Posted: October 19th, 2007, 5:02 pm
Mr. Eyman,
While I must confess to having not read any of your books to date, I fully intend to do so. I have been a Silent film fan for about 30 years. My family had lots of the old Blackhawk films releases in Super 8 millimeter film format, when I was a Kid.
My Father started collecting these in about 1976. He ordered a couple Tom Mix western's, because He had met Tom Mix when he was a boy back in the 1930's in person. He came to town with his own traveling Circus troop. A little later He picked up some Bill Hart films, and it just kind of escalated from there.
In 1977, I saw the 1969 Robert Youngson compilation FOUR CLOWNS on a local channel, and that piqued my interest in Silent Comedy. I purchased some books, on Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton, and got many others through the Library.
In 1979, I got to see Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS, and Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN at the local Cinema Art's Guild. Both with between 50 to 70 people in attendance, what an unforgettable experience! I had dreamed of seeing THE FRESHMAN for 2 years, and was not disappointed! Never to this day, have I heard such un-bridled laughter in a Theater!
By the very early 80's, we had Blackhawk editions of Five of Harold Lloyd's 11 Silent features of the 1920's. Actually I still have them.
Over the years I have seen, and collected somewhere in the neighborhood, of 600 Silent features, and I never fail to be amazed at just how good so many of these films actually are.
I dearly love Mary Pickford's films, and have seen virtually all of the features. I am pretty disappointed that Milestone has not released restorations of titles such as REBECCA OF SUNNY BROOK FARM, ROMANCE OF THE REDWOODS, THE LITTLE AMERICAN, JOHANNA ENLISTS, POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL, POLLYANNA, DOROTHY VERNON OF HADDON HALL, and Especially, LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY, Which was offered on Image Laser-disc years ago.
Nothing new has been released by Milestone in the Pickford series, since THROUGH THE BACK DOOR, and LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY, well over a year ago? Both of them excellent features by the way. I personally feel among Mary's very best. Are there more titles still forth coming in the series? I sure hope so?
One of my latest obsessions is wistful Colleen Moore. It breaks my heart that none of her surviving Silent's have been offered on official DVD, by the major companies so far?
I find her films delightful, highly entertaining, vastly underrated, and sadly under-evaluated! I desperately would like to see her surviving work fully restored, and released on DVD! Part of the problem is apparently the First National merger with Warner Brothers, that has left her neglected for decades on end?
However, It's my understanding that at least three of Colleen's features of the 1920's, are undergoing restoration efforts at this time. HER WILD OAT (1927), LILAC TIME (1928), and her final Silent film WHY BE GOOD? (1929). I hope that this means that we might actually be seeing these movies someplace, not that they are just going to be re-mastered, and stashed away again?
While I must confess to having not read any of your books to date, I fully intend to do so. I have been a Silent film fan for about 30 years. My family had lots of the old Blackhawk films releases in Super 8 millimeter film format, when I was a Kid.
My Father started collecting these in about 1976. He ordered a couple Tom Mix western's, because He had met Tom Mix when he was a boy back in the 1930's in person. He came to town with his own traveling Circus troop. A little later He picked up some Bill Hart films, and it just kind of escalated from there.
In 1977, I saw the 1969 Robert Youngson compilation FOUR CLOWNS on a local channel, and that piqued my interest in Silent Comedy. I purchased some books, on Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton, and got many others through the Library.
In 1979, I got to see Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS, and Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN at the local Cinema Art's Guild. Both with between 50 to 70 people in attendance, what an unforgettable experience! I had dreamed of seeing THE FRESHMAN for 2 years, and was not disappointed! Never to this day, have I heard such un-bridled laughter in a Theater!
By the very early 80's, we had Blackhawk editions of Five of Harold Lloyd's 11 Silent features of the 1920's. Actually I still have them.
Over the years I have seen, and collected somewhere in the neighborhood, of 600 Silent features, and I never fail to be amazed at just how good so many of these films actually are.
I dearly love Mary Pickford's films, and have seen virtually all of the features. I am pretty disappointed that Milestone has not released restorations of titles such as REBECCA OF SUNNY BROOK FARM, ROMANCE OF THE REDWOODS, THE LITTLE AMERICAN, JOHANNA ENLISTS, POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL, POLLYANNA, DOROTHY VERNON OF HADDON HALL, and Especially, LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY, Which was offered on Image Laser-disc years ago.
Nothing new has been released by Milestone in the Pickford series, since THROUGH THE BACK DOOR, and LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY, well over a year ago? Both of them excellent features by the way. I personally feel among Mary's very best. Are there more titles still forth coming in the series? I sure hope so?
One of my latest obsessions is wistful Colleen Moore. It breaks my heart that none of her surviving Silent's have been offered on official DVD, by the major companies so far?
I find her films delightful, highly entertaining, vastly underrated, and sadly under-evaluated! I desperately would like to see her surviving work fully restored, and released on DVD! Part of the problem is apparently the First National merger with Warner Brothers, that has left her neglected for decades on end?
However, It's my understanding that at least three of Colleen's features of the 1920's, are undergoing restoration efforts at this time. HER WILD OAT (1927), LILAC TIME (1928), and her final Silent film WHY BE GOOD? (1929). I hope that this means that we might actually be seeing these movies someplace, not that they are just going to be re-mastered, and stashed away again?