No market for 50 year-old Roller Derby shows, correct?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by James Slattery, Mar 15, 2019.

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  1. James Slattery

    James Slattery Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Long Island
    I recently came upon a treasure trove of old Derby films, which I believe are from the mid to late 60s. The problem is, the people who have them seem to think they are sitting on a gold mine, like they found a bunch of lost silent film classics or New York Tonight Shows or something. Its something myself and maybe 10 diehard fans who are left care about but other than us, no one cares. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there's any market, broadcast or otherwise for these things. I doubt anyone under 60 even knows what it is. I know several years ago an acquaintance tried to market some old Derby shows to all of those girls leagues they have around the country now, with the stupid nicknames and the style of play as exciting as watching grass grow. None of them had the slightest interest. My question is, how do you go about convincing someone that their gold mine is fool's gold and really doesn't have much value?
     
  2. Fastnbulbous

    Fastnbulbous Doubleplus Ungood

    Location:
    Washington DC USA
    If nobody cares about them anyway, why do you care if they're valuable or not?

    Most people probably didn't think there was a market for amateur talent shows before American Idol. PT Barnum was right you know.
     
    klockwerk likes this.
  3. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Can't help wondering if there's one of those creaky old sub-digital-channel networks who couldn't make a deal with somebody, and slip some of those onto a Saturday schedule. Willing to bet these might surprise a few Neilsen homes, particularly out here in the East.
     
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  4. Scooterpiety

    Scooterpiety Ars Gratia Artis

    Location:
    Oregon
    I grew up in So Cal in the 1960s and I recall Roller Derby being very popular there 50 + years ago.
    My older sisters used to go to matches and watch it regularly on TV ( I want to say it was on KHJ channel 9 but I may be wrong). I remember going with my Dad to drop off and pick my sisters up from wherever they were broadcasting it from.
    I would love to see some tapes of the LA area roller derby,
    very fond memories.
    Roller derby was also very popular here in Portland during the late '60s - early '70s and was dramatized in the film "Kansas City Bomber" with Raquel Welch, which was set and filmed in Portland.
     
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  5. samthesham

    samthesham Forum Resident

    Location:
    Moorhead MN
    That sport hit its pinnacle with Raquel Welch Kansas City Bomber then burned out like a shooting star...

    I have traded in antiques & collectables for 5 plus decades & I have never witnessed a lasting market for old Roller Derby memoribilia of any kind...

    Goldmine indeed
     
    Chris DeVoe likes this.
  6. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    God no.
     
    Chris DeVoe, Jrr and SandAndGlass like this.
  7. Jimi Bat

    Jimi Bat Forum Resident

    Location:
    tx usa
    There is however still a market for Raquel Welch.
     
  8. unclefred

    unclefred Coastie with the Moastie

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    That problem is ongoing for various Blu/DVD labels trying to negotiate with rights holders so that lost or OOP films can be restored and marketed. So many people want to think that their obscure properties with limited interest are gold mines. This is the biggest reason so many old titles remain unreleased in digital form.
     
    WLL likes this.
  9. WLL

    WLL Popery Of Mopery

    ...Um...........Am I to presume from your third to last sentence that you are not particularly impressed by the modern-day " Post-Riot Grrrrrl " generation of rollerbabes:D?...their STYLE OF PLAY!, I hasten to add:righton:!







    s Slattery, post: 20802865, member: 68352"]I recently came upon a treasure trove of old Derby films, which I believe are from the mid to late 60s. The problem is, the people who have them seem to think they are sitting on a gold mine, like they found a bunch of lost silent film classics or New York Tonight Shows or something. Its something myself and maybe 10 diehard fans who are left care about but other than us, no one cares. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there's any market, broadcast or otherwise for these things. I doubt anyone under 60 even knows what it is. I know several years ago an acquaintance tried to market some old Derby shows to all of those girls leagues they have around the country now, with the stupid nicknames and the style of play as exciting as watching grass grow. None of them had the slightest interest. My question is, how do you go about convincing someone that their gold mine is fool's gold and really doesn't have much value?[/QUOTE]
     
  10. James Slattery

    James Slattery Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Long Island
    They're important to me as I grew up loving Roller Derby, or more specifically, Roller Games as the league based in LA and Philly was called. To me, finding a bunch of old games from that era means as much to me as finding a garage full of unreleased Beatles recordings would mean to most of the people here.

    As to why I care about them being valuable or not, the person who has them doesn't seem to be in any great hurry to do anything with them, even though I've offered to fund the transfers. Meanwhile, they sit in an unairconditioned backyard shed, with no climate control to stop them from deteriorating.
     
    P(orF) likes this.
  11. James Slattery

    James Slattery Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Long Island
    There are no rights. They're all PD. No one ever copyrighted any of that stuff.
     
  12. James Slattery

    James Slattery Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Long Island
    I would rather spend a week watching 2 guys fish. In the 60s and 70s, the sport sold out major arenas around the country, like MSG, Inglewood Forum, etc. The thing they have now is lucky to draw 20 people a game.
     
  13. unclefred

    unclefred Coastie with the Moastie

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    What is your point exactly then? I mean, how does this become your problem, personally?
     
  14. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Not true. Under the terms of the Berne Convention, copyright exists as soon as it was created.

    But I do agree that there is very likely no value to it. Also, if it's been kept in a non climate controlled environment it's probably unplayable.

    And I'm in agreement with you the modern "flat track" roller derby is completely useless. No banks? No thanks!
     
    trd likes this.
  15. WLL

    WLL Popery Of Mopery

    ...Obviously you're not with #MeToo!!???





    mes Slattery, post: 20805655, member: 68352"]I would rather spend a week watching 2 guys fish. In the 60s and 70s, the sport sold out major arenas around the country, like MSG, Inglewood Forum, etc. The thing they have now is lucky to draw 20 people a game.[/QUOTE]
     
  16. Otlset

    Otlset I think I am I think

    Location:
    Temecula, CA
    Here's a clip from the early 60s, the LA T-Birds vs. the Detroit Devils. Will it still sell?...

     
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  17. ky658

    ky658 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ft Myers, Florida
    Correct!
     
  18. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    The truth is that even if you digitized all of them and put them on YouTube, you'd never recover the costs, let alone make a profit.
     
  19. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    My father used to take me to Madison Square Garden to see Roller Derby back in the early 60's. Big fan of Charlie O'Connell, Anne Calvallo (with polka dot hair), Joanie Weston, the entire San Francisco Bay Bomber team. Don't remember what station here in NYC broadcast it, but I do remember it being weekly. As kids, we used to try and play it under the BQE, but it was hard to do without getting hurt pretty bad.
     
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  20. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    I can smell the vinegar from here.
     
    Bluesman Mark, ralphk and McLover like this.
  21. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    ralphb: It was channel 11 here in NYC. The NY Womens team was the NY Chiefs. In the 70s, roller derby was a big deal here in NYC
     
    ralphb likes this.
  22. Fastnbulbous

    Fastnbulbous Doubleplus Ungood

    Location:
    Washington DC USA
    Don't remember much about roller derby. Warehousing the telecasts seems excessive but each their own...
     
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  23. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    How far into the 70's? Admittedly, I lost track after high school as I was involved in other pursuits.
     
  24. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I bet somebody or some organization would love to have access to them.
     
  25. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC


    I'm gonna say up to 1976 or so,
     
    ralphb likes this.
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