Two mornings ago, while searching YouTube for rarer recordings of 
pianists who had made reproducing record-rolls, I came across a page 
showing part of Vladimir de Pachmann's short movie filmed at Aeolian
in London:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwTw7hBZbkY
 

Regarding this, viewer pianolainstitute left some quite interesting 
and useful comments.  Knowing well that it was but only half of the 
whole story, I posted immediately a few key items of remembrance that 
I thought might help it to some completion.  Naturally, it occurred to 
me that the Duo-Art studying MMD readership might have interest in it, 
and so I am repeating it here as edited presently to improve grammar, 
the story-line and, to finesse punctuation:

 - - -

Nine years ago, pianolainstitute posted to here this following:

"Just to set the record straight, the original nitrate film was kept 
by Reginald Reynolds, the Aeolian Company's Duo-Art recording producer 
in London, who appears in the film.  When Reynolds died in the 1950s, 
it ended up with his daughters, latterly the younger one, Yvonne 
Hinde-Smith.  Yvonne passed it to the Player Piano Group, and Gerald 
Stonehill arranged for several copies to be made, and so it has 
survived.  The original film is silent, and the order of the scenes 
is different."

And by it, the record was set straight, though as-of-then not yet quite 
complete.  This I will attempt where it left-off.

The mentioned original nitrate this writer obtained from the Player 
Piano Group through the good offices of Mr. Stonehill.  This would have 
been around the early 1970s, perhaps a bit earlier even.  I cannot 
recall how I caught-wind of it's availability, but by some means I had.

After settling on a price with Mr. Stonehill and remitting, by special 
air-freight it was then shipped to Los Angeles where I was residing at 
that time.  I knew that nitrate could be a dangerous thing, so when 
I received it I immediately refrigerated it.  Soon after I explored the 
possibility of having it copied.  (I'd not been informed that it had 
already been-so in England.)

Here again I cannot recall just how I came to discover that the son 
of no-less-than Richard C. Simonton himself -- Richard C. Simonton Jr. 
-- was _the_ go-to-guy for the very best nitrate transfer work to be had 
in all of Hollywood!  At this I was surprised and giddily-delighted as 
the Simontons, as I knew, had been (and are-still) known for having 
been instrumental in the obtaining and preservation of a great clutch 
of German Welte-Mignon record rolls, many being those most rare and 
desired "white-lined-masters." (These now being in the care/custody of 
USC at Los Angeles.)

By phone contact I made an appointment to meet the younger Simonton at 
their family home in Toluca Lake district, I think it was.

When arrived finally, after some mutual introductions, for inspection 
Mr. Simonton proceeded to load my nitrate into his special 35mm 
projector (which I assume to have been equipped with interchangeable 
proportional sprocket sets -- this so as to compensate for any nitrate 
shrinkage where found), attended to adjustments and then projected 
de Pachmann and Reginald Reynolds onto his sizable theater screen, and 
in absolutely crystal-clear life-sized imagery!!

As an experience it was one astounding to witness.  _There_ he was, the 
tiny gnome-pianist of greatest early fame, along with the distinguished 
Mr. Reynolds of Aeolian!

This nitrate, uncharacteristically as luck does sometimes have it, was 
found in superb condition, having suffered no detectable deterioration 
at all.  (Apparently, Mr. Reynolds' closet was the perfect environment 
for such a preservation.) The two of us settled on a price for his 
transfer services and soon after I took my leave.  A few weeks later 
I returned checkbook in-hand, paid for the 35mm negative transfer and 
that exhilarating experience was that.

The next task was to have that reduced to something projectable, namely 
a 16mm double-sprocket silent positive.  This was to prove the easy and 
quick part though strangely, more costly than was Mr. Simonton's 
specialist service.

With that accomplished, only a few days later with my 16mm copy finally 
in-hand, I was to first see the result compliments of the Genesis Record 
Co. of Santa Monica in their offices.  Again, it proved a fine, splendid 
thing to view even as smaller, as compared to the life-sized experience 
I'd had at Toluca Lake.

What became of the nitrate?  Again having forgotten the linkage, 
I discovered that Frank Adams (a well-known dealer and connoisseur of 
automatic musical instruments, located at Seattle in Washington State) 
was interested in it's purchase.

I was in contact, a deal for it's sale was made, I was paid and off 
it went northward.  That was to be the last of it that I know about.  
Not too long ago Mr. Adams passed away so, with his demise any traces 
of it's present whereabouts, is likely now a matter of mystery.

The 35mm negative and 16mm positive print I retain-still.  To-date as 
I am familiar with it, at least, that is the end of the story.

At the Second AMICA International Convention held at San Francisco, the 
16mm print was shown to the entire of the attending body.

And finally, from what I have observed as seen here-and-there over time, 
the London transfer clarity-wise, does leave something to be desired.

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

 [ Musicologist Nigel Nettheim, of Western Sydney University,
 [ Australia, has compiled an extensive list of piano rolls and
 [ phonograph discs recorded by Vladimir de Pachmann, presented
 [ at http://nettheim.com/pachmann/discography/  The last entry is
 [ about a 1923 silent film clip of Pachmann with Reginald Reynolds.
 [ -- Robbie