Two interesting tidbits about Karl Malkames: 1) The classic movie The Big Trail, was made in the 70mm "Fox Grandeur" process. Like Cinerama decades later, it required theaters to install special equipment to show it, and its timing was terrible, because the Great Depression was bankrupting theaters left and right (and Fox itself, which made the movie). So most theaters were showing a 35mm version.
Years later it was thought that no 70mm versions survived, but a shrunken, fragile print was discovered in the 1980s, and it was "rescued" entirely by Karl Malkames! >From Wikipedia: "In the early 1980s, the Museum of Modern Art<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Modern_Art>in New York City <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City>, which housed the 65mm nitrate camera negative for *The Big Trail*, wanted to preserve the film but found that the negative was too shrunken and fragile to be copied and that no film lab would touch it. They went to Karl Malkames, an accomplished cinematographer and a leading specialist and pioneer in film reproduction, restoration, and preservation. Malkames was known to be a “problem solver” when it came to restoring early odd-gauge format films. He immediately set about designing and building a special printer to handle the careful frame-by-frame reproduction of the negative to a 35mm anamorphic ( CinemaScope <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CinemaScope>) fine grain master. The printer copied at a speed of one frame a second. This was a painstaking year-long undertaking that Malkames oversaw from start to finish. It is solely because of him that this film survives in this version. Amazingly enough, the 70mm version was seen on cable television<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_television>at a time when only the 35mm version had been released to VHS <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS> and DVD<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD>. A two-disc DVD was released in the US on May 13, 2008, containing both versions. This movie comes on Fox Movie Channel sometimes." 2) *I have a personal connection with Karl Malkames.* In the very early 1990s, he learned of me, and invited me to his home. He showed me a collection of silent one-sheets and three-sheets he had acquired many years before (he also showed me his remarkable collection of early movie cameras). I offered to auction his collection at Christie's, but he said he was "too old" to gamble, and asked me to purchase them instead. I did so, for $20,000. A year or so later, I had some of these posters in storage in California, when the storage unit was broken into, and they (and many boxes of great pressbooks) were stolen. In a story I will write about another day, a couple of doughnut chewing detectives found the drug addict who masterminded the crime, and I was able to recover most of the items (but two of Mr. Malkames three-sheets were never recovered, as well as a few of the best pressbooks, and my gold bracelet from the 1981 World Series of Poker event I won). I would guess that overall I lost a little money on the posters I bought from Mr. Malkames, but I don't mind, because it went to a great man who did much good with the money. Incidentally, when we talked, he told me how much he *HATED* current moviemaking! He just couldn't understand "modern methods", like fast cutting, and continuing the sound from one sequence after the movie cut to a different sequence (he thought the cameramen and editors were just incompetent)! Bruce On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Tom Martin < [email protected]> wrote: > Folks thanks to Jim Episale I have listed a MOVIE CAMER hand crank sculpt > On ebay as a tribute also to Karl Malkames.. he was a legendary collector > although I never met him I heard countless stories.. > pleas take a LOOK at my hand made camer from FOUND parts.. its my art form > and I love to make cameras.. > > This camera has been funny a Los angels media company wanted me to adhere a > Plaque saying it was made soley for themm I refused as It was made just to > make as a piece or art..... so that deal fell.. then the Kentucky derby > wanted to Buy it... and then said... well we decide to rent one.. > then a Guy wanted one in Mass for a singin in the rain play.... they > decided to try and make one....9 Budget) > > So I figured it was destiny when Jim Episale announced that Karl had passe > away and it seems like so befittig.. Like the camera was waiting for its > Close -up........ funny how life is... > > so Hope you all like the camera and Its not the wood ones its a Black metal > one I call Black Beauty > > sale stsrts at 200.00 NO reserve... comes with wood tripod a BOOK and > clapboard and Movie reel clock > > and you ca see my Biography story on how I stated to make art from > discarded trash when I was 10 > > all one the seller id DREAMFACTORY ebay > > > jim episale wrote: > > > > Karl Malkames, a cinematographer, inventor, film historian and pioneering > motion picture film preservationist, died March 8th at his home in > Scarsdale, N.Y. He was 83 years old. > > Mr. Malkames was born in Hazelton, PA. on May 6th, 1926 to veteran > cameraman, Don Malkames and his then wife, Dorothy Klotz. His childhood was > surrounded by and immersed in the trappings of the early motion picture > industry. At the age of 16, he enlisted in the Navy and thus followed a > stint at Pearl Harbor and service as an electronics technician aboard the > submarine, U.S.S. Chopper. On June 6, 1948 he married his high school > sweetheart, June Dougherty of Hazelton, PA. > > Upon his release from the Navy, he followed in his father's footsteps and > embarked on a career in motion pictures, serving as an assistant cameraman - > often to his father - working his way up to becoming a cinematographer and a > member of the American Society of Cinematographers. Probably his most > rewarding period behind the camera was as a staff cameraman for Warner-Pathe > News - a position he held till the newsreel folded in 1956, a casualty of > the advent of television. His assignments behind the camera were numerous > and varied - providing second unit photography to such productions as the > 1958 Robert Mitchum drive-in classic THUNDER ROAD (executing all the > memorable car chase sequences) as well as work on specialty assignments such > as 'old age' make-up tests of Dustin Hoffman for his fabled role in 1970's > LITTLE BIG MAN. > > However it was his work in the then new field of film restoration and > preservation in which Mr. Malkames truly found his niche. His affinity for > films from the early days of the industry, coupled with a unique facility > for designing, adapting, building and operating cinemachinery, resulted in > his single-handedly saving literally hundreds of films - usually too fragile > or deteriorated to be handled by then conventional methods. Much of the > extensive output of The Biograph Company (and thus the early work of D.W. > Griffith) as well as numerous other subjects, was preserved by Mr. Malkames > for The Museum of Modern Art. Along with Biograph - his most singular > achievement for MoMA was his preservation of the 1930 "Fox Grandeur" epic, > THE BIG TRAIL (starring a fledgling John Wayne) from the original 70mm > camera negative, which was found to be too shrunken to be copied. Mr. > Malkames spent an entire year on the project - from designing and building a > special printer, through to the painstaking reproduction of the film. Also > of note was his long association with film historian-showman, Paul Killiam - > for whom he restored dozens of silent era classics for the Emmy-award > winning television series, "The Silent Years" - in which he also > photographed the intros with Lillian Gish. Key works by the likes of D.W. > Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Mary Pickford, John Barrymore, Buster > Keaton, Clara Bow and Tom Mix were saved for posterity thanks to his work > with Killiam. > > In 1979, Mr. Malkames wrote and produced a documentary, THE MOTION PICTURE > CAMERA - a loving tribute to silent era cinemachinery, which showcases > examples from his own family's comprehensive collection. > > He had three children: His daughter, Marty Lawton, predeceased him in 2005 > and he is survived by a son, Rick Malkames - also a cinematographer, a > daughter, Christine Malkames - a graphic artist, eleven grandchildren, > including Bruce Lawton who is a film historian, and four > great-grandchildren. > > > > Check out our shop video > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-n2AznLA8o > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCP7PaO-2tk&feature=related > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fojAZcbvL7E&feature=related > > > jim episale > Unshredded Nostalgia > 323 South main St. Route 9 > Barnegat, N.J. 08005 > 800-872-9990 609-660-2626 > > http://www.unshreddednostalgia.com > > "Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional." > > > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ How to > UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: > [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF > MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ How to > UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: > [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF > MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
