Went straight over to Tua Film Services today at Chorleywood and found a 400ft all-scope reel for a tenner: British Film Year intro, The Passage long trailer, Carousel Cinemascope 55 long trailer, Movietone News Winter Jamboree. Excellent.

Also for a tenner was a 400ft spool of hopefully lovely Derann cinema interstitials and presumably ads etc. with some scope assured, according to the salesman at the table (see box below). Wrong. Got it home and it's a red print of an UFA cutdown of a Charlton Heston film with the entire main stripe recorded over with pop music and the theme from Dallas.



Would it be too much to ask for the dealers to check what they're selling before they put them on the shelf?

That have happened to me too. I can understand if they don´t have time enough to check cheap films, by watching the whole film, but they could at last control what´s in the box and if it´s faded

I guess you win some, you lose some Martin.

With the lens and dust cover, you've still come out of it well Martin overall this weekend.

You're absolutely correct though Mats,you'd expect all items for sale to be able to be sampled before you buy. It wouldn't take long for films of this length and would certainly save all of the disappointment once back home with them.

Never understand why things arnt checked, we had the 2 x 400 edition of rollerball and the previous owner, for whatever reason, recorded music from midnight express over the end titles. Why would you do that?

I just had a nice call from Rob at Tua apologising for the mix-up, and he will be refunding me. I just have a feeling that reel would have been a cracker!

Glad it's got a happy ending of sorts. I know you would prefer the film, but at least you will not be out of pocket.

I don't think I've ever dealt with Tua Films Martin.
Do they have a web page?

No, just a four issues per year catalogue and a phone number. Mostly 16mm but they often have interesting Super 8 titles too. They also specialize in railway and transport films.

Rob Foxon runs the Debonair Film Collectors List which as stated sends out quarterly catalogues on an annual subscription. Rob does not own any of the films, all the films on the list are from various collectors who sell through this system. When a film is sold Rob will contact the seller and ask for the film to be sent to him. He then checks it and sends it on to the purchaser. This way the seller does not know who the purchaser is and vice versa.

Very regrettably Rob does not have a website nor an email address. His main interest is railway films with which he tours all over the UK showing under his Tua Film Service banner.

You can contact him on 0116-289-0531.

Hi Martin,

Sadly I didn't attend because of the snow (a long drive from here). Did he have many other films for sale and many railway films. I hope to see him at other events.

Graham

Yes, lots of railway films and some interesting Super 8 and 16mm titles. Rob's selection was easily the most interesting at the show. I always enjoy his table at the fairs, although I hadn't properly connected the dots about Debonair and Tua until yesterday.

Debonair Films I had heard of many times, Tua is the name I hadn't.
Thanks for filling in the missing link Maurice and now Martin.