More Evidence Of Missing Footage

We begin today's episode with 3 vintage clips from the early 1960s featuring our local playground, Little Mountain. These clips represent just a tiny spoonful of what I've managed to transfer of my Uncle Bill's collection of old regular 8 film reels onto DVD. More to come in the months ahead from that source I'm sure.

Otherwise, the highlight moment in this video, is watching Don and Paul during a golf game - again up Little Mountain - in which Don almost sinks a long 'hole in one' from the 7th tee. What concerns me about this scene though, is that I can find no further footage from that day of golfing. On a previous blog entry, we watched as Paul drained a short putt on the 6th green during what must have been the same afternoon - but it doesn't seem possible to me that I would only capture those two tidbits in what must have been a full 18 hole game. Where's the footage from the other 16 holes, is what I'd like to know.

Mr. Clean Comes To Town

Some of the scenes in our video today have already been offered up for viewing on the old Youtube site (which I rarely use anymore). But at the time of that first uploading, they had not yet been treated to the classy DVD transfer process so popular with the youth of today. It's a painful process, but these films knew they were doomed to live a diminished life without submitting to it.

Much brighter and clearer are these newly transferred super 8 film fragments. Close ups are now much more 'close uppier' and the backgrounds seem to come alive with newly found strength and vigor. It's as if Mr. Clean himself has made a visit to our little corner of the world.

There's a bit of everybody in this reel. Bart, Dan, Hanklin, Bill, Theresa, Jon, Maureen, Tracy, Kevin, Fran, Mike, George, Paul, Rob, Doug, another George, Kim, Fred and even the cameraman Eddy. Did I forget to mention 'Big Al'?

Anvil Island Getaway

Eventually, the postings here at 'No Relevant Point' will make a slight detour from the vast storage lockers of super 8 film reels (that we've grown accustomed to) and into the vast storage lockers of video tape cartridges instead. That minor change may happen suddenly and without warning but will not by any means indicate an end to our regular meal of super 8 film from the 1970s.

Actually, today is the day we debut that change in formats with one of the very first 'outings' that I managed to capture using my then-new (1982) Olympus portable VHS camera/recorder.

It was old school pal Bill that offered an invitation for me and my girlfriend Sandy to join him on a weekend vacation to Anvil Island; which is a tiny mountain/island playground situated in the middle of Howe Sound within easy eyesight of the sea to sky highway. It was a nice break from city life, but without these few scenes of activity here to convince me otherwise, I would have sworn by memory that it rained heavily the entire weekend.

The Atomic Sandwich - Part One

Just the IDEA that Bart, Dan, and Theresa would ever sit down together to eat sandwiches and watch 'The Flintstones' strikes me as a bit creepy. But that's exactly what we get here in this 1975 sci-fi whodunit called: "The Atomic Sandwich".

The release date on this film MUST be post-Philum Festival because frankly, if it was any earlier, it would've scooped up each and every major award at that year's celebration of home cinema. Everybody else's films would have gone home empty handed and crying. :o)

A large chunk of original footage has been cut from this screening. Endless scenes of Dan in his parent's kitchen preparing the massive sandwich that gives this film it's ominous title, were much too plentiful and redundant and tended to slow the story down to a crawl. So I cut them out. (Did we really need to see how many slices of cheese were added?)

Meanwhile, it's Paul in his role as the troubled loner, that surprises us most. Exhibiting moments of genuine bliss and fear. Perhaps we underestimated his acting ability back then. (Who can forget his role as a hit man in the drama: "Gun Smoke" filmed at Van Deusen Gardens?)

The title of today's movie might suggest a continuing story. But as of this date, no further parts have been filmed.

Promotional Trailer - I Love To Walk (Director's Cut)

Early next year (or the year after that) we'll be forcing our viewers to take yet another stroll (pun intended) thru the movie "I LOVE TO WALK". As you MUST recall, this is the breakout role in the breakout movie that put then unknown actor Hanklin Snowden on the super 8 film 'A' list back in the mid 70s.

When we screen the show this time, we'll be treated to the 'definitive' updated cut of 'I Love To Walk' featuring restored scenes. Were you aware that such a thing existed? I sure wasn't. Along with those newly rescued passages, the soundtrack has been digitally remastered, and a rare 5 minute sit down interview with star Hanklin about his life-altering role in this feature film has been discovered which will be run in its entirety following the last of eight installments.