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So Has Any Actor Ever Destroyed His Old Films or Memorabilia Like This?

posted 9 years ago by richard.fuller1
5 replies | jump to latest

A lot of Buster Keaton's old films were found only when James Mason moved into his house.

Granted, if the performer destroyed the film, no one would know.

Silent film actor or 1930s actor suddenly loses his appeal, so somewhere in the late fifties he destroys and burns his movies. He passes away in the seventies or eighties. It's not like melted ash will be found on the premises.

So I'm wondering if it was known someone did this, or determined they must have.

[–] svalinanikola 8 years ago

Well, does it count how Jerry Lewis keeps "The Day the Clown Cried" in his vault and refuses to show it?

[–] richard.fuller1 8 years ago

Definitely worth noting.

I do wonder now about many of these old silent films that no longer exist and now wonder about the circumstances of their demise.

It's just known they are no longer around, but it doesn't seem to be said why.

[–] bloody-3 8 years ago

A lot of the silent movies are lost because of the type of film that was used. It was nitrate and this decays over time making the films unwatchable.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/majority-of-american-silent-films-lost-to-decay-8983117.html

[–] nivrehs 7 years ago

Not that it was intentional, but according to Wikipedia, "a portion of Lloyd's personal inventory of his silent films (then estimated to be worth $2 million) was destroyed in August 1943 when his film vault caught fire." It's possible that the events in The Artist were inspired by this.

[–] TheArgentinian (6424) 3 years ago

Actors? No. Studios? all the time.