Lost Talkies Wish List

[busby1959]

Which entirely lost talkies would you most like to see discovered? These should be purely personal choices.

Mine would be: MY MAN (1928)
HONKY TONK (1929)
PARIS (1929)
FOOTLIGHTS AND FOOLS (1929)
MARRIED IN HOLLYWOOD (1929)
THE ROGUE SONG (1930)
NO NO NANETTE (1930)
WHAT A WIDOW! (1930)
LEATHERNECKING (1930)
CONVENTION CITY (1933)

[Donald Binks]

"The Rogue Song" has always been out there at the top of my list for ages - but I would also like to see "No No Nanette" as well - having seen it on the stage. There are also quite a few more of those all-colour musicals from the period 1929-1930 that I wouldn't mind seeing too!

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Which entirely lost talkies would you most like to see discovered? These should be purely personal choices.

Mine would be: MY MAN (1928)
HONKY TONK (1929)
PARIS (1929)
FOOTLIGHTS AND FOOLS (1929)
MARRIED IN HOLLYWOOD (1929)
THE ROGUE SONG (1930)
NO NO NANETTE (1930)
WHAT A WIDOW! (1930)
LEATHERNECKING (1930)
CONVENTION CITY (1933)

Would be happy if any of these ever turn up, although I understand MY MAN has three reels and the soundtrack discs, and THE ROGUE SONG has odds and ends surviving as well as the discs.

I can also add:-
THE TERROR (1928)
TENDERLOIN (1928)
NAPOLEON'S BARBER (1928)
LILIES OF THE FIELD (1930)
SONG OF THE WEST (1930)
THE CAT CREEPS (1930)
BRIDE OF THE REGIMENT (1930) for starters, also a couple by the British John Baxter which seem to be lost, A REAL BLOKE (1935) and MEN OF YESTERDAY (1936), though I think a few of his are missing.

I have always intrigued by George Pearson's EAST LYNNE ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) and 1929's THE BURGOMASTER OF STILMONDE, but have no idea of their survival. Also a film called M'BLIMEY (1931), which (possibly with good reason) seems never to have been released...

Perhaps one can add films which are still believed to be incomplete, or are lacking their Technicolor...

As the home video market and the internet has brought dozens of previously unavailable movies back into the fold, we might be pleasantly surprised.

[oldposterho]

As a corollary to The Cat Creeps would love to see La Voluntad del Muerto as well. The Monkey's Paw would be a good one too, but definitely have Convention City at the top of the list.

[CoffeeDan]

The Warner Archive commented on their Facebook page a while back that LEATHERNECKING (1930), Irene Dunne's film debut, is not lost.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

The Warner Archive commented on their Facebook page a while back that LEATHERNECKING (1930), Irene Dunne's film debut, is not lost.

Richard Barrios also listed LEATHERNECKING as extant (in A Song in the Dark), though missing the colour elements. Of course he may have amended this in later printings...

[vitaphone]

Just to clarify, there are no known picture elements surviving for MY MAN,

[busby1959]

The Warner Archive commented on their Facebook page a while back that LEATHERNECKING (1930), Irene Dunne's film debut, is not lost.

That's good to know - thank you! Now all they need to do is release it...I won't hold my breath.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Just to clarify, there are no known picture elements surviving for MY MAN,

Looks like someone [with the evidence] needs to amend Wikipedia on that point...

[silentfilm]

This is just a short comedy, but Raymond Griffith's Al Christie short Post Mortems (1929) was supposed to be very funny.

[entredeuxguerres]

Just to clarify, there are no known picture elements surviving for MY MAN,

Looks like someone [with the evidence] needs to amend Wikipedia on that point...

With the evidence, with a high aggravation-tolerance, & with a LOT of spare time.

[vitaphone]

Touche entredeuxguerres! How to you provide evidence something DOESN''T exist? I'll leave the correction to others if they wish to spend time on correcting the erroneous post in wiki.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Touche entredeuxguerres! How to you provide evidence something DOESN''T exist? I'll leave the correction to others if they wish to spend time on correcting the erroneous post in wiki.

I merely meant that there must be some kind of information to counter the claim that part of the film WASN'T extant. Of course I accept the argument that one cannot prove a film's non-survival as that is self-evident, apart from those cases of studio / laboratory fires, etc. destroying a film before release...

One can only counter rumours of survival or part-survival with the question "Where is it?"

[Prince Saliano]

THE CAT CREEPS (1930) is my #1.
THE GORILLA (1930)
THE MONKEY'S PAW (1933)
THE DEVIL'S MATE (1933)
KISMET (1930)
Billie Dove's lost talkies

[Rollo Treadway]

Marshall Neilan's The Awful Truth (1929) starring Ina Claire and Henry Daniell




Three with Winnie Lightner:

Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929)
She Couldn't Say No (1930)
Hold Everything (1930)

[Henry Nicolella]

Having just seen the 1928 FORGOTTEN FACES at Capitolfest, I'd love to see the 1936 version directed by E.A. Dupont. I don't know if it should considered definitely lost but it's certainly elusive.
Henry Nicolella

[drednm]

I think Gloria Swanson searched for years for What a Widow! and never found it.

[busby1959]

I think Gloria Swanson searched for years for What a Widow! and never found it.

I'm still hoping that it will turn up somewhere. I'm a big Swanson fan.

[Prince Saliano]

STARK MAD (WB, 1929)

[Harlowgold]

FANNY FOLEY HERSELF, an early two-color feature from 1931 starring Edna May Oliver.

Also it appears every one of Corinne Griffith's talkie-era films outside of BACK PAY is currently lost: SATURDAY'S CHILDREN, LILY CHRISTINE, PRISONERS, LILLIES OF THE FIELD.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

FANNY FOLEY HERSELF, an early two-color feature from 1931 starring Edna May Oliver.

Also it appears every one of Corinne Griffith's talkie-era films outside of BACK PAY is currently lost: SATURDAY'S CHILDREN, LILY CHRISTINE, PRISONERS, LILLIES OF THE FIELD.

I suspect you know this, but there is a brief, tantalising clip of LILIES OF THE FIELD (1930) in the Joe E Brown film THE TENDERFOOT (1933) in which Brown and friend visit a live show which turns out to be LILIES! The clip is on YT...