Thanks, Syd, for the Disney/Dumbo link -- it was very interesting. Too bad other studios aren't always as conscientious about preserving their libraries. SETH

All I can say is that this release is LONG overdue and very welcome. I'm looking forward to enjoying it!! The Universal Region 2 set that was only available in the UK was good for what it was, but it was also a pain in the neck to watch (it only ran on my computer here in the US). So it's great that...

I also thought THE COMIC was a great movie, and probably was a pastiche of various comics and movie stars, as you suggested. I agree that the fictional Billy Bright is a very talented but thoroughly unlikeable person. But then again, there were plenty of similarly talented real-life Hollywood stars ...

Very nice site!! You mentioned in passing that there was a love scene in THE MUMMY (1933) which was left on the cutting room floor. Do you have any more info about this? This is one of my favorite films, and in my opinion it's actually better than "Frankenstein," although I'm sure that "Mummy" would...

Not to go too far off topic, but it seems that Mr. Rohauer was both a blessing and a curse for Buster. Without him, who knows how much of the Keaton material would have survived. But because of him, much of the Keaton material was inaccessible and/or unaffordable for many years. I understand he trie...

I had hesitated buying this set of 19 Keaton shorts because I already had several DVD's containing many of the same shorts that had been restored by David Shepard several years ago. But when I saw the Kino set listed for $21 on Amazon, I figured I had nothing to lose (except $21). I'm glad that I sp...

And then there's the exchange between Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont in NIGHT AT THE OPERA, as they are boarding the ocean liner bound for the U.S.: Dumont: Have you got everything, Otis? Groucho: Well, I haven't had any complaints yet. And in DUCK SOUP, while there's no dialogue, this scene certa...

Caught this great movie on TCM a few nights ago. Just shows how important a good story is, and when it's backed up with an imaginative presentation and fine actors like Spencer Tracy, you have a great show. It was quite something to watch the "American Dream" become the "American Nightmare" for Trac...

Let's not forget W.C. Field's great closing line in INTERNATIONAL HOUSE (1934). When he and Peggy Hopkins Joyce depart in Fields' helicopter, they discover several kittens sitting in the pilot's seat. Peggy asks Fields "Hmmm, I wonder what their parents were?" and Fields answers "Careless"! Then the...

You mean that Warren William wouldn't be a great role model? I'm very disappointed!! SETH

I finally got to see "Employees' Entrance" a few days ago, courtesy of TCM. I thought it was ironic that for its somewhat racy subject matter (seduction, adultery, sexual harassment & blackmail for starters), this 1933 Pre-Code film was preceded by a "G" subject rating on TCM. How times change!! Als...

Yes, this was pointed out by several folks. But she didn't sound like one, at least not to me.

This entire problem probably falls under the "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder" rule, or in this case, the ear of the beholder. SETH

Be that as it may (and I appreciate the information, which I was not aware of), I still found her accent inconsistent and totally unconvincing. But it's a minor trifle in an otherwise very good and intense picture. SETH

After watching more of these cartoons, I noticed that many had NTA or U. M & M logos on or prior to the main titles. So it's reasonable to assume that these transfers were not made from the original 35mm negatives or elements (if in fact they still exist), but rather, from 16mm positive reduction pr...

No, but I did get a carton of six dozen K-Cups, so I could make enough coffee to stay aware and watch all of the cartoons!! SETH

I thought it was a very good movie on a number of different levels. Plot was pretty good, camerawork and atmospherics were also great. Once things got rolling, the acting was also superb. Jack LaRue was tremendous, and so were the others. My only criticism was Miriam Hopkins' Southern accent, which ...

I probably should have known better, but I couldn't resist the "300 Cartoon Classics" for $20 that I saw yesterday at Sam's Club. It's 300 cartoons on ten (!) DVD's, mostly Fleischer material that has been previously released before under various labels. So there's lots of Betty Boop, Superman, Pope...

I always liked the depiction of Hell in the first sound version of "Dante's Inferno" (1934) with Spencer Tracy and Claire Trevor. Henry B. Walthall made a fine Dante!! And then of course there's always Purgatory, as imagined in "Between Two Worlds" (1944), with Sydney Greenstreet deciding your fate!...

The best film for me was Murder at the Vanities . This would have to be one of the most outrageously entertaining musicals I have ever seen. Why it is so obscure I don't understand. I would guess that its obscurity is partially due to its content; after the Production Code was implemented in 1934, ...

I would think the first thing to check is whether the copyright was renewed. If not, the song may be in the public domain, and it may be that LOC can then provide a copy to you. If the copyright is still valid, I guess you need to locate the present owners of the copyright (the author or his/her hei...

I especially liked "We'll Make Hay While the Sun Shines, We'll Make Love When It Rains" in GOING HOLLYWOOD. Bing and Marion Davies do a nice job of singing while walking through a field of giant sunflowers that are swaying in time with the music. I also enjoyed the sequence in INTERNATIONAL HOUSE (1...

Yes, I also missed the credits for SWEET MUSIC, and about halfway through the film, the sync was WAY off, not even close. Now I know what it must have been like when the projectionist cued up the Vitaphone record incorrectly! Also agreed that Ned Sparks was great -- the perfect character actor, with...

Good catch -- you're right about that platter business.

I guess I'm just old-fashioned in thinking that any self-respecting projection booth would have TWO projectors and a changeover box (in addition to a spare box of carbons for the arc lights in the lamphouses) !! SETH

Thanks for the tip! I enjoyed CROONER, which had some great music. David Manners was a bit on the wooden side, but after his bit in "Dracula," I guess that's understandable. Nice also to see Ken Murray with his slicked-down hairdo, in the years before his trademark crewcut. SWEET MUSIC also had some...

I think he short-handed what I explained to him as variable-speed motors. In order to run silents correctly, yes, you have to have equipment that would normally not be in a booth. OK, that makes sense. I figured that it probably got mangled by the reporter. BTW, now I recall that my 16mm Bell & How...

The article says that the archived films can only be viewed "using specific equipment." Is this code for the fact that you are running nitrate? 28mm or some other strange gauge? Vitaphone records? Cinemascope? Brentograph slides? Or did the newspaper reporter just think a 35mm motion picture project...

Here's the link to our latest issue of VITAPHONE NEWS. Lots of new disk-overies, restoration news, pix and more. Go to: http://www.vitaphoneproject.com/" target="_blank" target="_blank Then click the highlighted #3 for the latest issue. Just wanted to say "Thanks!" for all of your efforts in findin...

I finally succumbed and bought Volume 7 of the new Little Rascals single-disc sets at Sam's Club today for $5. Now I have about five different versions of the same shorts on different DVD's (including that smacked-up set that Genius put out a few years ago). As noted in this thread, the shorts do ha...

I always loved the Chase silent two-reeler NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE (1929), which was used behind the main titles of Robert Youngson's WHEN COMEDY WAS KING (1960). Based upon that, I was anxious to see the Chase sound shorts, too. But at least in my own humble opinion, very few of them rose to the level ...

I always loved the Chase silent two-reeler NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE (1929), which was used behind the main titles of Robert Youngson's WHEN COMEDY WAS KING (1960). Based upon that, I was anxious to see the Chase sound shorts, too. But at least in my own humble opinion, very few of them rose to the level o...