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Post by Dave Wood on Sept 10, 2010 18:53:10 GMT
Hi All. I've just received the latest BFI/NFT guide for Nov. 2010 and, under the Missing Believed Wiped event (7th November 2010) it mentions that hundreds of hours of British TV drama, all previously thought missing, were discovered in the Library of Congress.
I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere before, so is this common knowledge and has there been a full list of recoveries published yet?
It may be that this NFT event is the launch and I'm just being a bit premature, but I'm just curious in case I've missed some news on such a major recovery. (I tried a search on this site under "Congress" with zero results).
Many thanks,
Dave
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Post by cperry on Sept 10, 2010 19:49:07 GMT
I've just had a conversation with Dick Fiddy. Kal have sat on this massive story for months (since March). This is the big story that should have broken in July! Unfortunately, the BFI Press Office have delayed its release for so long that in the end they have been upstaged by their own November booklet publication leaking the story first!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
Anyway, they are all drama programs sent to the New York public television station WNET between the late fifties and early seventies. They are in the WNET collection at the Library of Congress and they were catalogued by the Library with our assistance. The Library came to us and then we took the news to the BBC and ITV parties. We brokered the deal for the BFI to handle all negotiations because so many different companies have copyright over the material. They are in 16mm and 2 inch formats.
The full story will follow on Monday complete with images. Kal is proud that we helped the BFI with this deal and we will be at MBW with Dick to discuss it. I hope you will all come and see the material.
Plays Unattached to a Series
27.10.59 Antigone* (BBC) w/Dorothy Tutin, David McCallum
1961 The First Gentleman* (Rediffusion) w/Susannah York
20.04.62 The Winter’s Tale* (BBC)
18.12.69 Rembrandt* (BBC) dir (Rudolph Cartier)
05.02.67 Much Ado About Nothing* (BBC)
Blood and Thunder (Granada)
04.01.65 The Changeling*
Victoria Regina (Granada)
20.11.64 Summer*
27.11.64 Autumn*
The Wednesday Play (BBC)
21.04.65 Auto Stop* w/David Hemmings
01.12.65 The Bond*
Play of the Month (BBC)
27.09.66 Defection! The Case of Colonel Petrov*
03.12.67 Romeo and Juliet*
Thursday Theater (BBC)
24.12.64 The Young Elizabeth*
18.03.65 Anatol*
11.02.65 Naked Island*
Played Upon a Stage (Rediffusion)
She Stoops to Conquer
11.05.60 Part 1*
18.05.60 Part 2*
25.05.60 Part 3*
Theatre 625 (BBC)
26.09.65 Rosmersholm* (Rosmesholm)
28.11.65 The World of George Orwell: 1984*
29.05.66 She Stoops to Conquer*?
20.03.66 A Month in the Country*
02.01.66 Dr. Knock* w/Leonard Rossiter, John Le Mesurier (check this)
13.03.66 The Queen and the Welshman* w/Dorothy Tutin
27.03.66 The Seagull*
12.06.67 The Blood Knot*
Drama Playhouse (BBC)
07.12.70 The Onedin Line - The Wind Blows Free*
Play of the Week (Rediffusion)
30.01.57 The Wild Duck*
27.01.59 Killing of the King*
28.07.59 Dandy Dick*
02.02.60 The Flowering Cherry*
18.09.62 Freedom in September*w/Patrick Troughton
20.11.62 The Typewriter*
03.09.63 The Three Sisters*
The Sunday Night Play (BBC)
16.04.61 Charley’s Aunt*
21.01.62 The Rivals*
Sunday Night Theatre (BBC)
16.11.58 The Lower Depths*
Festival BBC
09.10.63 Fallen Angels*
16.10.63 The Duel*
20.05.64 Everyman*
Twentieth Century Theatre (BBC)
17.01.60 Colombe* w/Sean Connery, Dorothy Tutin
19.06.60 Insect Play (comedy)*
The Victorians (Granada) (entire series)
31.05.63 The Rent Day *
07.06.63 London Assurance*
14.06.63 Society*
21.06.63 The Ticket-Of-Leave Man*
28.06.63 Two Roses*
05.07.63 Still Waters Run Deep*
12.07.63 The Silver King*
19.07.63 Sweet Lavender*
Thirteen Against Fate BBC (complete)
26.06.66 Trapped*
10.07.66 The Widower*
17.07.66 The Judge*
24.07.66 The School Master*
31.07.66 The Witness*
07.08.66 The Friends*
14.08.66 The Survivors* dir (Rudolph Cartier)
28.08.66 The Murderer*
04.09.66 The Suspect*
11.09.66 The Consul*
Paris 1900 Granada (entire series)
02.10.64 Ribadier System*
09.10.64 Fashions for Ladies*
16.10.64 Lambert Affair*
23.10.64 Half a Husband*
30.10.64 The Ribbon*
06.11.64 Luck of the Game*
For Schools: Associated-Rediffusion ITV
18.03.59 Twelfth Night*
1962 Romeo and Juliet w/Jane Asher (third reel of three is missing)
Hamlet (edited together without program divisions)
22.10.63 Episode 1*
05.11.63 Episode 2*
12.11.63 Episode 3*
19.11.63 Episode 4*
26.11.63 Episode 5*
Television Playhouse (From Dupont Show of the Week)
04.01.63 The Ordeal Of Doctor Shannon* Rediffusion
12.09.63 To Bury Caesar* Rediffusion
It's a shame the story couldn't have come out as planned but that's life I suppose lol.
Chris
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Post by Andrew Doherty on Sept 10, 2010 20:28:36 GMT
Absolutely wonderful!
Associated Rediffusion dramas as well!
There's enough in this list to fill a dozen 'Missing, Believed Wiped' events.
Yours,
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Post by David Buck on Sept 10, 2010 21:04:55 GMT
Congratulations to all involved - what a wonderful haul -
particularly looking forward to seeing the 1984 adaptation - the most obvious candidate for a complete screening?
I am wondering though if WNET is the same source in the states that had been thought for years to hold all of thirteen against fate - think it was mentioned in primetime back in the eighties.
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Post by Peter Stirling on Sept 10, 2010 21:28:56 GMT
The BFI have been sitting on the untransmitted Armchair Theatre version of The Blood Knot ,since it was presumably it was left with them in 19 hundred and yonks ago.
Its a pity that it takes foreign stations to show what is valuable
or interesting in British TV.
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Post by Alan Hayes on Sept 10, 2010 21:32:27 GMT
An astounding, dream haul. The sort that you have to pinch yourself to make sure you're awake...
Cartier productions, the David Buck 1984 (the *other* David Buck, that is!), complete series, Rediffusion dramas... the list is nearly endless. An embarrassment of riches!
Congratulations and many thanks to all involved.
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Post by Tim Disney on Sept 10, 2010 21:50:21 GMT
Truly fantastic news. Words fail me. I'm so pleased to see some Rediffusion output in there too. This is an almost impossible act to follow, but imagine if a few more libraries are prompted to uncover their British material as a result of this story. Let's hope we get to see some of it eventually.
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Post by Greg H on Sept 10, 2010 21:55:04 GMT
Yes, congrtaulations to all involved! I am eagerly looking forward to reading details for a lot of these productions as I dont know everything on the list. A truly historic haul, im sure there will be some gems in there! Lots of 1950s material in there which is not greatly represented in the archive. I cant wait for some of this to get released. I have always wondered about thirteen against fate  Theres some truly great names in the list; I wonder which other actors/ actresses are is in this amazing haul as well as the ones stated? Looking forward to in depth details and screenings! Thanks to all involved |
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Post by John Wall on Sept 10, 2010 22:30:56 GMT
W-O-W !
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Post by markboulton on Sept 10, 2010 22:56:31 GMT
Jaw-dropping-mongously jaw-dropping-tastic!!! Just like discovering a big Rock Candy Iron Mountain filled with giant chocolate pennies which, once unwrapped, turn out to be Quad spools!
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Post by davidmorgan on Sept 11, 2010 3:11:33 GMT
A few years ago when I was investigating holdings of Monty Python in US archives, I learned there were 3/4" tapes at the Library of Congress from Devillier Donegan, but these were later dates, with the cuts that were made in the late '70s/'80s.
But a staff member checked their inventory of the collection of tapes donated by PBS and found two 2-inch tapes dating from 1976. There was no record why these two tapes were among others donated - PBS itself did not distribute Python in the States, it was originally distributed by Time-Life and Devillier Donegan - but I can only assume they were swept up with others donated to the LOC. The date of the tape would have pre-dated the cuts that crept into Python shows, but the episodes they had (32 & 33) aren't shows that were missing anything, so pulling the tape from their warehouse (if you could call a salt mine in Pennsylvania a warehouse) proved unnecessary.
I don't know if the LOC Python tapes came from WNET, the New York PBS station, or some other PBS office.
Producing Agency: Time Life Films
Series: Monty Pythons Flying Circus
Episode Name & Number: #33
Date: 8/16/76
Length: 28:25
Rec. Standards: Highband Color Mono
Since these Python shows turned up among the LOC holdings, I imagine it's possible that other non-drama BBC shows may have been included in the donations as well.
David Morgan
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Post by Matthew Brannigan on Sept 11, 2010 3:56:37 GMT
This is better than I could ever have imagined - thank you to everyone who assisted in discovering this treasure trove!
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Post by Bernie King on Sept 11, 2010 6:15:13 GMT
Supercalifragilisticexpialidociously fandbidozee!!!! Congratulations and THANK YOU to everyone involved. Freedom In September with PT, 1984 and Dr Knock really stand out for me in an aladdins cave of televisual treats!!
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Post by Richard Moore on Sept 11, 2010 8:35:21 GMT
Were you just searching the WNET collection or th Library of Congress as a whole?
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Post by Louise Penn on Sept 11, 2010 10:06:01 GMT
What great news! Congratulations to everyone involved.
Which of the two MBW events is this find going to be discussed at? I have a nasty feeling we're double booked for the first one .
In a perfect world some of this stuff could be candidates for DVD release (depending on how commercial they are) but regardless, always a cause for celebration when good stuff resurfaces.
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