Restorations vs Extrapolations

 The Library of Congress version of "Rendezvous in Space" has been digitized, and it's raised almost as many questions as it's answered. 

The print was in great shape, generally. I think that it was a silent version kept it from being screened frequently by LoC employees, so the print is relatively unscathed. There are some color fades and several vertical scrapes that can be repaired, but nothing too severe. 

Certainly, the biggest problem with the print is that it has quite a few differences from the original film, and it's missing key sections I had hoped to replace in the production print. The discussion between Danny Thomas and Sid Melton, talking about space stewardesses, isn't present in the LoC copy. 

There's even a complete replacement of the title card from one film to the other. 

Based on the fragmentary scenes in the LoC copy, I think this print was deposited to fulfill minimum copyright requirements, instead of being a posterity record. 

Unless I can find another print, I'm going to have to source from the three existing versions: the David Hammar 1998 VHS copy, the 35mm production print, and the Library of Congress fragments. I think the renovation schedule has just pushed off to the right - - the extreme right. 

I'm also going to have to make decisions about what constitutes a "restoration." I think my baseline is going to be the audio track from the VHS, and then choosing the best frames (even if that means the VHS video) for each element of the movie. 

One sad note is that I have scenes in the LoC copy that have no audio, and no place in the original film. I'm going to trust that they never appeared in the show reel, and omit them from the film. Maybe I'll air them during the credits? More things to ponder as this project progresses. 

Reach for the Stars

 A decade ago, I tracked down many scattered threads of ephemera about the final film of Frank Capra, “Rendezvous in Space,” an industrial short commissioned by Martin‐Marietta Corporation in support of their Titan III missile and X‐24 lifting body sales. Shown at the New York World’s Fair of 1964‐1965 to an estimated audience of seven million visitors, there are only two known remaining prints of the film. One of the prints is at the Library of Congress. The other print, the one shown at the World's Fair and at the NY Hall of Science until 1971 is in my possession, courtesy of the kindness of my late friend David Hammar. 

For years, I worked on understanding whose copyright applied to this film: it was made by Frank Capra, but he was under contract to Martin-Marietta. Martin-Marietta donated the film to the NY Hall of Science, but didn't transfer the copyright to that organization. The NY Hall of Science disposed of the print in a dumpster in 1972, but it was rescued by a trash picker and went through several changes of hands until it wound up with David. 

On YouTube, there's a rough VHS copy of this print, made in extremely low resolution. It's difficult to make out what images are on screen at any given moment. As it stands, nobody's seen a clear version of this film in about a half-century. 

After getting clearance from Lockheed-Martin, I've begun work on restoring as much of this film as I can. The script is cheesy in a Capra-corn sense of the term, but the visuals are striking. Among the artists hired for the animated parts of the film is the cartooning pioneer T. Hee, who was responsible for the Dance of the Hours segment in Disney's Fantasia. There are Titan III missiles taking off, Chinese magicians discovering rocketry, astronauts microwaving steaks in zero gravity, and space stations floating in Earth orbit. 

My goal is to take the best frames from both of the remaining prints, marry them to a synchronized soundtrack, and rebuild the film as it was originally seen. It's going to be a long process - - I'm estimating 18 months for the project - - but I think this film deserves a proper restoration. 

More to come as the rebuild progresses. Watch this space for updates!