Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

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: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon May 13, 2013 11:46 pm

A nameless one, (Coolcatdaddy) filted:

"I was sorting through some old material the other day and ran into a couple of old time radio show cassettes that Blackhawk Films sold through the catalogue for a brief period back in the day - I wish I'd picked up more of them because the sound quality was excellent. These were branded by Blackhawk.

The reason I'm posting here is that I distinctly recall that Blackhawk also sold audio cassettes of instrumental accompaniment for some of their silent films, aimed at people who had bought silent prints and didn't have a sound projector.

I've never run into any of these cassettes on the used market. Anyone else remember them or am I imagining things? Any idea what titles were offered?"


Then Paul Penna added:

“Can't help with Blackhawk, but I still have this oddity on hand. Can't remember how I got it - though probably via an ad in Movie Collector's World in the 70s - or if I ever actually used it with my Two Tars Blackhawk Super-8 print.”

(attached picture of tape box and label)

What Paul Penna has is an old tape from Essex Film Club/Griggs Moviedrome who offered a number of scores to silent films, both features and shorts, on tape, either recorded live at Essex Film Club meetings, or specially recorded. Most of them were performed by either Stuart Oderman, Paul Norman, or Clark Wallace and were rather good and, for the most part, recorded to be played at the proper speeds. I have a number of these and have used them for years, including the one Paul shows a picture of from TWO TARS. For years, Clark Wallace’s score for DOUBLE WHOOPIE was my generic Laurel and Hardy score for our Movie Nights, it worked with ANY Laurel and Hardy silent comedy.

Blackhawk did indeed offer both record albums of silent film music and later audio cassettes. Two of the best were the old Arthur Kleiner albums, MUSIC FOR SILENT FILMS and MUSIC FOR SILENT COMEDIES, and they had copies of William Perry’s MUSIC FROM “THE SILENT YEARS”. All of these were perfect to run alongside a home silent movie showing, the music was generic, and strangely seemed to fit amazingly well with a large number of silent films.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Louie Despres
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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Louie Despres » Mon May 13, 2013 11:51 pm

Hehe, I'm going to copy what you wrote and paste it on over there and sign it "RMR"!

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon May 13, 2013 11:55 pm

Louie Despres wrote:Hehe, I'm going to copy what you wrote and paste it on over there and sign it "RMR"!


Nitrateville don't get my words anymore, but it's certainly okay to tell folk over there to come over here and read them.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Joe Migliore » Tue May 14, 2013 5:34 am

Louie Despres wrote:
Hehe, I'm going to copy what you wrote and paste it on over there and sign it "RMR"!


Do you think the pseudonym "Richard Banned" would cause any confusion?



Richard M Roberts wrote:
Blackhawk did indeed offer both record albums of silent film music and later audio cassettes. Two of the best were the old Arthur Kleiner albums, MUSIC FOR SILENT FILMS and MUSIC FOR SILENT COMEDIES, and they had copies of William Perry’s MUSIC FROM “THE SILENT YEARS”. All of these were perfect to run alongside a home silent movie showing, the music was generic, and strangely seemed to fit amazingly well with a large number of silent films.


I always liked the jazz band that accompanied those Time/Life Harold Lloyd features. Did any of that music make it to vinyl?

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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Rob Farr » Tue May 14, 2013 12:39 pm

I think the jazz band you're referring to is the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They have plenty of CDs and MP3s available. Don't know if they actually scored Safety Last or whether the accompaniment was done by needle drop from their catalog. Anyone know?
Rob Farr
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Richard M Roberts
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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue May 14, 2013 12:52 pm

Rob Farr wrote:I think the jazz band you're referring to is the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They have plenty of CDs and MP3s available. Don't know if they actually scored Safety Last or whether the accompaniment was done by needle drop from their catalog. Anyone know?


Sorry Rob it wasn't Preservation Hall, it was the Crescent City Jazz Band.The only movie I know is particlly scored by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is Woody Allen's SLEEPER (which has one of my favorite jazz scores, did that ever have a soundtrack album?).

Crescent City's music for the Harold lloyd films was allright, just didn't fit the films worth a damn. No album that I recall, not even a 45 single for Neal Hefti's theme song. Anyone remember the lyrics to that? I remember OUR lyrics to that song:

"Harold Lloyd---Harold Lloyd
What a Noid----Harold Lloyd
These prints you might want to avoid."


RICHARD M ROBERTS

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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby David B Pearson » Wed Jun 05, 2013 7:50 pm

Richard M Roberts wrote:"Harold Lloyd---Harold Lloyd
What a Noid----Harold Lloyd
These prints you might want to avoid."

RICHARD M ROBERTS



Hooray for Harold Lloyd!
Harold Lloyd -- Harold Lloyd
Laugh a while
He's got style!
A pair of glasses and a smile.
Hooray for Harold Lloyd!
Harold Lloyd -- Harold Lloyd
Beep-be-be-beepi-bop!

DBP

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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Eric Stott » Sun Jun 09, 2013 4:05 pm

I fondly recall those Lloyd prints, even with the snips and edits, because back then I didn't care - Lloyd was on TV and one high school student was excited!

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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Blackhawk Cassettes

Postby Uli Ruedel » Mon Jun 10, 2013 2:57 am

Still wondering -- how come that in those days, when it seems the rest of the world saw those edited Time Life prints at best -- that Germans were treated to complete, nicely scored, 'restored' (if sometimes excessively speed-corrected) versions of 24 Lloyd films, including all the major features, from 1980 onwards on public broadcaster, ZDF? This was overseen by ZDF's Jürgen Labenski and Gerd Luft, and it must have been with the cooperation of the Lloyd Trust in some manner (the description of an accompanying documentary mentions 'Richard Correll, the curator of the Lloyd archive' -- does that give a lead?). And yes, they did use the Hefti theme, song, but without either lyrics...

Uli


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