Kodaks Make Fine Xmas Gifts -- December 15, 2024

Hartford Courant, 10-December-1924

Christmas is coming. 

George Eastman's Kodak cameras allowed many people to take up photography. The Ciné-Kodak was a 16mm camera for home movies. Filmo was a 16mm Bell & Howell product.

Castle Films -- The Most Famous Monster of All Time -- June 23, 2022

Castle Films Catalog, 1970

I recently came across this scan of Castle Films' 1970 catalog. I never had enough money to buy any of these films, but I enjoyed looking at the catalogue entries. As a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Universal, Castle had access to many of the company's classic horror films.

Castle Films -- Rollicking Good Times With Filmdom's Funniest Comedians -- May 21, 2022

Castle Films Catalog, 1970

I recently came across this scan of Castle Films' 1970 catalog. I never had enough money to buy any of these films, but I enjoyed looking at the catalogue entries. As a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Universal, Castle had access to many of the company's comedies starring Abbott and Costello and WC Fields.

Low Cost Movies You Can Own -- April 24, 2022

Boston Globe, 28-December-1943

For many years, Castle Films and Official Films were the two big distributors of home movies. This ad from the Boston Globe shows that Castle Films were widely available in the Boston area.

Including Anti-Fascist Features -- March 24, 2022

Movie Makers, April, 1943

Brandon Films billed itseld as "The Key Source of Movies to Help Win the War." "Including Anti-Fascist Features" -- I'm in.

Official Films -- The Gift You'll Never Regret Because They'll Never Forget -- December 18, 2021

Home Movies, November, 1946

Christmas is coming. 

For many years, Official Films and Castle Films were the two big distributors of home movies. 

For Christmas, 1946, Official Films offered a choice of eight films in 8mm or 16mm, and four Christmas carols in 16mm sound. 

"Christmas Night" was an alternate title for "Pals," an animated film from Van Beuren Studios, featuring Otto Soglow's newspaper cartoon character the Little King. I have always enjoyed Soglow's cartoons. "Toyland Adventure" may be an alternate title for Van Beuren's 1931 film "A Toytown Tale". "Brownie Bucks the Jungle" was made by Van Beuren in 1934 as "Mild Cargo," starring Cubby the Bear. "A Little Bird Told Me" was a 1934 Van Bueren production the included both live action and animation. "Rag Dog" was a 1935 Van Bueren production. "The Lion Tamer" was one of a pair of cartoons produced by Van Beuren which featured characters from the popular radio comedy Amos 'n' Andy. The creators of the show, Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden, provided the voices

I do not know the source of the live action films "The Stray Lamb" and "Who's Zoo.'

Movies of Joe Louis' Famous Fights! -- May 13, 2014

Happy 100th birthday to Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber, who was perhaps the greatest heavyweight champion.  I think he had a better range of opponents than Muhammad Ali.

Here we have an ad from the February, 1944 Moviemakers for 8 or 16mm movies of Joe Louis' famous fights.  I remember ads like from The Ring magazine.  I could never afford the movies. 

Castle Films was an early home movie distributor, which later became famous for cut-down 8mm versions of Abbott and Costello and Universal horror films.  They offered two reels, with two fights each.



The huge Buddy Baer, brother of former heavyweight champ Max Baer, acted in many Hollywood movies. After their second fight, Buddy Baer said "The only way I could have beaten Louis that night was with a baseball bat."  Here is their first fight. 

Abe Simon later appeared in On the Waterfront. 



Billy Conn, former light heavyweight champ, did well in his first fight against Joe Louis until he tried to knock him out in the thirteenth round.  Louis knocked him out in the thirteenth round.  In On the Waterfront, after Marlon Brando said the famous line "I coulda been a contender," his brother, played by Rod Steiger, said "You could have been another Billy Conn."

Click on the image to see a larger version. 

DVD: Accidentally Preserved -- January 27, 2014

One of my Christmas presents was Accidentally Preserved, a DVD made by famous film accompanist Ben Model.  He dug into his collection of old 16mm prints, which were mostly made for the home rental or purchase market.  Some of the movies only exist in old Kodascope prints.  Naturally he also created the musical scores.  He got the funding for the project through Kickstarter. 

The DVD contains nine short films, eight one-reel comedies and one promotional film, plus one bonus comedy clip.  Three of the comedies are Cameos, released by Educational. 

"The Lost Laugh" stars Wallace Lupino, Lupino Lane's brother.  I don't know why he periodically burst into laughter after falling down or getting burned.  Monte Collins played an obnoxious washing machine salesman. 

"Loose Change" stars Jack Duffy as a tight Scotsman and Neal Burns as his nephew.  It was produced by Al Christie. 

"Wedding Slips" starred Monte Collins as a newlywed speeding around the countryside with his wife Lucille Hutton.  There are gypsies and a gorilla.  It was directed by Jules White. 

"Shoot Straight," a Hal Roach production, starred Paul Parrott, Charley Chase's brother, as a luckless hunter.  He has trouble catching squirrels and ducks.  Jobyna Ralston, who later starred with Harold Lloyd, is the leading lady. 

"The House of Wonders" was a two-reel promotional film for Elgin Watches.  It would be very interesting for people who like watches. 

"The Misfit" was made as a two-reeler, but it only survives in a one-reel version.  Clyde Cook joins the Marines to get away from his harridan wife.  It includes many of the standard service comedy marching jokes. 

"The Water Plug," a Reelcraft comedy, starred Billy Franey, who was acting very Chaplin-like. 

"Mechanical Doll" was a Fleischer Out of the Inkwell comedy.  Koko had a nice journey though the city, running along telephone wires.  He had more closeups than I remember seeing in silent cartoons. 

"Cheer Up" starred Cliff Bowes, who I had never seen before.  Virginia Vance had to choose between two suitors.  It was directed by Jack White. 

I liked the fact that some of the prints were scratchy.  I miss that. 

Accidentally Preserved 2 came out this month.  I hope to order it soon. 

I also ordered a book by Steve Massa that collects all the notes from the films on the two Accidentally Preserved sets.  It is printed in a size that fits nicely in the DVD case. 

The Accidentally Preserved website: http://www.accidentallypreserved.com/