8mm Forum: Film User Magazine

This is topic Film User Magazine in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on June 01, 2018, 05:28 AM:

The recent comment by Dave Groves in a separate topic in which he refers to the old magazine called "Film User" took me back some years.

Perhaps it should have been called "16mm Film User" as it was primarily aimed at the 16mm showmen who ran mobile units of the time, although perhaps schools, colleges and some home users would have found it useful.

It was a magazine which monthly reviewed all 16mm films which had had a recent release, including the many varied sponsored films of the time, such as those available from the superb Sound Services which had mainly free-loan films from all sorts of sponsors. Also, there was Petroleum Films Bureau which had, as the name suggests, free-loan films from most of the oil companies.

There were also mentions of new equipment, such as reviews of projectors and accessories. And plenty of interesting advertisements.

I always found the magazines a fascinating read.

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on June 01, 2018, 08:40 AM:

I saw that there are some numbers on eBay. Maybe I'll take one, I'm curious, I've never seen this magazine.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on June 01, 2018, 09:32 AM:

The mags on eBay sale are much later than the ones I used to take, maybe they've altered in modernity.
I had them monthly in the 50s when I was doing mobile shows around Somerset villages, and then later in the 60s as secretary of the Taunton Film Guild where we supplemented our foreign feature films with free-loan sponsored films like BPs "Giuseppina" and "The Home Made Car".

Posted by Dave Groves (Member # 4685) on June 01, 2018, 11:57 AM:

As I had to watch the pennies in those days I was only able to buy 'Film User' occasionally. It was amazing how many firms had films on free loan in days when borrowing from a library was expensive, unless you just went for B picture stuff from libraries like Wallace Heaton or ? Price in Wales. Towards it's end it seemed to run out of steam with fewer reviews, advertisers, and probably pages.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on June 01, 2018, 01:50 PM:

Gerald Price as Intercontinental Films in South Wales. Passed away in June 2005.
The real place for cheap 16mm hire was Watsofilms of Coventry.

Posted by Dave Groves (Member # 4685) on June 02, 2018, 06:03 AM:

You're absolutely right Maurice. I bought both 'Old Mother Riley, Headmistress' and a Three Stooges short from Watsofilms. Quite reasonable prices and I still have them.

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on June 02, 2018, 08:44 AM:

Ah, Maurice, I thought they were from "your" period of reader.
And those of the 50s were very different graphically?

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on June 02, 2018, 10:15 AM:

Luigi
I am afraid that I cannot answer your query as I only was a reader during the 40s, 50s and 60s. They were then a small size, somewhat like today's A5 size.
Therefore, I have never seen the large ones now on eBay sale. No doubt, they are probably more to their times.

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on June 06, 2018, 07:42 AM:

Here is an example of a magazine for sale. It must be said that the seller does not report the size, difficult to understand the proportions. [Smile]

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