"Convention City" on YouTube?

[sethb]

We know that the Vitaphone Project has been looking for the 1933 film "Convention City" for a while, with the understanding that it is a "lost" film.

I just happened to come across what appears to be the opening titles for that film, on YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9HYkU0xFFg. From the looks of it, this is either a mediocre dupe or a video, or perhaps a video of a mediocre dupe. But it does seems to be the Real McKoy, or else a very good fake.

What gives? SETH

[Jim Reid]

We know that the Vitaphone Project has been looking for the 1933 film "Convention City" for a while, with the understanding that it is a "lost" film.

I just happened to come across what appears to be the opening titles for that film, on YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9HYkU0xFFg" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank. From the looks of it, this is either a mediocre dupe or a video, or perhaps a video of a mediocre dupe. But it does seems to be the Real McKoy, or else a very good fake.

What gives? SETH

It's a fake. The white text is computer generated. Not a good fake either.

[vitaphone]

It's a nice attempt by my friend, pianist Peter Mintun, to show what the opening credits might have looked like. We showed it at Film Forum this February before the live performance of the entire script by Broadway actors.Was a perfect entree.

[CoffeeDan]

The original opening credit sequence (up to where the titles appear) is from GRAND SLAM (1933).

[Richard Finegan]

The main titles music for CONVENTION CITY was the 1933 song "Lonely Lane" (Irving Kahal & Sammy Fain) from the 1933 Warner Bros. movie COLLEGE COACH, in which it was sung by Dick Powell. The tune was used five times in CONVENTION CITY and once in the movie's trailer (but no vocal versions).

[Roseha]

The original opening credit sequence (up to where the titles appear) is from GRAND SLAM (1933).

I just watched GRAND SLAM this week and it was amusing to hear also that the opening music of Let's Do It, You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me, and the third number which I didn't recognize, was inserted into the CONVENTION CITY "teaser" along with the opening image of the hand with the cards.

I guess the film still hasn't turned up?

[Spiny Norman]

It's a weird hobby some people have. The differences in quality rather give it away.

I saw another one months ago, someone had compiled scenes some cheap German sex romp from the 1970s, and tried to pass it off as "the unaired pilot for a German remake of Dad's army". Total bollocks, of course.