Columbia TV prints in the late 70s

[antoniod]

Anyone there remember when TV prints of vintage Columbia films suddenly took on a fuzzy, dupey quality? I started to notice this in the late 70s. The print of CAINE MUTINY was particularly bad, looking alternately like a kinescope off another airing and a blow-up from 8MM. If there's a backstory to this, I'd like to hear it.

[Jack Theakston]

WRS in Pittsburgh did Columbia's printing in the '70s. There's that triangle of quality in business that you have to pick two from: quality, speed and cost. Well, WRS lost the quality in that equation.

Several years ago, when the lab was closing down, I went through to find elements for several companies. One of these days, I'd love to write an article about the place (sadly, I took no photos), but the eeriness of it all makes for a great story.

[momsne]

Some more information on WRS. It took until July 2008 to sell the complex of buildings where WRS stored and processed film. At least there was no fire, unlike what happened to the Little Ferry, NJ Fox Film film vault in 1937, which went up in flames from burning nitrate films.
---
Nationally known Crafton film firm meets demise after 49 years
Sunday, August 26, 2001
By Stephanie Franken, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
http://old.post-gazette.com/businessnew ... 26bnp3.asp" target="_blank

On Thursday, Jack Napor stood before a federal judge in Pittsburgh, pleading his own case to regain control of the well-known film company he had run for the past 42 years. As he would later say, "I can't afford an attorney because I've lost everything."

Thirteen days ago, Napor resigned as president and chief executive officer of WRS Motion Picture and Video Laboratory, one of the few large film production and restoration companies outside Hollywood.

The Crafton-based company, with a payroll of $8 million and 240 employees, was one of the brightest stars of the Pittsburgh film industry, with customers such as Disney and Paramount and the original copy of films such as "Night of the Living Dead" stored in its air-tight vaults.

And Napor, its longtime chief executive, was one of the leading figures in the local film scene. He was named 47th on a 1999 list of Pittsburgh's Top 50 Cultural Power Brokers by the Post-Gazette, for his position at WRS and for the thousands of dollars he gave to aspiring filmmakers in his mother's honor at the annual Laura Napor Film Grant Awards.

"They are -- or were -- one of the largest film labs in the country," said Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office. "They do really great work."

Abruptly this month, however, WRS fell apart. A slow economy combined with heavy debt led to a bank foreclosure and Napor's resignation. Within days, WRS had ceased operations, a bank-appointed crisis manager had stepped in to manage the company's assets, and employment had dropped to only a handful.

For those closely involved -- Napor, former WRS employees and the Pittsburgh film community -- the shutdown of WRS has been a traumatic lesson in how quickly a prominent enterprise can be reduced to court documents, creditors' claims and collateral equipment.

49-year climb, sudden fall

WRS was founded in 1952 by Warren R. Smith and funded in part by the late radio personality Rege Cordic. In 1958, a young Jack Napor was tapped to head the small company, then located in Oakland.

By the early 1960s, WRS faced financial problems, but Napor devised a plan to bring in new business: The company would sell blank film to high school sports teams and then develop the schools' tapes. That saved the company, and WRS became one of the largest sports film processors.

By 1988, the business had grown. The local offices moved to Crafton. Branch offices would open in Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles. In addition to storing videos, WRS restored old movies, processed new films, converted film to video and stored hundreds of thousands of film reels in special climate-controlled vaults. The company's restorative work included "Raging Bull" and the "James Bond" and "Pink Panther" series.

Despite the high-profile work, however, financial problems grew as the economy slowed. Earlier this year, rumors circulated among workers about denied health-care claims. In July, Napor acknowledged in a letter to employees that Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield had canceled coverage for nonpayment. And earlier this month, Napor told workers that the National Bank of Canada had foreclosed on a $4.4 million loan. WRS would go out of business.

The news was a shock to employees, many of whom had worked there for well over a decade. Feelings of loyalty soon turned to confusion and anger.

Facing unemployment in a slow economy and still awaiting their final paycheck, workers learned of additional surprises.

Money deducted from some of their paychecks for health insurance didn't reach the insurer; some money still was owed to 401(k) plans; and some funds garnisheed from paychecks for child support didn't reach the agency collecting it.

401(k) worries

"We've all got a life, rent, a mortgage," said former WRS worker Bill Carl, who contacted the U.S. Department of Labor after observing that WRS had fallen behind on 401(k) payments it was deducting from his paycheck.

Rochelle Thomas said she borrowed against her 401(k) to pay off a $1,300 credit card balance. She said WRS deducted her biweekly repayment to her 401(k) plan but did not forward the payments to Cigna, the administrator of the 401(k) plan.

Thomas said Cigna told her, "I either have to pay the loan back in full or let it default and pay taxes and penalties for the loan."

Carl and other workers interviewed have expressed their concerns and shown documents to Mike Piro of the U.S. Department of Labor. Piro, who investigates worker complaints, declined comment.

Court documents and an attorney close to the case echo the employees' 401(k) concerns.

[Ray Faiola]

There's that triangle of quality...

Good one, Jack! Triangle Labs did Columbia's 8mm printing!!

Part of the blame of CPTV's 70's prints quality has to be shared with the studio itself, who ran its master materials into the ground. Even a later print of a CRIME DOCTOR picture looks fine. But MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON? Absolute mush with missing opticals (a terrible cut in the tour bus montage) and horrible dupe footage. I finally picked up a near-mint 1955 printdown and it was a total revelation. Fortunately, the studio's library seems now to be in very capable hands.

[momsne]

One of my favorite movies, Anthony Mann's "The Black Book," always looked terrible on TCM airings until Columbia/Sony restored the movie. When TCM shows Columbia movies from the 1930s and 1940s these days, the movies have fine image quality. Unlike Warner Bros, it seems that no one at Columbia wants to spring for the cost of closed captions for many of the old Columbia movies that air on TCM.

[Ray Faiola]

THE BLACK BOOK was an Eagle-Lion release. Probably shot at Pathe Studios.

[Bob Birchard]

THE BLACK BOOK was an Eagle-Lion release. Probably shot at Pathe Studios.

Yes, it was, though first released as "Reign of Terror" and the name changed to "The Black Book" shortly thereafter. The film is owned by Sony Pictures/Columbia now.

[Ray Faiola]

Another E-L from the period is RUTHLESS. For years, the only thing to see was an edited tv print. I picked up a virtually mint Kodak last year. Now it appears there is a fine 35mm transfer extant. Did Sony pick up RUTHLESS as well?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ESaVDVndxg" target="_blank

[Rick Lanham]

Another E-L from the period is RUTHLESS. For years, the only thing to see was an edited tv print. I picked up a virtually mint Kodak last year. Now it appears there is a fine 35mm transfer extant. Did Sony pick up RUTHLESS as well?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ESaVDVndxg" target="_blank" target="_blank

I don't know about Sony, but Olive films put it out on BluRay earlier this year:

http://www.amazon.com/Ruthless-Blu-ray- ... r+ruthless" target="_blank

Rick

[Ray Faiola]

That means it wound up in the NTA package and went to Paramount. Interesting.