Blackhawk Bulletins Online

Vintage documents, letters, newspaper ads, magazine articles and more -- a library at your fingertips!
Ed Watz
Associate
Posts: 424
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:35 pm

Blackhawk Bulletins Online

Postby Ed Watz » Mon Oct 28, 2019 4:01 pm

USC's Hugh Hefner Moving Image Archive now has a substantial number of the Blackhawk Films bulletin (beginning in 1950) and their predecessor, The Eastin 16mm rental catalog (starting with 1935). Overall there are 443 issues online, viewable as PDFs or for downloading.
The earliest Hal Roach-licensed titles begin around 1953. It's possible that those early Blackhawk prints of TWO TARS, YOU'RE DARN TOOTIN' and DOUBLE WHOOPEE put a few ideas in Robert Youngson's head for his eventual series of theatrical compilations. Here's the link:
http://uschefnerarchive.com/blackhawk-films-catalogs/
"Of course he smiled -- just like you and me." -- Harold Goodwin, on Buster Keaton (1976)

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Blackhawk Bulletins Online

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Nov 03, 2019 1:13 pm

I have my own unbroken set of these in the files going back to the mid-60's, but it's great having them online (though why in the hell USC had to watermark these is ridiculous, who's going to dupe Blackhawk catalogs!).

The early catalogs are fascinating for a variety of reasons, we see where all the 16mm prints of PRC and other independent studios films got disseminated, and it was also interesting to see Blackhawk making deals with other silent film producers apart from Hal Roach (they licensed print materials from Mack Sennett and I didn't know that they made their beautiful prints of BURN `EM UP BARNES (1921) directly from Johnny Hines original negative).

Blackhawk is a company that loomed large in one's child and early adulthood, and these and other home movies catalogs are always a delight to time travel through.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

William Ferry
Cugine
Posts: 124
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:37 pm

Re: Blackhawk Bulletins Online

Postby William Ferry » Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:41 pm

Was there ever a thrill to match the arrival of a new Blackhawk Bulletin in the mail? As a teen in the early '70's, the thrill was only matched by the sorrow of picking the ONE film I could afford to buy; although, my dad would often surprise me for Christmas by purchasing the three "nationally advertised" half-price specials.

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Blackhawk Bulletins Online

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:01 am

William Ferry wrote:Was there ever a thrill to match the arrival of a new Blackhawk Bulletin in the mail? As a teen in the early '70's, the thrill was only matched by the sorrow of picking the ONE film I could afford to buy; although, my dad would often surprise me for Christmas by purchasing the three "nationally advertised" half-price specials.


This is why I got several copies of each Blackhawk catalog each month, one addressed to me, and one each addressed to both my mother and father who had bought me Christmas and Birthday gifts over the years from them, which gave me one catalog to mark up and use for ordering, and at least one to file away in the archives. It meant I also had one to give to other budding film collectors to get them started as well.

RICHARD M ROBERTS


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