The National Screen Service & Movie Memorabilia

The Bijou is delighted to welcome John McElwee, whose weekly Greenbriar Picture Shows blog is an endlessly fascinating and informative experience dedicated to the great days of movie exhibition. John recalls the glory days of film memorabilia collecting and his encounters with the National Screen Service in Charlotte, North Carolina, in this excerpt from his blog.

Forgive my drifting back to a collecting life long past, but these glimpses of the inner workings at National Screen Service call up a lot of treasure hunting memories. Imagine yourself standing at the counter shown here in the early sixties. I think I’ll have ten Vertigo one-sheets, four Rebel Without A Cause lobby sets, and about a dozen Forbidden Planet inserts, please. The nice man rings up your purchase --- That’ll be seventeen dollars, sir. The legend at the bottom says Return To National Screen Service, but a lot of theaters kept these posters. I’m sure I would have. Upon making my purchase, that venerable time machine would carry me to the present day where I’d realize around thirty-five grand for my NSS goodies, then back to the sixties I’d go for another load. That counter clerk would be thrice a millionaire if he’d carried home each night what they tossed in those dumpsters each day. As it is, he probably earned fifty dollars a week and was happy to get it. These people worked in King Solomon’s mines without a clue as to riches surrounding them. A lot of National Screen retirees no doubt kick themselves every time Antiques Roadshow features some guy making thousands off a Frankenstein six-sheet he found lining a dresser drawer.

Moon Mullins was a fifty-year collector who lived in the town where I went to college. He used to search through the woods for Native American artifacts. His backyard museum looked like Dances With Wolves. Moon was also into movies. He built a theatre up the stairs from his indian relics. There was 16 and 35mm equipment, plus racks of film, nitrate and safety. I used to visit Moon’s all the time. We’d go on road trips to search out attics and chicken houses for movie stuff. Scored a 35mm print of Laurel and Hardy’s Utopia in a tool shed thirty miles from the nearest stoplight. This is what collecting was like in North Carolina during the early seventies.

Moon had a buddy who worked out of National Screen when they had a terminal in Charlotte. Every week his friend brought Moon a stack of posters and grocery bags filled with trailers. This went on for years. Sometimes I’d stop by Moon’s on a summer day when it was a hundred degrees in the shade and he’d be cleaning nitrate film in a concrete storage bunker with his shirt off. All that alarmist stuff the American Film Institute put out about flammable stock was the bunk as far as Moon was concerned. Guys used to pull up in the yard sometimes and offer him features out of their station wagon. One had a 35mm print of The Searchers he offered to sell for fifty dollars, but Moon gave him the breeze. He figured it was hot, and besides, he didn’t know the guy. Ward Bond stopped in one day during the late fifties. Somebody had told him about Moon’s collection and he wanted to check it out. Moon was never star-struck. When Sunset Carson was down on his luck hosting a yokel UHF kiddie cowboy show, he hung around Moon’s to the point of getting on the man’s nerves.

There was a rival collector who lived not far from Moon. He had a mole at National Screen as well. Actually, Charlotte was full of depot loaders willing to liberate 35mm titles for a modest price. That’s how Homer wound up with a thousand or so features stored above a singularly inhospitable pool room he operated. I gathered up three Warner cartoons and a 35mm Horror Of Dracula one night as Homer dispensed grilled burgers and cue sticks. The cost --- seventy-five dollars. Gone are the days.

The National Screen story is an amazing one and largely unknown today. These folks never got into the film history books, but there were 1200 employees nationwide, and they produced trailers, posters, and most accessories for virtually every movie released in the US. Their warehouses had to service titles going back at least ten years. Movies remained in service long after their initial release. Drive-ins would pick up flat rentals on four or five oldies a week to fill in double and triple programs. Our own Starlite Drive-In finally got Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra in 1964, but who would have dreamed they’d back it up with 1937's Way Out West as a second feature? I remember my sister coming home from the Starlite one night in 1974 after seeing Red River (1948). Two weeks later they ran The Outlaw!

National Screen was called upon to provide paper and ad art for many of these. It’s a miracle they generated so much product in-house. The artists and letterers came up with neat graphics as seen on old prevues, elderly ladies ran film rewinds and were responsible for inspecting trailers when they came back from runs, and note these austere working quarters --- to think some of the most stunning poster art of the twentieth century originated from places like this! Of course, a lot of these were never returned.

One time Moon and I checked out an old theatre in Gaffney, SC where the guy had a roomful of trailers, and was willing to sell. I came across a 35mm original release preview for Curse of the Demon there. When the man said he wanted five dollars for it, Moon snatched the film out of my hand, loudly declaring that no trailer was worth over fifty cents. I’ve never seen it anywhere again to this day. Columbia couldn’t even locate one for their DVD. When the Charlotte branch closed, they hauled every bit of that stuff to a landfill. Policy dictated that none of it be sold or given away. That was at least twenty-five years ago. Someone with a transfer truck and a stout back could have put themselves by way of a lifetime annuity that day. Of course, these things wouldn’t be such e-bay magnets now if they'd had greater foresight then.

Be sure to check out John McElwee's current article on Fatty Arbuckle and scroll down to the previous post "A Week Gone Cartoon Mad" for more fascinating insights, this time on vintage cartoons.

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!

“He’s the lovable all-American sailor, an odd mix of rough and tumble mariner, caring gentleman and universal protector. Born of a depression, tempered by war, he’s one of the most enduring and endearing fictional characters ever created.” -- “I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor.”

We love Popeye! It’s an inescapable phenomenon of every generation -- what we enjoy as kids, we remember fondly as adults and rediscover with great joy. Those who attended Saturday matinees in the 1940s and early 50s saw Popeye in theaters, and loved him. Who wouldn’t? Those fans are now in their seventies. The same television that killed the matinee broadcast 1930s and 40s films to kids of the 1950s-60s. That generation discovered B-westerns, the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, serials, cartoons and so much more. Those kids are now in their fifties and sixties. Ergo, anyone younger than fifty may have had little exposure to vintage Popeye. If kids don't see them when they are young, how can they be expected to become rabid fans now? Of course a few will, who can see greatness in black and white, but Popeye mania is unlikely to return. An exemplary DVD release cannot replace blanket television broadcasts in an era when every kid watched the same show and loved it for the anarchic, surrealist humor. Popeye kicked butt, and we can't show that anymore!

In 1933 Max Fleischer introduced Popeye to movie audiences in a Betty Boop cartoon called Popeye the Sailor. Popeye’s newspaper comic strip creator, Elzie Segar, is credited right under the main title, as is “By arrangement with King Features Syndicate.” Betty appears in the short and even does a hula dance with our sailor. Olive Oyl and Bluto appear in the familiar design and voices we know today. Bonnie Poe was the voice of Olive Oyl for this and the first few Popeye cartoons, but Mae Questel quickly assumed the Olive role while continuing as the voice of Betty Boop. The spinach device was rarely used in the comic strip, but it empowered Popeye with super strength in the first cartoon and proved such a boffo gimmick that it became a continuing plot device, and invadvertently gave many moms of past generations an opportunity to get their finicky kids to "eat your spinach!"

After 109 Popeyes, Max Fleischer lost his studio to Paramount in 1942 and the animation unit was renamed Famous Studios. Starting with You’re a Sap, Mr. Jap Famous Studios went on to make 122 more Popeye cartoons. After the war the cartoons were all made in color, the animation was smooth created by many of the same animators, but the Fleischer flair was gone. In 1957, the last Popeye theatrical cartoon was released – Spooky Swabs -- for a total of 231 Popeyes. The end? Hardly, it was a new beginning. Paramount sold the package to TV distributor Associated Artists Productions or AAP and they hit the tube in 1958-59. Every major city had a daily hosted kid show that highlighted the Popeye cartoons. The popularity went into orbit. King Features rushed out new Popeye toys and commissioned new five minute cartoons. The limited animation technique of 1960-62 looks pretty dreadful today, but Jack Mercer, Mae Questel and Jackson Beck still voiced the bizarre, stylized characters - and kids still watched, though likely with less enthusiasm than older fans held for Fleischer’s original surreal classics.

Perhaps you recall the 1980 feature film Popeye starring Robin Williams in his first film. It’s an interesting fiasco directed by Robert Altman, but it just doesn’t feel like Popeye and was poorly received by audiences. Far from reviving interest, it began Popeye’s decline into near obscurity. In the 1980s Hanna Barbera took a crack at the character with mixed results. The old fans didn’t watch it and the young kids probably wondered who the heck the funny sailor was.

During the 1970s, black and white anything became forbidden, and the Fleischer classics disappeared from the airwaves. Matinee at the Bijou spurred a revival of black and white film on PBS during the 1980s, but otherwise the Popeye cartoons have not been widely seen in thirty years until now. They were never even released on VHS, like the Betty Boop cartoons. Warner Bros. owned the films, but King Features still owned the character, and the two could never work it out until 2007.

Warner Bros. discovered there was cartoon gold in their vaults when they began releasing their “Looney Tunes - Golden Collection” DVD box sets in 2003. The sets proved to be a runaway hit and Warner Home Video has lavished the same care and respect on Popeye Vol. 1, which came out in July 2007, and Popeye Vol. 2, just released. This is a superb opportunity to discover the quirky humor, the fisticuffs, the strength-giving powers of spinach, the lively retro music, and the surrealism of the world of Popeye and friends. Just run out and buy or rent these today!

Classic Cartoon Super Sites

Executive Producer Ron Hall presents the next in our continuing series spotlighting inspired blogs and websites devoted to vintage films.

Is there a site out there devoted to Comedy Shorts? How about Newsreels? B-westerns? Mystery or horror movies? Tarzan? The answer is yes. But what would you Google to discover the wonders of John McElwee’s Greenbrier Picture Show – a site primarily dedicated to movie exhibition, but with so much more to appreciate? We are particularly interested in active sites like Greenbrier’s that have new articles weekly, or The Serial Squadron - aka “The Academy of Cliffhanger Arts & Sciences” - that sells rare serials, has years of serial discussions, plus a chat room and new posts daily.

We already list many of our favorites in the column on the right. However, these permanent links may be forgotten or ignored since they are always there. Our goal is to make each site so exciting that you will bookmark them on your own computer and then re-visit them frequently. If you have a vintage movie-related site that fits into the Bijou world of cartoons, shorts, serials and features, please email me at fesfilms@aol.com.

Enough rambling. On to the main attraction this week -- CARTOONS! We are especially fond of two superb and active must-visit sites should you want to do research, be entertained, watch cartoons, buy cartoons or simply find out “What’s New” in the world of animation.


The first of these is Dave Koch’s The Big Cartoon Database (BCDB): “Providing an In-Depth Look at your Favorite Cartoon Classics and Animated Films." The site attempts to include all theatrical and TV cartoons from the silent era to the present.

One section posts the latest cartoon and animation news, home video and DVD releases. Another section lists all Academy Award Winning Cartoons. You can read the various discussion forums for free, or sign up to be a member for free and then comment on anything at all or start your own discussion. You can describe cartoons you fondly remember as a child and find out the title. The most guests ever at the site was 1,449 on Jan. 20, 2005, at 7:49 am. What the heck happened that day, Dave?

An article this week in the “Cartoon News” section includes information on an upcoming “Wonderful World of Animation” live auction being telecast from Las Vegas on Sunday, June 22. The article includes a link to the “Auction Channel” where you can watch the action in high definition and bid for rare animation treasures.

A favorite BCDB section here at Matinee at the Bijou is the sites “Searchable Database of Cartoon Information, Animated Guides, Cartoon Character and Crew Lists; everything from Disney Cartoons to Adult Cartoons.” The major studios have their own sections -- MGM, Disney, Warners, Columbia, etc. -- with 65,513 cartoons left over for the “Other Studios” category. Let’s say you’re curious about the cartoon team of Heckle & Jeckle. Simply enter the characters names in the BCDB search engine and instantly you get three pages listing titles and descriptions for all 53 Heckle & Jeckle cartoons produced from 1949-1956. Truly the BCDB is a monumental work of interest to all cartoon fans.


Next up is Jerry Beck’s Cartoon Research. We suggest you meet Jerry first off by watching him plug his DVD of “Worst Cartoons Ever.” Be warned that the video starts playing without clicking on it and will repeat forever without urging. The top attraction on the home page is Cartoon Brew, a daily animation blog with commentary, news and reviews. Next, check out Jerry’s very own cartoon short “Hornswiggle.” You will not only watch for it on Nickelodeon later this year after you see the two snazzy lobby cards, you will be calling Nick and demanding it weekly! The lively “Animation History Forum” is personally moderated by Jerry Beck. The 172 pages of posts include numerous comments by Bijou friends Ray Pointer and Steve Stanchfield. Jerry’s latest book is “The Animated Movie Guide of U.S. Theatrical Releases.” All 369 features are listed from 1937 through 2008 complete with production credits. We suspect if one looks hard enough, one will find how to buy the book online. (Hint: Try the “Buy My Books” section on the home page.) Jerry also sells rare cartoons on DVD at his “Garage Sale.”

We love the special articles noted in the left hand column about Original Titles from various studios; David Gerstein’s fascinating research on The Winkler Oswalds, the 1930s incarnation of Tom and Jerry and The Cartoon Pop Music Page, about the use of 1930s pop music in cartoons. Other gems to be discovered at the site include a video of Jerry with Joan Rivers in 1994, the Jerry Beck Wedding and bizarre links galore.

So just who is this Jerry Beck, you might ask? He is an animation historian and cartoon producer who has written twelve books on the subject, including The Animated Movie Guide, Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide and The 50 Greatest Cartoons. Jerry is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney, and is currently a consulting producer to Warner Bros., Universal and Disney for their classic animation DVD compilations. He is the host/producer of the annual “Worst Cartoons Ever” screening at the Comic-Con International: San Diego. His latest animation project: ”Hornswiggle” will air on Nickelodeon in 2008.

In Jerry's own words: "Once upon a time, JERRY BECK studied at The School Of Visual Arts in New York City intent on becoming a great animator. But his interest in animation's history led him down another, darker path. In 1977, Beck began his cartoon research with Leonard Maltin as 'research associate' for his landmark book, OF MICE AND MAGIC: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN ANIMATED CARTOONS (McGraw Hill/Plume 1980)...." The sordid story continues here, and we will have more about Jerry next Friday.

Lou Gehrig Rides Again

What’s more curious: sports legend Lou Gehrig as a B-movie cowboy star, or that the baseball great also sings in the movie?

Rawhide is an enjoyable little B-movie gem from 1938. For Gehrig’s surprising screen debut he was paired with established singing cowboy sensation Smith Ballew. (Actually, in this one Ballew plays a singing lawyer)

Whoever conceived the idea of convincing Lou Gehrig to act and sing in a B-movie had to know what they were doing. Likely it was entrepreneur and producer Sol Lesser, who had a track record for packaging, producing and promoting big screen concepts.

Lesser first began taking his ideas to the screen in 1915 when he learned of the imminent destruction of San Francisco’s depraved Barbary Coast district. He photographed the events before and after and exploited the film himself to theaters with the title Last Night of the Barbary Coast. He invested the windfall profits into buying up theaters and building his own theater chain. By 1930, B-movie mogul Sol Lesser’s Principal Pictures was producing and distributing a continuing product line of offbeat westerns and high concept features. Lesser and his company produced the post-MGM Johnny Weissmuller incarnations of the Tarzan movies for RKO and subsequent interpretations starring Lex Barker and Gordon Scott.

The plot in Rawhide involves Lou Gehrig supposedly retiring from the Yankees, at the peak of his career, to move out west and settle with his sister in a quiet town called Rawhide. The first scene in the picture is in New York’s Grand Central Station where Gehrig is speaking with reporters about his sudden decision to leave sports:

Multiple Reporters: “I'll bet you a new suit of clothes you'll be in Florida for spring practice.” “Aw, just wait till the old season starts.” “You'll miss the crowds and the cheering and the excitement."

Lou: That's just what I want to get away from. I've had all of that. I'm going to wallow in peace and quiet for the rest of my life. I'm going to hang up my spikes for a swell old pair of carpet slippers.

For the next hour we share Gehrig’s Wild West adventures as he and his sister are challenged by ruthless and corrupt members of the “Cattlemen’s Protection Association.” Gehrig survives everything from horseback riding for the first time to a barroom brawl where he pitches billiard balls, Yankees-style, across the room to knock out the bad guys. All this aided only by a new-found singing-cowboy lawyer friend, and a crusty old sidekick named “Pop.”

After all the bad guys are neutralized, and all the songs sung, the finale is inevitable. Pop rushes up to Gehrig, relaxing on the porch, and exclaims:

Pop: Oh, Lou! Lou! Telegram for ya.
Lou: Read it.
Pop: I did.
Lou: Would you mind tellin' a guy?
Pop [reading]: Mr. Lou Gehrig - Rawhide. Your terms are acceptable. Stop. Report at once for spring training.
Lou: Boy, that's what I've been waiting for!

Of course, all singing cowboy movies have happy endings. And back in 1938 when Rawhide was first released, this was truly a happy ending - as movie lovers and sports fans knew Lou Gehrig would soon be back in the park hitting home runs for the Yankees.

However, as most are aware, Lou Gehrig’s life story lacked the kind of happy ending found in his baseball games and his romp as a big screen cowboy star. Evidence of his developing illness began manifesting during the 1938 baseball season - and Gehrig entered the Mayo Clinic on June 13th 1939. Six days later he was diagnosed with Amyoltrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative neurological disorder that would later become known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. July 4, 1939 was declared “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” at Yankee Stadium. That was the day Gehrig made his famous farewell to baseball speech, which included the line: “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Lou Gehrig died on June 2, 1941. He was 37 years old.

Gary Cooper is superb in his 1942 portrayal of Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees. It’s a dramatic and poignant story of a genuine American sports star and role model. The movie was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor, Actress and Original Story and Screenplay.

One patriotic way to spend July 4th “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” might be to visit the Official Lou Gehrig Website and then on DVD watch Pride of the Yankees and let Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth and Walter Brennan tell you the rest of the story.

Rawhide is available at Movies Unlimited. If you enjoyed co-star Smith Ballew and are hankerin' to see more, Movies Unlimited also has a double-feature of Smith Ballew westerns.