The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have recently learned about a 8mm home movie of the "John Bieling days" filmed September 10, 1947, September 10, 1949, September 9, 1950 and April 28, 1974 at party in honor of Ernest L. Stevens.

Except for Stevens it contains footage of John Bieling, Billy Murray, Irving Kaufman, Eugene C. Rose, Will Oakland, Walter Van Brunt, Harvey Hindermyer, Arthur Hall, Edna White, Elsie Baker, Charles Harrison, Fred Hager, John Young, Fred Van Eps and Grace Spencer.

I wonder if anyone of you have ever seen this? I certainly wish I had a chance to see it. It seems so interesting to see them on film and not just on photographs.


Paal.

Wow, I 'd love to see it too! I wonder who has the film these days and if they could be persuaded to make it available on DVD to the public?

Sean

Ryan Barna's Billy Murray website has this information:
Dave

MEET THE PIONEER MUSIC MAKERS
Filmed September 10, 1947; September 10, 1949; September 9, 1950; and April 28, 1974 by Lewis Brevoort Odell.
Products of Craft Works Progressive Art Laboratory. 1 reel.

This is not a commercial film, but a homemade, 8mm silent film, spliced together by collector Lewis Brevoort Odell, who filmed portions of the 1947, 1949, and 1950 John Bieling Day parties (reunions of early recording artists). It also includes footage from a 1974 party, held at the home of sculptor Jock Manton, in Sparta, New Jersey, to honor Edison's staff pianist, Ernest L. Stevens. The film has not been made commercially available, but copies have circulated on VHS among various collectors. The original 8mm film is currently owned by Dick Carty.

Artists filmed in order of appearance are John Bieling, Billy Murray, Irving Kaufman, Eugene C. Rose, Will Oakland, Walter Van Brunt, Harvey Hindermyer, Arthur Hall, Edna White, Elsie Baker, Charles Harrison, Fred Hager, John Young, Fred Van Eps, Grace Spencer, and Ernest L. Stevens.

Friends, family, and collectors filmed in order of appearance include John L. Norton, Jr., Jim Walsh, Quentin Riggs, Mrs. John Bieling, Jimmy Martindale (uncredited, but obviously present in 1947), Robert Rose, Elizabeth and Jim Van Demark, Ed Manning, Fred Bieling, Mrs. Lewis M. Wilson (daughter of Grace Spencer), Bill Hayes, Fred Rabenstein, and Joe Laurie, Jr.

OrthoSean wrote:Wow, I 'd love to see it too! I wonder who has the film these days and if they could be persuaded to make it available on DVD to the public?

Sean

Discman wrote:Ryan Barna's Billy Murray website has this information:
Dave

MEET THE PIONEER MUSIC MAKERS
Filmed September 10, 1947; September 10, 1949; September 9, 1950; and April 28, 1974 by Lewis Brevoort Odell.
Products of Craft Works Progressive Art Laboratory. 1 reel.

This is not a commercial film, but a homemade, 8mm silent film, spliced together by collector Lewis Brevoort Odell, who filmed portions of the 1947, 1949, and 1950 John Bieling Day parties (reunions of early recording artists). It also includes footage from a 1974 party, held at the home of sculptor Jock Manton, in Sparta, New Jersey, to honor Edison's staff pianist, Ernest L. Stevens. The film has not been made commercially available, but copies have circulated on VHS among various collectors. The original 8mm film is currently owned by Dick Carty.

Artists filmed in order of appearance are John Bieling, Billy Murray, Irving Kaufman, Eugene C. Rose, Will Oakland, Walter Van Brunt, Harvey Hindermyer, Arthur Hall, Edna White, Elsie Baker, Charles Harrison, Fred Hager, John Young, Fred Van Eps, Grace Spencer, and Ernest L. Stevens.

Friends, family, and collectors filmed in order of appearance include John L. Norton, Jr., Jim Walsh, Quentin Riggs, Mrs. John Bieling, Jimmy Martindale (uncredited, but obviously present in 1947), Robert Rose, Elizabeth and Jim Van Demark, Ed Manning, Fred Bieling, Mrs. Lewis M. Wilson (daughter of Grace Spencer), Bill Hayes, Fred Rabenstein, and Joe Laurie, Jr.

I really hope the owner Dick Carty will sometime transfer the film and make DVDs out of it.
I think the DVD would sell like hotcakes among collectors and others who loves this music and are interested in the pioneers of recording.
He is VERY lucky to have the film!

Paal.

I recall that copies of the John Bieling tapes were available from Tim Gracyk some time ago.



Rocky

Reviving a fairly old posting, but you'll understand as you read on...

I saw an estate sale on Oklahoma City Craigslist for this past weekend and since there were a few phonographs, I thought I would check it out. For what they had, prices were somewhat high, so I bought some pictures of some singers I recognized and other paper and went home. They had a copy of Billy Murray's biography by Quentin Riggs and others, along with a bunch of paperwork in a plastic tub, so again, I took a look but left it for someone else to purchase.

Sunday, it was 50% off day, and I decided to go and see what was left over. I talked with one of the ladies who was working there and it turned out that it was the estate of Mr. Riggs, who died in late 2012. I just moved here in early-2013 and had no idea he had lived within 20 minutes of my house.

I became more interested in some of the paper goods that were there and ended up buying some additional items.

I was especially interested to see a postcard that is from the John Bieling gathering in 1947 and signed by many of those in attendance. In addition, I picked up Mr. Riggs autograph book that he must have had with him that also contains a number of autographs. I looked closely at the film from the gathering, and when he shakes Mr. Bieling's hand, I swear he is holding the small autograph book in his right hand..

I also ended up buying the plastic tub that contained the Billy Murray book (after all, it was Mr. Riggs personal copy!). With it came a number of cassette tapes that are "A musical biography of Billy Murray", I think it was done in 1990. I only played a part of one, but it is narrated and then includes songs by Billy Murray and others he sang with.

Has anybody seen anything like this, or is it something Mr. Riggs put together himself?

Anyway, it was one of those really fun days as far as the hobby goes. I had planned a road trip to MO to attend an auction on Sunday, but am really glad I decided to pass that up and go back for 50% off day!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoF-Y4jUYZQ


This is the video of the gathering in 1947

In the last few minutes of the linked film, you see a cylinder recording session, and the horn, and particularly the recorder on the Edison phonograph are totally unique to my eye, not an Edison recorder such as came with any Edison player I have ever seen. Would, or could anybody comment on this? Could this have been a unit actually used by the Edison company for recording?

The horn looks like a Mega horn, although the small end looks a bit odd. Perhaps it was "repaired' over the years. Mega horns were made from strips of paper or wood and were painted, often in bright colors with contrasting insides. Here is a look at how they were built. The device with the rope was used to hold everything together as the glued dried.

Phototone wrote:In the last few minutes of the linked film, you see a cylinder recording session, and the horn, and particularly the recorder on the Edison phonograph are totally unique to my eye, not an Edison recorder such as came with any Edison player I have ever seen. Would, or could anybody comment on this? Could this have been a unit actually used by the Edison company for recording?

There was an article on the Edison studio recorders in ITG; this definitely looks like one of them. The Triumph would have had a flywheel on it for studio use, though…


Bill