EXCLUSIVE: Century-old film believed to be lost forever turns up in Omaha parking lot

[@davidb2206]

Thousands of these films have been lost to history. If you find one, or even the chance of one, PLEASE preserve it. Do not destroy old negatives and film canisters, ever.

[@mikeblair2594]

Too damn right you are lad!

[@CorporalClegg1000]

Nitrate film is a huge fire hazard.

[@jimmy_kirk]

It was never lost, it was part of someone's collection. The whole "found in a parking lot" is just clickbait. It was sold at an auction that was taking place in a parking lot.

[@jessejamesainger3263]

I have an old silent movie from the 20s called "Agnes Takes On The Entire Rugby Team In The Back Of A Model T" if you are interested.

[@jimmy_kirk]

@@jessejamesainger3263 I am interested.

[@yelleryoung5870]

Digitize that sucker now.

[@CraftAero]

As we speak, Clara's image (copyright expired) is being fed into AI models so she can "star" in upcoming blockbuster(s) royalty free. And the Oscar goes to...

[@danielebrparish4271]

Actually it's the other way around. Digitaly shot movies are transferred to film to preserve them. Film lasts much longer than digital storage.

[@TootNuggetEdits]

@@danielebrparish4271that is why we have LTO tapes

[@yelleryoung5870]

@@danielebrparish4271 That was before SSDs. Properly stored that could last thousands of years.

[@TootNuggetEdits]

@@danielebrparish4271That is why we have LTO tapes

[@sparkplug1018]

This is really impressive, that he not only found a copy of the film but the master copy. Have to wonder what else was at that auction.

[@kbjerke]

I wonder what the cartoon was, that first caught his attention!

[@lightyagami3492]

​@@kbjerkeTHIS! Compounded with the fact he is going Tokyo makes me think it's possibly a lost anime!

[@RealHomeRecording]

Technically it was a backup copy.

[@greggv8]

It's a 16mm print onto acetate film from the original 35mm on nitrocellulose film.

[@sparkplug1018]

@user-jd3vo4mh2d Unfortunately I think the copy is all that’s left, nitrocellulose doesn’t age well even when stored properly. Which is very unfortunate

[@jeannecastellano7181]

Clara Bow led a tragic life---sexually abused by her father, her schizophrenic mother attempted to murder her, she was betrayed by people she trusted, spurned by other Hollywood stars who detested her working class manners and Bronx diction, and she herself suffered from mental illness. Yet, she was a brilliant comedienne in addition to being the "It Girl". The word "it" was a euphemism for sex appeal. She eventually did find love and had a successful marriage and two sons. I DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!

[@bardo0007]

Her sons are still alive?

[@zoezzzarko1117]

Thank you for all this info... truly !!👊🏼💥🔥💞💫😇 Is there a DOCUMENTARY out about her that i can watch??

[@BeachBaller]

@@bardo0007One of her sons Tony died back in 2011 but her son George is still alive at 86 years old. I can’t imagine how amazed he must be of this discovery

[@luthienlee3511]

Just imagine- going around with undiagnosed PTSD as a "sex symbol". Constantly having a trigger shoved in your face. It would be the same as sitting with a vet who was in active combat and watching war films.

[@deeespinal9666]

Actor lives are cap

[@UncleDavesKitchen]

I met Clara's son who spoke at a Hollywood collector's event ages ago. He adored her and spoke so highly of her kindness.

[@birdsdaword]

WOW! It's always a miracle when "lost" films are found. Especially Clara Bow. The "It" girl. Good news to the entire film community!

[@dcs4219]

took the post right out of my fingers! WOW is exactly what I thought as well!

[@muffs55mercury61]

"It" the 1927 film was lost for years but thank goodness it was found and I think it's now available on home video.

[@frankdenardo8684]

​@muffs55mercury61 The following places have a digitized copy of the film. British Film Institute Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences Library of Congress George Eastman House UCLA film & television archives The above-mentioned places are on the lookout for "lost films."

[@birdsdaword]

@@frankdenardo8684 yes indeed and don't forget the San Francisco Silent Film Festival next month from April 10-14, 2024! They also restore films

[@MartinD9999]

A “miracle” ?! 🤣

[@TheAmbientUniverse]

Editor: How can we cut this so it gets the most views? CEO: Doesn't matter, just mention Taylor Swift a bunch of times

[@Mr_Lou]

I can't believe they found a way to shoehorn her into this lol beautiful story mucked up with the usual nonsense, shocked we didn't get some kinda out of place politics as well 😂

[@BrisLS1]

Ruined it for me.. thoroughly.

[@md_vandenberg]

I have no love for Taylor Swift, y'all still being dramatic.

[@nuthinmuffins5073]

Thank you. This is what I was saying, but I struggle with being succinct.

[@3112isabel]

LOL, I thought they were going to say they were distant cousins, at least….

[@deemarie7559]

Wow! My grandmother played the love interest in a silent film about a pilot. I was told that in her town grocery store hung the advertisement for the silent film. I would go to the town to try and purchase the advertisement, but the building had long been boarded up. They wanted to sign my grandmother, but her strict German parents refused to let her go. How I wish I could have viewed the film.

[@lightyagami3492]

Try looking up old newspapers in the area your grandma lived in during the silent film era. You might still be able to find the advertisement if it was ever in the paper. This would have been something newspapers would have pounced on in seconds. This would have been the talk of the town.

[@jerseyjoyride1316]

Do you have any other information? I love a guys rabbit hole research!

[@GregorioTavarez-qb2qd]

​@@jerseyjoyride1316reword that please .

[@juliemcmenamy1294]

You may never read this, but after I read your comment, I searched KZbin for “silent film pilot,” and a silent film called “Sky Pilot” popped up. There were just two women in the film that I saw. I think the main actress’ name was Colleen Moore, based on the description. It was made in 1921. There was not an actual “pilot” in the movie that flew airplanes, but it was about a preacher, whom they referred to as a “sky pilot.” I can’t help but wonder if this is the film with your grandmother in it. You can look it up right here on KZbin!

[@brennanarmacost1762]

On microfiche

[@AcmeRacing]

From being a lost film to a pristine master on safety stock? Bow's true fans must be awestruck.

[@mysterymac38]

I always love when a lost film is discovered. It gives me hope for all the other missing classics like Lon Chaney's "London After Midnight".

[@MrBlueSkyof1607]

Or 1930's "The Cat Creeps." Or even the King Kong "Spider Pit" Scene!

[@garettanderson6772]

$20.00 is an amazing buy for the entire pallet of films considering today's resellers that guy must have had to compete against.

[@ironbowtie]

At $20.00, I think the competition didn't show up that day.

[@101Volts]

It's kind of amazing what you can still find even now, *if you keep looking and asking.* I didn't know what I got last year when I was given a Violin after asking, but it's no newer than 1887. My question at that yard sale was "Might you have any musical instruments that are not out? Even if missing parts, or if it's broken." And so I was given the Violin, which was missing its Saddle (a common thing to lose.)

[@garettanderson6772]

@@101Volts I've been an ebay seller for more than 20 years, bought and sold at flea markets since I was a teenager, and garage sales are my most favorite pass time. I know exactly what you mean.

[@rocknfan100]

THAT film cost him $20 but he had to buy a pallet of films (maybe 50 -100) so if he had to buy 100 in the pallet ... he sprang for $2,000@@ironbowtie

[@wisperg1788]

@@rocknfan100In the video his exact words are “This stack was $20. It was the best $20 I ever invested.” That sure makes it sound like he only spend $20 total.

[@Cre80s]

Now if only someone can find Laurel & Hardy’s “Hats Off”, 1927. A totally lost film.

[@Kjt853]

To say nothing of “Cleopatra” with Theda Bara and “London After Midnight” with Lon Chaney. If I’m not mistaken, only fragments and stills of each remain.

[@Observing-NPCs]

​@Kjt853 I literally came here to comment this. The guy talking on this clip also gave Clara credit for Thedas accomplishments. Horrible how she is so forgotten when she was so important in her time.

[@muffs55mercury61]

Or Lon Chaney's "London After Midnight" from the same year.

[@PatrickKniesler]

I'm hoping for Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey... but hoping against hope

[@melodymiller9137]

1912's Saved From The Titanic is one that I so hope is found someday but probably never will be

[@mht5875]

Excellent, I am a member of the silent film preservation community so this is wonderful news indeed

[@VickGos-yr2gi]

That’s awesome 😎

[@BenPrevo]

I think my family has a lost 1920 out of the inkwell print.

[@Flat_Earth_Sophia]

No.

[@PocketFullofCatnip]

@@BenPrevo What! Those things are great. They should show it to film preservationists and see if it can be made screenable.

[@BenPrevo]

@@PocketFullofCatnip already digitised and on private utube.

[@jonathanthomas7228]

Knowing that this film is being saved has literally brought me to tears. I am genuinely curious if the original seller of the films, the one's who had these films wrapped on pallets, took down any identifying information regarding to whom they've sold these pallets of film? What other treasures might there have been which we've all resigned to being lost to time and age? I think we all need to know what films were in these pallets.

[@debbiefox6846]

This is as an amazing find. Fantastic this man cared enough to show up for this auction. My grandfather was an actor in Hollywood Silent films in the late 1910's-1929. My mom has beautiful pictures from the sets of films he was on. They are amazing. Sadly when my grandfather was in hollywood he had a huge steamer trunk full of pics that burned in a fire. He was able to save some of the pictures & my mom has cared for them for the last 55 years.

[@JohnnyAngel8]

A pill pounder would be a druggist (pharmacist). He would pound (crush) pills with a pill crusher (mortar and pestle) to make powder or paste medicines for patients. This is a 20-minute long comedy movie about a druggist.

[@glass4600]

Look, I’m sure context matters and I’m glad to know Out of context, going off the video title card, it looks like “krill pounder” and I gotta be honest that sounds like An amazing action movie or an absolutely horrible porno.

[@bigbossimmotal]

Ahhh, the innocence of youth! The Mortar and Pestle were used to grind raw ingredients, and blend them together. Then that compound was put into 'Pill Presses' (also called pill pounders) to MAKE pills. Why invent a narrative from scratch just to write a clueless comment on a subject that you know NOTHING about?

[@CraftAero]

@@glass4600 ...it looks like “krill pounder” 2:47 Screencap & zoom, it looks like #PILL "POUNDER". You'd have to actually see the film for context, but this was pre-Hays Code, so anything goes.

[@mikeblair2594]

See..... Its fun to learn new things! Thanx, I didn't know that, but it makes sense.

[@chaznonya4]

​@@glass4600Instead of trolling why don't you watch the video. They clearly call it Pill Pounder a dozen times. Now you look stupid.

[@TwilightRage2099]

It just gives you hope that there might still be a few more out there just waiting to be found.

[@PungiFungi]

I think lost films are found every year.

[@Flat_Earth_Sophia]

Why would you want to?

[@ms.pirate]

I am curious about that one lost horror film. I don't remember the name, but the guy looked like he could be "Mr. Hyde". But this was not a J&H movie, far from it.

[@getbackinyourtaco]

@@ms.pirate London After Midnight?

[@fnln544]

What an incredible story. It makes one ponder what films are in the other canisters.

[@mikeblair2594]

Indeed.

[@kirkyorg7654]

@@mikeblair2594 was thinking the same thing how many other priceless gems were hidden away in those stacks

[@KutWrite]

PeeWee Herman's private collection.

[@znyznyzny]

@@KutWrite good thing that's disproven, conspiracy 🤡.

[@hotwax9376]

As a matter of fact, many other old films that were previously considered lost have been discovered in the most unexpected places.

[@octagonseventynine1253]

The movie is called The Pill Pounder. It takes them forever to say the name. I still hope that one day London After Midnight will be found.

[@mistervacation23]

In her career, Dame Mae Fishman was a part of over 108 silent films. Each film was a testament to her ability to communicate emotions without uttering a single word. She has a bit part in this film

[@JustWowNick]

$20 for all of THAT is a steal for anyone. Incredible find!

[@Dargonhuman]

Seriously. What a deal for media preservation.

[@Kacpa2]

They left it out in the parking lot, imagine if it raomed and that silly stretch wrap didnt keep water out.

[@theronwolf3296]

When I was a young kid, there was a huge fire one night in my town. My parents actually took a quick ride to see what was happening. Unknown to us, there was a huge storage vault of old films that (Pathe films) no one even knew about that went up in flames. Who knows what was lost.

[@lightyagami3492]

Tragic! 😭

[@paulbourgeois4491]

Pathe did news reels, if I'm not mistaken, imagine what could have been on those films lost in that fire!

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

British Pathe films are great and should be shown to kids.

[@101Volts]

Similarly, in 1937, there was a fire at a building housing 20th Century Fox films. It ruined *many* of movies that day.

[@101Volts]

@@RighteousReverendDynamiteThere's a British Pathe channel on KZbin. I love perusing it now and then, & it introduced me to Teddy Brown, a great Xylophone Player. My mind was blown when I heard his recording of "The Dance of the Raindrops."

[@Vegaswill714]

That was a GREAT story. Very happy for Gary Huggins.

[@Great-Documentaries]

This wasn't a Clara Bow picture, it was a Charles Murray picture that also featured 18 year old Clara Bow. And before Taylor Swift was even born, Prince mentioned Clara in a song on his 1985 album Around the World in a Day.

[@Bobsaget121]

She’s in it so it’s a Clara bow picture

[@g..._anthony27]

​@@Bobsaget121 nope

[@Psycandy]

really? which track was that? he mentioned nikki and, um, purple rain and, um... batman... doves... um, himself, quite a lot.

[@BruceWSims]

It takes so much to stabilize and preserve films from that era and its not always successful. My deepest appreciation to the folks who are sensitive enough to our heritage that they go out of their way to preserve it.. Many Thanks!!😊😊😊 BTW: I hope folks are going through those other pallets.....you know.....just in case .........😮😮😮

[@jamesrocket5616]

A win for the lost media and silent film communities

[@SplendorSolis]

What about the other crates? Did someone buy those and check them after this discovery? There must have been more incredible films in those as well.

[@lightyagami3492]

​@@chairmanofthebored8684Hard to imagine only one person showed up to this auction. Something tells me most if not all of them were at least bought. Whether people come forward is a different matter all together though.

[@rfichokeofdestiny]

@stopthecrazyguy9948I think it’s less making it up and more justified cynicism from a lifetime of dealing with humanity. 😏

[@Flat_Earth_Sophia]

This is not incredible. lol

[@mindyourbusinessxoxo]

@@Flat_Earth_Sophia Considering you're a flat Earther, you're hardly qualified to determine what is or what isn't incredible. Please leave this conversations for the adults in the room.

[@cactusjackNV]

There might have been another gem in the lot. Odds are pretty low however that there was something else. Astronomically low chance to find another lost silent film. But maybe a lost TV show or something. Still wouldn't make that bet though.

[@cherylschantz9893]

Allowing those films to sit outside in the elements is beyond belief.

[@jeffwalters7404]

They weren't stored outside like this. These were at auction from a huge collection and were either being photographed for auction, inventoried, sold that day or being picked up.

[@jimmy_kirk]

It wasn't actually "found in a parking lot". It was purchased at an auction that was taking place in a parking lot.

[@lindanorris2455]

THEY COOULD BE WORTH MILLIONS!

[@Derek-no8fu]

And for over 100 years at that.

[@spamanator666]

It was all stored in the building behind it, they brought it out to the parking lot for the lot auction sale.

The fact that a copy of this film was found fuels my hopes that some day a copy of London After Midnight will turn up.

[@StellaWaldvogel]

When I heard "Clara Bow", my jaw dropped. Exciting, wonderful news! And I'm glad David Stenn bought it, it couldn't be in better hands. He did a wonderful job restoring "Maytime" and that one can be viewed online, so I'm optimistic that we'll get to see "Pill Pounder" too. But even if we don't, it's good just knowing that it's found and well-preserved.

[@ralphmarshall1000]

I hope someone goes through the rest of those films, they’re well preserved, and there might be some more treasures to be found .

[@bardo0007]

He probably did already

[@Flat_Earth_Sophia]

This is not a treasure.

[@davestauffer3912]

A couple of weeks ago listened to her biography and found her husband cut their honeymoon short because he got a film part - in a film my mom was in!

[@samanthacarpenter3336]

This is why I support collectors and hobbyists who collect. Doesn’t matter what media art, without passionate/obsessive collectors so many works of art would have been lost to time or, destroyed by careless and destructive people.

[@unionrdr]

Why I collect things also. I collect vintage and antique rifles and pistols...air, black powder, etc. Pellets & BB's too. I have a tube of Western Cartridge Company lead air rifle shot from about 1920! Lead pellets from the 40's on up. Old cowboy movies and novels. Like Lous Lamour, Zane Grey and the like. I also have a copy of, " Last of the Plainsman" by Lamour that Coronel Potter in M*A*S*H loved. Rawhide, Westworld, the old silent ones too. I always felt these things were deeply ingrained in Americana.

[@Psycandy]

fully! i collect cameras and, naturally, restore them to as-new condition. the really rare cameras i can't get or can't afford, so i tend to build working replicas. i hire them out as props for movies now, so at least they get a chance to be immortalized

[@darienmonomer]

So Taylor Swifts connection to the star was just that she wrote a song named after her? ok... kinda reaching, no?

[@annwithaplan9766]

I think it was because of the timing.

[@kingcosworth2643]

Yes, big reach

[@Nosferigatoni]

I swear, its so annoying.

[@brians9508]

Any reason to mention that no-talent overrated hack's name at every opportunity. wears me out.

[@Stogdad1]

Sorry to go against the grain here, but the fact that the most successful recordimg artist on the planet not only knows who Bow was, but has a dedicated a song to her, means that millions of Swifties will be themselves curious to learn who she was. How is that a bad thing?

[@jessfrankel5212]

What's also interesting is that the movie was directed by Gregory LaCava, who started in silents as a director of animated films and graduated to two-reelers and then full-length talkies when sound came in. One of his most famous films is My Man Godfrey, with Carole Lombard. He was prolific in the 1930's but after the war was over, he was more or less ignored by Hollywood. Such is stardom...usually, very brief.

[@dannykrinkle4726]

Kinda misleading title, wouldn't you say?

[@-Katastrophe]

And good news, it's public domain!

[@AirbornChaos]

Could you imagine finding lost media, and being hit with a copyright claim! Thanks to Disney, that's still a real possibility, too.

[@TheAmbientUniverse]

@@AirbornChaos Steamboat Willie is now in public domain. Use that shit in any and every one of your money making endeavors. Walt can't touch you with a fifty foot pole.

[@Knightmessenger]

​@@AirbornChaosthis actually happened with a recording of Super Bowl 1 by the son of a guy who worked at a tv videotape repair company. (And thus had the ability to record tv almost 10 years before the first home vcr was invented.)

[@t-mar9275]

@@TheAmbientUniverse It all depends on how it's marketed. If it's viewed as trademark infringement, then there could still be legal issues. It will be interesting to see what the happens with the first few cases.

[@PapagenoMF]

Does it matter if its public domain if you can't access it?

[@stereoscope360v6]

I just wrote the name Clara Bow on a scrap of paper. Never thought there would be a connection between me and silent film history but here we are!

[@Nosferigatoni]

lol, its so ridiculous

[@fabio.1]

Hello

[@chdd99]

The universe connects all things to the swift

[@msmoonbeam91]

You Swift haters need to get a life

[@chdd99]

@@msmoonbeam91 well since we’re being so 90s, Get a clue too!

[@dustin_4501]

In the end of 2023 they found the last act of 1917 "Cleopatra" starring Theda Bara, now 1923 "Pill Pounder" starring Clara Bow.

[@alanbash2921]

I’ve been hoping for 60 years that Someone finds a complete print of the 1919 Lon Chaney Film “ The Miracle Man “.... I guess I’m just hoping for a Miracle 📣📣📣📣

[@hebneh]

@@alanbash2921 A lot more people wish that a print of 1927's "London After Midnight", also starring Lon Chaney, would appear from some forgotten storage building somewhere.

[@kj21]

​@@alanbash2921 i hope that "her friend the bandit" is found it's the only film starring charlie chaplin to be lost

[@sparky6086]

Theda Bara was a motion picture sex symbol before Clara Bow. Theda was usually a bad girl or "vamp" but wasn't as good looking as Clara imo. I didn't know that part of her "Cleopatra" was found. That's great! I know, that all her films had been lost. A complete one would really be the Holy Grail! My grandmother, born 1905, used to admonish girls saying, "You just think you're like "Theda Bara!".

[@dustin_4501]

@@sparky6086 It is a shame how Silent Movies were mistreated after Talkies came into the picture...

[@bobfarney2353]

The term "nitrate film" is incorrect. The film used was cellulose nitrate. This highly flammable film caused many fires within theaters, and eventually film projectors were used only within closed rooms within the theater. Being a projectionist was a very dangerous occupation at the time.

[@michaelbullen3104]

None of you have ANY idea. ANY ANY idea just how many lost silent films are still out there waiting to be found. As part of the Lost Media community, it’s always nice to see a piece of sought after media of ours get found. This is my first time seeing the news spot on it.

[@Psycandy]

silent movies? not so many; cellulose tended to catch fire when the heat from carbon-arc was focused on it. only when kodak invented the 'safety film' in the 60's did that start to change. ever see any of tarantino's movies? you'll find homage to the theater fires in every one of his films, they were common. most of them burned, one way or another

[@michaelbullen3104]

@ I’m aware of that yes but there’s still a significant portion that I’m almost CERTAIN are undiscovered and unburned. Not all of them succumbed to that fate.

[@VC-xj1fs]

What in the actual hell does Taylor Swift have to do with this story?

[@s0nnyburnett]

clickbait for cable

[@JonasC22]

if you think about it that's the REAL story here, Taytay making a song about that woman, maybe she'll actually get famous now (sarcasm)

[@gregb6469]

As they said near the end of the report, Swift has a song called Clara Bow on her latest album.

[@jackalenterprisesofohio]

@@gregb6469 wow, so important, and life changing.

[@jackalenterprisesofohio]

@@James-to7pi what was it like 5% of voters said they would vote the same way she would?

[@vespelian]

I was at a premier of a similar discovery in 1996 of British film biography of British prime minister David Lloyd George. He commissioned the film in 1919, then got cold feet and tried to suppress it. A biographer found it in a film can in the attic of the family home. It is an important milestone in British film history believed lost for 80 years. I spoke to the team responsible for restoring the film who said that because of its importance, the original nitrate film would be preserved in a temperature controlled environment. Most other nitrate films are copied and the originals destroyed as they are too potentially dangerous to keep around.

[@spamanator666]

"Found in a parking lot." Well yes, and no... We know that you want us to think it was just laying out in some random parking lot, but watching the story, it was a lot sale auction being held in a parking lot. Not as dramatic sounding, sure, but more accurate.

[@FromTheRoomOfLittleEase]

Most news stories add to the stress I carry in my neck and back. This relieved some of that, thank you. I wish this could happen every day.

[@Psycandy]

it can! just sleep upside-down, like a vampire.

[@Rogueaviation]

Thank you for stories like this. Its good to hear the amazing and uplifting things that are happening in our world. Thanks tonthe producers and camera and audio folks (and all you others) that make these stories come alive on the KZbin.

[@usmale49]

This is just great! Wouldn't mind viewing it myself! Fantastic find. Thank you for the report!

[@theaquariancontrarian3316]

Really? That was a lame shameless taylor swift plug. Theres no connection to the film 🙄🤦‍♂️ ridiculous

[@radfoo72]

Please don't let Taylor Swift destroy this piece of history!

[@kennypitts4829]

They said it three times, like that's why we are staying tuned. Writers these days are horrible.

[@xenuno]

@@radfoo72 She will too. The shelf life of her factory assembled music is on the order of months ...

[@mondogecko01]

Gotta have that pro democrat narrative.. Man they really must be desperate

[@thetvbaby83]

​@@xenuno thats what i said, yrs ago. Relax gramps, change the station. 😂

[@daveincognito]

I hope their next step is digital preservation.

[@danielebrparish4271]

Digital images are put on film for preservation because no other medium, except paper, lasts as long.

[@thomase13]

​@@danielebrparish4271The only digital storage medium I know if that lasts is he M-Disc, which is supposed to last for at least a millennium!

[@laurelwilson314]

⁠@@danielebrparish4271 While it is true that film is one of the longest lasting forms of media and is good for long term preservation, it’s currently seen as best practice to make digital “access copies” of analog recordings. That way you don’t run the risk of damaging the physical hard copy of the analog recording every time someone wants to view it. So making digital copies is actually a very good and logical thing to do with an item like this that is the only known copy of something. I’m actually an archivist who works with audio and visual materials that have been digitized in order for researchers to access them, so this whole process is something that I’m intimately familiar with.

[@nbco55]

What about an archival grade DVD?

[@thomase13]

@@nbco55 Still not as good as an M-Disc!

[@drctrs]

Glad to hear the filmmaker, who found it, can now invest money in realizing his own film project. There’s some high justice in how it was found.

[@BernardProfitendieu]

lots of movies were never returned to distributors, most have been lost, but there are more stories like this one to be told. I wonder what else was in the Omaha parking lot that day. If all he got for it was the price of a place ticket to Tokyo, I don't think he knew the true value of this. He should have auctioned it at a Fine Arts auction house.

[@SpiderxPunk]

I cannot wait until we're past the point of comparing people to Taylor. No sh!t she's not like Taylor, she actually had to get by on her acting talents alone.

[@ZeroPhuqsGiven2000]

My theory is that Taylor Swift and Conner McGregor could actually be the same person.

[@nomenclature9373]

Every few years it is a new person or group. The 60s had the Beatles. Fast forward to the era of Madona, then to Stefani Germanotta (Lady GaGa). For fans of the Eurovision Song Contest it might be Lordi with "Hard Rock Hallelujah", etc, etc, etc.

[@jamesrocket5616]

I was thinking that she might be Taylor Swift's ancestor but I was mistaken 😑

[@paradiselost9946]

@@nomenclature9373 yeah, but people STILL listen to the beatles... they set a benchmark that will be hard to surpass. hard? impossible.

[@wbg2209]

You may have a point there . Taylor and Connor have never been seen in the same room together . ​@@ZeroPhuqsGiven2000

[@melanie7781]

Clara Bow was mentally ill, tried to commit suicide, checked herself into mental hospital, after she got out she left her family, lived alone in a bungalow as a reclusive and under the constant care of a nurse died of heart attack in 1965 at age 60.

[@daveydudely9954]

The Aristocrats!

[@daviejz6698]

PTSD from casting couches?

[@ytzpilot]

Not unusual in those days, Louise Brooks had her issues too

[@mikeblair2594]

@@daveydudely9954 Honestly, I doubt she made all that much. Women in pictures have usually gotten screwed (pay wise). She would have been amongst that first generation to be able to use social security. You buy a bungalow with your earnings and rely on S.S. in your later years. That was pretty smart thing to do during an era when women couldn't hold their own bank accounts.

[@msoda8516]

She had a very sad childhood her mother was mentally ill and tried to kill her on number of occasions as a child

[@nachtkind46]

the only other early actress that I would have been more impressed by the film containing would have been Theda Bara. But this is still hella awesome.

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

Play it nationwide as part of a double feature like the old days.

[@julianhermanubis6800]

Walks through same parking lot. Trips over three reels of "London After Midnight."

[@hearsejr]

Saying the film has a connection to swift is a very long stretch just because swift named a song after her... come on, people.

[@MothGirl007]

Clara Bow is a thousand times cooler than

[@kj21]

The news loves to connect her to everything for some unknown reason

[@TheJagjr4450]

The highest quality way to transfer to digital is the process used by iirc ILM. It advances one frame at a time, back lit with a diffused light, focuses on the grain, takes a CCD image of the back lit film frame, advances to the next frame repeat process, ad nauseam until final frame. IT is not a running conversion, it is a true frame by frame digital conversion. This way every single frame is in as crisp of focus as possible and if there is a scratch or other mar it can be corrected. The HIGH quality digital conversions of movies are done this way, as are high quality digitized photo negatives -

[@TheEudaemonicPlague]

As someone who has taken on the job of digitally restoring several hundred color slides from Korea 1953, I can't help but agree (I'm doing it to preserve history--no one else has these images, except the son of the photographer, and he doesn't have the means to do anything with them). I've seen video of the guys working on restoring The Third Man for the Criterion Collection. I was drooling over their gear for sure. I'd kill for the chance to work on an old film with that stuff...but I'm old and retired, so it isn't going to happen. So, I'll content myself with the Korean War slides.

[@RealHomeRecording]

Lasergraphics Director is the Hollywood film scanner of choice for many. ARRISCAN is another one. DFT Film too....but I think they did The Wizard of Oz on a Lasergraphics machine. So if it's good enough for Warner Bros, it's good enough for everybody.

[@TheJagjr4450]

@@TheEudaemonicPlague I have been doing my grandfather's WW2 negs from Kusai? South Pacific Tokyo Spring of 1946. Hawaii fall of 1945. He was an officer on a destroyer Soley DD702, they were in the Panama Canal on VJ day, disarmed a few islands and also accepted the resignation of a Japanese General prior to escorting him to Trial. I made a light box with diffused light using high CRI LED's with a very close to daylight 6000k color temp. behind a couple of fresnel lenses and then clamped the neg between two sheets of glare resistant glass, focused a an 18MP digital SLR with a 100mm macro lens - and got a grain focused digital neg... EXPONENTIALLY BETTER QUALITY than a 6400DPI scanner

[@cwired9407]

let us know when you upload a KZbin vid of the images and the process :) @@TheJagjr4450

[@rbrucewilliams2924]

Unbelievable. And exciting because other films are still out there ; stored currently perhaps in an elderly persons home, waiting to be discovered by their heirs.

[@willyboy6126]

Yes...and hopefully not thrown out, as sadly, many young people are not interested in acquiring 'stuff' nowadays. 🙏

[@mercedesvelasquez8781]

​@@willyboy6126I am 35 and like my sisters(24 & 27) tell me it's all junk just throw it out ahahaha no some stuff needs to be saved. Heck I have photo's I took of underground punk bands that are still around today and those photos hold memory's for me and our part of my personal history.

[@willyboy6126]

@@mercedesvelasquez8781That is awesome! Yes, I too have lots of wonderful treasures of what I collect and such...plus, as you say, there are a lot of precious memories attached to many things. All of my stuff will stay with me until my last breath 😊

[@jimmyr9468]

Lon Chaney in "London After Midnight" please?

[@petecampolito5092]

That would be the number 1 find

[@Mr_Lou]

Love hearing that name (well reading it I guess lol) good to see Bill Scarsgard sorta taking up that mantel as the "creature" of a generation but still doesn't come close to the OG and his son

[@AlphaProto]

That's an amazing story. I am happy this showed up in my feed.

[@SonyaHudson]

Their son George Beldam, Jr. would probably be especially... excited to see his mother. He's 86 year's old and prayerfully he clothed in his right mind. ❤🙏🏾

[@jakemoeller7850]

Wonderful story! My mom used to speak of Clara Bow.

[@mikeblair2594]

Mine too. We used to go and watch the silent pictures every Sunday at this old theater around the corner back in the eighties. I used to run with a crew of punk rockers, and most would come. We'd end up with a theater full of old ladies and punks and everyone had a grand time. It was fun back then.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

Early in this newscast I was like, "Whatever. What is the attraction with her?" Then at 1:49 it all made sense. Just those lively eyes alone are really something.

[@oliviahyerobrine]

@skank_and_gutterboy you are a one dimensional freak of a person who should suffer endlessly for being so shallow and mindless

[@muffs55mercury61]

This is always great news. Lost films are found all the time but it's been awhile. Being such a good print is a miracle.

[@harvey1954]

Forgot to mention the mint copies of "London After Midnight" and the "Pied Piper of Cleveland" which were also in the pile.

[@gamerman7276]

The title is "Pounder" I wonder what kind of film it is.

[@celestialblue7229]

Wow, that's amazing! I wonder if there are more films in that parking lot? Clara has quite a number of lost films to be found.

[@CrampedGrampy]

A wonderful find; I remember in the 1950s of my mother talking about Clara Bow movies. Please do prserve this gem.

[@andrewp7509]

Swifty,your no Clara Bow

[@babywah3290]

you’re

[@dariowiter3078]

YUP!!!!! 😁😁😁😁😁

[@urbanurchin5930]

@andrewp7509......Swifty, YOU'RE no Clara Bow.......learn English......illiterate inbred......

[@LorisSawmill]

Did you REALLY need to put fake artifacts on it? 1:28 and several other places? Those are overlays and NOT on the film.👎 2:35 Notice that the stills from the print are in excellent condition.

[@stevenward3856]

I verified online what I remembered about Clara Gordon Bow, that she was referred to as "the 'It' Girl". This discovery is simply amazing!

[@jamesomeara2329]

Hopefully this gets some kind of release for those interested on an oldies channel or Internet site

[@danielebrparish4271]

TCM used to have Silent Sunday to showcase silent films once a week.

[@stephanie6897]

This is so cool ! I want to see a digitalized copy !

[@frankdenardo8684]

Holy Toledo!!!!!! I'm glad someone found old films. A lot of those silent films are now gone, but this one resurfaced in over 50 to 100 years. This film should be deposited into the following places. Library of Congress American Film Institute UCLA film & television archives George Eastman House Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences British Film Institute The above-mentioned places are interested in "lost films."

[@cactusjackNV]

The biographer of Clara Bow I'm sure is more than aware.

[@frankdenardo8684]

​@cactusjackNV The National Film Registry of the Library of Congress is interested in that film, being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to be deposited as a long lost film being found.

[@shawnharris5682]

I love stuff like this. There are 2 films from 1927 that are considered lost “forever” - London After Midnight starring Lon Chaney, and Hats Off starring Laurel & Hardy. Every day these films remain lost brings them one step closer to deteriorating past the point of no return. But then someone comes across something like this Clara Bow film, and you realize that there’s always hope.

[@redadamearth]

The fact that over 80% of all silent films are lost is such a sad thing. One has to remember, though, that in the 20's, people thought of these films as disposable for the most part. There was no television or any other "re-play" medium, apart from screening the films again in theaters, but that very rarely, if ever, happened, as they were making SO MANY of them at the time and SO FAST that very few were ever taken care of. Cinema was viewed in the U.S. at the time as a cheap entertainment for the "masses", not "art" to be preserved. To be sure, there were great filmmakers at the time (Chapin, Keaton, etc.), but these lower-rent films were literally often *thrown out* by the theaters and distributors after their runs, especially if they weren't hits. And because of the nitrate being used, most were destroyed to prevent fires. THOUSANDS of movies just gone forever.

[@BakedRBeans]

Whenever there is a format change, a lot of material is not copied over, but just thrown out. Example: LPs not issued on CD. Also, when television was new. programs were transmitted live, and that was it, except for a few Kinescopes, that were terrible quality and just made as an afterthought. Interesting exception: "I Love Lucy" was done on film, and broadcast later.

[@showaltermicro]

Taylor who ?

[@dariowiter3078]

😝😝😝😝😝

[@sfperalta]

I know that Clara Bow was "the IT girl" - a common phrase today. But what I didn't know is that "It" is not metaphoric, like the French "je ne sais quoi", but refers to the title of the 1927 film "It" that she starred in. So "It" became a something that charismatic people were called due of this film. You learn something new every day!

[@peter5.056]

Upload that to the internet IMMEDIATELY.

[@Zeftilldeath8878]

Then it immediately loses most of it's value.

[@peter5.056]

@@Zeftilldeath8878 The physical object has intrinsic value. An analogy would be - make a lab grown replica of the Hope Diamond. The replica, even if it could somehow be copied down to the last atom of carbon, would be relatively worthless, and not affect the value of the original.

[@hexxed13]

Now if only we can find a copy of the lost Lon Chaney Sr. film, London After Midnight

[@KrustyKlown]

He sold it for a plane ticket ?? ... dude could have got MUCH MORE.

[@paulbourgeois4491]

My Pa was born in Park Falls Wisconsin in 1923. He would have been 100 years old last August 20th. Survived the depression and fought in WWII. Passed in November 2002, leaving my mom, and his 3 boys. I miss him every day. Thanks for posting this.

[@shirleybalinski4535]

Hey, my Dad was born August 31, 1923 in Michigan. Similiar life story.

[@paulbourgeois4491]

@@shirleybalinski4535 they really were the Greatest Generation!

[@atlanteum]

Did you honestly need to drag Clara Bow through the muck of Taylor Swift to garner interest in this story..? Make at least some small effort to show some respect -

[@Nosferigatoni]

Thank you. People just have to associate something old to something new to make it seem relevant, when in fact its relevant all by itself.

[@MadRelique]

"Found in a [auction held in a] parking lot..." God i hate the media...

[@leepowell6754]

Around the early 90s I had a service call at a business park a little north of King of Prussia PA that I was told had been either the first or one of the first movie studios. There was a small brick building with these odd openings along the bottom of the walls. I asked about it & it was the film storage building. The walls were doubled & open at the top inside. In case of an explosion the force would be directed by the roof down through the walls & out the relief ports. Hopefully it's been preserved.

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

Not just a print. A master print on safety stock. The nitrate films didn't actually explode, but they did instantly burst into a fireball when opened if they'd been sealed. They slowly crumbled into ashes if left exposed to air.

[@Del-Canada]

She was only 60 when she died in 1965. Heart attack.

[@dfc99nyc]

Rough life. Born in a Brooklyn slum in 1905 to a screwed up mother and an oft-unemployed alcoholic father who allegedly abused her. He moved his family to an apartment in Sheepshead Bay which was and still is a nice residential area. I believe the house she lived in there is still standing. I wonder what Stenn paid for that film??

[@MovieMakingMan]

I rescued an old 35mm film that is probably 80-100 years old in a house that was being demolished. I have a 35mm projector but was leery about running the film through it because it might be a nitrate film and too dangerous to expose to the high heat from a projector. I’m going to unroll the film enough to see the title of the film and update this comment. If anyone knows of an organization that might be interested in this film let me know.

[@richinderbyshire4779]

Hi. What's the latest on that?

[@MovieMakingMan]

@@richinderbyshire4779 It’s still stored safely. It’s in my list!

[@majinya6199]

Any updates?

[@MovieMakingMan]

@@majinya6199 Not yet, I’ve been swamped! I’d like to know a place to donate it.

[@BakedRBeans]

@@MovieMakingMan Try contacting a film expert like Leonard Maltin. He could suggest a worthy donor. Also,as far as your film being flammable nitrate stock, he would know.

[@dmacarthur5356]

Isn't Clara Bow widely regarded as the inspiration for Betty Boop?

[@dariowiter3078]

NO!!!!! Helen Kane, the singer who made the song "I Want To Be Loved By You" famous in 1928, was the inspiration behind Betty Boop, not Clara! Clara inspired women like Helen to look and dress like her.

[@dmacarthur5356]

@@dariowiter3078 OK!!!!!

[@johng4093]

So... indirectly inspired?

[@cactusjackNV]

@@johng4093 *facepalm*

[@newwavepop]

There is a lost film from 1923 called "Flaming Youth". most of the film is lost but there is one scene that still exists with Colleen Moore at a mirror doing her make up for a night out, and it is one of the most adorable things i have ever seen. i always hope that someday i will be able to see the rest of this film.

[@jamesoblivion]

It's amazing to see lost films continue to pop up. As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I was shocked and thrilled when the 1916 Holmes film was discovered. I still think the wildest story is the time they discovered The Passion of Joan of Arc in a janitor closet, in a psychiatric hospital in Sweden, but any time some long lost film shows up, it's a kind of miracle.

[@docsavage8640]

Jesus, trying to pretend Taylor Swift is part of this story... 😆 🤣 😂

[@christinameyer1407]

They could have left her name out of the entire news story and it would have been just as good.

[@Woodyperckerhead-ni3ti]

Sad sht

[@michaelandrade6642]

The closing track on Taylor Swift's upcoming 2024 studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, is titled "Clara Bow"

[@PapagenoMF]

you do realize, that when someone of Taylor Swift's influence mentions a long ago film star like Clara Bow, it engages her young fans in history, right? Why poo-poo that? You may not like Taylor Swift, but she's far more relevant than you, and she's obviously a Clara Bow fan to boot.

[@christinameyer1407]

@@PapagenoMF relevant with auto tune talent.😏

[@_Dark222Angel_]

I transfer film to digital for a living. send it to us in Chicago. Chicago Scanning

[@aimeeinkling]

David Stenn's hot takes are completely wrong, but I'm glad they found the print!

[@801walt]

Wonderful. And the clips you showed looked to be excellent condition. I'd love to see it if it gets digitized.

[@AdaManny555]

So basically the title could have also been "Hundreds of precious old films are getting lost when auction houses run out of money"?

[@KarmaLyser]

Clara Bow was nothing like Tay-Tay Swiffer. She was pretty and had talent.

[@MothGirl007]

Totally agree.

[@BODUKE3201]

Wonder if they can find away to digitalize it.

[@CSLucasEpic]

1923? That means that also the film is in the Public Domain! So, if the man wants to upload it on KZbin or any other internet service for anyone to see it, he is in his legal rights to do so.

[@Michelle-s2z6l]

They should sell it on dvds. All of them. We need more copies of these old films, for posterity.

[@zombiewanderer]

Now find london after midnight.