SilentComedyMafia.com

I just acquired some extremely rare 9.5mm prints. These were actually the final things released on the gauge and some of them i have never seen advertised on the gauge...The trick is they were issued as sound on disc titles, and I have the films but not the discs, so i am hoping to find the audio and recreate the discs....If anyone has prints, or knows of quality videos of the following i'd love to get copies to get the sound from, and recreate the discs so I could play them as sound on disc titles......If you can help get in touch with me at my work address deverett_at_cinema.usc.edu

The comedy titles are each 2 reelers and are as follows:
RUBEVILLE (1929) - w/Harry Watson,
BEACH BABIES (1929) - w/ Charles Kemper, Evalyn Knapp
SOME BABIES (1930) - w/ Little Billy , Bob Carney and Ruth Hiatt
RICH UNCLES (1930) - w/ Richard Carle and Addie McPhail (Arbuckle)
TRAFFIC TANGLE (1930) w/ Nat Carr, Dot Farley and Bud Jamison

Looks like good stuff! I hope you can get them all restored with their sound tracks.

I know film prints are out there (and thankfully so, as it's a good one!) of TRAFIC TANGLE, and I do have a video copy. I expect some members of The Mafia probably have film prints. So you should have little trouble getting a recording of the sound for that one. Also, I have the 16-inch "Vitaphone" disc for reel one, if you may have any reason to desire an alternative to a recording from a film or video copy. And although it doesn't help you with the sound track, got a nice lobby card from the short, too.

I'd like to see BEACH BABIES. Got a very nice still from it with star Evalyn Knapp (looking good in a bathing suit!) and Charles Kemper and two others.

Pathe' also put out a home 16mm sound on disc system, I know of at least one collector who turned one up with a number of prints and discs years ago (alas, he has none of the titles mentioned on Dinos list), but there's a good chance that these films could exist in 16mm in either sound on disc or sound on film prints. I have a number of 16mm sound prints of early Pathe sound shorts (again, sadly not any of the ones Dino needs), but apparently they were available in the 16mm rental market and perhaps television (the Pathe shorts department became the RKO-Pathe' and then the RKO shorts department, and I think a number of these Pathe titles ended up in the Guild television package with the rest of the RKO shorts), so I'll dig around and see what I can find. It's nice to see the other Harry Watson short RUBEVILLE turning up there, with 50 MILES FROM BROADWAY having been preserved by LOC and making the rounds (even if it has been incorrectly attributed to star Harry Watson Jr. of MUSTY SUFFER fame), between these two shorts, I think much of the RUBEVILLE touring show was caught on film and is a delight.

Congrats Dino on finding some goodies, I'm sure the soundtracks are out there somewhere.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Richard thanks...any chance i could get a copy of your video and maybe borrow the vitaphone disc if the video sound is not up to par? I have a 16mm home vitaphone system so I can play the disc and make a transfer of it....I'll watch beach babies and take some photos of Evelyn Knapp for you....

and Richard - let me know if you do locate any of the titles in your collection....I am going to try to piece together a 9.5 sound on disc system with a pathe baby and half a westinghouse home vitaphone that my friend has.....

Have you tried The Vitaphone Project? They have done fine work over the years helping to find - and publicize the finding of - disks from a number of Pathe titles, as well as those from Vitaphone and other producers.

Frank

gonna email him a list of titles and see if he can help..good idea

I own several 1929-31 Pathe comedies in 16mm sound.
My 1934 Kodak print of Traffic Tangles is missing the main and end titles, but is otherwise complete.
Do you have frame blow ups of the title section?

Ralph

Your email address seems to be incorrect. What is correct?