, 2012, 04:01 PM:

Nice one Graham,aren't kids lovely, it's just the kind of thing they
would do.
Yes I miss the old days too Lee,who would have thought our hobby would be spoken of as belonging to the old days.Still it's survived
and video did try to kill us off,now it's gone.What I really miss as
regards the hobby,are the magazines like "8MM" & "Movie Maker"
with all the ads for the myriad companies flogging films, and the
fact that we had two deliveries of Post plus parcel post in a day.
Coupled with the fact that we were able to afford parcel post
without taking out a loan.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on August 05, 2012, 06:24 PM:

The other night our past "like me" projectionist and now doing an electrical apprentiship paid us a visit. Keen to show of that I am not completely senile [Smile]

"not yet" I showed him my latest DIY 36v 400watt more light on the screen project. I was pleased that he could not quickly figure it out, so yours truly had to explain things [Smile]

anyway, he asked about an old turntable that was sitting nearby "had never seen one going" so I put on a LP. He looked at this thing and asked, how does it work?. [Confused]

I said it uses a needle which runs in a groove....WOW....thats amazing was the reply, got a flashlight "torch" and watched it going round and round. [Roll Eyes]

Anyway, later I asked my 6 year old grandaughter if she new what a record player was and without hesitation she replied... YES...its what you put your films on [Big Grin]

Well, I started thinking [Roll Eyes]

that there is a good chance that anyone born from the early 1990s on, would never have seen a record player going, as by that time most stores had moved into CD sales and records into history.

With ever changing technology, its easy to forget the past and I hope one day, that like the record player etc, film and film projectors will still find a place to run eg "working" museum more so than at present to offer a glimpse into a past technology that so many have never seen.

PS. Might be a good job for...me.

Graham.

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