8mm Forum: The Old School of Collecting

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Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on January 07, 2010, 12:50 AM:

I thought since I am definitely one of the active old school film lovers I would start a thread that posts info from the old school of film collecting (I have a trunk of the old mags, and mailers) ...Pre 8mm sound all the films releases were silent (duh!) so it made more sense to release silent films than taking the sound out of films, so many of the old companies released rare silent movies...There were some great ones,,.companies that is, but where are all the releases now...For Instance does anyone still have any Griggs Moviedrome or Nick Fiorentino prints in their collections?

Did you know that Blackhawk began releasing 8mm sound prints at the end of 1964 and the very first release was Fashions in Love....Here is an ad from the Winter 1964 issue of 8mm Collector (which became Classic Images) that lists the first group of sound releases......Oh and Chief Blackhawk says Thank You!

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on January 07, 2010, 05:58 AM:

Dino, this is great - I'm of the old-school time myself, have Nick Prints and many Griggs' also (they always had a nice print with most original titles)I well-remember the start of '64 and the Std 8 Sound prints (dreamed, but never owned one till much later) I'd buy some of your mailer/brochure/insert/flyers - Post more

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on January 07, 2010, 07:38 AM:

Dino, is this 'sheet' original or just a copy?
Do you have by any chance a catalogue or something similar listing all Blackhawk's OUR GANG episodes (both silent and sound) issued?

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on January 07, 2010, 09:54 AM:

I do, but I don't know how to make it appear here - I could xerox the pages and mail them to you, Gian

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on January 07, 2010, 09:56 AM:

That would be great, Shorty!
Here it is:

gloncri (at) hot mail (dot) it

GRAZIE [Big Grin]

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on January 07, 2010, 10:26 AM:

No, I can't place them inside the computer, all I can do is actually MAIL pages to you in Bella Italia - Send mailing address and what you want is the Hal Roach output of L&H and Our Gang, si?

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on January 07, 2010, 10:31 AM:

Gian
That will be the next "old school" post I will gather together what I can find of the blackhawk Our Gang releases and post... [Smile]

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on January 07, 2010, 11:34 AM:

Shorty, mail sorted to supply you my address.
Dino, that would be great.
Thanks to both of you!

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on January 07, 2010, 12:33 PM:

Let's see more of those inserts. I have some too, can't get them on-line, but I tell you what, come to the next John Black Film Expo, and we'll see what each other has. Dino, Gian, everyone, let's meet, should be in April

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 07, 2010, 02:18 PM:

If you take the prices shown and throw in a fudge factor of about five times for inflation (think about things like cars, fuel, housing then vs. today), new films were actually more expensive then than they are today!

This is even more astounding considering what a tiny niche market new films are now.

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on January 07, 2010, 02:48 PM:

That's something I had noticed too, Steve. Really interesting.

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on January 07, 2010, 02:49 PM:

Post edited twice (I ignore why). The same already happened, today [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on January 08, 2010, 12:15 AM:

Yes the prices were surprisingly high considering...I use Birth of a Nation as a guide for me since the print that I would have loved to have bought was super 8 sound with color sections which was $299 in 1978, what would that be like $1500 today? [Eek!]

whoah...

OK Gian yes that was original here are some other original our gang listings by request...The first 3 pics are of 4 pages listing the majority of the Blackhawk titles (from a 1977 catalog) which I think they started dropping titles as I checked a later catalog and there were less titles listed..The next has 2 Niles ads, and a film classic exchange ad of their Our gangs, if I find more I'll let you know...Gian I sent you those pages of the reviews someone did back in Film Collectors World?

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on January 13, 2010, 05:28 PM:

Dino, thanks for posting this.
And Mr Caruso... Thanks for sending those copies (got them today).
You both were F A N T A S T I C.
Grazie.

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on August 14, 2012, 01:10 AM:

thought I would resurrect this one...Here is an old Griggs full page poster ad for Tol'able David - I heard somewhere the Anthony Phillips the artist for these Griggs ads, wound up in prison, anyone else ever hear that?

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on August 14, 2012, 05:56 AM:

It's interesting to see what some of the 1964 sound releases were, but I'm surprised that according to the footage stated at the ad at the top, the sound versions were edited to shorter lengths.

I'd imagine that some of the Std 8 collectors with expensive state of the art projectors in 1964, finally enjoying sound films, must have been dismayed that the introduction of Super 8 the following year meant that there would soon be another 'latest thing'. Does anyone know if it was Blackhawk or someone else who released the first Super 8 sound films, and when this was?

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on August 14, 2012, 10:24 AM:

Not only that Adrian, but you really have to ask if super 8 was really a step forward over standard 8. Yes the picture area is a little bigger, but many people have reported that standard 8 prints were often better. Certainly, my standard 8 Kodachrome movies shot on a Bolex C8 look better than aanything I shot on super 8.
Technically, nothing that was done on super 8 could not have been done with standard 8. On the downside, super 8 brought with it the horrible plastic film cartridge, along with plastic cameras and projectors.
In many respects Standard 8mm was better.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on August 14, 2012, 11:12 AM:

Quite so Paul,plus std 8mm had unlimited backwind in camera.

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on August 14, 2012, 06:45 PM:

speaking of the beginnings of super 8 I found this today from 1965

Posted by Greg Marshall (Member # 1268) on August 14, 2012, 07:50 PM:

Very nice to read that, Dino.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on August 14, 2012, 10:32 PM:

I think super 8mm would have been so much better if it had been double super 8 from the get go, using cameras with high precision gates, just like standard 8mm, and no flimsy plastic cartridges.

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