[78-L] O/T Films

[Harold Aherne]

This sounds like the large cache of nitrate prints discovered in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, in 1978. What happened was that several hundred reels of film were used to fill an old swimming pool that was being converted to a hockey rink. Decades later, when the rink itself was also being replaced, the discovery was made. Dawson City was sometimes the end of the line for distribution prints and it wasn't always worthwhile for the distribution exchanges to pay for shipment back to their warehouses. 

Further details about the discovery are at
http://yukon-news.com/arts/a-different-sort-of-klondike-treasure/

In addition to newsreels, portions of about 42 American features from the 1915-19 period were found. Some were nearly complete, missing only 1 reel or so, while only 1 reel survived in other cases. 

-HA

--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 8/3/14, Joe Salerno <jsalerno at collector.org.invalid> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [78-L] O/T Films
 To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
 Date: Sunday, August 3, 2014, 8:47 AM
 
 
 I
 remember reading of some that had been thrown out of the
 window of a 
 theatre. They fell to the
 ground and were covered in snow.....and this 
 was in Alaska. Many years later they were
 unearthed, uh, unsnowed, and 
 found to be in
 quite good condition, having been stored all that time in
 
 the deep freeze. Literally deep.
 
 I wonder if it is a true
 story.
 
 Joe Salerno
 
 On 8/3/2014 8:08 AM, Don Cox wrote:
 >
 > On 03/08/2014, Julian
 Vein wrote:
 >
 >>
 >> What happens to films after
 they've been shown in the cinema and on
 >> TV? I'm not referring to digital
 forms of the genre.
 >>
 > The release prints are sent around to
 smaller cinemas until they wear out.
 >
 > Release prints are supposed to be returned
 to the distributors, who will
 > send
 superfluous copies for recycling of the plastic film
 base.
 >
 > But
 sometimes for various reasons a print may be kept at the
 theatre and
 > not returned. Some may then
 survive for decades in storage. This is why "lost"
 films
 > are regularly found.
 >
 > Regards
 >
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