I’m defining “halcyon days” as those years when there were multitudes of film distributors in business (i.e., Blackhawk, Castle/Universal 8, Ken, Marketing, etc.), not just the later Derann years. By the early 1980s, the overwhelming majority of film distributors had closed shop or switched over to video.

True, and if halcyon is to be used to describe the feeling derived from the sheer number of dealers releasing prints or volume of prints released as opposed to the quality of those prints released or the enthusiasm of the people who collect them, then you are correct John.

The seventies and eighties were so far back already by the time online film forums were opened, those collectors should still be posting on these places just as they once did at the outset you'd expect.
The companies themselves all except Derann were shut at the outset of any forum opening it's doors, just as they more or less all are now.
Not a lot has changed really, all except those posting about such.

I recently searched for Romancing The Stone and found it straight away

That's a bit easier than finding Tom's home movie in this lot Del, unless he can remember some details from the title he posted it under.

LOL

Believe me I have tried and even putting the camera details into the equation pulls up nothing!
I know he spoke about the camera he shot this film with so I am surprised really, but so far,...nothing.

Agree with everything you say there John.

Thanks Robert — I now wished I had purchased more projectors during those “halcyon” years when Super 8 projector manufacturers actually existed and were plentiful, particularly now given my two ST-1200 Elmo projectors are 40-plus years old! 🙂

I just have the one Super 8 John; that's 42 years old, but there was a long period when I never used it, then my interest was rekindled 11 years ago.

What rekindled it Robert?

I am at the stage with Super 8mm projectors now where I have too many really.
It isn't good as they all need to be run once in while and machines like my Sonector and my S938 / T192 hardly ever get used. In fact the one that's used least of any now is my old ST1200.

I'm very very slightly just like Maurice though in the respect that I actually love the machines themselves so I always feel that if I rid myself of a few I may actually regret the decision at some time or another.
They all individually have their own unique strengths and weaknesses so there really isn't a model that fits the needs of everything all in one package.

If Beaulieu had made a stereo magnetic as well as optical model, I may have a different outlook towards keeping all that have but the fact remains, they didn't.

Ironically, what triggered my own interest in this hobby being rekindled was two separate factors really. One being the fact I'd just ended another expensive but self funding pleasure of mine that took all of my spare time and devotion and the other being the fact I'd heard on the grapevine that Derann had just closed its doors for good so I knew it was now or never for all previous ambitions within this hobby of ours.
I'm glad I pursued it again and its brought about far many more rewards for myself than I'd ever previously thought possible.

Hi Andrew, my interest was rekindled when I got married in 2007 and my wife wanted to see photos of my family, and I told her I had movie film of my parents, which she was interested in seeing.

Well done to Mrs Crewdson I'd say!

Crikey, a wife that actually wants to watch real film, now there is something!!

She's only watched two features since then Andrew,, and that was a couple of months ago. I'm usually watching films on my own, while she is working evenings.

Well at least she has watched two or three! Two or three more than mine ever would.

Still, I have a fantastic evening Andrew; once in a while I treat myself to a glass of whisky or brandy; usually I stick to tea. All the same, a great evening of entertainment.

I’m a bourbon whiskey guy myself when I settle in for an evening’s worth of entertainment 🥃 🙂. (Watched some documentaries last night — “Wait For Your Laugh” [regarding Rose Marie], a bio on Bing Crosby/Der Bingle, and a documentary regarding the year 1964. I started at 7:30 p.m., and didn’t emerge from the home cinema until around 1:00 a.m.!)

Sounds good John; the review of 1964 sounds interesting. One of the complaints of my wife is that I spent too much time filming my holidays and not enough of my family; but you can't shoot 50 rolls of people sitting in the garden; each film needs to be different. There were only so many situations I could take. When the wife went abroad to visit her family for about 3 weeks at a time, it was often about 1.30am before I got to bed.

That's an early night for me in our house Robert.