8mm Forum: Charlie Chan

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Topic: Charlie Chan

Guy Taylor, Jr.
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 606
From: Galveston, Texas, U.S.A.
Registered: Mar 2007

posted July 24, 2010 10:45 AM

I love these old Charlie Chan movies. I have one "Meeting at Midnight" on Super 8. It was released by Blackhawk. I was wondering what other ones Blackhawk might have released.

The print is pretty sharp.

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Guy Taylor

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Tony Stucchio
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 625
From: New Jersey
Registered: Dec 2005

posted July 24, 2010 02:43 PM

That was a Niles, not Blackhawk.

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted July 24, 2010 09:26 PM

Guy, you're lucky if you're print is pretty decent. Mine is a dark murky mess and the sound has too much bass. I've yet to see a good Niles print with the only exceptions being the "Shelock Holmes" titles which were on loan out from Universal at the time. IMHO, the 'Holmes' series were the only thing Niles had going for them. All the titles from their catalog I've purchased or had the misfortune of seeing were all crap. My Niles print of "It's A Wonderful Life" is on par with MAM. My "Kook's Tour" prints are simply awful. I remember getting them back in the early 80s and how disappointed I was at the lack of quality for the money I shelled out. I have both the feature and the digest of "Tour" and the colors when I first got them were washed out and the sound was very 'tinny' on both. I have not watched either one in years. I'm sure by now they must look wonderful - as if they were dunked in a vat of tomato sauce.

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John W. Black
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted July 25, 2010 01:17 AM

Brad,I have a friend who would sell his children for a print of Kooks,If you'd get rid of it,let me know and I'll put you in touch with him.

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Beat em or burn em,they go up pretty quick

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John W. Black
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted July 25, 2010 01:18 AM

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted July 25, 2010 07:27 AM

Well, I have been "lucky", relatively speaking, with my Niles prints. The sound films are from average to good actually,the big problem is their silents which must be avoided. They range from "acceptable" at best,to downright unwatchable. Practically the only exceptions are the Sherlock Holmes series and the color Benedict Bogeaus productions because they were licenced. I'd think
KOOK'S TOUR,which I haven't seen, would be the same.Wasn't it licenced by Norman Maurer?

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Guy Taylor, Jr.
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 606
From: Galveston, Texas, U.S.A.
Registered: Mar 2007

posted July 25, 2010 11:05 AM

If this is Niles, it is one of the best I've seen from them.

I purchased it used and it came to me in a Blackhawk box; which is why I assumed it to be from them.

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Guy Taylor

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted July 25, 2010 02:04 PM

Pan, "Kook's" was licensed by Maurer back in 70's and apparently was shot on 16mm film stock which may explain why when I first ran it I was taken aback by not seeing what I expected to be a brand new technicolor-ish print. I was only around 15/16 or so at the time so what did I know. The digest was a birthday gift and I remember saving for months in order to be able to afford the feature. Both looked identical and the sound was certainly not high fidelity by any stretch. I also have a DVD from MPI of "Kook's" and whatdoyaknow - not much of an improvement although MPI had a brief apology before the film bagan explaining how the print was from a private collector and it was the best known source print around at the time. Certainly not the collector's fault. Just unfortunate that no real decent print exists.

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Gary Crawford
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted July 26, 2010 10:30 AM

The niles print of meeting at midnight was very very good. I have had a standard 8 print....and a 16 print. one of the best of the Niles products. As far as any other Chan films...I've never seen ANY other Chan film on super 8. I've managed to collect all the existing Chans on 16mm..except for Black Camel...which rarely shows up on lists or for sale. Another very nice Niles print is Lugosi's Invisible Ghost. Very good.

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Panayotis A. Carayannis
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted July 26, 2010 04:25 PM

KOOK'S TOUR was a tv pilot,shot on non-technicolor 16 mm. During the shooting health problems arose, (Larry's first stroke) and the film was patched up to get it in acceptable shape. When no company bought it,Maurer offered it to the collectors' market,licencing it to Niles, to get some money back,, and he didn't even bother to make a more "decent" print, although Niles, in their original presentation ad refers to its "...breathtaking colors...". This is my opinion.

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted July 27, 2010 12:30 AM

Well...The colors when I got it certainly were not breathtaking I can assure you. I keep it as a curio/collectors' item only. I should probably crack it out and see just how badly the colors turned. I have another Niles Stooges print called "Souperman" which was an episode of their cartoon series done by Cambria back in the mid 60's. My print of "Souperman" has absolutely no color in it at all. It's basically brown - almost sepia-tone. The sound isn't bad, but the color is just sadly all diminished. Again.... A curio - nothing else. I certainly wouldn't show it to anyone but myself. I'd be to ashamed.

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