Tweet Technicolor scenes in new Warner Archive early Talkies

Has anyone bought some of the early talkies from Warners that just came out? Like "Sally" "On with the Show" and Rio Rita" to name a few? I'm a HUGE Technicolor buff, and would love to know what you've found. I know that a few fragments of color has been found for Sally and On with the Show. Have they been included? Any other interesting content?

Best,

BR

A reviewer at the Home Theater Forum confirmed that Sally's "Wild Rose" number was in colour. I ordered several of these and the package is here but destined for underneath the tree, so it'll be another week before I can provide any more commentary!

OK, a couple of additional reviews have appeared at the same location: The Show of Shows is said to be the transfer as appeared on LD, with the Li-Po-Li sequence in colour. The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is said to look similar to or slightly better than the TCM transfer with all the colour sequences in place.

-Harold

I looked through It's a Great Life this evening and I'm happy to report that all colour sequences--the fashion show, Hoosier Hop AND Sailing on a Sunbeam--are present. The movie looks to be very nice shape, and I almost wonder if WHV didn't remaster it. The colour in the musical sequences is a little grainy, which I remember from the occasional TCM broadcasts.

Rio Rita is the same length as the print which has always been aired on TCM, so it's the reissue version (which might be all that survives--though A Song in the Dark reports that a couple of deleted musical numbers also exist). The Technicolor looks much the same as on the TCM print, a little better than in It's a Great Life though not quite at the level of Whoopee!, perhaps.

-Harold

I looked through It's a Great Life this evening and I'm happy to report that all colour sequences--the fashion show, Hoosier Hop AND Sailing on a Sunbeam--are present.

That's good news regarding IT'S A GREAT LIFE, Harold. Thanks for posting that. I was holding off ordering it until I found out whether Sailin' On A Sunbeam was restored to the print or not. Now I can order with confidence.

Thanks Harold.... I guess I'll order it also since my old TCM copy is missing the "Sailing on a Sunbeam" number. I know I've seen this though... maybe on Youtube?

Remember, I found Buster Keaton at the very beginning of IT'S A GREAT LIFE about 10 years ago. As the Duncan Sisters are running to work, they approach an Italian vegetable vendor. Freeze frame and you'll see it is an unknown extra. Several cuts back and forth then freeze just before they knock him ---- and all the vegetables --- down. It is now clearly Buster Keaton in a big black mustache, who takes a great comic fall. You'll have to go frame by frame but it is worth it!

Vita.... you are totally right...

It's Keaton in 2 short scenes. First sets up the veggies as the crowd runs by but the camera lingers on the grocer (mustache, glasses and fake nose?) Second holds the shot longer until a man crashes into the grocer, sending him into the veggie bin.....

So why would Keaton have done it?? Any story here?

Keaton knew the Duncans from the teens in vaudeville. You may recall that in the Brownlow documentary (and may the Rudi Blesh bio) Keaton mentions that he did stunts as a favor in several MGM films and Mayer got pissed as if he got hurt it would shut down his own films. I wonder which other ones he did?

a quick search showed that Keaton and the Duncan Sisters were among the stars of MGM's ill-fated and unfinished March of Time in 1930.

Al Jolson's "Mammy" is about to be released on DVD with its Technicolor sequences restored. I'm told Warners has improved on what was shown at the Film Forum a few years ago.

I seem to recall that the Technicolor sequences were taken from a foreign print that originally had title cards and in order to sync the film to the soundtrack, it was necessary to splice in portions of the BW version. Sounds like it would look like the existing "Wild Rose" number from SALLY. If this is true, sounds like a perfect opportunity to utilize colorization for good instead of evil.

While Joe's suggestion has merit, to me leaving the original color as far as it goes, then using B&W where the color is gone is more interesting.
I say this from an archival view. No doubt from a general entertainment viewing position using whatever tools are available to restore the full original look of a film is legitimate.
I saw MAMMY at the UCLA Festival of Preservation a couple of years ago. Much more of the color remains than the "Wild Rose" sequence in SALLY.
From a critical standpoint, MAMMY needs all the help it can get!

Archivally speaking, I'm in total agreement with you, Richard. It's good to hear that there's a generous portion of Technicolor scenes in MAMMY. I'm really looking forward to seeing this someday.

A local television station back in the late 60's ran MAMMY and announced in their promos that part of the film was in color. Don't know if the UA distributor was unknowingly touting the lost color, or they watched the credits that mentioned Technicolor sequences. I remember their engineer frantically switching on the color burst every time a musical number started only to realize it was still BW and turning off again.