THE PILGRIM / First National alternate versions

[Gary Johnson]

I knew if I egged you on long enough you wold give us the history of all of the other comedian's edit-ations, so to speak.
I was familiar with most of the examples you spoke of but what of Lloyd? He was as popular as Chaplin during the mid-Twenties.
Why is it that no one was screwing around with his prints? Did he keep a tighter rein on his films than even Chaplin did?

And I have ask you about the Eastman print to THREE'S A CROWD. Are you saying that it is a longer print than what got released back in the 2000's, or just a cleaner print?

How come just you and I are talking about this? I find this kind of info most informative.

[Richard M Roberts]

I knew if I egged you on long enough you wold give us the history of all of the other comedian's edit-ations, so to speak.
I was familiar with most of the examples you spoke of but what of Lloyd? He was as popular as Chaplin during the mid-Twenties.
Why is it that no one was screwing around with his prints? Did he keep a tighter rein on his films than even Chaplin did?

And I have ask you about the Eastman print to THREE'S A CROWD. Are you saying that it is a longer print than what got released back in the 2000's, or just a cleaner print?

How come just you and I are talking about this? I find this kind of info most informative.

Well, again, most of the circulating prints come from Lloyd's own materials, and they were not so widely reissued endlessly. That said, i do have another print of SAFETY LAST that comes from British materials that does have some variations.

I don't know whether the Eastman fine grain of THREES A CROWD is any longer or not, but it is a way more beautiful print then the Rohauer material. For some reason or another, James Card had Warner's strike them a fine grain on the film in the late 50's when they still had the negative. If he had only gotten a HEART TROUBLE fine grain instead.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Ed Watz]

Warner Brothers struck a 16mm printdown of THREE'S A CROWD for James Agee's use when he was researching his COMEDY'S GREATEST ERA article in 1949. When Rohauer acquired all the Langdon First National film elements held by Warners, this print was included, along with all existing 35mm material. I screened that 16mm print several times. It's about a minute or two longer and does not show any signs of the decomp which affects the circulating, latter-day edition of CROWD. It would be nice to see the missing footage and unblemished scenes repatriated, except it seems that the print has vanished from the Rohauer collection, or at best it's sitting on a shelf and assumed to be the common version of THREE'S A CROWD.

If James Card obtained a 35mm fine grain of THREE'S A CROWD from Warners in the late 1950s, there's a good chance it's complete or at least in better condition than Rohauer's source material when he struck new prints in the late 1960s.

I believe the negative of HEART TROUBLE had been already scrapped by Warners around 1953 due to advanced decomposition. Rohauer was given permission to personally search the WB vaults on both coasts but as we know not a single reel of HEART TROUBLE turned up, not even a trailer.

[Michael J Hayde]

I believe the negative of HEART TROUBLE had been already scrapped by Warners around 1953 due to advanced decomposition. Rohauer was given permission to personally search the WB vaults on both coasts but as we know not a single reel of HEART TROUBLE turned up, not even a trailer.

Given the promotional money spent on HEART TROUBLE was a meager $1,000, I'd be astonished if there ever was a trailer.

Michael

[Ed Watz]

I believe the negative of HEART TROUBLE had been already scrapped by Warners around 1953 due to advanced decomposition. Rohauer was given permission to personally search the WB vaults on both coasts but as we know not a single reel of HEART TROUBLE turned up, not even a trailer.

Given the promotional money spent on HEART TROUBLE was a meager $1,000, I'd be astonished if there ever was a trailer.

Michael

Prepare to be astonished. According to HEART TROUBLE's press book, there was indeed a trailer prepared for this film. Judging by the late 1920s First National trailers that I have seen, the cost wouldn't have made a dent in the promotional budget.

Heart Trouble Promo.jpg (192.55 KiB) Viewed 10623 times

[Uli Ruedel]

Well, again, most of the circulating prints come from Lloyd's own materials, and they were not so widely reissued endlessly. That said, i do have another print of SAFETY LAST that comes from British materials that does have some variations.

Annette Lloyd once pointed out another circulating variation to me, in FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, most easily seen in the different camera agle (frontal/side) when the train hits the car on the rails, if memory serves.

I have yet to check, one of these days, the old German TV 'restorations' from 1979/80, but expect no surprise as from what I can gather, these were done in collaboration with the Lloyd estate.

Uli