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  1. RPMay

    King Vidor Lincoln Center Retrospective with TCM including Northwest Passage!

    During the Turner ownership we made new elements of NORTHWEST PASSAGE from the original 3-strip negatives. As I remember, the answer print was excellent, and part of our arrangement with Eastman House was to supply them with a print. That must be what is referred to in this article.
  2. RPMay

    Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ Francis the Talking Mule (7 Film Collection) – in Blu-ray

    I was working at the Oklahoma City branch of Universal Film Exchange when most of these were released. I haven't anything profound to say except they were BIG hits in that part of the country.
  3. RPMay

    Blu-ray Review National Velvet Blu-ray Review

    While at Turner, I supervised preservation work on film from the original 3-strip negatives. I don't know if the new video master was from the interpositive made then, or from the YCM negatives, but it is gratifying to see the compliments of the new video release.
  4. RPMay

    FOX MAY BE ON ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST, BLU-RAY WISE

    With all of the suggestions, I didn't see anyone mention THE GRAPES OF WRATH. To me, this is possibly the best movie to ever come out of 20th Century-Fox.
  5. RPMay

    Weekly RoundUp 7-6-2021

    So many of the classic comedies of the thirtys need an audience to enjoy. I can remember first seeing THE AWFUL TRUTH at the L.A. County Museum of Art when they had a weekly series curated by Ron Haver. My family and I all roared at Ralph Bellamy's comments about being from Oklahoma (also my...
  6. RPMay

    General Discussion Numerous jump cuts in recent Watch TCM films...

    TCM, and especially TCM On Demand thru Spectrum has this problem. This service needs some serious technical upgrading. On Demand programs are much less sharp than their direct broadcasts. Audio has a heavy hiss whenever there is no other sound going on.
  7. RPMay

    A Few Words About A few words about…™ Show Boat (1951) – in Blu-ray

    Regarding KING SOLOMON'S MINES, the OCN was not involved in the GEH fire. The original photography was Technicolor MonoPack (actually Kodachrome) for the location sequences, and 3-strip for interiors shot in the studio. The difference in quality is obvious, and the MonoPack can never be of the...
  8. RPMay

    A Few Words About A few words about…™ Show Boat (1951) – in Blu-ray

    I'm really glad to see that this has been properly remastered from the 3-strip Technicolor negatives. When we did the preservation on film, around 20+ years ago, for some reason it was a problem getting proper contrast. As I remember, this was not only the beginning of MGM using magnetic...
  9. RPMay

    A Few Words About A few words about…™ A Tale of Two Cities – in Blu-ray

    This is one of the films that got me interested in movie history. When I was in Jr. High we had 16mm cut-downs of a few of the MGM literary features, running about an hour, designed for classroom use. The storming of the bastille was most impressive. This especially when usually having a diet...
  10. RPMay

    Facts about Perspecta Stereophonic Sound

    The MGM feature release schedule for 1956 shows HIGH SOCIETY as being "VV., PS"
  11. RPMay

    A Few Words About A few words about…™ Good News – in Blu-ray

    No, it is too far back to remember such details. DM
  12. RPMay

    A Few Words About A few words about…™ Good News – in Blu-ray

    Hello Bob, This great review on GOOD NEWS is a pleasure for me. As you will remember, I was VP of Film Preservation at the time that almost all of the MGM 3-strip Technicolor movies were recombined to modern interpositives, and this one was one of the greatest successes. I don't remember what...
  13. RPMay

    Warner Archive Press Release: The Shop Around The Corner (1940) (Blu-ray)

    I can confirm that the original negative of SHOP AROUND THE CORNER does exist. Many years ago, shortly after MGM arranged to deposit their surviving nitrate negatives with George Eastman House, a memo was circulated listing a large number of titles that had been destroyed. The MGM library...
  14. RPMay

    Need Wifi Extender

    I have been using a Netgear EX7300 for a year or so, purchased at Best Buy. My modem is on the south side of the house, where the wifi from outside enters. I had a problem with smart TV and computer in what was originally a bedroom, now is a TV room on the north side, with a hallway, den and...
  15. RPMay

    Blu-ray Review The Harvey Girls Blu-ray Review

    Photographed in 3 strip Technicolor, so is superior to other movies mentioned that were shot in Eastman Color.
  16. RPMay

    New Warner Bros. logo sparks controversy

    Warner Bros. could add to the impact of their logo by going back to the "Steiner fanfare" used from the late 1930s for many years. It identified a WB picture almost as much as the Alfred Newman fanfare did for 20th Century-Fox.
  17. RPMay

    Can OLED screens replace projection in cineplexes?

    It all gets down to if the audience wants to see the particular movie. I doubt that more than a small percentage of techie buffs care what kind of display is used as long as they can get absorbed in the show.
  18. RPMay

    Blu-ray Review Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Review

    In Matt's glowing review he mentions several of the long-time actors that appear in small roles, but left out Jane Darwell's final performance. He mentions the Bird Lady, but not that she was played by Darwell. When MARY POPPINS was released I was working for Disney's distribution branch, Buena...
  19. RPMay

    digital capture VS film capture

    Without knowing what the filmmakers intended, I don't think we the viewers can vote on a generality of whether digital or film capture is superior. I have seen both very good and very bad from both systems.
  20. RPMay

    Blu-ray Review End of Watch Blu-ray Review

    I found this picture completely impossible to watch after more than about 15 minutes. It's not the quality of the video coming from small surveillance cameras, but the fact that they are bouncing all over the place, being clipped to the cop's shirts. That fact is mentioned in the review, but...
  21. RPMay

    A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) -- in Blu-ray

    Why does the photo accompanying your review show James Stewart and Daniel Gelin from the remake?
  22. RPMay

    Aspect Ratio Documentation

    Interesting about YOUNG BESS. It was shot in 3-strip Technicolor, so at 1:37 ratio. Recutting and reformatting the entire picture sounds like a publicity plug. While at Turner, we made new protection elements on this picture from the 3-strip negatives. It looked great, but I can't say anything...
  23. RPMay

    I Need a New Water Heater

    We also have an on demand heater in about the same size house with only two people. No problems with running out of hot water, waiting for it to heat up after dishwasher, etc. It took a few days to get scheduled and installed. It's more of a project than just replacing an old heater, and not...
  24. RPMay

    Aspect Ratio Documentation

    CALAMITY JANE was photographed in 3-strip Technicolor. The Technicolor camera could only record in 1:37 format. Dick May
  25. RPMay

    United 93

    Regardless of the emotional impact, I have never seen this film due the extreme use of hand held camera. It is distracting, and makes many people uncomfortable. It looks like it is being used less in current films. Maybe enough people complained. DM
  26. RPMay

    Lets talk about CLEOPATRA- 1963

    I was working for Buena Vista (Disney) in Los Angeles at the time, and was invited to the first (or one of the first) showings at the Pantages. Our seats were in row 3, so all four hours were looking up at the monstrous screen. We thought the picture would never end! I have seen it more...
  27. RPMay

    Questions for people who haven't gone Blu yet...

    I find that results with Oppo DVD player, upscaling to a 1080 TV, are very good, and I don't feel I need another piece of hardware. Dick May
  28. RPMay

    Universal Vault Series - Amazon.com exclusive DVD-Rs

    I guess most of the public doesn't remember Deanna Durbin, but even those who do don't spell her name correctly. We see Deana and Deane above, neither of which are correct. Sorry to be pedantic, but I'm sort of a stickler with accuracy in such matters. DM
  29. RPMay

    DVD Review HTF DVD REVIEW: TCM American Classics - Musicals

    The only one of these four pictures where the reviewer got the release date correct was SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. BANDWAGON is 1952, not 1944, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is 1944, EASTER PARADE is 1948. Research, anyone? What else might be wrong from this reviewer? DM
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