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Outtakes from old movies-where are they?

#1
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5/5/05 at 12:09pm
  • Joined: June 2003
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After watching "The Sea Hawk" with Errol Flynn, I started thinking of the tons of feet of film that must've been shot for that and all other movies that wasn't used in the final edit. Where did all this footage go? Is some of it in the studio's vaults or was it discarded years ago? Does anyone have answers? It would be fascinating to see any bloopers or first shot footage of any of the old time actors and actresses.
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#2
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5/5/05 at 12:34pm
  • Joined: May 2001
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For most of the classics, either incinerated (for silver content), stock footage, or landfill.

Very, very few outtakes exist (at least for most studios). Although, you never know... outtakes for the silent films The Thief of Bagdad and Sunrise exist. Outtakes for Casablanca and The Adventures of Robin Hood exist in almost perfect condition.

Tell The Weinstein Company to release Richard Williams' animated masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler on DVD in Panavision widescreen and uncut! See and hear what you're missing from their Bitsy Award winner of Worst Standard Edition DVD of 2006 on YouTube!
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#3
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5/5/05 at 12:36pm
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There once was a VHS title called Hollywood Outtakes that collected some classic stuff.
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#4
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5/5/05 at 3:31pm
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Fox has a neat set of DVDs called Hidden Hollywood with excised scenes and musical numbers. There are 2 vols in the series that I know of.
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#5
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5/5/05 at 3:47pm
  • Joined: December 2004
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
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Like Mark said, Image released 2 discs of Fox's outtakes in Hidden Hollywood. There're some outakes on Criterion's My Man Godfrey with swearing and all. Warner's DVD of The Adventures Of Robin Hood included a studio's annual year-end blooper reel. I wonder why they stopped including it for other years.
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#6
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5/5/05 at 5:50pm
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MGM didn't actively throw out outtakes, so their films often have deleted scenes on some of the DVDs (Warners has, thankfully, kept these around, too). They seem to be the exception.

It wasn't until the 1980s that studios realized these were of value to anyone.

STOP THE MADNESS! STOP THE BUTCHERING AND ABANDONMENT OF TV SHOWS ON DVD!

My DVD List at DVD Aficionado, Now Featuring Blu-Ray

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#7
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5/6/05 at 10:04am
  • Joined: September 2001
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The LD box set of "Abbott & Costello's Comedy Collection" has fantastic outtakes from "Buck Privates Come Home and Hit the Ice."

It would be great to have those, but I'm sure we never will!

...retired at last!!!

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#8
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5/6/05 at 1:19pm
  • Joined: December 2001
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When I produced that box set for MCA, I got the outtakes directly from the Estates. Lou had gag reels printed in 16mm from many of the forties Universal features.

I also included outtakes from AFRICA SCREAMS on the laser disc which I produced for Image Entertainment.

The only reason that material survived was because Lou asked for it personally, and he was a huge star at the studio. If it had been up to Universal, that footage would have never survived.
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#9
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5/6/05 at 2:16pm
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Bob,

Has Universal expressed any interest in using any of these outtakes for their (hopefully) upcoming Volume 4 of their A&C Franchise Collection? Hopefully they are aware of the great input you could offer in this regard.

Steve
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#10
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5/6/05 at 4:37pm
  • Joined: February 2005
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A lot of outtakes, such as those from Casablanca, are missing their audio tracks. Same with Around the World in 80 Days.
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#11
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5/9/05 at 7:04am
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Steve, we had to take legal action against MCA Home Video several years ago when they blatantly lifted text out of our Abbott and Costello book for one of their laser box sets. Ironically, Ron Palumbo and I were supposed to write the liner notes, but they figured they could just steal material from our book instead of paying us. Boy, were they mistaken!

Since then, I've had no contact with them whatsoever.
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#12
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5/9/05 at 10:04am
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Quote:
Steve, we had to take legal action against MCA Home Video several years ago when they blatantly lifted text out of our Abbott and Costello book for one of their laser box sets. Ironically, Ron Palumbo and I were supposed to write the liner notes, but they figured they could just steal material from our book instead of paying us. Boy, were they mistaken!


Thanks for the response Bob. I'm sorry to hear that they plagiarized your text. What cheapskates!

Steve
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#13
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5/9/05 at 11:04pm
  • Joined: September 2001
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Again, thanks Bob for all your hard work in making those LD's the gems they are!!!

They will always be a part of our collection!

...retired at last!!!

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#14
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5/9/05 at 11:31pm
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I took the studio tour of Warner Bros last year. They started the tour with a presentation film which included a number of outtakes from older films mixed in with more famous scenes. It was a joy to watch.

-paul
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