Did anyone know that this was actually the team's first 3-reeler?
The Everson books claims that it was originally 3 reels and then cut-down before release. I have had a few copies on film for years, and they were all mounted on a reel just big enough for a 2-reeler, but I also had seen copies for sale that were mounted on either 3 small reels or 2 bigger reels that were roughly half full.
I recently acquired yet another copy on film, this time a 16mm Blackhawk print, but an older one before they restored all the original main titles. This particular print was obviously spliced together from what was once 3 separate reels, with the original "end of part 1" and "end of part 2" on-screen cards intact! After "end of part 2" there is still more until the short ends!
There is no additional footage, however, and one wonders why Roach released it this way. During the Blackhawk introduction, it does indeed mention that it was their first 3-reeler!
Here you can read Blackhawk's intro since someone telecined their 8mm copy:
This is almost like the one I have, but apparently this was mounted on only 2 reels, which you can see if you zip through it -- there is a Blackhawk "end of reel 1" at about the 10 minute mark. At the end of the film, you can see the "end 2" blackhawk card flickering by.
Not sure what other people think, but I do find it fascinating that it was considered a 3-reeler and in 1928 was supplied on 3 separate 35mm reels -- I do not believe that were able to play larger reels back then but I may be mistaken.
BTW, a "reel" was/is approximatley 10 minutes long, which meant every 10 minutes there would be a changeover from projector "A" to projector "B". A far cry from today where the "projectionist" hits "play" and then can take a 2+ hour nap!
(Or make out with the girl from the ticket booth or snack stand!)
I read somewhere that sometimes studios would send out films on the maximum number or reels they could get away with to make more money from theaters and distibutors. I'm not sure this was Roach's intention, since I've read him quoted as saying he got no more for a 3-reeler, but BABES IN TOYLAND was supplied on 9 reels but only ran about 78 or 79 minutes. So each reel ran about 9 minutes or less. I have a few prints on film, and at the end, the original on-screen card says "end of part 9."
That telecine of TWO TARS from 8mm is actually very, very good. I doubt it was a true "scan" unless he used a Wolverine or similar product, but I've heard horror stories about Wolverines. (His "about" on his channel does say "scans," though.) Regardless, I doubt there was any or much use of software to balance the black and whites, contrast etc, but it is still impressive. (Note that the whites are a littel too bright and are often washed out.) I bring this up to highlight the quality of even 8mm prints of L&H silents from Blackhawk. I no longer have an 8mm print of this title (only Super 8 and 16mm), but I can tell you that my 8mm print did look much better when projected than that youtube video. (Some 8mm and Super 8 prints from Blackhawk often do have washed-out whites, but my experience with Blackhawk indicates that this was never a problem with their L&H silents.) My 16mm prints (yes, plural) are off-the-charts gorgeous!
