VJ Repeat and one of my top ten favorites of all time - Dreamland Theatre in Cresson! That is because of my love of silent film. CLICK HERE to read more about the Eassanay - Bronco Billy film from 1913. Also, note Lubin on the posters - the Lubin Film Company was out of Philadelphia. The East Coast was at one time the film capitol - around Philly, New York and especially Fort Lee, New Jersey.
By the middle of 1914 - Lubin was out of business when all their film stock went up in flames including their newest releases. Up until basically the 1950's - most film stock was made out of nitrate - very flammable and still is to this day even as it decays into powder form with a strong odor of vinegar to boot. Nitrate caused many a deadly fire at theaters all across the U.S. and Europe.
Contrary to popular belief - Edison was not the inventor of the motion picture. The French and British were on the cutting edge and well ahead of the United States - nor was Edison the only U.S. inventor working on a process. The wonderful French director Alice Guy Blache (one of my favorites) out of Gaumont even made the first talkies in the 1890's. What Edison did was undermine and lock up all the copyrights - which was the main reason U.S. filmmakers set up shop in California. They figured it would be harder for the lawyers to track them down on the West Coast.
The closest I can come to having any connection to the early film industry is through E.K. Lincoln whose real name was Edward Klink and he was born in Johnstown. They had a general store and his father was Police Chief - CLICK HERE to learn a bit more and CLICK HERE for more from IMDB.com. My grandfather would have known him well because though not directly related - we were related to the same group of people and E.K. was very well-known all about town. He is one of those people if I had the time and money - I'd love to write a book about.
My dream job would be to be a film restorer - working back through the past - frame by frame...
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