ALONG THE MOONBEAM TRAIL- 1921 dinosaur stop-motion in Silent Horror Forum

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ALONG THE MOONBEAM TRAIL- 1921 dinosaur stop-motion

Author	Comment
Wich2		#41	[-]
Jul 26 10 10:38 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	"the simplest and makes the most sense" Ya big spoilsport, Don! Where would this board be if THAT attitude caught on?
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Sid Terror		#42	[-]
Jul 26 10 12:57 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Wich2 wrote: "the simplest and makes the most sense" Ya big spoilsport, Don! Where would this board be if THAT attitude caught on? The FMTWM topic would be about 300 pages shorter and less filled with crap, for one.
Ted Newsom		#43	[-]
Jul 27 10 2:44 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Dawley does not seem to have been overly litigious. I haven't done anything more than poke around for a while on the net, but I cannot find anything contentious in his association with Pierce Arrow automobile design, which went on for over two decades. That indicates, to me, anyway, a certain stability. Plus, the book he wrote on directing amateur theatricals (publishing in 1951, presumably written when he as in his 60s) is pretty level-headed and warns about egos getting in the way of the work (the actors, and the director), that the point is to get along. Overall, there's a calmness and a jocularity to the writing that seems to be in the same sort of spirit as the images of the 40-ish "Uncle" in both SLUMBER MOUNTAIN and MOONBEAM TRAIL. Plus, his work with Tony Sarg seems to have been a remarkably uncontentious and productive partnership, 17 short films in two or three years. That Sarg's film output trails off and Dawley goes on with a couple more animations... eh. Sarg was artistically all over the map-- live marionette theater, magazine illustration, commercial art, cel animation... my guess is, he just moved on. And apparently so did Dawley. Why did he continue with the couple of animated films on his own? Artistic impulse? Contractual obligation? Who knows. So teaming with Sarg and then un-teaming seems like a natural progression... unless we're missing pieces of the puzzle. Why, then, does he go to the extent of a lawsuit over SLUMBER MOUNTAIN and the stop motion process? Last Edited By: Ted Newsom Jul 27 10 2:56 AM. Edited 2 times.
Don Glut		#44	[-]
Jul 27 10 3:35 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I still think Dawley just smelled big money when THE LOST WORLD came along. And maybe he really did believe that O'Brien stole a process he believed he created. Think about it. If O'Brien really did steal Dawley's models, why would he? His models were clearly better than Dawley's. And Obie certainly never used those Dawley models in anything. Did he steal them just to throw them away? Was he (dare I suggest it) a collector? Ted, do you have a copy of the Dawley book? If so, where ever did you locate one?
Wich2		#45	[-]
Jul 27 10 10:16 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Maybe the armatures were what Obie wanted, and he rebuilt them?
Ted Newsom		#46	[-]
Jul 27 10 1:21 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Don-- when a word in posted text is highlighted (or sometimes underlined), that indicates it is a link to somewhere else on the net. You click on the word or phrase (or picture) and it takes you there. (Took me a long time to figure out that I could do this, too!) Point being-- my paragraph above has a link to the on-line excerpt of Dawley's book. So just click on the word "book" and-- zap! Pretty similar to posting pictures, except you copy the webpage address, then paste it into the "link" box-- the icon with chain-links. Don: Think about it. If O'Brien really did steal Dawley's models, why would he? His models were clearly better than Dawley's. And Obie certainly never used those Dawley models in anything. Did he steal them just to throw them away? Was he (dare I suggest it) a collector? Craig: Maybe the armatures were what Obie wanted, and he rebuilt them? Either way is possible. Maybe Obie created them based on his own prior armatures. Maybe there was an agreement that it was work for hire but Obie got to keep the props. Maybe Dawley changed his mind. Or maybe it was Obie who smelled money. Or maybe Rothacker wanted to cut out Dawley. It would be neat to read the complaint and the assorted statements. Last Edited By: Ted Newsom Jul 27 10 1:29 PM. Edited 2 times.
Sid Terror		#47	[-]
Jul 27 10 8:12 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ted, Sometimes it just appears to be an underlined word. I suggest making that word bright green so that it looks more like a link. No biggie.
Don Glut		#48	[-]
Jul 27 10 9:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yes, we don't want any missing links on a dinosaur-related thread.
Grant		#49	[-]
Jul 27 10 9:19 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Is this about the only movie to have a Trachodon / Anatosaurus? They definitely seem to be left out when it comes to the movies.
Ted Newsom		#50	[-]
Jul 27 10 11:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	There's at least one animated short, "Age of Dinosaurs," made in the late '70s, with a duck-bill in it, though it doesn't do much.
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Ted Newsom		#51	[-]
Jul 27 10 11:18 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	This pretty much shows the set-up of the only people+dinosaur set-up.
Grant		#52	[-]
Jul 27 10 11:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ted Newsom wrote: There's at least one animated short, "Age of Dinosaurs," made in the late '70s, with a duck-bill in it, though it doesn't do much. They look "whimsical" enough (in the same way as a platypus) that you'd think they'd show up more often.
Don Glut		#53	[-]
Jul 28 10 12:18 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It's no longer Trachodon or Anatosaurus, but Edmontosaurus (sorry, Ted). And, as it tuned out, the name Trachodon was based on a ceratopsian tooth. So, whatever Trachodon actually is, it's a horned dinosaur, probably Triceratops. But, to answer your question, there's one (Edmontosaurus) in THE LOST WORLD.
Sid Terror		#54	[-]
Jul 28 10 1:26 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Don, Just out of curiosity (and slightly off subject) do you recall a location in Connecticut where there was a large finding of dinosaur tracks in the early 1960's I believe?
Don Glut		#55	[-]
Jul 28 10 1:36 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Don't recall offhand about the 1960s, but a lot of dinosaur tracks have been found in Connecticut over a period of many decades.
Tim Smyth		#56	[-]
Jul 28 10 2:26 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey guys, Stephen Czerkas asked me to post his following statement about Along the Moonbeam Trail. Hello Everyone, What is important to realize about ALONG THE MOONBEAM TRAIL (1920) is that it did not use any out-takes from THE GHOST OF SLUMBER MOUNTAIN (1918) and did not have any of O'Brien's work in it. Film historians got it wrong. The film was entirely Major Herbert M. Dawley's work. The irony of the situation is that for decades Willis O'Brien has been given credit for the special effects in ALONG THE MOONBEAM TRAIL instead of Dawley who actually did the work. Why this mistake happened is much more complicated than what can be addressed in this forum. The book/documentary that I'm working on will explain it all in detail. However, something which should be emphasized here is that Dawley has not received the proper recognition and credit for his work. Dawley was an extremely talented artist and film-maker. But unfortunately, the significance of his role in the history of motion pictures and stop-motion animation has been largely lost and mis-represented. Instead of being maligned, Dawley deserves much more credit than he has gotten. Stephen Czerkas Tim
Barbenfouillis		#57	[-]
Jul 28 10 6:43 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Don Glut wrote: Don't recall offhand about the 1960s, but a lot of dinosaur tracks have been found in Connecticut over a period of many decades. Rocky Hill is one. I used to live there for about 15 years (well, when I wasn't off traveling for work) & occasionally volunteered at R.H.'s Dinosaur State Park: http://www.dinosaurstatepark.org/ I'll tell you though. My old home state isn't always that dino friendly unfortunately. In nearby Manchester, Ct., oh, about ten years ago they found even more artifacts while digging for a strip mall. I'm working from memory here but there was a movement to temporarily hault construction until, at least, some studies could have been made. No such luck. And if you have ever been to Manchester, Ct. the last thing that they need is another shopping mall. Steve Last Edited By: Barbenfouillis Jul 28 10 6:50 AM. Edited 1 times.
Ted Newsom		#58	[-]
Jul 28 10 9:16 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	To Steve C: Waiting with breath a-bated. This should be interesting.
Don Glut		#59	[-]
Jul 28 10 9:20 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ah, Dinosaur State Park! I once hitchhiked there -- got picked up at a freeway entrance by a flat-bed truck -- carrying two big suitcases, after hitching from a closed-down railroad station. But that's another story. One thing I'd forgotten (and not sure if anyone's posted this yet), but I think Dawley was suing because he'd patented (or at least applied for a patent) either the stop-motion process and/or his armature design. I recall seeing a photo or drawing of the T. rex showing all the moving parts. Maybe someone with quick access to that image can post it. Also, last night Lyle Conway told me that O'Brien not only had a falling out with Dawley, but also with Cooper and Schoedsack during the filming of THE SON OF KONG, and supposedly walked off the film prior to completion. And married Darlyne the day after his first wife died. Could be a bigger story here than we presently know.
marbpl2.ozclubforums		#60	[-]
Jul 28 10 1:23 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Grant wrote: Is this about the only movie to have a Trachodon / Anatosaurus? They definitely seem to be left out when it comes to the movies. Cesta Do Praveku (aka Journey to the Beginning of Time) 1955 Last Edited By: marbpl2 Jul 28 10 4:35 PM. Edited 1 times.
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ALONG THE MOONBEAM TRAIL- 1921 dinosaur stop-motion