The interview with Mary Ann Cade on researching & collecting silent film continues (you can catch up with some of her astonishing finds in part one).

Mary, you’ve found some really rare film footage — of historical value. I know you have several collections, but in your silent film collection, what do you consider to be ‘the crown jewel’?

The rarest pieces of props that I have in my collection are a belt, slave bracelet and chain of office from the 1917 silent film production of Cleopatra starring Theda Bara, which is currently believed to be lost. I have a photograph of Ms. Bara wearing the belt in costume, so I am pretty confident that these are authentic pieces. All of them come with certificates of authenticity.

[Interviewer's Note: I peed a little at the notion of anyone owning such fabulous, jaw-dropping items. Can you even imagine?! And I felt a little dizzy when she sent me photos -- which you'll find throughout this post.]

Aside from the passion for collecting and an interest in silent film, why do you put so much effort into your research?

The films were originally produced to be viewed by audiences not held hostage in an archive. This problem is quite evident for people like me, who don’t live near a large city where silent film festivals are regularly shown or close to places like the British Film Institute archive for in-house viewing of materials.

I have never accepted any money for any of this. I have done all of my research and location of these films solely because of my love of silent film and my goal is to see that all films in archives are preserved and made available to anyone who wants to see them.

You mentioned buying films/footage copies from the Library of Congress. Can such things really happen?

Yes, you can purchase footage from the Library of Congress. I believe if it is before 1923, there aren’t any restrictions on the copyright issues but after 1923 you have to have complete clearances and/or be connected to the film in some way, either a cast member or crew member, relative of a cast member or crew member or involved in the production in some way.

What about other institutions and archives… Language barriers aside, can anyone obtain such copies?

The British Film Institute archive said they will not sell films to anyone other than film archivists or persons actually connected with the film itself. They confirmed they hold the 1909 Kellerman short Jepthah’s Daughter and at one time I was told they held the 1909 Kellerman short The Bride of Lammermoor A Tragedy of Bonnie Scotland, but haven’t been able to get further confirmation about it. They have confirmed that they hold the 1915 film Youth starring Antonio Moreno and featuring Valda Valkyrien. They confirmed they have partial footage of the 1915 Mary Pickford film Fanchon The Cricket which supposedly stars her entire family and may possibly have footage of Fred Astaire dancing with his sister Adele. I passed this information onto Hugh Munro Neely of Timeline Films, who in conjunction with the Mary Pickford Foundation is always looking for surviving footage of Ms. Pickford in the hopes of preservation and subsequent release.

Are there specific requirements (besides cash amounts lol) which must be met in order to arrange such a deal? Are there preservation issues &/or copyright concerns?

[Since] the original footage is retained in the archive that holds it, and you’d be purchasing a copy, preservation isn’t an issue in that sense.

I believe the archives store the footage that has not been preserved in cold storage facilities to preserve it until such time they have the funding for restoration purposes. I would imagine once the footage has been converted from nitrate to 16 mm or 35 mm, they probably destroy the nitrate stock because it is highly flammable and over time will disintegrate into dust.

I believe the reason the BFI and other archives are reluctant to deal with anyone other than archivists or persons associated with the respective work is because of copyright issues. I am not positive on this but I get the distinct impression that overseas copyright rules are much more gray in nature than they are in the US. They probably have this strict policy in place for ALL works instead of certain ones, it makes it easier procedurally than to have one set of rules that apply for one type of work (i.e. silent films or films before 1923) and another completely different set of rules for another type of work (i.e. sound films and/or pre-sound films after 1923).

Obviously, the question of copyright issue is a very complex one in nature and subject to legal interpretation. I do not profess to know the law on this issue and would not presume to interpret it, but in the past the LOC has told me that works before 1923 don’t have the restrictions placed on them that apply towards anything produced afterwards. I found this example on CinemaWeb that lists distributors of “public domain” films which might clarify things a bit better.

How does an average person go about seeing silent films which have not been released for sale or has public viewings, such as film festivals etc.?

Most archives allow viewing in person by scheduling an appointment with the respective organization. I am not sure if they charge for just viewing in person. Some of them also have some viewing services via the internet, I think this is relatively new. I believe when I was on the Screensound site, it mentioned something of this nature. I would imagine that you are probably limited on what can be viewed over the internet because of the film format, whereas in person you can watch 16 mm, 35 mm, VHS, DVD or any other form of media.

I have also discovered that many of the films sites are adding on-line catalogs to aid in searches for materials as well which is a big help. I am hopeful that maybe one day, the worldwide archives and libraries can put together their own information superhighway so we can search one big mammoth database for everything and find which respective archival institution or library holds it.

I have proposed to several people that I feel these archival institutions should make the footage available for viewing on-line via computer for a fee (like interlibrary loan) and the proceeds from the viewing of the films, would go to preserve other held titles for future viewing. This way, the films would be preserved and they would be viewable again.

By making this material available to persons who cannot afford to go to the BFI in London, but still want to view one of their holdings, this would make all things possible to all people. The material would be shown and not be locked away, the person who needs to view the footage, either for pleasure or scholarly research, is able to see it without spending a fortune to travel to do so and any fees charged should be put in a non-profit account specifically set aside for restoration and preservation of other films held.

This would be great not only for silent film fans but for classes at universities that teach film study. They could purchase titles on-line for class viewing and discussion. I think it’s a “win-win” situation for everyone involved without the complexity of copyright issues for films newer than 1923.

The archive can also make an argument to the fact that the costs of storing the films that haven’t been preserved can be expensive, but by implementing my ideas with respect to the non-profit account for monies collected, the films not yet restored would be preserved and made available to the public for viewing. This would reduce the amount of films in the archive not yet preserved and the newest ones restored would start paying for themselves because of the monies charged for viewing. By taking this approach, eventually wouldn’t everything held in the archive be restored at some point?

I agree. Where can we go to find silent films which are available now?

Ned Thanhouser is making the Thanhouser classics available on his website, www.thanhouser.org, in collections for purchase. I have all three sets thus far and they are very interesting to watch of an era long gone by.

Periodically, I will get emails from Grapevine Video about new releases as well. Please check out the various silent film websites which you can find via a google search for news of upcoming releases such as www.silentera.com or going to this link for a list of distributors of silent films which is regularly updated.

Anything you’re working on right now we should know about?

Right now, I am working on a biography about Ms. Kellerman as well as one on Valda Valkyrien for Tim’s site, www.silentsaregolden.com. I am searching for Valkyrien films, which are tougher to locate, but hopefully in the next few months I will have some news to report. There are many things going on behind the scenes that are still in the planning stages but if all goes well, I hope to report some wonderful news. I have had contact with surviving members of Valkyrien’s family which has been pretty exciting. I hope to get some information from them about this very elusive actress. I can keep you posted on this, if you are interested.

If I’m interested? Heck, yes!

So look for more on, and from, Mary in the future. You can reach Mary Ann Cade in the CQ Community, and you may email her at cadesmall@sbcglobal.net or mcade@ccmsi.com.

As mentioned, Mary has many collections, including a lovely collection of television props & memorabilia which we’ll be featuring some of those on Thursday.

At 92 years old Les Paul has enjoyed a long and productive career as inventor and performer and is credited with many “sound” innovations. Working with Gibson, he had created the solid body electric guitars that carry his name and are revered by generations of renowned guitarists, and with older models and examples with provenance to specific musicians or events, highly sought by ardent collectors. (We of modest means collect vinyl, sheet music and studio photos.)

Still introduced as “The Wizard of Waukesha,” Les Paul does two shows - one at 8, one at 10 - in the basement nightclub, every Monday night onstage at the Iridium Jazz Club at 51st and Broadway in New York.

The Les Paul Experience

When the Waukesha County Historical Society, announced a preview, and wine tasting event in the historical old county courthouse and jail, now run as a museum, to raise both funds and public interest in the future permanent interactive exhibit of the Les Paul collection of memorabilia, we just had to attend.

We contacted the museum to order tickets and asked who was in charge of the event. We were told it was Leslie Rohloff, Director of Development. Leslie was very appreciative of Collectors’ Quest’s support and promotion of their upcoming major tourist attraction.

The opening of the Les Paul exhibit is expected in 2010 and will take up approximately 5,000 square-feet on the second floor of the Museum and will tell the story of the Wizard of Waukesha, who changed the world of music. In this highly interactive exhibit, visitors will be immersed in Les’ world as they learn how Waukesha influenced Les and Les influenced the world.

The big night came, February 29, 2008, and because of the favorable weather and timely articles in local publications, the turnout was much larger than they expected. Leslie left Press Passes for us at the check-in and after meeting with the Vice President of the Board of Trustees, we went to the second floor.

We were greeted by Kathy and Mary Ellen, two volunteer hostesses who could not have been friendlier or more informative! (we respected their instruction not to use flash in the museum.)

While we waited for Rick Jablonski, Director of Exhibits, they talked about meeting Les Paul in May, 2007, when he came to town preform for a fund raising event for the museum. They said he was a very charismatic man, and sure did not look his age! Les told them that he has every intention of coming to the opening of the exhibit. After all, his mother lived to be 101 years old!

Rick finished with the other guests and came to meet with us. He explained that this exhibit is in the ‘concept stage’, and due to security and some logistical concerns, the exhibits were limited in what could display for this preview event. The goal was simply to whet the appetite of those who wish to offer financial support and stir up some excitement about the exhibit.

Rick told us that Les Paul was going to be involved in the layout and was very generous with his donations of artifacts and ideas.

Rick showed us around and we saw a display case with one the Gibson guitars designed by Les. The intention of the museum is not only to show the finished products but how they came to be and the plan is to have an interactive section for children to enjoy.

He proudly showed us the area where Les experimented with sound and also took us to the machine that cut the records.

There was a small mock-up of the layout for the exhibit and he expounded on the Les Paul & Mary Ford Theatre. While we toured, we enjoyed a video and audio presentation of some of their movies.

One could tell that the whole community was behind this event! Wine tasting, martini sampling, yummy chocolates, assorted fresh fruit and cheese cakes were donated by local purveyors and a classical jazz duo added to the evening’s fun. There was also an art auction from local artists and raffle to raise money. We left there filled with anticipation over the next step in the Les Paul Exhibit Opening.

As discussed by fellow bloggers on these pages, in the past, rare collections deserve preservation for future generations, and who better than a dedicated group working in a museum with the necessary resources.

Waukesha County is also blessed with Ten Chimneys, the estate lovingly created by Broadway theatre legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, and open to the public as a world-class house museum and national resource for theatre, arts, and arts education.

We want to thank the staff at the Waukesha County Museum for their information and for the resource material in Wikipedia.

This country is awash in revered institutions with four-letter abbreviations. NASA. NCAA. AARP. The list goes on.

Here’s a new one for you: APIC.

Never heard of it? It’s short for the American Political Items Collectors—and “new” is perhaps misleading, since the organization has been around since the end of World War II. According to its website, http://apic.us, through the years the APIC has counted among its ranks “educators; students; archivists; historians; elected officials, including members of Congress; political junkies; political animals; campaign staffers; journalists from print, broadcast, and cable; museum curators; and even a couple of past presidents.”

That’s a distinguished crowd.

At present the APIC has several thousand members, and chatting with a sampling of its current-day faithful—a few of whom have themselves been around since the end of World War II—made for an entertaining afternoon at the Chelsea Jewish Community Center in Manhattan on Sunday, February 3^rd.

The occasion was the APIC’s New York City Political Collectors Show, an annual affair where vendors buy, sell, and swap political memorabilia from all eras: from the days of the original George W (the Founding Father, that is) to that of our present-day, unpompadoured George.

Tony Lee, president of the Big Apple chapter of the APIC and the ringleader of the event, said it has been held annually for the last twenty-seven years. He noted that although this NYC gathering is “probably the smallest show of the hobby” in terms of the amount of paraphernalia on display, it’s also one of the most popular, since it’s within striking distance for so many aficionados.

Those who came from near or far found a treasure trove of lovingly preserved political artifacts. A cigar box promoting James G. Blaine, the Republican presidential nominee who lost to Grover Cleveland in 1884, was stickered at $45. A ballot used to elect James Buchanan in 1856, which APIC old-timer Charles McSorley bought for the bargain rate of forty cents two years ago, was now more properly selling for $100. McSorley was also peddling a well-preserved photo of a youthful Abraham Lincoln, his hero, for $750 (“Nobody ever lost money with Lincoln,” he asserted). An autographed copy of Hillary Clinton’s bestseller Living History was going for $129. A pair of license plates, one reading “I’m for Dewey” and its twin proclaiming “I’m for Truman,” were among the higher priced items of the show; the asking price for the two: $2250.

And, last but not least, scattered across tabletops throughout the room was a spectacular assortment of political buttons.

Ah, the buttons. Every year they’re the centerpiece of the show, and rightfully so: the APIC website explains that the campaign button is “the most recognized and widely collected of all campaign objects.” APIC member Mark Evans, whose business card says that he specializes in “The Stuff Your Mother Made You Throw Out,” provided a quickie tutorial on the storied history of the campaign button—which, as it turns out, is as old as the Union itself.

“Washington didn’t have any opposition, so there wasn’t really a race,” Evans explained—Hillary and Barack, eat your hearts out—“but they had commemorative metal buttons that you would sew onto your vest or coat.” In the mid-1800s, Evans said, with the advent of photography, the campaign button of choice was a little metal badge sporting a photo of, say, John Fremont, or Stephen Douglas, or Charlie McSorley’s beloved Lincoln. Then came 1896, the year that blew the roof off the button business: that’s when the celluloid button was invented, using pretty much the same technique that’s used today, and clearing the way for the barrage of buttons touting—or taunting—every candidate worth his or her salt in the century-plus since.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of these buttons were on display at Sunday’s event: buttons the size of your hand and buttons the size of your thumb; garish buttons and more tasteful ones; buttons designed to buoy a favorite candidate, knock down a competitor, or merely entertain the politically savvy or the public at large.

Evans’ wares included a caseful of George McGovern buttons—none of which could prevent McGovern from being steamrolled by Nixon in ’72. Others spotted around the room: a Bush button—the future Bush 43, that is—from the 1998 Republican State convention in Forth Worth, Texas; a button reading “The Country Needs Fixin’, Elect Nixon;” another urging you to “Soar to New Heights with Barack Obama” and picturing a buff, cartoonish Obama dressed like the superhero; and an oversized button that gloated, inexplicably, “I Told You So.”

But no discussion of the political-button universe is complete without a mention of the king of the mass-produced political zinger, Mort Berkowitz. With a clipped mustache, an accent that screams New Yorker, and a sense of humor drier than the Sahara Desert, Berkowitz is one character you can’t miss—and wouldn’t want to.

The buttons he and his company, Bold Concepts, have churned out are legion and legendary. Consider that he is the brains behind such classics as “Hillary Rodman Clinton: As Bad As She Wants to Be,” which pictured the then-First Lady with a wildly colorful hairdo akin to that of the Pistons’ former free spirit Dennis Rodman; a button that tweaked Ronald Reagan as “The Flaw in the Theory of Evolution;” a ’70s button celebrating the fact that “Nixon Has a Staff Infection;” and the modern-day classic “Obama, You Barack My World.” Berkowitz claims to have created eighty buttons on the subject of Watergate alone, and to have produced five hundred so far for the current presidential contest.

Which party does he skewer more? Berkowitz calls himself “an equal opportunity offender.” When asked about his own political leanings, he would only say, his expression deadpan except for the twinkle in his eye, “I lean. I lean.” It wasn’t so much deliberate secrecy as the active enjoyment he so obviously derived from not providing a satisfactory answer. He was droll, a charming curmudgeon, a “piece o’ work,” as they say. Another question posed to him was, If there were a button promoting you, what would it say? Alas, he sidestepped the query.

Make sure you take a look at some of the interesting finds at the APIC Convention right here in our community section.

Those who have read my blogs before will know that I am a seller on ebay and in our ‘store.’ I do not traditionally sell ‘widgets’, or a standard product but offer a very wide variety of items. I have sold accordions, cufflinks, buttons, sports collectibles, advertising items, china, tools; pretty much anything I can possibly carry to the house, clean up and ship. One of the benefits of selling such a diverse ‘product line’ is that you continually search for unusual items. And then you have to do some research when you do!

My latest find was a group of old movie photos, some from the original studios with names of the stars and the movie itself. Most did not have dates. My ‘new best friend’, Google, has been a tremendous help in this area. During the course of research, I have learned a lot about these early celebs. Some of it pretty darn interesting!

The first photo I show is Nova Pilbeam. Do you think the studio heads of today would allow her to KEEP THAT NAME? Very doubtful. In fact, one of her bios said she was known as the actress with the odd name. She was the daughter of an actor and at age 5 made her acting debut in a charity show, produced by her father. She was under contract with Gaumont-British and in 1934 was the lead in Little Friend. She was also cast in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much. Nova also had various stage roles including Peter Pan. In 1937 Gaumont-British had financial difficulties and went out of business. David O.Selznick had wanted her for the lead role in Rebecca, but Hitchcock thought she was too immature and it did not happen. She also lost her dear husband in a plane crash during WWII. Nova was only 21 years old. She preferred the stage to movies after that. Read more about her fascinating life.

Another lovely lady was Wendy Barrie! This photo shows her in the RKO Radio Picture Don’t Bet on Love. She was born in Hong Kong in 1912 but lived in England in her early years. She started pursuing her career as an actress while still in her teens. Her screen debut was in 1932 in Threads. Later movies included The Private Life of Henry VIII which starred big names such as Charles Laughton and Merle Oberon, etc. Wendy played Jane Seymour. She moved to the United States in 1935 and starred opposite Spencer Tracy in the romantic comedy It’s a Small World. She also starred in the 1936 film called Speed with James Stewart. Other big names she worked with included Lucille Ball, and George Sanders. She made her final motion picture in 1943. With the dawn of television, she turned to roles in that medium. During 1948 and 1949 she hosted a DuMont TV comedy show, but is best remembered as hosting one of the first-ever television talk shows – called The Wendy Barrie Show. She starred in more than 15 films in Britain and 30 in the states – earning her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Our third ‘femme-fatale’ is Gladys Swarthout. She was not only an actress but an opera star as well. Born on Christmas Day, 1900, in a small mining town, called Deepwater, Missouri. Her family had a lot of musical talent. She began singing at a young age, first as a singer in the church choir, making her professional debut on radio in 1927 for WDAF-AM. While her career began in music, becoming a well-respected opera star, she also had a high level of success in movies.

Her first movie was in 1935 – Rose of the Ranch, for Paramount Pictures. She also starred in a movie with Fred McMurray and Jack Oakie, called Champagne Waltz. Although she was in only 5 movies, she was very highly regarded and also has a footprint in the Hollywood Walk of Fame! To read more about Ms.Swarthout, you can visit this website.

It was good fun learning about these three celebrities and their early and rather modest beginnings. While they were not familiar when I found their old photos, I have come to know and admire them. One wonders how they would have fared today. All three were classy ladies.

While many folks went about trying to predict what to collect now as investments, I thought I’d ponder not what to buy in case prices soar or guess trends (even if based on big ticket items sold), but rather focus on what 2006 looked like.

Twenty or thirty years from now collectors will be looking for the iconic items which remind them of days gone by. What might you have lying about your house now that you might want to box up for future auction sales?

For starters, check out the Top 10 2006 lists.

For news stories, remember newspapers, including local coverage of events. (Don’t forget digital formats, such as podcasts and webshots.)

When it comes to entertainment, I wouldn’t recommend the books, DVDs, CDs, video games etc themselves — with so many sold, they may not be the gems. Go for the more rare items and promotional tie-ins, like the toys your kids had to have but don’t treat with much care? Like those Star Wars toys, I bet Harry Potter figurines fare no better… Don’t overlook items from reality TV — be they one-hit recording wonders or the winners of some island survival they are more than trivia fodder, they are the ‘where are they now?’ folks people will be looking for later. Never overlook the more likely to be tossed, lost, or destroyed items made of paper.

The latest tech gadgets, hot now, may be as antiquated and charming as the record player and the typewriter are to us today. So maybe you don’t want to toss all your out-dated toys when you upgrade. And keep an eye out for the oddest tech toys released this year which may not be around at the end of 2007.

But some of the real gems, the stuff that collector’s dreams are often made of, are the silliest stuff yet. It’s the stuff that makes up our pop culture. It’s the stuff you may not pay much attention to now, but years from now will have 2006 ‘written all over it’ later on. Whatever you feel is over-rated, annoying, and even not interesting to you personally now, may be the holy grail in 20 years.

A good place to look for ideas are shows and blogs which mock our current culture, like VH1’s Best Week Ever (and best of 2006). These shows illustrate how news stories became part of our pop culture through products and media. For example, killer bees in the 70’s. Sure, there are those who track the devils now, but who wouldn’t want part of the hysteria including memorabilia from the SNL Killer Bee sketches?

In 2006 Saddam Hussein and Miss Nevada haven’t been free from the exploitation, however tacky & temporary, which will likely bring great profits in the future.

Sure, these shows and blogs are filled with more celebrity ‘news’ than most of us care to live through viewing (or admitting to, as the case may be), but if they’re gossiped about now, these are the icons we’ll remember.

Who is on the cover of People Magazine? I’m sure folks in the 50’s were sick-to-death of that stupid Marilyn Monroe woman… Who knows, Paris Hilton could be the next Marilyn as far as fans of the future go — so won’t all those tabloids be worth something!

So go ahead, make a time capsule for 2006; but don’t bury it where it may get damaged.

Put it some place safe and even if no one wants to buy it, you’ll have a great time explaining all this stuff (and the personalities) to your kids and grandkids. *wink*