Received this from Robb Callahan at the Errol Flynn Estate in the mailbag:
Hi David, Hello God was not destroyed. The original film was found last year in the basement of the surrogate court in NYC. The film is now being restored at the George Eastman House in NY. The film was shot using silver nitrate film stock. There were 7 canisters of film. Two of the canisters were completely deteriorated. The other 5 are being restored. Unfortunately with the two missing canisters the film won’t be complete, but it would be good viewing what remains.
Best
Robb
— David DeWitt
WOW!
Wow is right! That is incredibly great news! The film must have been tied up in litigation and a copy kept as evidence and then butied and forgotten! Thanks to David for staying connected to the Flynn Estates. Based on evidence unearthed by another person at this blog, the copy held by the film library was destroyed and discarded years ago when William Marshall failed to pay the processing fees!
There is an individual in Britain who swears on a stack of bibles that he not only has personal copies of Hello God but Murder At Monte Carlo! He claimed he was in secret negotiations with the British Film Institute about restoring the films for viewing. In fact they were so secret the BFI knew nothing about them!
Ralph Schiller
Maybe these are the copies, Ralph – who knows which way they took after Marshall failed to pay?
Good God, That’s Great!
I wonder if Sherry Jackson knows! She might enjoy hearing the Good News. And could be involved in the “premier”, too. … Her Hollywood Star is not far from Errol’s.
[img]http://www.younghollywoodhof.com/drina/jackson.jpg[/img]
George Eastman House in NY are the same people that restored “The Old Dark House” from 1932. If you have not seen it you have to check it out. You have never seen a film like it before. James Cameron saw the laser disc and listened to the commentary of Gloria Stuart and on the strength of that and the sound her voice gave her the job of Old Rose in Titanic. Pretty neat.
That is incredible news!!!!!! Thank you for letting us know Robb & David. :)