Lost and Found: Restored RKO Movies on TCM

Beginning this week, Turner Classic Movies will be airing six "lost" and newly restored RKO films. The movies star some of Hollywood's greatest actors, including William Powell, Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne, and Joel McCrea.

The films were produced by Merian C. Cooper, who produced some of John Ford's best movies after leaving RKO, including THE QUIET MAN and THE SEARCHERS.

Susan King of the L.A. Times has written a fascinating article (subject link) about the detective work required to track down and then restore the prints, which in one case meant reinserting a missing scene using a negative from archives in France.

Further details can be read at the TCM site, which has a special "Lost and Found" page. The TCM articles include photo comparisons showing how credits sequences were restored. TCM also has posted photo and publicity archives.

The six movies will air on TCM on April 4 and 11, 2007.