The old timers are all kicking the bucket...lots of history being lost forever

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

 

This is the late film collector Dennis R. Atkinson. Over the past couple of years I would buy films from him on eBay, the ones I could afford anyway. He had lots of rare things as well as a tremendous amount of film history in his brain. I used to write him periodically to ask him to write down some of that history so I could archive it. Or for him to let me interview him via phone for some oral history recordings. It was always the same answer NO. I told him I'd be glad to buy some history or ephemera from him to donate to the I.A., even scans...same thing...NO. 

Well, he died  a few months ago and all that film history died with him.

If you know someone that has some history within them that needs preserving, keep after them and try to get what you can. Then put it on the I.A. or make a film about them.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

[Tyler Purcell]

2 hours ago, Daniel D. Teoli Jr. said:

It was always the same answer NO. I told him I'd be glad to buy some history or ephemera from him to donate to the I.A., even scans...same thing...NO. 

Well, he died  a few months ago and all that film history died with him.

Yep, same answer I always got from other people like him. I don't understand it. 

I'm lucky to have someone finally say YES to me recently and hopefully it will be worth while for both of us. 

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

That is great! Keep us informed how the project goes. 

I was working on a film about an old yodeler / DJ / audio archivist.  Could only work with him 2 or 3 times a month for a few hours at a time. I started to get some footage, then virus hit. Tried to restart with him 1-1/2  years later and by then his mind was shot and it was too late. Sometimes we just don't get a 2nd chance. 

To update the OP.  I didn't take the photo. It was from his eBay listing and used under auspices of Fair Use.

[Karim D. Ghantous]

Most people are happy to share their knowledge. Some people are perhaps too enthusiastic, but still...

Some feign modesty. Some are just neurotic, as this man obviously was. He's a hoarder who has a touch of misanthropy.

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

Can't say about hoarder. To the normal person, yes, that is what it looks like. To film collectors it is the norm more or less unless they got tons of $$ and have climate controlled film vaults and film archivists to keep things tidy.

Some are more organized than others. But big film collections are a mess many a time.

This is a pretty neat collection. But it is small.

A more sprawling bigger collection with 35mm reels.

All photos from internet and used under auspices of Fair Use.

 

 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.