Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 23, 2014

The kind folks at Classic Movie Hub have given me the opportunity to create a series of posts dedicated to the history of silent film in Chicago. The second post about Selig Polyscope post is live here, and here's an excerpt to get you started... In the early days of...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 22, 2014

Ben Model has done it again. Today marks the official release of Model's most recent Kickstarter venture, "The Mishaps of Musty Suffer," and this latest offering is every bit as entertaining as the last. Musty Suffer is the title character in a series of films originally created and produced by...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 15, 2014

The kind folks at Classic Movie Hub have given me the opportunity to create a series of posts dedicated to the history of silent film in Chicago. The first (intro) post is live here, and here's an excerpt to get you started with the first (full) installment, all about Colonel...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on February 11, 2014

Recently, silent film accompanist/film historian Ben Model released the second installment of his “Accidentally Preserved” series. The DVD features nine more restored versions of previously thought lost and rare silent films, all with brand new musical accompaniment courtesy of Model him   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on January 17, 2014

In the last month or so, the rest of the world has realized something that film fans and film historians have known for years -- 75% of American silent films are considered “lost.” Thanks to vault fires, decomposing original nitrate reels and a lack of foresight, the majority of silent...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on January 9, 2014

A decade before Elinor Glyn declared Clara Bow the It Girl, she hand-picked another rising star to bring her original stories to the big screen. When the tradepapers reported that Jeanne Iver (sometimes credited as Jeanne Ivers) had been selected to play the role of Opal in the Elinor Glyn-penned   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on December 1, 2013

G.M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson Thanks to my recent work with Essanay, I was given the exciting opportunity to pen a series of blog posts for the wonderful Classic Movie Hub site. The second post is live, and all about Broncho Billy himself. Here's an excerpt to get you started: G.M....   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on November 22, 2013

Charlie Chaplin Essanay advertisement Thanks to my recent with Essanay, I was given the exciting opportunity to pen a series of blog posts for the wonderful Classic Movie Hub site. I'm honored and flattered that the wonderful folks there would give me the chance to contribute to their blog, and...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on October 21, 2013

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of volunteering at Essanay Studios’ Open House event as part of Open House Chicago. The 2-day event gives Chicago residents the opportunity to get exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses at some of the city’s iconic buildings and sites, and all for free! Not   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on October 6, 2013

Virginia Valli in front of the historic Essanay Studios entrance For a few months now, I've had the opportunity to work closely with a wonderful group of people still firmly entrenched in the world of silent film -- the interns, volunteers and staff at Chicago's Essanay Studios. Although the comp   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on September 6, 2013

Mary MacLane had been causing a stir for nearly 20 years by the time she joined the ranks at Essanay, and the sensation she caused helped bring the studio new attention. Unfortunately, the product of their partnership has been lost to time. MacLane startled readers and publishers alike when she...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on August 22, 2013

The death of Essanay star Vedah Bertram marks one of the earliest tragedies the film industry had to deal with. When she died at just 20 years old, she had already traveled across the country to follow her dream and had managed to hold her own on the screen with...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on August 6, 2013

On her 80th birthday, Annabelle Whitford was on top of the world. She'd received jams, jellies, flowers, phone calls and telegrams from well-wishers across the country, and had entertained several photographers and reporters who had come to call, all within her small Chicago apartment. It was quite   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on July 31, 2013

Although she was a popular leading lady with the Chicago branch of Essanay, Edna Mayo’s fame and stardom were brief, as was her film career. She was in the public eye for less than five years, but she made quite an impression, and when she left the industry, fans were...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on July 27, 2013

Marguerite Clayton never quite eclipsed her famous leading man G.M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson, but she managed keep a respectable film career alive for 15 years before retiring right around the introduction of sound. From humble beginnings, to becoming one of the most popular photoplayers   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on July 18, 2013

By the time William A. Wellman was 36 years old, he had just as many films under his belt. He had also survived a war, four failed marriages, and some of the tougher aspects of the Hollywood studio system. Now, Kino Lorber has made his story widely available once again...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on July 12, 2013

She had many nicknames during the height of her fame. The Voiceless Prima Donna. The Venus of the Movie World. The Girl with the Search-light Eyes. The Selig Girl. Yet the one Myrtle Stedman liked the most paid tribute not to her looks so much as her incredibly expressive face...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on June 28, 2013

Winifred Greenwood toured in vaudeville, performed in musical comedies, and did dramatic stock work before joining the film world. She was versatile, consistent and a hard worker, helping her work consistently through the early days of film and into the early talkies. And she, like so many others, g   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on June 26, 2013

Mae Hotely was respected as a comedienne, a dramatic actress, and a versatile character actress. She was once referred to as “The character actress who makes things happen in Lubin films,” and she headed the company’s comedy arm under her husband watchful eye. But as the 1910s came   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on June 23, 2013

Adrienne Kroell was dubbed one of the most beautiful women in filmdom, and had a beauty contest trophy to support it. At one point, she was named the most engaged girl in all of Chicago, as she was receiving proposals on nearly a daily basis. Unfortunately, in just a matter...   read more