Derann Super 8 'Angels with Dirty Faces' query

[Alan Paterson]

Hi folks,

I just bought a 400 ft print of the Derann Super 8 'Angels with Dirty Faces'. The original box doesn't say if it's part 1 or 2 but it says on the film leader Part 1/No 2 (a bit confusing) so I'm not sure if it's reel 1 or reel 2 of the 2x400 ft set -if you get my drift.

It starts off with Rocky carrying out his prohibition era liquor sales, moves on to him going to prison, being released and killing Fraser (Bogart) then being captured in the warehouse scene and finally going to the chair. It cuts before Cagney's great performance where Rocky 'turns coward'. The Dead End kids are totally missing from this reel but the story hangs together. I get the feeling that I'm now looking for reel 1. Does anyone have this and can confirm the contents of reel 1, just so I know what I'm looking for.

Any help gratefully received.
Kind regards
Alan

[Larry Arpin]

I believe the deal Derann made with United Artist had them make the reels as it was a complete digest of the movie. Maybe the other reel will be about the Dead End kids from beginning to end as a digest. Hope that makes sense. Maybe someone who owns the reels will chip in.

[Alan Paterson]

That's what I was hoping, Larry, so that they could be edited together in the correct sequence. I was also hoping for Cagney's great, moving scene then Pat O'Brien's line to the boys ,'Let's say a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as me.'
Maybe some kind person could let me know.

[Tony Lewis]

Hi all
there were two digests (versions) available both were stand alone copies however with clever editing the two could be spliced together (like Carrie)
the version you have described sounds like it’s the 2nd “version”
the first version starts with pat O’Brien and Cagney as young delinquents
-when edited correctly-it’s a great digest

[Melvin England]

Hi Alan,

The two separate reels to this Derann release were given the following codes on the spine of the box.

Extract 1 - UA12

The description is thus.....




Extract #2 - UA16 with a #2 at the foot of the spine, with the description.....




I hope you can judge, given this info, which extract you possess. Having not watched either reel for ages nor ever seeing the film full length, but judging by the two synopsis, I tend to agree with Tony that these are two stand alone reels that could be re-edited in the correct sequence and put on a full 800' spool if you are that way inclined.

.

[Brian Fretwell]

Strangely I was writing down the order of my films on the shelf last night, so could find my copy quickly today. It is on a 600ft reel and had been edited into the correct order before I purchased it from the BFCC bring and buy for the low price of £12. It, thankfully, doesn't suffer from the problem that could (and did) occur on some other titles of the frame line being wildly different between extracts. I think my two from "the Maltese Falcon" were so far out that I never bothered editing them together.

[Alan Paterson]

Thanks for your replies, guys. I now know that I'm looking for UA16 as the one I have is UA12. Good to know too that the two parts will edit onto a 600ft reel.
Kind regards
Alan

[Alan Paterson]

Received a print of UA16 today from Phil at Classic in very good condition. Should be fun to splice the two parts together in the correct order. :-)

[Osi Osgood]

Curious, in that image someone offered of the digest numbers, it appears to say that a third standalone 400ft, also has other info or scenes that can be added to the 2X400ft digests

[Alan Paterson]

Hi Osi, sadly there are only two digests, UA12 and UA16. I was a bit surprised that neither digest has the 'Rocky turns coward' footage that gave the movie its full impact. When I first saw it on TV as a kid, I remember being stunned. Was he really a coward after all or was he doing it so the kids wouldn't idolize him? Still a cracking good movie after all these years. Anyone who doesn't have a lump in their throat at the end just isn't human.