Nitrateville Answer Dept: THE TOY THAT GREW UP

So you want to discuss silent drama, science fiction, horror, noir, mystery and other NON-COMEDY films? Look no further, this is the place.
Richard M Roberts
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Nitrateville Answer Dept: THE TOY THAT GREW UP

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon Sep 16, 2024 8:18 am

An almost interesting discussion of the old NET Public Television series THE TOY THAT GREW UP has erupted over on Nitwitville:

https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36398

And that guy that's obsessed with METROPOLIS and other various silent films and their various incarnations is busily speculating about what print of METROPOLIS they showed and why the series was cancelled in 1971 seems to need a few answers.

Well, as the person who ended up with a large portion of Robert Seipp's (the producer of THE TOY THAT GREW UP) film collection and knowing some of the folk involved, I can answer some of those questions. Most of the prints that Seipp showed were prints from his collection and most of those prints came from Griggs Moviedrome, Charlie Tarbox's Film Classics Exchange, Blackhawk Films, and a handful of borrowed or purchased Kodascopes or prints from other collectors, and towards the end, a very few films licensed from MOMA or LOC, but very few.

The print of METROPOLIS shown was the Griggs-Moviedrome print, and that showing as well as the showing of THE KID got WTTW in some hot water with various owners like Janus Films and Roy Export, which is why those were not re-run or syndicated, and added to the cancellation of the show. Yet the main reason the show disappeared from the airwaves had as much to do with NET being replaced by PBS as anything else. PBS was taking over as an actual Public Television Network, and they had contracted to do new silent films shows like Paul Killiam's THE SILENT YEARS and FILM ODDYSEY, which showcased the Janus Films collection, among others, and basically most the NET syndicated shows slowly and quietly receded into the background after their syndication contracts expired, with the exceptions of big sellers like SESAME STREET and MR. ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD which PBS made even more successful. WTTW, having learned it's licensing lesson, did continue a silent film program with those MGM silents they did cut a deal on, but by that time they had to syndicate through Gold-Key because NET no longer existed and PBS didn't take the show. That package got sporadic and spotty broadcast compared to TOY THAT GREW UP, but offered the only opportunity to see some MGM silents until Turner Classic Movies came along.

THE TOY THAT GREW UP was a pioneering show for introducing complete silent features to television audiences, but it was also done in an era when no one was really paying attention to any "rights" on these old silent films. A lot of the prints shown were not particularly high quality, either print-wise or level of transfer, and anyone watching any of the surviving episodes today would most likely find their virgin eyeballs offended, but it was an important show to the folk like myself who got to see those film for the first time thanks to Mr. Seipp, WTTW and NET. That print of VARIETY you see in the lone episode up on Youtube now sits on one of my shelves, and that and the rest of Mr. Seipp's prints that I have do have that sentimental value attached.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

William Ferry
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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: THE TOY THAT GREW UP

Postby William Ferry » Tue Sep 17, 2024 8:52 pm

I remember this show quite fondly. IIRC, this provided my first exposure to DREAMS OF A RAREBIT FIEND, THE BIG SWALLOW, MR. HURRY UP OF NEW YORK, Thomas Jefferson as RIP VAN WINKLE, and countless others. I also seem to remember that, at the end of an episode on Mack Sennett, as the host made the outro ("Our films today came from these sources"), he got a pie in the face from offscreen.

Ed Watz
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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: THE TOY THAT GREW UP

Postby Ed Watz » Mon Feb 03, 2025 3:41 am

The first complete (i.e., non-Youngson compilation) Charley Chase silent I ever saw was on THE TOY THAT GREW UP, around 1966. The film was DOG SHY, which I enjoyed so much that my uncle took me to Willoughby's that weekend on a chase for more Charley. We picked up their Regent Films 8mm prints of DOG SHY, CRAZY LIKE A FOX, and JEFFRIES JUNIOR...the start of my lifelong appreciation of Charley (and with the Blu-ray release of Charley Chase at Hal Roach: The Late Silents 1927this obsession obviously continues into the present day!).
"Of course he smiled -- just like you and me." -- Harold Goodwin, on Buster Keaton (1976)

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: THE TOY THAT GREW UP

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon Feb 03, 2025 8:37 pm

Ed Watz wrote:The first complete (i.e., non-Youngson compilation) Charley Chase silent I ever saw was on THE TOY THAT GREW UP, around 1966. The film was DOG SHY, which I enjoyed so much that my uncle took me to Willoughby's that weekend on a chase for more Charley. We picked up their Regent Films 8mm prints of DOG SHY, CRAZY LIKE A FOX, and JEFFRIES JUNIOR...the start of my lifelong appreciation of Charley (and with the Blu-ray release of Charley Chase at Hal Roach: The Late Silents 1927this obsession obviously continues into the present day!).


Geez Ed, now that you mention that, I do remember TOY THAT GREW UP showing DOG SHY. I don't think it was my first Charley Chase (I saw him in the Youngson compilations first), but it would definitely have been an early one.

The Regent print of CRAZY LIKE A FOX was the one to get over the Blackhawk, it was complete and the Blackhawk wasn't. I think I got the first two from Select Film Library, but I got JEFFRIES JR from either Charlie Tarbox or Murray Glass. The Regent 8mm's were nice and I still have them, even if I have replaced them with Kodascopes or Marlu-Telefilms 16mm since.

RICHARD M ROBERTS


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