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actual 9.5mm film frame
T.9784 (7 reel 9.5mm sound release by Pathéscope January 1960) (the last ever 9.5mm optical sound feature film release)
"DOOMED CARAVAN" USA 10Jan1941 Dir: Lesley Salander ---------------- Harry Sherman Productions 62mins B/W Cert "U" Produced by: Harry Sherman (Approx 58mins on 9.5mm) Distributed by: Paramount Pictures Filmed on location at Kelso Canyon & Kernville, California, USA Story by: Clarence E. Mulford Screenplay by: J. Benton Cheney, Johnston McCulley Photography by: Russell Harlan Editing by: Carroll Lewis, Sherman A. Rose Music by: John Leipold Sound: Charles Althouse
William Boyd Minna Gombell
Cast: William Boyd .......... Hopalong Cassidy Russell Hayden ........ Lucky Jenkins Andy Clyde ............ California Minna Gombell ......... Jane Travers Morris Ankrum ......... Stephen Westcott Georgia Ellis ......... Diana Westcott (as Georgia Hawkins) Trevor Bardette ....... Ed Martin Pat J. O'Brian ........ Henchman Jim Ferber Ray Bennett ........... Henchman Pete Gregg (as Raphael Bennett) José Luis Tortosa ..... Governor Don Pedro Edward Cassidy, Henry Willis
Outlaws try to wipe out the Crescent City Freighting Company, but are driven off after a fierce gun battle. A squad of Army Cavalry sent to give protection are massacred by the renegades who then impersonate the soldiers. Hopalong Cassidy foils their plans and later unmasks their mystery leader.
Cinema poster
Watch "Doomed Caravan" full length on You Tube
Notes: 1. The 32nd entry in the series of 66 Hopalong Cassidy western feature films starring William Boyd. 2. The last 9.5mm optical sound title to be released by Pathéscope. It had been announced in their 1959 Film Catalogue for Nov/Dec 1959 sale, but printing did not start until 12th January 1960. Later in that year the company went into receivership. The Pathéscope Register records that only three prints were made. Each was mounted on two 1000ft reels. (In the April 1996 issue of "Flickers" magazine, Pat Moules wrote an article trying to identify who owns those three copies)
3. Pathéscope weakened the impact of the film by completely omitting the exciting opening sequence - around five minutes of a gun battle. (The quickest and simplest way of reducing the running time to 7 9.5mm reels)
4. Location work was at Lone Pine in California and shot 'back to back' with "In Old Colorado" (also on 9.5mm as T.9727) The street scenes were filmed at Kernville. During shooting, Boyd broke his leg in two places. Jumping down from his horse (Topper), the heel of his boot hit a stone causing the ankle to roll over. The bone splintered just above the ankle and snapped in two. The actor, in great pain, was rushed to surgery and there was an immediate operation. Production was delayed for six months to allow the star to recover.
5. Johnston McCulley was a prolific writer, mainly of detective stories, adventures and westerns. His most famous creation was "Zorro".
6. The 9.5mm print starts not with the opening 35mm credits, but the title card shown at the top of this page. Although Pathéscope often remade the titles in the early days of 9.5mm sound, it was unusual for a post war release. The style was in line with that used on the credits for the Cassidy silents released by Pathescope in the Fifties.
7. The Pathéscope 35mm master was later used for a Super 8mm magnetic sound release of the film by Derann Films. The initial Super 8mm release was the same as the 9.5mm version. Later the missing footage was located and the film then re-released on Super 8mm complete but still bearing the Pathéscope main title.
(Extra Info gratefully added from Maurice Trace) ZT-9784/gln/12.11.2013
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Created 12Nov2013 ...... Last updated: 17 September 2017 ...... 95flmcatt9784.htm ......©MMX111 Grahame L. Newnham