Nitrate Films
I have a small nitrate film collection. Only A Moonshine Feud has been transfered to DVD. Nitrate film can be dangerous. It will catch fire at 120 degrees farenheit and will produce its own oxygen so once it catches fire it cannot be stopped. It needs to be kept in a dry cool storage. Many people erroneously report that it is illegal to ship nitrate film. It is not. It is illegal to ship it through the US Postal Service, but can be shipped through either UPS or Fedex. It is however extremely expensive to do so. I recently looked at the cost of transferring four of the films below to DVD. The cost for the transfer itself was almost $1,100, and the cost for shipping the film via Fedex was $270 each way. so the total would have been rought $1,640. I chose instead to have additional 16mm films transfered but some day I would like to get these films transfered.
My Films
Black Eyes And Blue (1919) starring Paul Parrott, Sid Smith, an Dixie Lamont. This nitrate print I purchased on Ebay in 2011. The film does not appear on IMDB data bases, nor in the catalogs of UCLA, or the Library Congress. There are no references to it in any of my vast collection of books. I was however able to find it in an newspaper ad so I know it was actually released. This print is approximately 697' long on a 10" reel and is in good shape. UPDATE: The Title card says it was released by Celebrated Players, but it was apparently produced by Bulls Eye when Paul Parrott and Sid Smith both went to work there in late 1919.
Untitled (ca 1920) The first half of this film film has Jack Mulhall traveling around the world searching for a drink. It was made during the Prohibition era. The second half of the film has Jack attending the Premiere of "Constance Talmadge's Latest Film". It shows many famous people attending the premiere. Overall the film is in great shape and is very sharp. It is on a 10" metal reel and I would guess about 800' long. UPDATE: I was able to get this film transferred DVD!!! It apppears to be a Celebrity reel and has not only the Jack Mulhall bit, but a section with William Powell daydreaming about being nice to some kids and then waking and saying that a villain like him would never to any of those things. The section with people attending the premiere, then the section of Virginia Valli returning home from Europe, and another section with Virginia BrowneFaire outside her home.
Untitled Western (ca 1915) This is a western released by American Biograph. It appears to have Neal Hart in it. The film is in rough shape but no deteriorization. It arrived in six segments which I have spliced back together atlhough not necessarily in the proper order. I have placed leader inbetween the segaments to make it easier to rearrange the scenes in my computer program once the film has been transferred to DVD. It is on a 10" reel and I would guess about 800 feet long.
Untitled Comedy (1920) I recently bought this film on Ebay. I think it is a comedy. It seems to have something to do with an engaged couple about to be married, a séance, and even a Man in Ghostly sheet. The film has typical dialog titles spliced in here & there throughout. The film is on a 10” metal reel, with sprocket holes on both sides of the film, and the “Eastman Kodak”. The date code on the film is from 1920. The Seance scenes are in a tinted Green & Black color. Although there are tiny tears & small pieces out of the sprocket edges here & there, the actual quality of the film is very good, with no real scratching. The film is in Outstanding condition, considering that this is approaching 90 + years. UPDATE: This film has been identified as Reel 2 of Do The Dead Talk? (1920)
The Judge's Ward (1909) I picked this film up in early 2012. The Title and End have been lost but most of it is still there and the film seems to be in good condition with no decomposition. It took a while to identify it. The film was made by Lubin Manufacturing and is definitely The Judge's Ward from 1909.
I have a small nitrate film collection. Only A Moonshine Feud has been transfered to DVD. Nitrate film can be dangerous. It will catch fire at 120 degrees farenheit and will produce its own oxygen so once it catches fire it cannot be stopped. It needs to be kept in a dry cool storage. Many people erroneously report that it is illegal to ship nitrate film. It is not. It is illegal to ship it through the US Postal Service, but can be shipped through either UPS or Fedex. It is however extremely expensive to do so. I recently looked at the cost of transferring four of the films below to DVD. The cost for the transfer itself was almost $1,100, and the cost for shipping the film via Fedex was $270 each way. so the total would have been rought $1,640. I chose instead to have additional 16mm films transfered but some day I would like to get these films transfered.
My Films
Black Eyes And Blue (1919) starring Paul Parrott, Sid Smith, an Dixie Lamont. This nitrate print I purchased on Ebay in 2011. The film does not appear on IMDB data bases, nor in the catalogs of UCLA, or the Library Congress. There are no references to it in any of my vast collection of books. I was however able to find it in an newspaper ad so I know it was actually released. This print is approximately 697' long on a 10" reel and is in good shape. UPDATE: The Title card says it was released by Celebrated Players, but it was apparently produced by Bulls Eye when Paul Parrott and Sid Smith both went to work there in late 1919.
Untitled (ca 1920) The first half of this film film has Jack Mulhall traveling around the world searching for a drink. It was made during the Prohibition era. The second half of the film has Jack attending the Premiere of "Constance Talmadge's Latest Film". It shows many famous people attending the premiere. Overall the film is in great shape and is very sharp. It is on a 10" metal reel and I would guess about 800' long. UPDATE: I was able to get this film transferred DVD!!! It apppears to be a Celebrity reel and has not only the Jack Mulhall bit, but a section with William Powell daydreaming about being nice to some kids and then waking and saying that a villain like him would never to any of those things. The section with people attending the premiere, then the section of Virginia Valli returning home from Europe, and another section with Virginia BrowneFaire outside her home.
Untitled Western (ca 1915) This is a western released by American Biograph. It appears to have Neal Hart in it. The film is in rough shape but no deteriorization. It arrived in six segments which I have spliced back together atlhough not necessarily in the proper order. I have placed leader inbetween the segaments to make it easier to rearrange the scenes in my computer program once the film has been transferred to DVD. It is on a 10" reel and I would guess about 800 feet long.
Untitled Comedy (1920) I recently bought this film on Ebay. I think it is a comedy. It seems to have something to do with an engaged couple about to be married, a séance, and even a Man in Ghostly sheet. The film has typical dialog titles spliced in here & there throughout. The film is on a 10” metal reel, with sprocket holes on both sides of the film, and the “Eastman Kodak”. The date code on the film is from 1920. The Seance scenes are in a tinted Green & Black color. Although there are tiny tears & small pieces out of the sprocket edges here & there, the actual quality of the film is very good, with no real scratching. The film is in Outstanding condition, considering that this is approaching 90 + years. UPDATE: This film has been identified as Reel 2 of Do The Dead Talk? (1920)
The Judge's Ward (1909) I picked this film up in early 2012. The Title and End have been lost but most of it is still there and the film seems to be in good condition with no decomposition. It took a while to identify it. The film was made by Lubin Manufacturing and is definitely The Judge's Ward from 1909.
A Moonshine Feud (1920) Starring Texas Guinan. A Moonshine Feud was originally a "two reeler" (UCLA has a copy of the 2 reel version) but in 1930 Melody Productions edited and and reissued 13 of Texas Guinan's as one reelers with a sound track added. This was still in the first few years of sound being added to films and there wasn't a standard yet. Melody used the Vitaphone system which put the soundtrack on a sound disc rather than on the film as is now standard.. One would assume from the posters (see below) that you would be hearing Texas talk. Although the sound discs have been lost, the New York State Archives have transcripts of several of them and instead of Texas talking you get a man and his wife (or a man and his son) commenting on the film and often making fun of it. I purchased the film from another film collector named John Maddox in Tennessee back in the late 90's. John had a wonderful collection of rare nitrate films and was gracious enough to sell me this one. In 2008 he transferred the balance of his collection to the Library of Congress. This film is on a 10" reel and has very sharp clear pictures except for about 5 frames with a scratch. I had this one one transfered to DVD and it is available along with other Texas Guinan films on this site.
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