Monday, December 31, 2018

Happy New Year from Jean Harlow -- December 31, 2018

www.lucywho.com
I wish everyone a happy and peaceful New Year.

Beautiful actress Jean Harlow appeared in some great movies during her brief career. She died at the age of 26 in 1937.

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Thursday, December 27, 2018

"Fatty" Arbuckle Supported by "Luke" the Funny Dog -- December 27, 2018

Moving Picture World, 07-December-1918
The Rialto Theater in Butte, Montana ran this ad for a double bill of Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage and Roscoe Arbuckle's "The Cook."

Moving Picture World, 28-December-1918
Roscoe directed "Camping Out" on Catalina Island.  He appeared with his nephew Al St John, Alice Lake and Luke the dog.  Buster Keaton was away in the army.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas, 2018 -- December 25, 2018

www.listal.com
Merry Christmas, everyone. Peace on earth and goodwill to all. Actress Virginia Grey is checking her list.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Wishing You a Merrie Christmas -- December 24, 2018

Moving Picture Magazine, January, 1918
"As things look in the costume room of moving picture plant on December 25th."

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Yuletide Greetings -- December 23, 2018

Variety, 27-December-1918
The Amalgamated Vaudeville Agency wishes everyone Yuletide greetings.


Friday, December 21, 2018

Lehrman to Make More Sunshine -- December 21, 2018


Variety, 21-December-1918
100 years ago this month, in December, 1918, Henry (Pathé) Lehrman was expanding his comedy empire.

Moving Picture World, 07-December-1918
Sunshine Comedies had a new office building and a new publicity rep.  The managed to spell Lehrman's name wrong in the title.

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918
Lehrman added a fourth production company.

Motion Picture News, 21-December-1918





Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Mabel Normand in West is Making New "Sis Hopkins" -- December 19, 2018

Moving Picture World, 28-December-1918
Last month I decided that I haven't been posting enough items about Mabel Normand. Mabel and Mack Sennett co-produced Mickey, which became an enormous hit when it was released in 1918. This twenty-four sheet poster was "displayed on the curtain of Proctor's Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York."

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918

Mabel was under contract to Goldwyn Pictures.  I think Samuel Goldwyn was still using the name Samuel Goldfish. "Goldwyn" was a combination of the names of Samuel Goldfish and his partner, Archie Selwyn.  Most of Mabel's Goldwyn films are lost.



Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Penny Marshall, RIP -- December 18, 2018

www.listal.com
I was sad to learn of the death of actor and director Penny Marshall, who was the sister of Garry Marshall. I remember seeing her in Laverne and Shirley.  After leaving the television show, she directed at least one great movie.

www.listal.com
I liked A League of Their Own.

Monday, December 17, 2018

If Lloyd Has Any Rival At All, It May Be Chaplin -- December 17, 2018

Moving Picture World, 14-December-1918
100 years ago this month, trade ads described Harold Lloyd's one-reel comedies in glowing terms. "If Lloyd has any rival at all it may be Chaplin, but we doubt if Charlie surpasses him."  Here we see Snub Pollard and Harold mooning over beautiful Bebe Daniels.

Moving Picture World, 28-December-1918
"To see them is to laugh!"  Poor Snub appears to be getting the worst of it.


Saturday, December 15, 2018

Helen Keller, Sightless, Laughs at "Shoulder Arms" -- December 15, 2018

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918
I like this Swedish newspaper ad for Chaplin's Mutuals.

Moving Picture World, 02-November-1918
I also like the Douglas Fairbanks ad mentioned above.

Moving Picture World, 28-December-1918
Essanay was still selling its cut and paste Chaplin movie, "Triple Trouble."

Moving Picture World, 07-December-1918
Chaplin's second release through First National, "Shoulder Arms," was still doing good business.

Film Daily, 01-December-1918
It had run for six weeks, an unusually long time, at the Broadway Theater in New York City.

Motion Picture News, 21-November-1918
Moving Picture World, 07-December-1918
Chaplin had married 16-year-old actress Mildred Harris on 23-October-1918.  Exhibitors quickly jumped on the opportunity to promote her movies.

Moving Picture World, 24-December-1918
Notice that "CHARLIE CHAPLIN" is much larger than any other name, including the title of the movie.

Moving Picture World, 28-December-1918
An ad for a Lois Weber movie starring Mrs Charlie Chaplin.

Moving Picture World, 07-December-1918
"18 out of the 25 theatres on Broadway, New York City have booked Mrs. CHARLIE CHAPLIN."

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918
Pat Sullivan's studio released a second animated Chaplin film, ""Over the Rhine With Charlie." Otto Messmer did most of the work. "Several exhibitors have booked these one-reel comics to show with Mildred Harris Jewel productions."


Moving Picture World, 14-December-1918
Keeping his nose to the grindstone.

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918
Chaplin had many visitors at the studio.  Deaf-blind writer Helen Keller came with her companion Anne Sullivan Macy.  One would think a blind person would not get much use out of a silent movie, but Mrs Macy spelled a description of the events into her hand and she enjoyed "Shoulder Arms."

Moving Picture World, 14-December-1918

"CHAPLIN ENTERTAINS ENGLISH BISHOP

"Churchman Outlines His Views on Pictures for the Young and Advocates Morning Performances

"THE motion picture exhibitor occupies a position in his community of an importance equal to that of the local board of education and the teachers in the public schools, in the estimation of the Bishop of Birmingham, England, who visited Charlie Chaplin recently and expressed his opinions and views while noting the comedian's work on his third First National Exhibitors' Circuit release.

"The Bishop of Birmingham has been sent to America by the British Government to study, among other things, the motion picture industry here, particularly the producing branch, and analyze, what the American manufacturers are doing for the attainment of better pictures for the future. He also will make an exhaustive investigation of available facts on the effects of motion pictures in the formation of character in children.

"It was this latter subject which holds the greatest personal interest for the Bishop, and on which he expressed himself at length. As a representative of the British Government, whose reports upon his return to England will be the chief factor in determining the activities of a number of the largest of the British film manufacturers, his views and opinions possess an unusual value and interest for the American exhibitors and producers."




Friday, December 14, 2018

Sondra Locke, RIP -- December 14, 2018

www.listal.com
Actress and director Sondra Locke has died.  I enjoyed her work in movies like The Gauntlet and Bronco Billy.  Most of the articles about her devote more time to her relationship with Clint Eastwood than her

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Broncho Billy Rag -- December 13, 2018


Gilbert M Anderson, Broncho Billy, was the first western star. With George K Spoor, he had founded Essanay (S and A). In 1914, Nell Wright Slaughter published "The Broncho Billy Rag," a charming tune. I can't find much information about the composer except that she lived in Texas and was also known as Nell Wright Watson.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Tom Mix, Master of the Plains -- December 11, 2018

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918
100 years ago this month, many of the short films of Tom Mix were being rereleased.  "Series of Sixteen Two-reel Western Comedy-Drama Re-Issues..."

Motion Picture News, 21-December-1918
"It was announced this week that Exclusive Features, Inc., of 126 West Forty-sixth street, New York, has bought outright all negatives of the Tom Mix comedy dramas formerly owned by Selig Polyscope Company."

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918
"Tom Mix does good work in both of these offerings, and there are several excellent riding scenes."

Moving Picture World, 28-December-1918
Since the Selig shorts were being rereleased, Fox decided to rerelease the shorts that Tom Mix had made for his studio.

Motion Picture News, 28-December-1918
"...the Fox Film Corporation...intends to release its two-reel Tom Mix comedy subjects, which, as part of the Foxfilm Comedy brand, were among the most popular comedies...The Tom Mix two-reel comedy releases will be started January 12, a Tom Mix comedy being released every other week alternately with a Fox-Lehrman Sunshine Comedy."

Moving Picture World, 21-December-1918
Meanwhile, Fox continued to release new Tom Mix features like "Treat 'Em Rough."

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Coliseum a Credit to San Francisco -- December 9, 2018

Motion Picture News, 21-December-1918
In late 1918, the so-called Spanish Flu, which killed between 10 and 20 per cent of the people it infected, caused many states, including California, to force movie theaters to close. The opening of the new Coliseum Theater on San Francisco's Clement Street was delayed for a couple of weeks by the influenza-inspired theater ban. It was finally able to open on 22-November-1918.


Friday, December 7, 2018

Air Force -- December 7, 2018

www.listal.com
77 years ago a sneak attack by forces of the Japanese Empire sank much of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in the territory of Hawaii. The Japanese Empire came to regret doing this.

Air Force was a Warner Brothers' movie released in 1943.  The story follows the crew of Mary-Ann, a B-17 being delivered to Hawaii from the mainland.  They arrive during the attack.  They are able to refuel, but have to leave immediately for Wake Island.  They arrive at Wake while it is under attack.  The Marines ask the crew to take their dog, Tripod.

They move on to Clark Field in the Philippines, which is also under attack.  Harry Carey, the crew chief, learns that his son has been killed.  Mary-Ann is damaged trying to attack Japanese ships, and the pilot is badly injured.  He orders the crew to bail out, but John Garfield, who had washed out of pilot training, brings Mary-Ann back to the base.  I cry during the scene where the crew is with the dying pilot in the hospital and they go through a takeoff procedure.

They rush to repair the airplane, defying an order to burn it.  They take off for Australia, but spot a Japanese fleet.  They radio their position and keep track of the fleet until allied bombers arrive to attack.

At the end, surviving members of the crew are preparing to go on a mission to bomb Tokyo.

I watch this movie every chance I get.