Searching For Rare Silent Movies

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Gagman 66
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Searching For Rare Silent Movies

Post by Gagman 66 »

:? Hey folks, I am looking for several rare Silent films. I have had no success finding any of these. So I thought that I might inquire here, and see what might happen?

Has anybody seen these movies before? Your help in finding the films, would be greatly appreciated! I have gobs of stuff to trade! Here is the tentative list of titles That I seek:

FORBIDDEN PARADISE (Paramount, 1924) Pola Negri, Pauline Stark, Adolphe Menjou. Directed By Ernst Lubitsch.

SALLY, IRENE, AND MARY[ (MGM, 1925) Constance Bennett, Joan Crawford, Sally O'Neil, William Haines.[

SLIDE, KELLY, SLIDE (MGM, 1927) William Haines, Sally O'Neil, Harry Carey, Johnny Mack Brown.

THE FIRE BRIGADE (MGM, 1927) Charles Ray, May McCovey.

SHE'S A SHEIK (Paramount, 1927) Bebe Daniels.

THE COSSACKS (MGM, 1928) John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Nils Asther, Directed by Clarence Brown. (Note, I know of someone who has this one, but will not trade!)

RAMONA (United Artists, 1928) Delores Del Rio.

FAZIL (Fox, 1928) Charles Farrell.

THE FIRST KISS (Paramount, 1928) Gary Cooper, Fay Wray. Directed By Rowland V. Lee.

LUCKY STAR (Fox, 1929) Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell.
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Post by pktrekgirl »

I can't speak about the others, Jeffrey...but I doubt you'll find THE FIRST KISS.

I have done a pretty extensive search for all existing Gary Cooper films...and I would really be surprised if you were able to uncover this one.

I hope you do...and I really hope you uncover SHE'S A SHEIK and THE COSSACKS as well as I'd love to get ahold of those. But I wouldn't knock yourself out trying to find ANY Gary Cooper film that is not in my list. ;)
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Gagman 66
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Post by Gagman 66 »

pktrekgirl,

:( Well, THE FIRST KISS does still exist! But it appears to be stashed away in the Paramount vault someplace? I don't know if anyone has seen it since it was first released? I do have a tune from the original musical track, in Windows Media Player.

Might be much the same with Lubitsch FORBIDDEN PARADISE, and SO THIS IS PARIS (Warner Brother's, 1926)? The former I think is complete, but the later might be missing as much as Two full reels?

An amazing clip from SO THIS IS PARIS was shown in the 1979 Thames Documentary HOLLYWOOD.

What was probably Lubitsch greatest Silent at Paramount THE PATRIOT, with Emil Jannings, and Florence Vidor, is completely lost! It disappeared in 1949, and no one has seen it since? All records of the picture just vanished!

Have you watched OLD HEIDELBERG (1927) yet? If not, maybe this weekend?
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Post by pktrekgirl »

Well, I certainly hope you are right about it still existing! I would love to see that film some day...as I would a few other Gary Cooper films that I've not been able to locate.

I believe that I was able to confirm that two of his films are indeed lost films -
LEGION OF THE CONDEMNED (1928)
BEAU SABREUR (1928)


These are both documented in both of the books I own on lost films.

There are a few others that supposedly exist, but that I have not been able to locate. THE FIRST KISS is one of them. CHILDREN OF DIVORCE is another. ARIZONA BOUND and HALF A BRIDE are others. I think there might be a couple more...but I can't remember them right off the bat.

I think virtually all of them are Paramount.

I'd be THRILLED if you could uncover SHE'S A SHEIK. It doesn't get any better than Bebe Daniels and William Powell in a film that supposedly spoofs Valentino! :D
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Post by pktrekgirl »

Jeffrey, I have recently located a copy of THE COSSACKS. I'd have to buy it, the price is pretty steep, and it doesn't have a musical score. However, I'm sure you are relieved to hear that there is more than one source for this film. :wink:

Does the one copy you are aware of have a musical score?
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Gagman 66
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Post by Gagman 66 »

Beda,

:shock: Holy Smokes! How did you ever find both THE COSSACKS (1928), and LUCKY STAR (1929)! That's certainly incredible news! Thanks so much for sharing here!

:roll: Yes, the infamous lady who restored Her own version of THE COSSACKS, added an Orchestral score. I have seen a couple clips from her version, the one that She refuses to share with most anyone! That is except for the brief footage once posted on Real Player last year. The woman might have something posted right now from something she has worked on more recently? I don't know?

:D Meantime I have some good news of my own. Not only have I uncovered a copy of BLACK GOLD with Jetta Goudal, but also the extremely rare John Gilbert feature MAN, WOMAN, AND SIN (1927)! I don't have either of these yet, but I hope to have both of them by sometime next week! :)
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Post by pktrekgirl »

Jeffrey, are you sure it was me who told you I'd found a copy of LUCKY STAR? You mentioned it in your last email as well, but I couldn't find where I told you this.

Now I'm a bit confused (not unusual for me). :P

It's not in my collection right now, and my 'major' usual suspect doesn't have it on his list. Maybe he got it just recently and I have an old list, but remembered talking to him about it on the phone. I have another really huge source, but with him I'd have to check on that individually because he doesn't have a complete list.

However, I DO have access to THE COSSACKS. As I said, I'd have to buy it - the person does not trade. And it has no score. But if it's as rare as you say (and I believe you as you know the silents market much better than I!), then I will take the plunge and buy the thing.

But if you have any information as to where you think I told you I'd get LUCKY STAR from, that would be swell. Cus I cannot find that correspondence. And as you know, I'm all about Janet Gaynor these days. I'll go check the George O'Brien thread...maybe we discussed it there?

However, despite this, I do have other good news. I have found another Ronald Colman silent that I'd previously thought was MIA - THE SPORTING VENUS (1925). I think this might be the last of them though, and I likely now have all Ronald Colman's surviving films (or at least the ones that aren't locked in some vault). I've been through the rest of the list with my two largest pals who have been collecting and trading films for decades, and neither has seen any of the others that are on my outstanding Ronald Colman list.

Let me know about LUCKY STAR - especially if I told you any specifics in email. Now you have me worried that I might be losing it at last. :lol:
Last edited by pktrekgirl on August 8th, 2007, 12:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by pktrekgirl »

Update: Okay. I told you in the George O'Brien thread that I'd found it. Which means I did, indeed, find it.

Only now I gotta find it again because I can't remember where I found it the first time. :roll: :roll:

I REALLY need to start writin' this stuff down. :roll: :roll: :roll: Either that, or hire a secretary.
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Post by pktrekgirl »

Update 2: Good lord almighty! Found it again. :shock:

Jeffrey, you can shoot me now, and put me out of my misery. :roll:

If I forget again, please remind me that both THE COSSACKS and LUCKY STAR are from the same place, along with SLIDE, KELLY, SLIDE.

But again...I'd have to buy 'em - no trading. And I can't afford all of them right now because they are fairly high, and I have no one else to trade them with besides you. :( It's a pretty big investment if I have no one else to trade 'em with.
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Gagman 66
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Post by Gagman 66 »

Beda,

:? Well, If you will tell me who this seller is, maybe I can buy one or two of these from him, and than trade with you later on?

SLIDE, KELLY, SLIDE has been marketed by a few people in the past, at least according to Silentsaregolden.com. But I could never find a copy anyplace for some reason?

:D In December, TCM will be debuting a brand new restoration of another William Haines feature THE SMART SET (1928) with Joan Crawford. It will have a new score by Marcus Sjowell. Who had composed some excellent music for the Eleanor Boardman, Richard Dix feature SOULS FOR SALE a couple years back!

:) Still another William Haines feature SPRING FEVER (1927), is scheduled to premier shortly after the first of the year. It will have a new score by Darrel Raby, who composed what I felt was a very strong score for Tod Browning's THE SHOW last year!

Now I am holding out hope for the Marion Davies comedies, TILLIE THE TOILER, THE FAIR CO-ED, and THE CARDBOARD LOVER! I wish TCM would restore one, or all of these features next!
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Post by pktrekgirl »

^ Hope you got my email about some of those films, Jeffrey.

I know the email has been wonky this weekend....but I've resent you a couple of the mails....
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Gagman 66
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Post by Gagman 66 »

Beda,

:o Not sure what "Wonky" means? But It sure sounds funny! The E-mail has been a Nightmare! I must have sent you half-a dozen of them over the weekend, and I'm not sure how many that you received? I resent a couple of them twice!

:shock: Derek said today He sent me an E-mail on Thursday, but I never got anything until today! I had two or three other instances where the E-mail's did not go anyplace, the past few weeks?

:? Anyway, I am still very interested in those Movies? Ed said on Saturday that He would be willing to help us to procure some of the really rare titles. Does this guy live across the pond, or here in the states? It sounded like He was probably a foreigner?

Incidentally, did you get the package I mailed on Friday?
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Post by pktrekgirl »

I have received several emails from you, Jeffrey - and answered all but one of them. And the only reason I didn't respond to the last one was because it was only referring to all the others I'd already responded to.

I sent several of them a couple of times. Including one about the rare titles I can get from a private collector in Europe.

And no...I haven't received a package from you today. I sent you one on Saturday morning though (in case you didn't get THAT email either), so keep an eye out.
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Gagman 66
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Post by Gagman 66 »

:) Well, it's good to know that the E-mails finally started getting through. I did get a couple responses from you, but two of them I received a couple days after they were sent?

The regular Mail has not been good either. I sent this guy in Richmond Indiana a package via First-Class Mail a week ago. It still has not shown up yet? Normally, it only takes two or three days? Let me know if the latest package I mailed you shows up tomorrow? :roll:
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Fazil still exists.

Post by markfp »

This may not help you, but I did want to let you know that FAZIL does still exist. I'm part of the Syracuse Cinephile Society and each March for the last 27 years we've produce "Cinefest", a four day festival of rare and seldom seen silents and talkies, here in Syracuse, NY.

We ran FAZIL in 1985. Unfortunately, our founder, and scheduler for most of those years died in 2002 and I have no records of where we got it. He kept everything in his head. It could have been a private collection or one of the archives we deal with like Eastman House, Library of Congress or The Museum of Modern Art.

Next time, I see some of the others, who are involved in our group, I'll see if anyone remembers.
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