DW Griffith's Thrilling Romance of Love, Laughter and Tears -- July 25, 2024

Exhibitors Herald, 05-July-1924

Director DW Griffith's America was an epic about the Revolutionary War. Notice that the quotes come from three members of Calvin Coolidge's cabinet and a senator.

Exhibitors Herald, 26-July-1924

Griffith, one of the founders of United Artists, was leaving to sign a contract with Paramount. 

Photoplay, July, 1924

A view of Griffith directing a scene for "the greatest picture ever made," The Birth of a Nation. It looks as if he had some Civil War veterans visiting.

Glory -- May 29, 2017

www.listal.com

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.  I thought this was a good day to write about the 1989 film Glory, which told the story of the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first Union Army units made up of African-American soldiers. Matthew Broderick played idealistic Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Morgan Freeman played Sergeant Major John Rawlins. Denzel Washington played Private Silas Tripp, an escaped slave. Andre Braugher played educated Corporal Thomas Searles, a friend of Gould's.

The regiment fought against discrimination by the Union Army during its training and initial deployment to South Carolina.  Gould fought for permission for them to fight in the line.  After applying a little righteous blackmail, he succeeded.  The regiment fought well, and wound up leading the charge against Fort Wagner near Charleston.  The attack failed and many in the regiment died, but they removed all doubt that African-Americans could fight.

www.listal.com

Happy 100th birthday to President John F Kennedy.  He was a World War II veteran, who had served on PT boats in the Pacific Theater.  He loved boats.  One of my earliest memories is of my mother crying while watching his funeral on television.  When I grew up, many homes that I visited had a photo of him hanging on a wall.  Later reports indicated that he was not always a nice person, but he deserved to live and watch his family grow up.  Many people see his murder as the beginning of a very bad decade.  I enjoyed PT 109. 

The Crisis -- Febrruary 12, 2014

In honor of Abraham Lincoln's 205th birthday, here is an ad for The Crisis, a 1916 film based on a Civil War novel by Winston Churchill, an American who was not related to the British (and half-American) statesman.  The film was produced by the Selig Polyscope Company but released on a states rights basis.  Actor Sam Dade Drane played Lincoln. 

In the book, Lincoln appeared only twice, but the big events of the story, from the 1860 presidential nominations to the end of the Civil War, are driven by Lincoln and his ideas. 

The ad above is from the 11-November-1916 Moving Picture World.