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.

Kodak -- You Made the Movie Yourself -- November 16, 2024

Chicago Tribune, 16-November-1924

Kodak encouraged people to use the Ciné-Kodak camera to shoot home movies and the Kodascope projector to watch home movies or rented professional movies. 

Blackhawk Bulletin 229 -- Batman -- September 23, 2022

Blackhawk Bulletin 229, October 1972

I was an avid reader of the Blackhawk Bulletin, even though I rarely had enough money to buy any movies from Blackhawk Films. I would have loved to get this edited version of the original Batman movie serial. Nowadays we can get the whole thing on dvd. 

Learn more about the serial here:

Big V Riot Squad: Batman vs Doctor Daka -- June 1, 2014

I was excited to learn that scans of many issues were available at the HMH Foundation Moving Image Archives at USC:
USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive » Blackhawk Films’ Catalogs (uschefnerarchive.com)

Blackhawk Bulletin 287 -- Charlie Chaplin -- August 14, 2022

Blackhawk Bulletin 287, June-July 1977

I was an avid reader of the Blackhawk Bulletin, even though I rarely had enough money to buy any movies from Blackhawk Films. 

I was excited to learn that scans of many issues were available at the HMH Foundation Moving Image Archives at USC:

USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive » Blackhawk Films’ Catalogs (uschefnerarchive.com)

Castle Films -- Rollicking Good Times With Filmdom's Funniest Comedians -- July 22, 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. Most of the cartoons that they stocked were not to my taste.

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.

San Francisco World's Fair -- February 20, 2022

Movie Makers, May, 1939

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

In this ad, Castle offered movies of the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, held on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The ad said Castle would soon offer films of the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Own Castle Films' New Comedy Sensation -- January 23, 2022

Movie Makers, March, 1950

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

In this ad, Castle offered the automotive cataclysm from the finale of WC Fields' last starring feature, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. In 1947, Universal took control of Castle Films, giving Castle access to Universal productions like Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. 

Other items include a Walter Lantz cartoon, which had been released by Universal, and a movie of Deanna Durbin, a Universal star, singing "Ave Maria." 

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.'

Horror Shockers -- See These Great Horror Flicks in Your Own Home -- November 18, 2021

Vampirella 52, 1976

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes.

This ad features highlights from Psycho and two Universal horror films split into pieces. "House of Dracula" and "The Wolfman's Cure" were created from the feature House of Dracula. "Frankenstein's New Brain" and "Trial of Frankenstein" were created from the feature Ghost of Frankenstein. 

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Horror Shockers -- Trog -- October 21, 2021

Vampirella 30, 1974

Halloween is coming. 

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes.

This ad features Bela Lugosi in The Return of the Vampire, Invisible Ghost, and The Human Monster.; Christoper Lee in Taste the Blood of Dracula; Joan Crawford in Trog; FW Murnau's Noseratu with Max Schreck (I don't know why the title is changed to Terror of Dracula); 

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Horror Shockers -- Great 8MM Monster Movies! -- September 19, 2021

Vampirella 7, 1970

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes. 

 This ad has a great selection of horror films from the 1920s to the 1960s. I would like to see their cut-down version of The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney.

Full Color Monster Movies -- August 17, 2021

Vampirella 37, 1974

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes. 

Here they offered a selection of short color films sampled from two Ray Harryhausen movies.

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I remember reading Ray Harryhausen's account of making The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad in Famous Monsters of Filmland. The battle with the skeletons was particularly hard to animate. 

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Jason and the Argonauts featured more fighting skeletons and a bronze giant.

New Horror Films With Their Own Soundtracks -- July 17, 2021

Vampirella 51, 1976

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes.

They offered a selection of films with sound. A 33rpm record came with each movie. Synchronization would have been iffy. This group includes "Cosmic Monsters," adapted from a 1958 giant bug movie and four movies adapted from a television series: "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- The Octopus," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- The Atomic Cloud," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- Sea of Mines" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- The Frogmen." I remember that my sister liked to watch Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. 

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Horror Shockers -- Son of Frankenstein -- May 21, 2021

 

Vampirella 51, 1976

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes.

This section of an ad has Son of Frankenstein, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein and The Dr Cyclops. In Son of  Frankenstein, Boris Karloff played the monster for the last time. Bela Lugosi played Ygor the hunchback. I Was a Teeenage... was a popular title for exploitation films in the 1950s. Dr Cyclops was heavy on the special effects. 

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Horror Shockers -- Rodan -- April 21, 2021

 

Vampirella 51, 1976

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes.

This section of an ad has Rodan, Varran the Unbelievable and The Werewolf. I like Japanese monster movies like Rodan. Varran the Unbelievable is a Japanese movie I have never seen. The Werewolf is a 1956 American film produced by Jungle Sam Katzman. 

Vampirella 51, 1976

Vampirella 51, 1976

Vampirella 51, 1976

Horror Shockers -- Son of Kong -- March 21, 2021

 

Vampirella 51, 1976

When I was young, I read Warren Publishing magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Vampirella. The magazines always carried ads for back issues, posters and movies. I didn't have a film projector, so I read the ads with envy. Eventually, I got a Super-8 projector, but I didn't have enough money to buy any of these films. A friend had Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and I was fascinated by the way it had been cut down to less than 20 minutes.

This section of an ad has Son of Kong, which was out of stock, The Giant Claw and The Creature Walks Among Us. I like Willis O'Brien's  Son of Kong. The Giant Claw is ludicrous. The Creature Walks Among Us is a sequel to Creature From the Black Lagoon. 

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