16mm Film BUSTER KEATON TWO - REEL COMEDY One Of The Rarest In 16 In US
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:25468466 | Film Format: 16mm |
THE SPOOK SPEAKS (Columbia, 1940). Buster Keaton in one of Columbia’s slam-bang slapstick comedies, using sets repurposed from Columbia’s feature comedy Blondie Has Servant Trouble. Buster and Mrs. Buster are temps sent to a magician’s house as caretakers, with strict orders to guard the house against a former assistant, who wants to steal his latest mechanical tricks. A newlywed couple seeks refuge on this stormy night, and soon everyone is startled and scare...d by all manner of strange happenings and illusions — including a roller-skating penguin, disembodied voices, cadavers, furniture that moves by itself, sliding panels, odd objects floating through the air, and so on. (Watch for a reprise of a sight gag from Keaton’s silent feature The Navigator.) This is a regulation Columbia “spook show” (with plenty of bumps and pratfalls) that could have been played by anyone, but this one benefits from Buster Keaton’s timing and acrobatics, and enthusiastic support from Elsie Ames as Mrs. Buster, the only woman on the Columbia payroll who could do this much physical comedy. Dorothy Appleby, usually a no-nonsense straight woman in the Columbia shorts, displays a flair for comedy as the newlywed who can’t convince her husband about the spirits loose in the house. Columbia contract players Don Beddoe, Bruce Bennett, Lynton Brent, and John Tyrrell complete the ensemble. And Orson the penguin is an added attraction, doing takes and even double takes! If your movie gang likes Three Stooges slapstick, they’ll like this, and it plays great with kids. Last gag intact but fade missing; original theatrical “Columbia Short Subject” logo fades out at the end. Running time: 18 minutes.Former rental print (1952 Kodak original) is a rare “printdown, ” meaning the individual theatrical reels were printed from the original negative, resulting in unusual sharpness and definition. This was a very popular rental title and was used heavily, but most of the wear is in the first 90 seconds: last two seconds of the first title card are intact, followed by credits that fade out and action that fades in. This section has splices, scratches, and a few perforation repairs, but nothing choppy in the action or dialogue. The print improves considerably after this section, with fewer and less frequent splices, and a clearer picture with only hairline wear. See screen shots for sample frames; the print is sharper than our camera's limitations. We’ve taken some pains with this print, remaking and blooping all the old, thick, dried-out splices so they’ll be far less noticeable in projection. We’ve added a Screen Gems logo at the beginning so the title isn’t so sudden when it appears. The Spook Speaks is a missing piece in most Buster Keaton and Columbia two-reel collections, and here’s your chance to pick up this rare title as a used but enjoyable original. Please keep the print's condition in mind when you bid.IMPORTANT! FREE SHIPPING IN THE UNITED STATES. International bidders are welcome but they will be charged for postage, and we will not falsify customs declarations. We accept PayPal (www.paypal.com) for those who prefer an online payment service. Please see our other auctions. All films are accurately described; check our feedback and bid with confidence. We do not handle or sell "vinegar syndrome" prints. Good luck and happy viewing!
