Atlas Films: 8mm Collecting for the Financially Impaired

The dubious history and selected offerings of Atlas and Carnival Films: two home movie manufacturers who are fondly remembered, despite not giving a hang about print quality or securing distribution rights.

[@jeffmissinne3866]

As an old Atlas customer meself, this sure brings back memories. These films were pure fun, and that's how I'll always remember them. Atlas also marketed a line of pre-recorded music tapes on 3-inch reels, two-track mono at 3 3/4 ips, aimed at "toy" tape recorders just as sure as their films were for "toy" projectors. They were called Plaza Tapes, and I owned a couple, long since destroyed, as a kid. I would later find the contents were copied (bootlegged?) off cheapo "drugstore" LPS by labels like Tops and Crown, of generic categories like "barber shop quartet."

[@jeffmissinne3866]

By the way, the Coronet Films that made classroom movies was a completely unrelated company, located in Chicago. They were connected with Esquire magazine, and named for one of its sister publications, Coronet magazine. David Smart of Esquire built a soundstage and production facility in Glenview, IL (since demolished, though the street it was on is still called Coronet Road.)

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Nice bit of info here.

[@evanschad1006]

Nicely done! As somebody fascinated by these shady pirate companies, it's nice to see somebody's cleared the fog surrounding one of the most intriguing of home movie companies 'way back when. Oh, and the Slim Summerville comedy is "A Horse on Barney", originally released in 1928. Dunno if it's been ID'd since this video was posted, but if not, here ya' go.

[@buxombeautease]

Thanks for the wonderful documentary. Not mentioned: In the early 70s, Atlas was marketing silent prints of KFS POPEYE cartoons from the early 60s. Among them were GOLDEN TYPE FLEECE; GOLF BRAWL, and IT ONLY HURTS WHEN THEY LAUGHS. (The last was retitled BATTLING BRUISERS in the 50 ft. Super 8 reel I had). There were dialogue titles. They were also peddling a foreign (Italian?) series of shorts about an angel, looking like they were made for TV, as part of their catchall "CARTOONS" series. I've got no documentation. My prints are destroyed; the reels date from after their standard catalog pamphlet. I got them from Modell's Shoppers World Stores, which became White-Modell (Long Island, NY). Also an independent photo supply dealer operating at a "Farmer's Market" on weekends, also on Long Island. It's unusual that bootlegs of such recent sources could be sold. One possibility is that they were leased or pirated from a British home movie library.

[@markheller1382]

Terrific sleuthing. Thanks.

[@manypearls7193]

I was so fascinated by Super 8 movies as a kid in the 1970's especially the "real movies" from Hollywood even if they were silent and B&W and cut down to under three minutes. I never saw Atlas films though except for one Grants department store in a nearby town that I visited only once I think where they sold for 99 cents. I think all they had was Krazy Kat and Chaplin titles. I bought one Krazy Kat (didn't know who Charlie was at the time!) which I played on the family projector when my parents were at work. I still have that little movie! I'd love to see you write a book on the Super 8 Hollywood movie phenomenon, the only one I know that's been done was on Castle Films.

[@StusShowCom]

Michael - you OUTDID yourself this time. I thought your research on "Dragnet" and "Superman" was outstandingly thorough, but this...WOW!! Highly enjoyable!

[@BoydProductionGroup]

Wonderful mini-documentary, a most fascinating bit of film archaeology. Thank you for putting this together!

[@howardmikekramer5421]

An obscure yet wonderful labor of love. Throughly enjoyable. My first projector was an Argus M-500 and I do remember these budget films coming on 50, 100 and 200 foot reels. Thanks again for your excellent overview and "IMAX" of memories.

[@mdmphd]

Good job adding the music for the final films (which I enjoyed, especially the Bobby Dunn). I also appreciate dry humor and delivery so I'm subscribing for more - Thanks for posting!!

[@MrSmellinglikearose]

As a kid of 9 I first started collecting in super 8 & this led me to be intrigued to a addiction to buy ATLAS films as they had NEW TITLES that it became a motivation to figure out what film it really was if you knew silent shots plots -- SUCH AS : CHARLIE CHAPLIN in THE DRUNK would probably be a bit from ONE A.M. etc

[@johnhourigan6049]

Great job - I wish someone would produce something similar regarding Ken Films, etc.

[@billsprague7429]

A very interesting program

[@ZigguratSF]

Terrific documentary! Setting aside the disparaging tone of the piece, there was so much new info here on my favorite 8mm film company. What was so exciting about Atlas Films, as the narrator confirms, is that you never quite knew what you were gonna get when you bought an Atlas - and it was always a pleasant surprise. One aspect of Atlas not discussed here was their “Classic Adventures” series of 200 ft featurettes. Some classic silent horror, but mostly bootleg versions of others studio product, such as Columbia’s “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad” and Universal’s “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.” The “Classic Adventures” series are as rare as hen’s teeth nowadays, and I had several back in the day. Print quality was awful, par for the course, but the true Atlas fan couldn’t care less. Finally, I take issue with the narrator’s assertion “may Atlas Films never darken our doorways again.” This editorial snobbery is why most folks can’t take you film historian snobs seriously. I’ll trade you ten Blackhawk Films for one Atlas Films any day of the week. Atlas Films rocked - even as teenagers we knew they were somehow “outlaw” - and that’s what made them legend.

[@natethefighter]

Love this overview! Are you considering future videos profiling other "show-at-home" film companies?

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Love the background music heard during this, I probably heard that countless times before.

[@threestoogescritic3280]

I still collect these so much fun!

[@antoniod]

When I was a kid I dreamt of owning all kinds of 8MM releases, but I didn't even have a paper route and I didn't earn a red penny! I had issues and I didn't even have a part-time job until I was Twenty-Four!

[@pebey]

I just received three of these Atlas comedies, and am using them in an arcade-style peepshow machine in the lobby of the cinema where I work. (The machine took 16mm film in an endless loop, but was murder on the prints so I installed an 8mm projector in it, with a modified 8-track tape cartridge feeding out the film. Much better!) The films I got were "Oh You Nurse" and "Hey Taxi". Someone else posted the same Atlas version of "Hey Taxi" on KZbin, claimed it was originally called "Restless Bachelors" and that the driver was Pinto Colvig, though I'm not convinced that's true (hard to tell in this washed-out version anyway). The third film I got was titled "Sleuth", claims to star Charley Chase; any confirmation? I had to edit them down to one-minute segments - cut-downs of cut-downs. That's all you get for a dime, cheapskates! Who do I send the residuals to?

[@MikeH0714]

Yep, that other version of HEY TAXI is on my channel as well. It's definitely from "Restless Bachelors" (1928) and I have it on the authority of an acknowledged expert (Steve Massa of the Silent Comedy Watch Party) that Pinto Colvig is the taxi driver. He was also writing and directing the Al Cooke shorts at the time. As for SLEUTH, I haven't seen it so don't know if it's Chase or not. Could possibly be his brother Jimmie (aka Paul) Parrott, or it could be one of the many silent clowns who wore a pencil-thin mustache. I'd love to visit your theater sometime and see your machine in action!

[@brianfretwell3886]

I'm sure I have a 400ft colour print (feature cutdown)with Bergen labs on the leader.

[@manypearls7193]

And wasn't Atlas' "Krazy Kat" really Felix the Cat, but since Felix was still under copyright they called him by his more obscure rival's moniker ??) Kind of odd since they didn't rename Betty Boop or Popeye - and that other cat pictured on the boxes on the left is clearly based on Mr. Jinks of tv's Pixie and Dixie fame and surely not in any Atlas films. My little film I think was a clip from "Felix the Cat Shatters the Sheik".

[@jeffmissinne3866]

Atlas had "Kitty Kat" cartoons, which combined episodes of both Felix and the silent Krazy Kat series under that title.

[@michaeltrochalakis6526]

Your background music was standard in Niles Film Products 16mm film prints. Where did you find it?

[@jeffmissinne3866]

It was also used by Home Movie Wonderland, a particularly sketchy 16mm mail order distributor in the LA area.

[@antoniod]

The two Carnival films I had were pirated from the Entertainment Films Co.

[@antoniod]

Or where they Atlas? I also had THE FIXER UPPERS in a silent version with no subtitles!

[@DieGroteske]

Wonderful. Thanks for this. One question: Could you please tell me the titles of the songs you used in the video? I've been hearing this music for years now as scores to tons of comedies, but have never been able to identify the artists or titles. Thanks in advance!

[@lshah]

The three tunes used for the unidentified are recordings by the Herman Kuster Piano Orchestra, a German Dance Band who recorded these tunes in Germany in the late 1930’s (yes, they were a Nazi Era Orchestra) The name of the tunes used: Unidentified #1 “Jockey” Unidentified # 2 “Kleine Sonja” Unidentified #3 “Shadowsplay” RICHARD M ROBERTS

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@lshah Thanks! I recall hearing these used in a few silent film releases that had music added to them.

[@DieGroteske]

@@lshah Thanks a lot! Still couldn't find anything with your help, but I'll keep trying.

[@jeffmissinne3866]

@@lshah That should read Herbert Kuster, rather than Herman. "Shadowplay" is available on You Tube.

[@antoniod]

"Barney Hellum had a hel-u-va big pair a' eyes!". Hmm, doesn't work as well.