Silent "Our Gang" question (not the usual one)

[Michael J Hayde]

I've just spent a few dan-dan-dandy hours perusing old issues of THE BILLBOARD on Google Books, and came across something: a couple of articles (from 1955 and '56, respectively) that mention a package of silent "Our Gangs" having gone into distribution, courtesy of "Onyx Picture Corporation." I couldn't locate a trade ad or any other details, save that Pick Temple's Washington DC kid's show would henceforth be playing this package in lieu of westerns (this from the March 1955 article).

Interstate Television's package of Roach "Little Rascals" had gone into distribution the previous fall and by spring was wiping up the competition.

The Maltin-Bann book states that National Telepix Corp distributed "The Mischief Makers," which - courtesy of the wonderfully mind-boggling website theluckycorner.com - I know came about in 1960 (and, according to tvparty.com, swiftly departed the following year, at least in NYC). The book couldn't identify the distributor of the other silent "Our Gang" package, "Those Lovable Scallawags with Their Gangs." Could this be the Onyx package? Or did Onyx merely distribute Pathe (and/or Exclusive) prints with/without music tracks? Does anyone know?

The only further mention I can find of "Onyx Pictures Corporation" is that in 1957 they distributed a feature film, "Carib Gold," starring Ethel Waters and featuring an uncredited Cecily Tyson.

Michael

[Richard M Roberts]

I've just spent a few dan-dan-dandy hours perusing old issues of THE BILLBOARD on Google Books, and came across something: a couple of articles (from 1955 and '56, respectively) that mention a package of silent "Our Gangs" having gone into distribution, courtesy of "Onyx Picture Corporation." I couldn't locate a trade ad or any other details, save that Pick Temple's Washington DC kid's show would henceforth be playing this package in lieu of westerns (this from the March 1955 article).

Interstate Television's package of Roach "Little Rascals" had gone into distribution the previous fall and by spring was wiping up the competition.

The Maltin-Bann book states that National Telepix Corp distributed "The Mischief Makers," which - courtesy of the wonderfully mind-boggling website theluckycorner.com - I know came about in 1960 (and, according to tvparty.com, swiftly departed the following year, at least in NYC). The book couldn't identify the distributor of the other silent "Our Gang" package, "Those Lovable Scallawags with Their Gangs." Could this be the Onyx package? Or did Onyx merely distribute Pathe (and/or Exclusive) prints with/without music tracks? Does anyone know?

The only further mention I can find of "Onyx Pictures Corporation" is that in 1957 they distributed a feature film, "Carib Gold," starring Ethel Waters and featuring an uncredited Cecily Tyson.

Michael

Onyx Pictures has caused all sorts of interest in anyone studying Hal Roach due to their publicity flyer that basically listed all the Hal Roach titles released by Pathe as their catalog. Yet I have never come upon one 16mm print of any Hal Roach title that I can trace to being an Onyx print. So I am still waiting to determine of they ever actually distributed any syndicated prints at all.

The Scallawag's was in fact, put together by Charlie Tarbox of Film Classics Exchange, who attempted several different packages of syndicated television material from his huge collection in the 1950's, of which the Scallawag's was the only one to have any sort of success. He also did a series featuring Cliff Arquette as a host who would do a comic narration over a complete silent dramatic short, the oddity of this case being the narration was actually funny.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Michael J Hayde]

Onyx Pictures has caused all sorts of interest in anyone studying Hal Roach due to their publicity flyer that basically listed all the Hal Roach titles released by Pathe as their catalog. Yet I have never come upon one 16mm print of any Hal Roach title that I can trace to being an Onyx print. So I am still waiting to determine of they ever actually distributed any syndicated prints at all.

Well, on that last point - and realizing this is purely circumstantial - WTOP Channel 9 was Pick Temple's station. The only 1955 TV GUIDE I have for the Balto-DC area is the week of August 6. According to the listings, Temple's 30-minute weekday program was alternating L&H talkie shorts with "Crash" Corrigan westerns. However, at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, WTOP aired an hour-long "comedy" show, Captain Nine. On August 6, the films scheduled were "Wacky Westerners" (L&H) and "The Champeen" (Our Gang). WTOP had to get that latter title from somebody, and since Onyx had been listed in Billboard as their silent Our Gang supplier, well.... there's one.

I'm curious as to how you're able to eliminate Onyx as the source of any Roach Pathe 16mm print; especially if they're as ancient-looking as some of the "Exclusive" prints I've seen on various DVDs (i.e., Grapevine). If you're not inclined to reply in writing, this would make a good excuse to finally introduce myself to you at Cinevent or Slapsticon, as opposed to silently marveling at your informed introductions of various programmes.

Thanks,
Michael

[Richard M Roberts]

Onyx Pictures has caused all sorts of interest in anyone studying Hal Roach due to their publicity flyer that basically listed all the Hal Roach titles released by Pathe as their catalog. Yet I have never come upon one 16mm print of any Hal Roach title that I can trace to being an Onyx print. So I am still waiting to determine of they ever actually distributed any syndicated prints at all.

Well, on that last point - and realizing this is purely circumstantial - WTOP Channel 9 was Pick Temple's station. The only 1955 TV GUIDE I have for the Balto-DC area is the week of August 6. According to the listings, Temple's 30-minute weekday program was alternating L&H talkie shorts with "Crash" Corrigan westerns. However, at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, WTOP aired an hour-long "comedy" show, Captain Nine. On August 6, the films scheduled were "Wacky Westerners" (L&H) and "The Champeen" (Our Gang). WTOP had to get that latter title from somebody, and since Onyx had been listed in Billboard as their silent Our Gang supplier, well.... there's one.

I'm curious as to how you're able to eliminate Onyx as the source of any Roach Pathe 16mm print; especially if they're as ancient-looking as some of the "Exclusive" prints I've seen on various DVDs (i.e., Grapevine). If you're not inclined to reply in writing, this would make a good excuse to finally introduce myself to you at Cinevent or Slapsticon, as opposed to silently marveling at your informed introductions of various programmes.

Thanks,
Michael

Well, we have no proof that the print of THE CHAMPEEN that they ran was an Onyx print do we? And THE CHAMPEEN was available in both the Scallawags package and in plenty of home and rental prints.

Basically, among the literally hundreds of Hal Roach films I have prints of in my own collection, or have gone through my hands in over forty-five years of collecting,I do not have any that are either a mystery source, or traceable to Onyx Films, either by titles, leader, or what have you. I do not know of any other collector who has had one, and I have indeed asked. I have Roach prints that came from Kodascope, Pathegrams, Show at Home, Exclusive, Mar-Lu Telefilm, Charlie Tarbox, Interstate Television, Library Films, Regal Television, Film Classics, Blackhawk, foreign sources, but nothing that wasn't traceable to another source or had any thing tie-ing it to Onyx. If this is indeed where the Pathe' negatives ended up, I think they ended up somewhere else very quickly, and obviously National Telepix had access to some original neg material when they did the MISCHIEF MAKERS and COMEDY CAPERS package because some of the materials they used were razor sharp and pristine, but interestingly not all. So if there were any, they didn't make many, nor did they end up in any sort of major circulation.

RICHARD M ROBERTS