Two Years -- January 1, 2016

Moving Picture World, 07-September-1918

I launched this blog two years ago today, on 01-January-2014.  I split it from my other blog, The Pneumatic Rolling-Sphere Carrier Delusion. 

In 2015, I participated in ten blogathons.  In January I wrote "The 3-4-5 Keatons" for The First Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon, hosted by Lea at Silent-ology.  In March, I wrote two posts, "Departure of a Grand Old Man" and "Miss Mend" for the Russia in Classic Film Blogathon, hosted by Fritzi at Movies Silently.  In May I participated in two blogathons.  I wrote "Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco" for the Shorts! Blogathon, hosted by Fritzi at Movies Silently. I also wrote "Idol of Every Boy in the World (Tom Mix)" for The Film Preservation Blogathon IV -- Science Fiction, hosted by Ferdy on Films, This Island Rod and Wonders In the Dark.  In June I wrote "Life of an American Director: Edwin S Porter in 1903" for The Classic Movie History Project Blogathon II, hosted by Fritzi at Movies Silently, Aurora at Once Upon a Screen and Ruth at Silver Screenings.  In August I wrote "The Exploits of Pearl (Pearl White)" for The Anti Damsel Blogathon hosted by Jo at The Last Drive In and Fritzi at Movies Silently.  In September I wrote "Lauren Bacall -- You do Not Have a Small Mind" for The Lauren Bacall Blogathon hosted by Crystal at In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood.  In October I wrote "Roscoe Arbuckle and Buster Keaton in 'The Bell Boy'" for The Silent Cinema Blogathon hosted by Crystal at In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood.  In November I wrote "Cisco Kid Was a Friend of Mine" for Swashathon -- A Blogathon of Swashbuckling Adventure, hosted by Fritzi at Movies Silently.  In December, I wrote "Tom Mix in The Great K&A Train Robbery" for The "Try It, You’ll Like It!" Blogathon hosted by Fritzi at Movies Silently.  In August I added a page with all the blogathons I have participated in on this blog and my other blog. 

In January I wrote about Charlie Chaplin starting work at Essanay and the NOLA Company in New Orleans.  I wrote about The Exploits of Elaine, a Pearl White serial.  We celebrated the 100th birthdays of Dorothy Dell, Anita Louise and Veda Ann Borg and the 75th birthday of Katherine Ross.  We marked the deaths of Anita Ekberg and Rod Taylor. The post about Anita Ekberg and Rod Taylor has been one of this blog's most popular.  Somehow I did not write about the death of Lizabeth Scott. 

Terrorists attacked the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing much of the staff.  

In February we celebrated the 125th birthday of Adolph Menjou, the 100th birthdays of Eddie Bracken, Zero Mostel and Ann Sheridan and the 75th birthday of George Romero.  Leonard Nimoy and Louis Jordan died.  We also marked the 100th anniversary of the release of Charlie Chaplin's first movie for Essanay and Birth of a Nation and the 75th anniversary of the release of Walt Disney's Pinocchio.  We marked Chinese New Year, the Year of the Goat, with Laurel and Hardy's "Angora Love." 

From March through August, I took a break and cut back on posting.  During that time, Albert Maysles, Christopher Lee, Patrick Macnee, Omar Sharif, EL Doctorow, Yvonne Craig and Manoel de Oliveira died.  We celebrated the 125th birthdays of Stan Laurel and Man Ray, the 100th birthdays of Orson Welles, Ingrid Bergman, Ring Lardner, Jr and Priscilla Lane and the 75th birthdays of Jill St John and Bugs Bunny.  We marked the 100th anniversary of the death of John Bunny and the sinking of the Lusitania.  I later learned that Nova Pilbeam had died in July.  We marked the conclusion of Chinese New Year with Goofy Goat.  In March I started a series of ads trying to get people to visit Universal City. 

In September, I restarted some of my regular series, dropping others.  Jean Darling and Dickie Moore of Our Gang died.  We celebrated the 100th birthdays of Edmond O'Brien and Brenda Marshall and the 75th birthdays of Brian DePalma and Raquel Welch.  We noted the 125th anniversary of the disappearance of Louis Le Prince.  We noted the 100th anniversary of the release of WC Fields' first movie.  We noted the canonization of Saint Junipero Serra. I wrote about the launch of Triangle. 

In October I wrote about a DVD, The Mishaps of Musty Suffer, Volume 2. I started a short series, Iconic City Hall, about a series of posters about movies that use San Francisco's beautiful City Hall as a setting.  I noted the 125th birthday of Groucho Marx.  Maureen O'Hara and Joan Leslie died.  I marked the 75th anniversary of the release of The Great Dictator and the death of Tom Mix.

In November, I started a series about Vogue comedies.  I made a post about Audrey Munson and her controversial film debut.  We marked the 125th birthday of Robert Armstrong and the 75th birthday of Elke Sommer.  We marked the 75th anniversary of the release of Fantasia.

In December, I marked the 125th birthday of Fritz Lang, the 100th birthdays of Eli Wallach and Frank Sinatra, and the 75th birthday of Richard Pryor.  I wrote about attending the musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.  

The image is from the 07-September-1918 Moving Picture World.   Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.