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Film Canisters


Guest Rootie67

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Guest Rootie67

I have 51 gm film canisters (mostly pontiac) from the 1930's that were product training films or sales training films that I want to sell. Can anyone reccomned the best place to sell them and do they have any value. Some titles include "1937 Comparitive Facts Car P", n"the 1937 Silver Streak Pontiac Chassis", " Comparison Facts 1934", "Mr. Little Lightens Pontiac 1934", Million Magic 1934.

Thanks

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Guest Jim_Edwards
I have 51 gm film canisters (mostly pontiac) from the 1930's that were product training films or sales training films that I want to sell. Can anyone reccomned the best place to sell them and do they have any value. Some titles include "1937 Comparitive Facts Car P", n"the 1937 Silver Streak Pontiac Chassis", " Comparison Facts 1934", "Mr. Little Lightens Pontiac 1934", Million Magic 1934.

Thanks

I think you have two choices here. Choice 1 is to have them appraised and then sell to one of the publications vendors found on the Web. Choice 2 is to take them to a service that can convert them to DVD and sell the heck out of copies on ebay and elsewhere on the web.

Jim

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Guest Silverghost

Collectors would be thrilled to view and own a copy of your films.

I like the idea of making a DVD copy to sell to collectors via eBay~~~

GM may still own the copyright content rights to these films however ?~~~

This is an issue that you may wish to explore ?

These training films need to be saved for history !

Are these 16 MM films with sound ?

If so~~~ I have friends who can project & also make the conversion of these to DVD !

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Guest Silverghost

I just got an email from the owner of these films.

They are NOT 8MM or 16MM movies as such ~~~

I believe they are in actual fact 35MM film slide strips ! ?

He describes them as film-strips that are used with a hand cranked projector ?

At any rate here is what he has in the photo attachments below !

I suspect that these are similar to the film slide strips we remember from our old school days~~~

Some of these school film strips had phono records for the sound portion ~

I do no know if his film strips include any phono record sound; or not ?

At any rate the owners name is Jeff !

I do not have Jeff's permission to post his email contact info here~

BUT~

If you wish to contact Jeff , the film's owner, Wayne the Administrator here, can foreward your email to him if you wish I suspect .

I believe the collector community would love to see these "films" or film strips !

They are part of GM automotive history that must be saved & shared for future generations !

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Edited by Silverghost (see edit history)
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Guest Silverghost

Here are the additional photo attachments~

For some reason I could not get them all to attach in one reply post ?

I hope this helps you Jeff !

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Edited by Silverghost (see edit history)
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Usually these also came with 33 1/3 record albums that had a prompt (i.e., a "ding" or some such sound, to advance to the next slide). Would be great to find a copy of these as well; perhaps somewhere out there the audio could be brought together with the video. That would make for a really great production!

Having said that, I don't believe the 33 1/3 12" record (or the 7-inch 45 RPM) came out until the late 1940's; prior to that we had the good ol' 78's that shattered if you put them down wrong. Maybe there were just accompanying written scripts that had the dialogue that had to be read with each slide.

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Find someone who can transfer them to DVD. IDK about copyright stuff, but there are all grades of old car commercials VHS and DVD's available- from back in the days when the commercials made you want to go buy the car being advertised instead of blathering about electronic communications gadgets and financing options. Neither of which make me want to buy a car.

GM used those filmstrips for many years, both for sales and service training, though I didn't know they went far back as 30s. I have a late 40s-early 50s DuKane projector/phonograph combination designed for use with these filmstrips- which are the same things you all watched in school. Later versions had cassette players, and I have a Bell & Howell cassette unit. I would like to find a frame advance cable for the DuKane. It all works except that cable is toasted.

Or am I the only one who worked Audio-Visual as a high school boy? If I was lucky, I had a cart to roll the movie, filmstrip and overhead projectors and record players thru the school. If not, I had to lug that crap all over. It was all industrial-grade stuff too- meaning it was heavy.

The A-V boys were the only ones in the school who could use the elevator besides administrative and custodial people.:P Yah, sometimes I'd grab a buddy out of study hall to help me tote all that stuff around, so we could ride the elevator!

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Guest Jim_Edwards

Most every major city has at least one service type business that can transfer the contents to DVD.

Now, for some info from the cans. From the labels or printing on the lids these appear to have all been produced by or for GM Canada. Not that it lessens the historic value, but the specific content may well be different than similarly produced for the U.S. products and market.

The really big issue here will be if they are in good enough condition to even get transferred to DVD. If there is any brown powdery appearance to the rolls or inside the cans or a vinegar like odor once the lids are opened it may be too late.

Many, many motion pictures from before WWII have been lost forever because of the nature of the film of those times. Whatever is on those film clips may well be suffering the same fate as those motion pictures.

Jim

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This sounded familiar. Carbking has been looking for these in earnest. You should be hearing from him soon. Or you can send him a PM, just click on his name in this post. These strips came in a box with a record . All the car companies made these each month to be used to train their sales people about all the virtues of the cars so they could sell, sell, sell. Most of them never got used. I have a bunch(66) of these from ChryslerCorp from the 30s to the 60s, with the original prolector/phonograph(needs work) from a defunct dealer. I have tried repeatedly to sell them for $10 apiece or $500 for everything and the only response was from a guy in the Jersey Shore area who will take them as a donation. He copies them and sells the copies for $15-20 apiece. I think he even wants me to deliver them.

http://forums.aaca.org/f189/jam-handy-filmstrips-278988.html

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I am interested in the Pontiac filmstrips.

Below is a link to my website that gives more information about the Pontiac audio/video training materials, and an index to the films I currently have (approximately 350 different). As these filmstrips ARE deteriorating, I am currently converting all of this stuff to digital. Have been working on the conversion now for more than a year.

THE CARBURETOR SHOP / Pontiac audio video index

Will pay $8. each plus shipping for the Pontiac ones, and take them all.

Jon.

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Glenn, since I wrote the article, have had two employees working part time on the conversion for the last year (full time and they might have quit!, very boring). Most of the 35mm stuff is now digitized. Plus, another forum member converted most of the 16mm movies for me. Still working on the other formats.

Dave - keep trying on your Chrysler stuff. Would be happy to discuss with you the methodology we are using, should you wish to digitize the stuff yourself. 573-392-7378 (9-4 Mon-Wed central time).

Jon.

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  • 7 months later...
Guest bofusmosby

Trevor, I doubt they are still around. He joined up in January, and made that one post. NOTHING since then. It would seem that he could at least let us know what happened to them, or what his plans were. I too would like to get some copies if made avaliable.

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Guest Dick Whittington

I would be very careful. GM, Chrysler, and Ford take their copywrites very seriously. I do not think that you will have problems making a copy or three for your friends, but......when you start advertising and selling them to the public, you risk having to deal with their legal department. Over the years I manufactured some very obscure repro parts. Got a call from a company called EMI inquiring if I had written permission to reproduce them. Needless to say, I went out of the repro parts business.

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From Wikipedia..... In the United States, ...If the work was a work for hire (e.g., those created by a corporation) then copyright persists for 120 years after creation or 95 years after publication, whichever is shorter. In ...the United States copyrights expire at the end of the calendar year in question.

Sounds like the films would still be under copyright...B

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It unfortunate these films are lost gems... yes copyrights are to be followed, but to have as a reference, education material and to save history material.. would be a bonus.. I would be proud (as all of us) to have a piece of history tied to our cars...

Here is a link to a YouTube Channel we all could love...

USAutoIndustry has GREAT vintage films online...

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I never heard from the guy; and this particular group of filmstrips never showed up on Ebay.

However, here is a link to an article I did some time ago, with a listing of the filmstrips (Pontiac) that I know exists (most of which we have converted):

THE CARBURETOR SHOP / Pontiac audio video index

573-392-7378 (9-4 Mon-Wed central time).

Jon

Edited by carbking (see edit history)
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Jon, possible you could message me with your info to contact you.. I would like to get more info for my 37 Pontiac.. perhaps chat about your movies you converted

Trevor

I never heard from the guy; and this particular group of filmstrips never showed up on Ebay.

However, here is a link to an article I did some time ago, with a listing of the filmstrips (Pontiac) that I know exists (most of which we have converted):

THE CARBURETOR SHOP / Pontiac audio video index

573-392-7378 (9-4 Mon-Wed central time).

Jon

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Guest dokks6t9

I have the same type of film strips, though they are about 41 Dodges. I gave away 1 strip to a fellow car lover who just happened to have a beautiful 41 Dodge coupe. I knew he would appreciate it.

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I think I found them (not his) but a version of them :( sold off on this website

Jam Handy 1937 Pontiac Silver Streak sales training filmstrips

I never heard from the guy; and this particular group of filmstrips never showed up on Ebay.

However, here is a link to an article I did some time ago, with a listing of the filmstrips (Pontiac) that I know exists (most of which we have converted):

THE CARBURETOR SHOP / Pontiac audio video index

573-392-7378 (9-4 Mon-Wed central time).

Jon

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The AACA Library has a few dozen training filmstrips & we would always welcome more donations. Keep us in mind!

Chris

Chris - I have been advertising the entire (300 plus) filmstrip collection (originals) on some of the Pontiac forums. There was some interest by the new Pontiac museum, but as of now, they have not come up with funds.

I would like for the collection to stay together, but unfortunately, donation doesn't work for me.

Jon.

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Guest Dick Whittington

Properly appraised, with an IRS form 8283, I am sure that there could be a tax deduction for the donation.

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Guest dokks6t9
Fine, you buy it, spend the money to have it appraised, donate it to the AACA, and take the deduction.

Jon.

Too funny, but true....

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  • 4 months later...
Guest junkcarguy

tried to add photos hope it will help also if you can tell me an easy way of posting the film frames i would post or share them with any one who would like them. theres no need to be gready with knowlege so i will help any way i can

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