Billy Gilbert & Co. at Nitrate Film Interest Group

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Ian Elliot
Associate
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:55 am

Billy Gilbert & Co. at Nitrate Film Interest Group

Postby Ian Elliot » Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:11 pm

Frames from some 16mm footage with Billy Gilbert and three other blokes, the one with the largest part after Gilbert being a dialect comic named Gene Schuler, have been posted by the Nitrate Film Interest Group:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nfig/22574495769/

This was screened at Cinefest in Syracuse about eight years ago, along with a similar item with the same cast, with the four of them playing poker. Neither piece was identified (they were called "Billy Gilbert Mysteries"), but I think a 1931 ad for Ciné Art non-theatrical films reveals what they are:

http://ia801704.us.archive.org/BookRead ... t_0266.jp2

If I recall correctly the film posted by the NFIG ends with the comics disappearing one by one, consumed by a off-screen lion, which indicates to me that this one would be THE CAT'S MEOW, and the poker entry THE ROYAL FLUSH, and I'm surmising both were adapted from vaudeville sketches in 1930 or 1931 for or by Ciné Art to sell in 16mm. Anyone have an opinion? Or know who might have devised and shot these? (I'm guessing Gilbert had a hand in that.)

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Billy Gilbert & Co. at Nitrate Film Interest Group

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:52 pm

Yes Ian, this is exactly what those two films were. The Cine Art films and Library were supplied by Consolidated Labs in a deal with Ampro to create a library much like Bell and Howells Show-at-Home Library, you have Consolidated's home movie-division, Hollywood Film Enterprises mentioned on the ad, and Consolidated's Sunset Ave address listed as one of the regional Ampro Library addresses in the ad. These films were actually produced by Hollywood Film Enterprises, and would later end up in HFE's regular catalog as well. Ampro made 16mm projectors and wanted to make inroad into the home-use markets for them along with schools and churches and other non-theatrical venues.

This is why you find prints of Al Christie Comedies (Christie had always used that lab and stored his negatives there, his studio was right across the street from Consolidated on Sunset, and those negatives ended up as Consolidated's property when he went bankrupt and forfeited them due to lack of backpayment on storage) that have either Cine Art or Hollywood Film Enterprises opening titles on them, as they were made available to the Ampro library and also later sold by HFE.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Ian Elliot
Associate
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:55 am

Re: Billy Gilbert & Co. at Nitrate Film Interest Group

Postby Ian Elliot » Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:24 pm

Most interesting, and thank you Richard!


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