It is a sad thing to report that Charles P. ("Charlie") Mitchell of Medway, Maine, 
passed away suddenly on Jan. 25, 2005. 

Mr Mitchell and his wife Roberta had devoted much of their energy to 
collecting rare old films on various formats, beginning shortly after they 
married in 1977.   Their collection grew to such dimensions that after Charles 
retired from his library job in the 1990s,  the Mitchells decided to turn their 
hobby into a small business, selling video copies of their (public domain) 
rarities to collectors by mail.    

Having happened upon their little classified ad (probably in "Classic Images"), 
I myself made the acquaintance of the Mitchells via E-Mail.  From them 
in recent years I acquired several real celluloid rarities (which I'd been unable 
to find  elsewhere).  Even though my dealings with them were solely by E-Mail,   
I was always struck by the loving care with which  the Michells filled orders, and 
the very reasonable prices they charged.  It was obvious the Mitchells collected 
old films and shared them with other collectors (like yours truly) not for  any 
mercenary reasons! 

Roberta Mitchell, who had worked alongside her husband and played the role of an equal 
partner in their hobby-business, assures me that their enterprise  will continue  as before, 
unchanged, and that she will continue to give the same service that the  Mitchells had given 
previously, at the same location: "[log in to unmask]" [not ".COM"] 

Charles Mitchell published 8 books, rich in the detail which was characteristic of his love 
for celluloid oldies and his background in library science.  Most recent among those books 
were "Guide to Charlie Chan Films " (Greenwood, 1999); "Hitler Filmography" (McFarland '02); 
"Great Composers Portrayed on  Film" (McFarland '04); and "Filmography of Social   
Issues" (Greenwood '04). 

Charles P Mitchell was born on May 3, 1949.  He received a BA in History from  Pace 
University and an MLS (Library Science) from the Pratt Institute. He is survived by his   
widow, Roberta Mitchell,  by an aunt, and by some cousins in Texas.  Along with his love 
for films (especially "film noir," British cinema,  Charlie Chan, and films about music & 
composers), he had a great love for dogs, and the  Mitchells had 3 pet canines at the time 
of Charles's passing. 

I like to think of Charles Mitchell as modern-day successor to  Theodore Huff and 
William K Everson.   He will be painfully missed by all who knew him. 

Steven P Hill, 
Cinema Studies, 
University of Illinois. 
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