Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on June 20, 2013

Richard Travers was once described by Motion Picture Classic as a doctor, soldier of fortune, warrior, and a man about town. A man known for his daring, his willingness to take all kinds of risks and enjoy them, and one of the best all-around athletes in all of filmdom. So...who...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on June 14, 2013

Little Richard Headrick’s golden curls and beyond-his-years acting ability began winning over filmmakers and just the age of 2. Although he quickly became a fan favorite and fan magazine darling, in just six years, he gave up the world of film for a greater cause. Richard Throop Headrick   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on June 9, 2013

By the time Dorothy Dwan was 23, she had been married twice, played leading lady to the likes of Larry Semon and Tom Mix, and faced her own father in court. She had a complicated and interesting life, yet she’s largely forgotten today, aside from the occasional mention of her...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on June 2, 2013

There's been a lot of discussion lately about the guarantees that come with pledging a Kickstarter campaign. While some campaigns have failed to live up to their intended end products, Ben Model's "Accidentally Preserved" more than lives up to the promise it made pledgers. The DVD consists of nine   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on May 31, 2013

“Forget a while the cares and turmoil of our busy lives, and hie with us back to the days of our childhood.” When the Oz Film Manufacturing Company was formed it seemed like a match made in moviemaking heaven. L. Frank Baum's hugely popular stories would be adapted to the...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on May 15, 2013

Joseph Graybill was born on April 17, 1887 in Kansas City, Missouri. The family was primarily based in Kansas and Wisconsin, with Graybill seeking education at the St. John’s Military Academy in Salina and the Milwaukee Academy. At the age of 18, Graybill made his theatrical debut, joining the   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on May 10, 2013

Although she wasn’t born with it, during the height of her fame, the woman once dubbed the most beautiful woman in Denmark was known by just one name: Valkyrien. Her beauty and nobility made her desirable to film companies across the world, but her star fell faster and sooner than...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on May 1, 2013

In the 1910s, Charlotte Burton was a popular, successful and in-demand film actress. She was a part of a hugely popular serial, married to her equally popular (if not moreso) co-star, and earning great reviews for her acting. But by 1920 she was out of the film business, and by...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 27, 2013

A music student turned actress turned lawyer? As odd as it may sound, that's the journey of Anushka Zacsek, better known to silent film fans as Olga Grey. Although her parents were Hungarian, Grey grew up and was educated in New York. Her father pushed her to pursue a career...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 24, 2013

Keaton...Lloyd...Semon...Linder...Normand...they're all links in the "Chain of Fools." Trav S.D.’s book offers yet another look at the world of silent cinema -- he explores the roots and history of this beast known as comedy itself, how it manifested itself on nitrate and how it has evolve   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 24, 2013

Helen Gardner was a pioneer in a lot of ways. Not only was she the first American film actress to form her own production company, she was also the among the first filmmakers to embrace making features, and was the first vamp on screen. Yet, she has been forgotten and...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 18, 2013

"Lillian Gish is the kind of woman who needs to be saved from the ice floe. Mary Pickford is the kind of woman who will save you from the ice floe." - Christel Schmidt Mary Pickford will forever be the spunky, tough young woman with the angelic face and head...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 16, 2013

Lassie and all of her legendary cinematic canine companions owe a debt of gratitude to a filmmaker named Cecil Hepworth and a collie named Blair. Cecil Hepworth In 1905, Hepworth made one of the first true narratives to come out of British cinema - “Rescued by Rover.” The film’   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 14, 2013

April 14, 1912, 11:40 pm. The Titanic strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic that would cause it to sink the next day. Although we've seen the story of the Titanic dozens of times, through various TV and film variations, the story that could potentially offer us the most insight...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on November 2, 2012

I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to see these films, all of them around 110 years old, on a theater screen being presented by Méliès’ family. Last Saturday, The Music Box Theatre and Alliance Francais paid tribute to one of the great pioneers of silent film. Recently, Martin Scor   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on August 17, 2012

This post was originally published on the lonelybrand blog as part of an ongoing silent film series. When you think of Chicago, chances are good that the musical and probably the film version of that musical spring to mind. What you might not know, though, is that both are actually...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on July 6, 2012

Although the success of "Avatar" has, unfortunately, helped to introduce a flood of films banking on the lure of 3-D effects, 3-D films are nothing new. In fact, the earliest 3-D films were created during the silent film era. Early in the days of silent film, films were typically one...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on May 18, 2012

This post was originally published on the lonelybrand blog as part of an ongoing silent film series. Although you may not know the name Carl Laemmle, you undoubtedly know the studio he helped create -- Universal Pictures. Laemmle came to the U.S. from Germany in 1884 and settled in Chicago...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 13, 2012

This post was originally published on the lonelybrand blog as part of an ongoing silent film series. Chances are, even if you haven’t seen a single silent film, you’re still familiar with this image. It’s an iconic shot that has been recreated by the likes of Christopher Lloyd   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on April 6, 2012

This post was originally published on the lonelybrand blog as part of an ongoing silent film series. A favorite practice in silent film was for studios to find their version of the hottest star of the moment. Even studios who were fortunate enough to have signed the original star were...   read more