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Author Topic: What was your first film?
Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: France
Registered: Oct 2004

- posted October 14, 2008 03:38 PM      Profile for Jean-Marc Toussaint   Author's Homepage   Email Jean-Marc Toussaint   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I guess the title says it all...
Members of this forum, over the years, have all shared memories of early films, owned as a kid or as a newbie collector.
I thought it would be fun to start a thread about the very first film that ever entered your movie buff home. And I do mean film, ie- acetate or polyester on a spool (not a toy cartridge or a card).

Mine was a standard 8 50ft silent b&w extract (or digest) from a Flintstones episode. I remember Fred trying to borrow a ladder from Barney (or was it the other way around...)
That film is still with me. The projector (Kodak Brownie 8) isn't...

So, what about you?

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The Grindcave Cinema Website

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 14, 2008 03:50 PM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Technically my first film was 16mm. When I was seven, my grandparents moved to Florida. They cleared out their attic and there was a 16mm toy projector and a couple of 200 ft. reels of B&W silent Disney cartoons which belonged to my Dad as a boy. Unfortunately it didn't hold up too long after something close to 30 years of storage and didn't survive.

-a couple of years ago my sister spied a similar looking 8mm Keystone projector on E-bay and bought it for me as a reminder of that old machine and the fun we had with it.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

- posted October 14, 2008 04:36 PM      Profile for Michael O'Regan   Email Michael O'Regan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
200ft Castle Films SON OF FRANKENSTEIN on Super 8. Still have it even though I have no way of projecting it anymore.

Also 200ft DIN AT DINNER - a L&H silent short. Don't know who the distributor was.

-Mike

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Joe Taffis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1592
From: United States
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 14, 2008 05:27 PM      Profile for Joe Taffis   Email Joe Taffis   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I had a choice from the regular 8mm silent films on the twirling stand in a local camera store...super 8 wasn't here yet. My projector had a 50' reel capacity [Eek!] so I chose KEN's I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN over Castles' THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US because the box was bigger, so I thought the film was longer! [Big Grin] J.M., at that time I was about a year or two away from my 200' reel Kodak Brownie 8, bought used in a local shop [Smile]

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Joe Taffis

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Marshall Crist
Master Film Handler

Posts: 300
From: San Pedro, CA USA
Registered: Oct 2008

- posted October 14, 2008 06:26 PM      Profile for Marshall Crist   Email Marshall Crist   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Was just thinking about this. I used to stare longingly at the Super 8 reels under the glass counter at Two Guys. Where I finally got the eight bucks, I don't remember, but the film was the 200' reel of REVENGE OF THE CREATURE. I LOVED it. Wound up eventually getting pretty much every Castle (and many Ken) horror digests.

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Osi Osgood
Film God

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From: Mountian Home, ID.
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- posted October 14, 2008 06:26 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Okay to go back to what was REALLY my first film ...

It was a Kenner STAR WARS hand cranked movie viewer! It had five cartidges with all kinds of neat scenes!

First reel to reel films? I got both on the same day, along with an old used film viewer :

Gruesome Twosome (Tweety) 50ft B/W standard 8mm silent

Battle in Outer Space 50ft B/W standard 8mm silent

COOL!!!

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Mike Tynus
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 135
From: Addison, IL, USA
Registered: Apr 2008

- posted October 14, 2008 07:00 PM      Profile for Mike Tynus     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
My first film was a standard 8mm sound print of the Castle Film RUDOLPH VALENTINO: IDOL OF THE JAZZ AGE. My Grandfather got the film free with his Sears/B&H Sound Standard 8mm projector (they must have been out of HAVE BADGE, WILL CHASE).

By the time I got the film and machine in the early 70's, you could only get standard 8 silent films at the stores, so for a while this was my only sound film. My first film with dialogue was TIT FOR TAT (used print from Blackhawk), and I was in awe experiencing the wonderment of synchronized sound coming out of that machine.

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Joe Caruso
Film God

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From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 14, 2008 07:24 PM      Profile for Joe Caruso     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I can't remember THE first I had my hands on or laid eyes to. Earliest one I bought or traded was CALIFORNIA BOUND, Super 8 Silent, loved the box and was excited to get more and read all the writing/information on them - Next I know as THE MUMMY, also 200' S8 - It evolved from that and Two Guys, et al. - Shorty

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted October 14, 2008 07:48 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I had that 200ft "The Mummy" and I always thought it was well edited, love that decomposing scene at the end! Cool!

Which reminds me, my first 200ft was "The Deadly Mantis". Back then, I didn't realize that these were condensed films and I thought I had a whole film print of the film. Then I saw it on TV and it was like, "Gosh I missed out on so much." But I thought that giant Mantis was pretty cool!

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator

Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 14, 2008 09:55 PM      Profile for Douglas Meltzer   Email Douglas Meltzer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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This is the one that started it all. Atlas Films, Standard 8mm, 200 ft. Totally different from the Castle Films release.

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Dan Lail
Film God

Posts: 2110
From: Loganville, Georgia, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 14, 2008 10:26 PM      Profile for Dan Lail   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Home Town Hero with Ben Turpin. A 200' Blackhawk std 8mm silent. [Smile] It was a Christmas gift when I was 12. I'm still 12. [Eek!]

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John W. Black
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 536
From: Deptford,N.J.
Registered: Mar 2008

- posted October 14, 2008 11:40 PM      Profile for John W. Black   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
A Blackhawk print of Two Tars was given to me.My first purchase was a horrible Atlas print titled the Best of Chaplin which I purchased at E.J. Korvettes.

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Beat em or burn em,they go up pretty quick

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Jose Artiles
Master Film Handler

Posts: 357
From: Spain
Registered: Oct 2005

- posted October 15, 2008 01:21 AM      Profile for Jose Artiles   Email Jose Artiles   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Mine was a christmas gift from my mom, i was 11 years old and i was crazy (im still jej eje ) about to have a super 8 projector and show films to my friends and to the church comunity(something that i still do in the same church) so mom buy me two full feature wich start it all,the film was "walking tall (1973)" full feature and "Karakatoa ,east of Java" and a Eumig 800...i still have both,lucky for me the films are on fuji stock,Mom always says that the films in 1981 was really expensive and she has to pay the films by credit during one year! [Eek!] iŽll never can pay her what happy make me feel in that year!! [Razz]

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As Steven Spielberg says....
Nothing beats old school projection. Digital is just an imitation.

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Osi Osgood
Film God

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From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted October 15, 2008 09:08 AM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
"Walking Tall". shown to a church group? I thought that was a rather violent film? (hee hee) [Razz]

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

- posted October 15, 2008 10:40 AM      Profile for Bill Brandenstein   Email Bill Brandenstein   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
It was 1973 when a trip to the local K-Mart yielded two reels to feed to our new B&H movie projector - the Disney cartoon "Clock Cleaners," and Little Roquefort & Percy in "The Haunted Cat." Both were on 200' reels, B&W, silent. We enjoyed those over and over until our first Kodachrome roll was returned in the mail. Then we enjoyed all three. Then we got more and did more. And so it goes.

Seems like those reels were priced around $7.95 back then, and color (which my parents wouldn't pay for, and didn't use credit) was around $16. Sound? $25?

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 15, 2008 10:51 AM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I remember back when I got my first K-40 back (first 15 feet black). I had one 200 foot Railroad film and that errr..."35 footer".

-Suffice it to say the show was a little thin back at that point!

What a big deal it was when I finally exceeded an hour of screen time!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Gary Crawford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 979
From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 15, 2008 03:15 PM      Profile for Gary Crawford     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Like you, Joe, i had a hand cranked projector , Standard 8mm, with 50 foot capacity. My first two purchases on the night we bought the projector were...Have Badge will Chase and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

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Trevor Adams
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 763
From: Auckland,New Zealand
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 15, 2008 03:49 PM      Profile for Trevor Adams   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
A 60ft 9.5mm film about Spitfires-it came with my Pathescope ACE. [Roll Eyes]

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Trevor

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Jose Artiles
Master Film Handler

Posts: 357
From: Spain
Registered: Oct 2005

- posted October 15, 2008 04:02 PM      Profile for Jose Artiles   Email Jose Artiles   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
"Walking Tall". shown to a church group? I thought that was a rather violent film? (hee hee)

ajajajaja Osi, the movie i show was "krakatoa,East of Java",can you imagine the faces of all the comunity if i show walking tall?? ajajajaj specially with all that semi-naked women jajajajaj [Razz]

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As Steven Spielberg says....
Nothing beats old school projection. Digital is just an imitation.

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted October 15, 2008 05:59 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
What was that? Semi naked women? and I missed out on that optical super 8 print at Derann a few weeks ago? BLIMEY!!

Actually, that would have been an interesting print on optical sound super 8mm, as they do tend to censor the Super 8 opticals (as they never knew if children would be seeing the film) and while you will occasionally run into cursing on a Super 8 optical print, you don't tend to run into nudity, partial or otherwise.

If the person who bought "walking Tall" optical sound feature print, is a member of this forum, can you verify on this?

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted October 15, 2008 11:22 PM      Profile for Graham Ritchie   Email Graham Ritchie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I think it was either the Walton 200 footer of Laurel and Hardy "No Flys On Us" or "Hog Wild" around 1975-76.

Graham. [Smile]

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 969
From: Athens,Greece
Registered: Jul 2008

- posted November 09, 2008 01:57 PM      Profile for Panayotis A. Carayannis     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
It must have been in 1960 that I was pestering my dad to buy me a " home cinema" (that meant a projector and films in those days). He relented and bought me a MeOpta Optilux machine and: OEIL POUR OEIL (Big Business) in two reels,LES CLOCHES DE CAPISTRANO,one reel, from the old Kit Carson tv series, and three 50 footers: CHARLOT ET LE MAGOT (The Floorwalker),CHARLOT SOIGNE SON FOIE (The Cure),CHARLOT ET LE BEC DE GAZ (Easy Street).All superb Film Office copies which I still have.

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted November 10, 2008 09:02 AM      Profile for Brad Kimball   Email Brad Kimball   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
My first were also bought off a black spinner rack back in 1970. My mother took me into a ZAYRES (a Boston area K-Mart type store) and I was able to pick out five 50'ers and a new Standard-8 Keystone K-104 with a daytime viewer attachment. The titles were "Dr. Painless", "Dr. Cyclops", "Badmen Of Arizona", "Son Of Frankenstein" and "Ride 'Em Cowboy". "Cowboy" for some reason always lost the loop in the projector and I spent the entire 3 minutes turning the machine on-and-off in attempts to stop it from jumping. Never figured out why it was only during "Cowboy" that it would occur. I guess the unit didn't like the taste of Abbott & Costello celluloid. My dad discarded the boxes and spliced all 5 titles onto a metal 400' reel so I could watch them all without reel changes. I'd watch the reel while eating breakfast in the dining room every morning before school. BOY O'H BOY - Those were the days!!!!!

DOUG**** Is the footage different on the ATLAS "Frank. Meets Wolfman" than on the Castle version? When did Castle give Atlas the rights? Weird......

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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator

Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
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- posted November 10, 2008 09:34 AM      Profile for Douglas Meltzer   Email Douglas Meltzer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Brad,

Atlas actually put out a few different titles with footage from "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman". That first film starts with Larry Talbot waking up in the castle ruins (In the feature, this comes after the mob chases the Wolfman and he falls through a hole in the ground) and finds the monster encased in ice. He digs him out and they look for the doctor's journals. Talbot then seeks out Frankenstein's daughter. He's invited to join that evening's festivities. The monster shows up that night and Talbot whisks him away in a horse drawn cart.
There are at least two other 200' excerpts (and numerous 50' versions) from Atlas that include the beginning grave robbing scene and the climactic battle. I'm sure Atlas did not obtain rights from Universal. The grainy prints look like they were taken from a 16mm positive and they include Atlas' amateurish but charming homemade titles. It got me hooked!

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted November 10, 2008 09:55 AM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Good heavens, Doug,

If you combined all those excerpts, you could have had about a, what, 40 minute or less digest of that Frankenstein film?

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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