Hi,

And thanks for the update on the early color processes.

The film that Don Rand had - in 16mm with the original Fox titles -
announced that the Rhapsody section would be in "Cinecolor" or some
process unknown to me, but I would suspect would have been of the
2-strip style as the early Technicolor films were.  Don had
"Prizmacolor" and some English demonstration films, in 16mm form,
showing vivid hues even on something many-times-duplicated - as these
early 'Twenties experimental shorts obviously were.

Of course, sometimes what's on the titles was NEVER on the screen
and vice-versa. I saw a different version of "Les Girls" at the old
Warfield in San Francisco in 1957, and the VHS 'restored' version today
eliminates a couple of the dance sequences. Similarly, Lois Konvalinka
recalls Gene Nelson, I believe, tap dancing to a Hitler speech (i.e.
synchronizing to the word rhythms) but there was only a brief reference
to this in the VHS Columbia 'original' tape we bought a few years ago,
featuring Rita Hayworth in "Tonight And Every Night."

Have wanted to see DeMille's musical for years, so will probably get
the video soon. "Just Imagine" is another winner from that period, of
course, also featuring music in Zeppelins.

Still wonder "if" that Gershwin movie, "Delicious", had a color
sequence ... and the fact that the titles, which were original,
mentioned Gershwin, the 'Rhapsody' AND the early color process (which
was NOT Technicolor) makes me believe there might have been a 2nd print
at one time. Gershwin was interested in color and had hoped that Samuel
Goldwyn would have filmed "Porgy and Bess" in the new 3-strip
Technicolor process; however, the producer had made up his mind that
the public wouldn't like opera-on-film so instead put out that
overblown and shoddy "Goldwyn's Follies" featuring some of the
composer's music in the background, primarily.

Lois Konvalinka also saw the original 1933 version of "Flying Down
To Rio" at the RKO in Washington, DC.  There, the Raoul Roulien
sequence of his singing "Orchids In The Moonlight" (first rendered in
an aeroplane by Gene Raymond!) had a circle of flowers slowly revolving
about the frame. There WAS an early-early hand tinted version for this
part of the picture, with "painted-in" effects on the flowers - though
the movie was shot on black-and-white stock.

The Dutch 1926 print of "Ballet Mecanique" which was used for the
1991 Pianola+film presentation by Swedish TV-Radio, featuring my new
player roll arrangement, had a special hand tinted sequence in the
movie. According to Director Wahlgren, when he described it on the
telephone, the spots and geometric patterns - which flash on against a
black background - all had various colors painted in.  This could have
been the inspiration for what you describe regarding the "Madam Satan"
robot ballet filmed by DeMille.

    You never know what will turn up in the cinema!

    Regards from Maine,
        (signed) Douglas Henderson

ARTRAFT Music Rolls
PO Box 295
Wiscasset, ME 04578
(207) 882-7420
http://www.wiscasset.net/artcraft/