New Film Search

Ric Gillespie · February 18, 2019, 02:41:58 PM

Getting our hands on the 16mm film of the July 1st test flight that may enable Jeff Glickman to do a conclusive comparison between the Miami Patch and Artifact 2-2-V-1 only took ten years. Now let's try a tough one.

The 30-second Last Takeoff video currently viewable on Youtube is a digitized copy of a 1980s-vintage VHS dub of a 16mm copy of the original film. The quality of the image is horrible and the 16mm copy from which the VHS dub was made was subsequently lost. The original 16mm film was allegedly shot by a Guinea Airways employee by the name of Sid Marshall and is probably now in Australia if it still exists.
If we could find it and get a high-resolution scan we might be able to pull out details that answer questions such as:
- What did the patch look like when they taxied out for takeoff on July 2nd?
- Is that puff of dust that erupts under the aircraft at 00:22 the belly antenna being ripped off?

Let's see what we can find out.

Kurt Kummer · February 18, 2019, 03:50:40 PM

Here's an article from "The Australian Women's Weekly" dated Aug. 12, 1970 that may give us some starting points. Looks like Syd was pretty well known Down Under.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/51274550

Ric Gillespie · February 18, 2019, 03:57:49 PM

Great find Kurt. Syd said the film belonged to the Australian people. Maybe he gave it to a national museum. If so, we should be able to find it and access it.

Karen Hoy · February 18, 2019, 03:58:51 PM

The August 12, 1970 article says Marshall was from Bankstown NSW. There's an Australian Aviation Museum currently in Bankstown (apparently closed for the moment.)

The museum is part of the organization Museums and Galleries of NSW. Has anyone tried contacting them to trace Marshall's film?

https://mgnsw.org.au/sector/about-us/contact-us/

Karen Hoy #2610 ER

Kurt Kummer · February 18, 2019, 04:05:05 PM

In the book by Marie K. Long and Elgen M. Long "Amelia Earhart, The Mystery Solved" on page 301 there's a footnote that says the film can be found at the National Library of Australia in Canberra.

Ric Gillespie · February 18, 2019, 04:12:10 PM

You guys blow me away.

Karen Hoy · February 18, 2019, 04:28:08 PM

This is the only Sid Marshall record that appears in NLA's online catalogue. Unfortunately, no filmstrip is mentioned.

https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2047922

Ric Gillespie · February 18, 2019, 04:32:02 PM

It' a reel of 16mm movie film, not a filmstrip. Photography may be catalogued separately. Sounds like we need to query the librarian.

Karen Hoy · February 18, 2019, 04:52:41 PM

They have an online enquiry form:

https://reftracker.nla.gov.au/reft100.aspx?pmi=CEqeLICr0i

Or I can try to find a personal email for a librarian if you'd rather do that.

Ric Gillespie · February 18, 2019, 05:39:15 PM

Personal is always better.
Thanks

Karen Hoy · February 18, 2019, 06:24:19 PM

This list of contact information is all I can find. They don't appear to post personal emails online.

https://www.nla.gov.au/contact-us

Don White · February 18, 2019, 08:12:46 PM

I found a number of references to the bankstown museum and its demise. I also found a picture of the interior with aircraft. The 1970 article about Syd Marshall says he liked to fly his de Havilland Puss Moth. There is a Moth-like nose visible on the left side of the picture. Perhaps the museum was based around Syd's aircraft collection. Let us hope the film is indeed safe and findable.

LTM,

Don

Steve Lyle Gunderson · February 18, 2019, 08:34:51 PM

You could always try a phone call to a librarian.

Reader services
Phone: +61 (0)2 6262 1266

Bill Mangus · February 19, 2019, 09:05:20 AM

If the museum search doesn't turn up anything, try the ABC (probably Ch 7 in Sydney). They almost certainly made a video of the film when Syd took it to the ABC as mentioned in the newspaper article, indeed that may have been the reason for the visit. They likely still have it in their archives.

Video recording in the 70's was nothing like we have today but I'm betting it is still a better resolution than the YouTube video.

Here's their web site: https://www.abc.net.au/

Contact links are at the very bottom.

Ric Gillespie · February 19, 2019, 03:16:24 PM

TIGHAR Researcher Bill Davenport had this reply from the Australian Aviation Museum back in 2016.

Hi Bill,
The museum does not have a copy of the 1937 film. Our chief librarian viewed the film some years ago, but the museum never acquired a copy.

When Sid Marshall died, his business partner Jack Davis or Davies took over the business. Jack is now in poor health, reportedly also with dymentia. It is reported that his wife has many of the business records etc, but is not happy to handle enquiries.

It may be that the national film archives has a copy of the film you are looking for.

Regards

Mike McGree
Museum Coordinator