DW Griffith 150 -- January 22, 2025

Wichita Falls Times, 28-May-1922

Director DW Griffith was born 150 years ago today, on 22-January-1875.

Jane Greer and Sylvia Miles 100, Neil Hamilton 125 -- September 9, 2024

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Actress Jane Greer, the femme fatale in Out of the Past, was born 100 years ago today, on 09-September-1924.

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Actress Silvia Miles, who did not appear in many movies, was born on the same day.

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Actor Neil Hamilton was born 125 years ago today on 09-September-1899. He was the leading man in DW Griffith's epic America. he appeared in many movies at M-G-M, including Tarzan the Ape Man and Tarzan and His Mate. He was the Major in the original Dawn Patrol. Many people remember him as Commissioner Jim Gordon in the Batman television series. 

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Rescued From an Eagle's Nest -- August 4, 2024

New York Clipper, 01-February-1908

"Rescued From an Eagle's Nest" was a 1908 Edison film which was directed by pioneer Edwin S Porter. The lead actor was future director DW Griffith. The battle between Griffith and the stuffed eagle was epic. 

New York Clipper, 01-February-1908

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.

Many Innovations Mark New Forum Theater at Los Angeles -- June 25, 2024

Exhibitors Herald, 21-June-1924

Many Innovations Mark New

Forum Theatre at Los Angeles

By HARRY HAMMOND BEALL

(West Coast Representative of Exhibitors Herald)

A BIT of old Rome transferred to Los Angeles, gathering a plentitude of artistic treatment en route -- such is the Forum theatre, newest temple of the cinema in the "City of the Angels." History but repeats itself in this case. Times without number what is a vacant corner in Los Angeles today is a beehive of activity tomorrow. And the day after, the artisans, having gone their way, leave behind some useful monument that represents a spoke in the wheels of progress ever turning in the fastest growing city in the world.

A little more than a year ago the Forum was a dream in the mind of William A. Hussey, president and general manager of the new Roman temple of the silent drama. It was a dream Hussey had carried in his mind for years -- the building of a monument to the picture industry, a monument that would typify Roman art with modern treatment.

Visioning a theatre of this type presents a colossal task. The mind who could see it as a vision commands greater admiration when the visitor sees the completed work -- an achievement that merits the term "the most complete amusement unit in the world," and merits it without challenge.

The rich splendor of the Forum presents a picture difficult to paint in words. Lying at an angle from Pico street, a triangular forecourt, or esplanade leads up to the massive bronze doors that set well back behind fluted columns. On the base of the triangular esplanade is a replica of the statue found before the Forum in Rome. It rises thirty-two feet high. Around the base a fountain plays and rising from the center of the fountain is a shaft surmounted by a ball on which the figure of a woman is poised.

Rising four stories, the front elevation is topped with four great urns within which are colored electric lights and out of these urns comes steam that reflects the colors of the rainbow as the tiny particles of steam catch the ever-changing lights. Back of these four pseudo-incense burners is a row of Italian cypress which give a harmonizing effect in conjunction with the white walls of the theatre, the urns with their multi-colored wisps of steam, plus the dark green of the trees which etch themselves against the night sky. So much for the first impression gained before the visitor enters the spacious rotunda.

The rotunda is shaped like an ellipse and supported by thirty-foot columns that present the appearance of worn stone is a dome on which are painted scenes that typify great epochs in Roman history. On one end of the ellipse are the ticket windows; on the other an opening into the lounge room, while on across the rotunda from the massive Pompeiian doors is the Roman Gardens which separate the rotunda from the auditorium proper.

Two fountains grade one side of the Roman gardens, these having cherubic figures over which water plays. From one end of the Gardens, which, by the way, carry on their walls both murals and tapestries, is a stairway leading up to the mezzanine which is furnished in period furniture even to the grand piano. From the mezzanine one looks down on both Roman gardens and rotunda and the mezzanine carries smoking rooms for gentlemen, nor have the ladies been neglected in this respect. The fair sex may do their smoking privately, or semi-privately according to their tastes. Plate glass windows provide a view of the vast auditorium, while midway across the mezzanine is the projection room with one side glassed so that patrons may discover the mysteries attendant to projecting film on the screen.

Below the Roman gardens and the rotunda is something akin to the old "green room" clubs of many rialtos. Here the Forum provides its patrons with facilities for playing billiards and pool, special card and Mah Jong rooms, light refreshments from the soda fountain and an Italian renaissance room where lunches are served.

Four floors up and skirting the front facade of the big structure is the Forum Roof Garden, spacious, finely appointed, interesting. Finest of chefs provide viands to tempt the epicurean connoisseur. Syncopators make the toes tingle with desire to dance, soft lights coming from huge pedestal bowls around the sides of the room, lend an air of romance, while through the French doors that compose the entire north side of the inner restaurant is a colonnade, furnished in Chinese wicker where one may dine virtually in the open and at the same time feast on the glimmering panorama that stretches from Pasadena to the sea.

Exhibitors Herald, 21-June-1924

Nor are these all the innovations afforded by the Forum. Directly across the street from the big Roman edifice, ground has been acquired, leveled, surfaced, marked off into stalls and numbered so that patrons reserving seats for any performance may also reserve a "seat" for his car as well, at a cost of only ten cents. He drives up to the Forum parking station, hands an attendant his parking ticket, the attendant takes the car and pilots it to the space reserved just as the usher in the theatre shows the patron to his seat. The patron receives the stub of the parking coupon with which he obtains his car when he is ready to leave. A filling station on the front of the auto park provides the essentials for motor car operation.

Now for the theatre itself, shorn of innovations, as far as possible. However, innovations seem such an inherent part of the Forum auditorium that resolving them to a common denominator is no easy task.

The big auditorium with its more than 1,800 seats all on one floor, installed by the American Seating Company, presents the patron with an illusion -- the illusion of sitting out in the open. Especially is this true during the time the stage holds the attention, or rather the screen. The East wall typifies, in mural painting, the dawn -- a glorious day breaking over a scene of compelling grandeur, one that combines mountain, valley and ocean, or sea in the background with Roman ruins, trees, shrubs, flowers and here and there graceful figures in various poses in the foreground. At intervals this scene is broken by pillars which support a coping, or cornice. It is as if one were looking out through the pillars that support a porch.

On the west wall is a scene similar in context, but representative of the lengthening shadows of evening. Above, and poised like a giant bird in the ether is a 50-ton canopy of concrete, steel, lath and plaster, painted to resemble silk and suspended from the ceiling proper some ten or fifteen feet. In the center of this canopy is suspended a massive chandelier.

To the theatre patron as he sits in the theatre, the canopy reminds one of a great umbrella, out from under the edges of which is glimpsed an ever-changing sky, which blends down into the mural paintings on the walls. A note-worthy achievement in perspective has been accomplished in the paintings so that it seems that one can look miles in the distance from his vantage point below the big canopy.

A complete air washing plant housed in a separate building that there may be no annoying vibrations or sounds in the theatre, provides a complete change of air in the theatre every two minutes. Unlike most theatres, this fresh air is brought into the theatre at the top and is forced out at floor level so that patrons feel no draught at the feet. Included in this air-washing building is a refrigerating and ice-making plant. This serves two purposes -- keeps the air in the theatre at any desired temperature and furnishes ice for the soda fountain, drinking fountains and for the roof garden.

The Kimball organ is said to be the largest organ unit ever made for a theatre. It has four keyboards and more than 500 keys and stops. When not in use the playing unit is lowered on an elevator into the orchestra pit.

Power’s projectors were selected by Mr. Hussey for his new playhouse.

The stage of the Forum is sufficiently large to accommodate any stage production. In addition there are two prologue stages, one on either side of the proscenium arch.

Every light in the theatre is on a dimming attachment controlled from the huge switchboard backstage, declared to be the most modern piece of equipment of its kind extant. Lighting effects have been carried out to the nth degree and so startling and appealing do these become during the performance that it is difficult to center the attention at all times on the screen.

The approximate cost of the Forum was $1,500,000 and it marks a new achievement in the realm of motion pictures, according to travelers and critics who are familiar with the trend in theatres in the last decade.

Among those who are aiding William A. Hussey in putting over The Forum are Julius K. Johnson, managing director and featured organist; Fred Valles, house manager; L. W. Barclay, director of publicity and Henry Young, director of exploitation.

Exhibitors Herald, 21-June-1924

Los Angeles Daily News, 27-June-1924

The opening attraction at the Forum was DW Griffith's epic of the Revolutionary War, America. 

New Edison Films -- Latest Feature Subjects -- June 5, 2024

New York Clipper, 01-February-1908

The Edison Manufacturing Company offered a wide variety of short films. To me the most interesting item is "Rescued From an Eagle's Nest," a 1908 film which was directed by pioneer Edwin S Porter. The lead actor was future director DW Griffith. The battle between Griffith and the stuffed eagle is epic. 

"The Suburbanite's Ingenious Alarm" sounds like fun. This was a 1907 film directed by Porter. 

New York Clipper, 01-February-1908

Lloyd Hamilton -- His First Five Reel Comedy -- May 31, 2024

Film Daily, 29-May-1924

Lloyd Hamilton starred in a series of two-reel comedies released by Educational. Many are lost. I like the skunk.

Film Daily, 11-May-1924

Film Daily, 07-May-1924

Exhibitors Herald, 03-May-1924

Some of us will remember that in 1923, Al Jolson signed a contract to star in a movie produced by DW Griffith. Jolson got cold feet and broke the contract. Albert L Grey was DW Griffith's brother, who worked on many of his films. Lloyd Hamilton replaced Jolson in the movie that was made, His Darker Self. I love Lloyd Hamilton, but the movie is revolting. We may be lucky that the feature length version is lost. The surviving two reeler is bad enough.

Larry Semon was also trying to move into feature films. 

Exhibitors Herald, 24-May-1924

Photoplay, May, 1924

Baby Peggy Montgomery had been Century's biggest comedy star. She moved on to starring in features for Universal. 

Exhibitors Herald, 10-May-1924

"Hit 'em Hard" is a century comedy starring Jack Earle and Harry McCoy. "Checking Out" starred Pal the Dog. 

Exhibitors Herald, 10-May-1924

"Pretty little Evelyn McCoy" appeared in the Century Follies series. 

Exhibitors Herald, 03-May-1924

Christie Comedies emphasized situation comedy over slapstick. 

Exhibitors Herald, 24-May-1924

Film Daily, 21-May-1924

"A Christie Comedy of love among the cows."

Film Daily, 11-May-1924

"A Safe Bet That You'll Crack With Laughter."

Film Daily, 21-May-1924

"A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away."

Film Daily, 11-May-1924

"Sensible Nonsense, with plenty of hokum and laughs."

Exhibitors Herald, 10-May-1924

Exhibitors Herald, 10-May-1924Film Daily, 20-May-1924

Dorothy Devore's success in short comedies led Christie to put her in feature-length comedies. Hodkinson released Christie's features. 

Exhibitors Herald, 03-May-1924

Film Daily, 07-May-1924

Film Daily, 14-May-1924

Film Daily, 21-May-1924

Film Daily, 28-May-1924

For Colored Only -- March 29, 2024

Atlanta Constitution, 11-March-1924

Atlanta's Paramount Theater "(For colored only)" was showing a William S Hart movie. 

Baltimore Sun, 16-March-1924

In January, we saw that Reol Productions, makers of race films, had been taken over by Progress Pictures. Emil Offerman, who had been head of Reol, was suing former employer Robertson-Cole over breach of contract. 

Motion Picture News, 15-March-1924

I was interested to see that African-Americans in Topeka, Kansas  protested DW Griffith's hateful epic The Birth of a Nation. I was shocked to see that they boycotted a local African American-owned newspaper which ran an advertisement for the showing. I haven't found the ad yet.

Buster Keaton -- Three Ages -- What the Well-Dressed Man of the Ages Should Wear -- March 4, 2024

Photoplay, March, 1924

This post is part of the Tenth Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon, hosted by Lea at Silent-ology. A blogathon that has lived for ten years is a rare creature

For the first annual blogathon, I wrote about Buster Keaton's time in vaudeville: The 3-4-5 Keatons.
For the second annual blogathon, I wrote about Buster Keaton and the Passing Show of 1917, the show he signed for after leaving vaudeville.
For the third annual blogathon, I wrote about Buster's transition from vaudeville to the movies, Buster Keaton: From Stage to Screen.
For the fourth annual blogathon, I wrote about Buster Keaton's time in the US Army: Buster Keaton Goes to War.
For the fifth annual blogathon, I wrote about Buster Keaton's time making short comedies with Roscoe Arbuckle, Comique: Roscoe, Buster, Al and Luke.
For the sixth annual blogathon I wrote about Buster Keaton's First Feature: The Saphead
For the seveth annual blogathon I wrote about Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts -- Reel One, a series of films produced during 1920-1921. Buster and his team had a very high batting average.
For the eighth annual blogathon, I started to write about the Buster Keaton shorts produced for the second season, 1921-1923. Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts -- Reel Two

For the ninth annual blogathon, I wrote about the rest of the Buster Keaton shorts produced for the second season, 1921-1923. Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts -- Reel Two and a Half

For the tenth annual blogathon, I have written about the first feature that Buster Keaton had control over, The Three Ages. 

Be sure to click on most images to see larger versions.

I first became interested in Buster Keaton when I watched The General with my grandfather and he told me how much he had always liked Buster Keaton.

When I discovered that the Anza Branch Library had a shelf of books about movies, I found two books about Buster Keaton, Buster's memoir My Wonderful World of Slapstick and Rudi Blesh's Keaton. I read both and I enjoyed learning about his career in vaudeville and his career in the movies.

Buster made a series of nineteen two-reel comedies in 1920-1922. No one ever asks me, but I tell people that this series of comedies and Charlie Chaplin's series for Mutual are the two best series of silent comedy shorts ever made. 

The movies of the first season had been released by Metro. The movies of the second season were released by First National. 

Motion Picture News, 03-February-1923

Buster's brother-in-law Joe Schenk negotiated with Metro to release Buster's features.  Most of his feature films would be distributed by Metro and its successors. 

Motion Picture News, 16-January-1924

Schenk made a deal with Metro to handle Buster's features. The plan was to make them five reels in length. "The first Keaton comedy is called 'The Three Ages.' The comedian recently completed this on the west coast under the direction of Eddie Cline. It is characterized as a burlesque on civilization."

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Many sources say that Three Ages is a parody of DW Griffith's 1916 epic Intolerance. I'm still looking for contemporary sources that say it was. 

Intolerance is an incredibly complicated movie that weaves together four stories which were set in wildly different eras. The fall of Babylon is set in 539 BCE. The story of Jesus, shortest of the four, took place around 30 CE. The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre took place in 1572 CE. The modern story took place about 1915 CE. The film was not a simple presentation of four stories in order, but it jumped from place and time to place and time. 

Ridgewood Herald-News, 11-January-1923

"Buster Keaton, he of the solemn visage, is no longer a featured two-reel comedy star." Buster and his crew were working on a script. 

Motion Picture News, 08-September-1923

"Buster Keaton to Discard Pancake Hat." Gasp! He was going to ditch it for two-thirds of Three Ages and almost all of Our Hospitality.

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Three Ages, as the title implies, was set in three eras, prehistoric, ancient Roman and modern times. The three stories are lightly intertwined. Some sources say that if the movie had not been a success, it could have been cut into three two-reelers, but I haven't seen any contemporary references to that. 

The prehistoric story includes many anachronisms and stereotypes, such as a woman getting hit with a club as a courtship ritual, and Buster riding on the back of a stop-motion dinosaur. 

In the Roman story, Buster's chariot has a rear-mounted spare wheel and a license plate. He parks next to a No Parking sign in Latin and a cop tells him to move on. 

"The Present Age of Speed, Need and Greed" begins with Buster's Model T Ford disintegrating when it hits a rut in the road. 

The film continues, offering a variation on the same situation in each era. In each story, Buster competes with big, mean Wallace Beery for the hand of Margaret Leahy and Leahy's father, played by giant Joe Roberts favors Beery. Watch for the chariot race in the snow. 

Motion Picture News, 18-August-1923

Metro touted Three Ages with an expensive four-page ad with color in Motion Picture News. 

Motion Picture News, 14-July-1923

Three Ages premiered in London on 25-June-1923. Among the attendees were the Queen Mother Alexandra, mother of King George V and Princess Alice, wife of the king's brother, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.  

Perhaps the premier was in London was because leading lady Margaret Leahy was British. She toured the UK doing personal appearances where the movie was shown. Buster's sister-in-law Norma Talmadge had brought Leahy to the US. Norma received a thank you note from Princess Alice for her kindness to Leahy. 

Birmingham Age-Herald, 07-October-1923

"Six Reels of Mirth and Thrills." The five-reel thing didn't quite work out. 

I like the design of this ad for the Loew's Bijou in Birmingham, Alabama. The accompanying vaudeville program sounds like fun. The 3 Maxellas were "Superb Risley Gymnasts." Richard Risley Carlisle was a famous 19th Century gymnast and juggler. He was often billed as "Professor Risley." He developed the Risley Act, a routine which involved an acrobat lying on his back and juggling children or objects with his feet. Doris and Al Lester offered "Breezy Farcical Bits." The Dinus and Belmont players presented "A Musical Frappé" with "A Little Nifty Nonsense."

Film Daily, 14-October-1923

Douglas Fairbanks, one of the biggest stars in the heavens, said he was "Crazy about 'The Three Ages.'" He would "Thoroughly recommend it for the tired motion-picture man -- of whom I'm one these days." 

Indianapolis Star, 29-October-1923

This ad includes the stone age cliche of a man holding a club and carrying off a woman. "Something new in Comedy Pictures."

Moscow, Idaho Daily Star-Mirror, 01-December-1923

This ad for Moscow, Idaho's Kenworthy Theater shows Roman Buster with a lion. This is one of my favorite scenes in the film. If they had already launched the Academy Awards in 1923, the lion should have won Best Supporting Actor -- or Actress. 

Motion Picture News, 19-January-1924

CD Haug, "Metro's exploitation representative," helped the Crown theater in Mobile with "several novel exploitation stunts."

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Loewe's New Orleans Crescent Theater held a Keaton hat contest. They distributed five thousand cut-out paper hats and gave tickets to the first twenty children who brought in one of the hats. 

San Francisco Chronicle, 08-October-1923

And then things got weird. Three Ages played in San Francisco at the New Mission and the New Fillmore, both owned by the Nasser brothers. "The Theaters Beautiful." The New Fillmore closed before I was born. My family used to eat at a restaurant near the New Mission. I remember its distinctive blade sign, but I don't think I saw a movie there before it became a furniture store in the early 1980s. I was surprised in the early 2000s, when the Alamo Drafthouse took over the building and converted it into a five-screen theater. All of this is not the weird thing. 

I wonder if my grandfather went to see the movie at the New Fillmore. He was living with his parents on John Street near the Cable Car Barn at Washington and Mason. He could have caught an outbound  Washington/Mason cable car at Mason and transferred to a southbound 22-Fillmore streetcar. This is not the weird thing, either. 

San Francisco Chronicle, 08-October-1923

Motion Picture News, 01-December-1923

What was weird was that this billboard showed up in two locations in San Francisco. It said "Prepare! K. K. K. is Coming!" This may have startled some people. The Second Ku Klux Klan was thriving in many parts of the US in 1923, but I don't think it had much influence in San Francisco. The members of the Klan hated African-Americans, Jewish people, Roman Catholics and foreigners. San Francisco's African-American population was very small before World War Two, but Jewish people, Roman Catholics and immigrants, like my grandfather and his family, made up a significant part of San Francisco's population. 

As the caption says, it turns out that "K. K. K." stood for "Keaton's Kolossal Komedy." I don't think that is a good slogan. 

Motion Picture News, 01-December-1923

And here we have another Metro trade paper ad with color. The walking billboard says the movie was playing at Loewe's Warfield, a theater on Market Street.

Motion Picture News, 03-November-1923

It turned out that the "K. K. K. is Coming!" campaign was created by "Metro Exploitation representative" CD Haug in Nashville. "Nashville Will Soon Know the Power of K. K. K." I believe that at this time the Klan had more influence in Nashville than it did in San Francisco. 

Los Angeles Times, 01-April-1923

Speaking of weird, while all of this was going on, Buster learned that there was a racehorse named "Buster Keaton." He went to see the horse run and later his sister-in-law Norma Talmadge bought an ownership share in Buster Keaton -- the horse.

And on top of that, in 2018 someone in South Africa named a thoroughbred gelding racehorse Buster Keaton. In 2024 he is still active, but appears to have only one first-place finish. 

This post is part of the Tenth Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon, hosted by Lea at Silent-ology. It is amazingly impressive to me to see a blogathon go on for ten years. Thank you to Lea for all the hard work. Thank you to everyone who visited, and I encourage you to read and comment on as many posts as you can. Bloggers love comments.