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August 2005, Week 1

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Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 6 Aug 2005 14:05:40 EDT
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In a message dated 8/6/05 11:56:18 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:
> 
> What connection did Mr. KILLIAM (the late Killiam?) have with
> those collecting and distributing enterprises, about which
> I've learned so much this week?  Or was he also important,
> but somehow completely separate from the enterprises
> in which the Turells (father & son) were involved?
> 
Steven,

I guess I'm getting old because it's now considered ancient history. Paul 
Killiam was a silent film collector who started distributing compilations or 
shortened versions -- as well as short docs -- to television in the early 1960s. 
He also had the best rental 16mm and 35mm prints of the PD silents around, was 
the first to tint his silent prints (for better and worse), and hired the very 
elegant piano playing of William Perry to go on those prints. For a long 
time, his prints were the gold standard for exhibition. He was best friends with 
Bill Everson along with Alex and Richard Gordon -- and when Alex discovered the 
goldmine of Fox silent films hidden in the studio's vaults in the late 1960s, 
they licensed them to Killiam to distribute -- this led to the availability 
of Sunrise, Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and many others in gorgeous prints. 
And yes, Paul also teamed with another friend Saul Turrell on several feature 
docs about film that Janus distributed.

Paul's main competitor was Raymond Rohauer and there were epic battles and 
law suits between the two of them. The Birth of a Nation lawsuit was 
particularly noteworthy.

Paul Killiam's company was actually sold to Janus in the early 1990s, but it 
was never a great fit and it was sold again a few years after that. Now it's 
being sold in bits and pieces by the current owner to David Shepard, the Alloy 
Orchestra and others. Kino distributes some of the Killiam films still.

Paul was a great gentleman who also did some suprisingly naughty (the 
appropriate term really, nothing horribly shocking or illegal) things in the name of 
gathering his collection. I only found that out after he died, but that never 
diminished my exteremely high opinion or fondness of him.

Paul was a mentor to Bruce Lawton who also is involved with silent films 
these days and helped with the Roscoe Arbuckle DVD set that just came out.

I guess I was very lucky starting out in the field at the time these people 
were still around -- and that Kino worked with many of them so I got to visit 
all their offices and hear the old stories. I never met Arthur Mayer, Joseph 
Burstyn and Tom Brandon (who was the real scoundrel of the lot), or knew "Uncle" 
Leo Dratfield very well, but honestly, the study of New York indie 
distribution would be fascinating -- especially the women who all had gravel voices and 
were smarter and tougher then most of the men. It's a shame that MoMA, 
Anthology or AMMI have NEVER done a long series based on NYC's own film indie 
history. 

Dennis Doros
Milestone Film & Video
PO Box 128
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
Phone: (201) 767-3117 or (800) 603-1104 (in the US)
Fax: (201) 767-3035
Email: [log in to unmask]
www.milestonefilms.com

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