I was wondering if anyone can remember what titles PM FILMS released on super 8 (and the quality) I have the 600ft versions of ‘The Wicked Lady’ and ‘Watership Down’ they obviously released many more titles but my mind has gone blank on others, my print of ‘Watership Down’ is excellent, but ‘The Wicked Lady’ is very soft in places

Hi Bill,
Assault on Precinct 13 was another. I think they also did Soft beds, hard battles.

The 39 Steps
Tales of Beatrice Potter.
The Devils Rain. I think.
Number 17 I think.
The Big Combo.

I have one of their news letters somewhere. If I can find it I'll put some scans here.

"When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

http://www.filmsite.org/wavfiles/goodbadugly.wav

Unknown World.
Up Pompeii.

I have a copy of the PM Films F/L feature "Tango of Perversion" on my next lists, pretty good quality too, for a film getting on for 40 years old.

I have some old PM advertisements from the Movie Maker mags from way back when.
When I have time, I will dig them out and trawl through them to post some photo's of the ads on here.

Thanks all for the replies, looks as if they did release quite a few films I did not know about, certainly not ‘Tango of perversion’ feature, it’s odd the PM name does not crop much in the collecting world, I would be interested to see any adds or sales list anyone has.

Hi Bill, I have a few of their releases still in the vaults, they were the first distributor to release films in 600's, Ralph Gill
who ran it was a great guy to deal with, he informed me he had relations just a couple of miles up the road from me at
St. Bees, famous for the ancient school, where Rowan Atkinson attended. Their releases were on the whole very nice quality, both in print and sound.

I’ve learnt something there Hugh, I always thought Derann were first with the 600ft cut downs, I wonder what lab they used, as mentioned my copy of ‘watership down’ is excellent, stereo as well, colour still good.

Hi Bill, yes 'tis true, check with our mate Keith Wilton, Ralph Rules on the 600's anyway. A better length than the more common
400's of the day.

I think PM might have also been the first with stereo too. Any idea what P. M. stood for? One old ad has them at Penn Meadows. Their shop at 39 Windsor End I once visited was full of film stuff.

Another two.

Bulldog Jack. 3x400ft good print too.
Swallows and Amazons.
Edgar Lustgarten: The Candlelight Murder.

Found a few more

All In Good Fun.
Lights Out.
Sooty.
Some Railway films.
The Dark Stairway.
Pathe Pictorials.

Well done David you are doing well, some surprising titles there (at least to me) they were obviously a bigger concern than I thought, perhaps Hugh can fill us in on what the PM stands for.

i forgot those, we do have the 3 x 400 footer of all in good fun and one of the edger Lustgarton ""the dark stairway" 2 x 400 footers, very good quality to.

I wish I could tell you Bill, something I should have asked Ralph, but I regret. We did have a local Club in my neighbourhood, the PM
Club, "Pensioned Miners", maybe it stood for Prime Movies, or in its case now, Post Mortem, it might have been an anagram like Derann
from Derek's and Ann's name. Anyway, whatever the reason, Ralph gave us some great releases, a nice man I hope is still among us.

The P.M. in P.M. Films might just be as simple as the time most people would show films, in the P.M. (basically at night), of course I'm only guessing!

Pity google maps wasn't around in the 70's as this view would have some nice things in the window.


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.600200...!7i13312!8i6656


Sould be the building with large windows and blue door.

I somehow imagined larger premises David, your correct it would have looked much more interesting in the 70’s, and maybe early 80’s ?

I was trawling through my old Movie Maker mags this morning to see what advertisements I could find from PM films back in the day, to see what titles they released.

There were loads if I'm honest and if anyone would like more I will continue but for now here are some:-



and from the same magazine, another of my favourite advertisements! lol

I always thought PM stood for Penn Meadows their address at the time. Its that simple.

Nice to see the ads Andrew, I certainly remember seeing them in movie maker but could not remember their own releases; I had forgotten they also sold a good selection of films from other companies as well as their own stuff.
I like the way you sneaked in the Beaulieu advert

Sorry Bill, I can just never resist. I love all of the company's advertising spiel, cameras projectors everything.

To me it just epitomizes the pinnacle of the gauge.

Thanks for those Ad's Andrew.

Did PM films ever print on polyester. Many years ago I purchased a copy of the Wicked lady in the original PM films box but it seems to be on polyester so Im not sure if it is a Derann print in a PM film box or an original PM print?

Graham S

I do wish i kept my old movie maker mags now.
I never realised they did the 39 steps, this is another classic feature we have in our collection. The original and best version to.

Well spotted David, I remember the Stoke Poges Golf Club was nearby, and Ralph used to show films from his company on a Saturday morning. I only ever ordered from them once by post, hence my missing the Penn Meadow reference, all other transactions being done over the recently installed telephone in '76, one of his releases being the actioner "Golden Rendezvous" with Richard Harris, it makes
a nice companion piece to Universal's "North Sea Hijack". I think any rereleases on poly stock might be down to Derann.