A few nuggest found

Michael F. Blake · Post by **Michael F. Blake** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:47 am

Just got off the phone with Kevin Brownlow and he confirmed that roughly 2 1/2 reels (approx. 25 minutes) of Maurice Tourneur's TREASURE ISLAND has been found, transferred to safety stock.

It came from a Czech film archive. There had been rumors of a print floating around for close to a year, but those in-the-know kept a lid on it. Guess they had to do a lot of horsetrading to get the nitrate print and then get it fixed up ($$$).

According to Kevin, there are titles (in Czech) which will eventually be translated to English. He says the overall quality is great, not too much wear & tear. the opening 3 minutes is choppy, missing frames, etc., which makes the action & actors jump around. There are 3 sequences. The first one is pretty jumpy, but you can follow, the second is on a ship (Kevin says it looks great, but I couldn't tell from what he said if it is a pirate ship with Long John Silver) and then the remainder is on the island.

The good news, for me anyway, is that a lot of the footage on the island sequence features Lon as Merry the pirate. There is a brief clip (in the jumpy part) of Lon as Pew, but Kevin says you don't get a great look at him & the makeup as one would wish, because of the jump cuts. He says there is a closeup of Lon, but it is too brief. Rats!

I guess UCLA wqas trying to get the safety print in time for an unveiling at their current festival of preservation, but timing wasn't in their favor. I will get to take a gander at a copy of the print in a few weeks. Kevin is already in talks with the Motion Picture Academy to have some sort of showing in the fall, as they also recovered & restored some behind-the-scene shots from NAPOLEON and some reels of an early William S. Hart western and a Lois Weber film thought to be missing.

Arndt · Post by **Arndt** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:08 pm

Great news on any day of the year but today!

LouieD · Post by **LouieD** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:45 pm

Sure, and I got a copy of "4 Devils" on 9.5mm stock.

Richard M Roberts · Post by **Richard M Roberts** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:37 pm

More proof that goodies are still turning up all of the time. Great news!

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Darren Nemeth · Post by **Darren Nemeth** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:54 pm

Is this an April Fools joke??

Michael F. Blake · Post by **Michael F. Blake** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:27 pm

What?? You honestly think I'd pull a gag like this on Lon Chaney's birthday???

I'm shocked! Shocked to think you'd think that!

Michael F. Blake

Frederica · Post by **Frederica** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:40 pm

Michael F. Blake wrote:What?? You honestly think I'd pull a gag like this on Lon Chaney's birthday???

I'm shocked! Shocked to think you'd think that!

Michael F. Blake

(Sniff.) It's Nita Naldi's birthday, too.

Fred

Rodney · Post by **Rodney** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:26 pm

Frederica wrote:
Michael F. Blake wrote:What?? You honestly think I'd pull a gag like this on Lon Chaney's birthday???
(Sniff.) It's Nita Naldi's birthday, too.

Fred

AND Wallace Beery. AND Mary Miles Minter. (Says Rodney, after checking his calendar.)

The only film starring Chaney, Naldi, Beery, and Minter is the 1923 version of Dante's Inferno, which is unfortunately considered to be lost. I did find a copy of the theme song, "Dante Up," at an estate sale. The cover is quite striking, with the four principals brandishing cartoonish pitchforks at Ford Sterling, who is holding a giant spoon.

misspickford9 · Post by **misspickford9** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:08 pm

Rodney wrote:
Frederica wrote:
Michael F. Blake wrote:What?? You honestly think I'd pull a gag like this on Lon Chaney's birthday???
(Sniff.) It's Nita Naldi's birthday, too.

Fred
AND Wallace Beery. AND Mary Miles Minter. (Says Rodney, after checking his calendar.)

The only film starring Chaney, Naldi, Beery, and Minter is the 1923 version of Dante's Inferno, which is unfortunately considered to be lost. I did find a copy of the theme song, "Dante Up," at an estate sale. The cover is quite striking, with the four principals brandishing cartoonish pitchforks at Ford Sterling, who is holding a giant spoon.

That is quite possibly the greatest thing I have ever heard of. Makes me sad its lost...quite possibly another Isle of Love!

Richard M Roberts · Post by **Richard M Roberts** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:33 pm

Michael F. Blake wrote:What?? You honestly think I'd pull a gag like this on Lon Chaney's birthday???

I'm shocked! Shocked to think you'd think that!

Michael F. Blake

Ah Blake you bum, it is April 1st isn't it? Well, wish my Grandmother a Happy 103rd birthday as well.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

deverett · Post by **deverett** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:06 am

I should have posted earlier because if UCLA had been sniffing around a new Chaney film, I would have been bugging that preservationist already, so I can safely say that UCLA knows nothing about any new Chaney film, ESPECIALLY 2 1/2 reels of this one....