Blackpool Convention report 1985 (1)

Big changes were afoot in 1985. This was the first year that Derann Film Services took over the running of the Convention; they moved it from the Gables Hotel to the Cliffs Hotel on Blackpool’s North Promenade, and introduced the Saturday night Dinner.

Dave Lockwood reported on the Convention in the December 1985 issue of Film For the Collector magazine.

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BLACKPOOL

Super 8 Collectors have, over recent years, become more than just purchasers of a product – they are a community – meeting to discuss their hobby, organising shows, publishing amateur magazines, exchanging and auctioning old films, and lobbying dealers for new releases. The momentum is maintained by a succession of events throughout the year including frequent open days at Derann Film Services in Dudley, and, of course, the two major annual conventions, one in London, and the other, the Northern Film Collectors Convention, held in Blackpool.

The Blackpool Convention was, on this, the 9th year, organised by Derann Film Services. Thus, from the very beginning, it was in danger of becoming just another open day. However Derek Simmonds, M.D. of Derann, was determined to make it more of an event – and an event it certainly was!

A large number of collectors booked into the hotel for the night prior to the Convention and, although I did hear one person express some dissatisfaction, I was well satisfied. My room was very comfortable, having an en-suite bathroom, a colour TV, and even coffee-making facilities – I cannot wait for next year when I can once more enjoy this grandeur. Not everyone had the bathroom but I think the majority were happy with the accommodation. Needless to say the organisers had negotiated a generous discount for the collectors.

Those of us who had booked in for the evening meal enjoyed an excellent four course dinner. Following this, over coffee and After 8s, we were treated to the timeless wit of Making Better Movies‘s John Wright who has the incredible talent of telling the most hackneyed and unfunny jokes and yet still have the audience rolling in the aisles.

This was followed by a showing of the feature “That’s Dancing”. This was the third time that I have seen this film and gets better each time! Unfortunately, even allowing for the size to which it was blown up, the print was a little soft. The two prints which i had seen earlier were much sharper and I can only assume that this was an unfortunate copy.

A 10am start to the Convention proper, gave us just enough time to eat breakfast, pack up our clothes and load the car. Had it been purpose built for the event, the hotel could not have been a better venue. We entered through a small lounge bar with a large dealers room on one side and the cinema on the other. Most of the dealers were offering second hand and older titles, mainly at quite modest prices. One dealer had a recently serviced Elmo GS 1200 which looked to be in excellent condition – for less than £400! If only I had the money!! Another good deal which was, at this time, beyond my means was an optical feature of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”.

The cinema accomodation was superb, the blackout being more than adequate and with sufficient (comfortable) seating for even the most popular of the shows. These included one from Movieland, a Tony Shapps Widescreen show, the latest MGM releases and a Derann show. The highspot was a clip from “Gone with the Wind”. This early check print, graded by Keith Wilton, is even better than “The Three Musketeers”. I can forecast with confidence that this will be Derann/Ken/Keith Wilton’s greatest achievement. Another highspot was Kempski’s cinemascope “Poltergeist”. It is a shame that this feature is denied to all but the most wealthy of collectors by its unrealistic price!

The auction appeared to be even bigger than it usually is. As auctioneer, Derek Simmonds is a natural, although I did overhear one lady collector remark; “….but doesn’t Bill Davison normally do this?” After about two hours of repartee and general lunacy, however, I heard that same lady collector reluctantly admit – “Well, he’s almost as good!”

The auction tended to comprise the same old items but, for the first time ever, I did notice some Fred and Ginger as well as one or two imported US features. These included a copy of the excellent “War Games” which went for £95. A brand-new copy of Red Fox’s “Adventures of Robin Hood” failed to reach its reserve price of £220 – although a fair price, clearly no-one was willing to take the risk of acquiring this item in an auction.

Unfortunately, the convention had to end at 6.00pm since the rooms were then required for another event. Thus, reluctantly, we made our way home – happy, if somewhat impoverished.

DAVE LOCKWOOD (Club member).

PS: The hotel has already been booked for next year!