History of a Crime

History of a Crime 1901

5.89

A convicted criminal dreams about his past the night before his execution.

1901

The Big Swallow

The Big Swallow 1901

6.48

A man, objecting to being filmed, comes closer and closer to the camera lens until his mouth is all we see. Then he opens wide and swallows camera and cinematographer. He steps back, chews, and grins.

1901

Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King

Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King 1901

3.90

Our presidential hunter runs across the landscape and falls down in the snow, gets up with his rifle, and gazes upward at a treed animal which isn't in the camera's view. He fires a shot into the tree, then leaps on the ground to grab the fallen prey, a domestic cat, finishing it off with wild blows of his hunting knife while his companions, a photographer and a press agent, record the event that will be reported far and wide as a manly moment. Teddy then rides out of the forest followed by two companions afoot, never mind that they all originally arrived afoot. Perhaps it was funnier in its day than it is now, but apparently shooting cats was regarded as funny in those days. The larger point was to use a minor whimsy as a political criticism, in this case of Teddy Roosevelt's easy manipulations of the press. It was based on two frames of a political cartoon that had appeared in the paper a mere week before the film was made.

1901

What Happened on Twenty-Third Street, New York City

What Happened on Twenty-Third Street, New York City 1901

5.40

A street level view from the sidewalk, looking along the length of 23rd Street. Following actuality footage of pedestrians and street traffic, the actors, a man in summer attire and a woman in an ankle-length dress, walk toward the camera.

1901

The Countryman and the Cinematograph

The Countryman and the Cinematograph 1901

5.40

A satire on the way that audiences unaccustomed to the cinema didn't know how to react to the moving images on a screen - in this film, an unsophisticated (and stereotypical) country yokel is alternately baffled and terrified, in the latter case by the apparent approach of a steam train.

1901

Bluebeard

Bluebeard 1901

6.20

A young woman becomes the eighth wife of the wealthy Bluebeard, whose first seven wives have died under mysterious circumstances.

1901

Stop Thief!

Stop Thief! 1901

5.20

A lad from a butcher shop is carrying a tray laden with a roast or a leg of lamb. A hobo grabs it and runs. The boy gives chase, joined by dogs, as neighbors watch the spectacle. The hobo jumps into a large rain barrel, followed by the dogs.

1901

The Haunted Curiosity Shop

The Haunted Curiosity Shop 1901

5.30

An old proprietor is startled and haunted by the strange happenings inside his curiosity shop.

1901

Trapeze Disrobing Act

Trapeze Disrobing Act 1901

4.90

The stage of a vaudeville theatre. A lady in evening costume is performing on a trapeze. Two Rubes are seated in a box. The lady begins to disrobe, and here the fun commences. As she removes her garments one by one and throws them at our rural friends, they begin going through antics, which to say the least, are highly amusing. When the stockings come off, the climax takes place. The Rubes jump from their seats and make things lively for a short time in the theatre.

1901

Artistic Creation

Artistic Creation 1901

6.00

An artist draws the head of a pretty girl, takes the drawing off the paper and places it on a small table, turning the image into the head of a real woman. He then continuous drawing the lady, one body part after the other.

1901

The Indian Chief and the Seidlitz Powder

The Indian Chief and the Seidlitz Powder 1901

3.00

An inventive use of slow-motion filming helps hammer home the gag as an unconvincing 'Indian chief' hopes to dissolve some trapped wind with a popular brand of indigestion powder.

1901

Birth of the Pearl

Birth of the Pearl 1901

5.00

In this picture there is a limited amount of action in the pose. As the curtains are drawn aside the shell appears shut. It gradually opens, disclosing the model curled up in a recumbent position. She slowly arises as if awakening, and gracefully assumes the final position of the pose.

1901

An Over-Incubated Baby

An Over-Incubated Baby 1901

4.86

An up to date idea and a great picture. The professor sits in his laboratory with his newly invented baby incubator. A mother who is anxious for the growth of her child enters, places her baby in care of the professor, who promptly places it in the incubator. An alcohol lamp is lighted under the apparatus, but the professor evidently gets his machine too hot, for in a few seconds the top is opened and the baby taken out. To the great anger of its mother it has grown about two feet in height and has long hair and a full beard. (Edison Catalog)

1901

Why Mr. Nation Wants a Divorce

Why Mr. Nation Wants a Divorce 1901

4.40

The scene opens in the bedroom of Mr. Nation, husband of the famous Carrie Nation, the “Kansas Saloon Smasher”. Mr. Nation suddenly arises from the bed and picks up a crying infant from the cradle, and walks it up and down the floor. He suddenly steps upon a tack, becomes infuriated, and throws the baby back into the cradle…

1901

Fire!

Fire! 1901

5.90

Firefighters ring for help, and here comes the ladder cart; they hitch a horse to it. A second horse-drawn truck joins the first, and they head down the street to a house fire. Inside a man sleeps, he awakes amidst flames and throws himself back on the bed. In comes a firefighter, hosing down the blaze. He carries out the victim, down a ladder to safety. Other firefighters enter the house to save belongings, and out comes one with a baby. The saved man rejoices, but it's not over yet.

1901

Esquimaux Game of Snap-the-Whip

Esquimaux Game of Snap-the-Whip 1901

5.00

“The picture [shows] a number of Esquimaux picking nickels from cracks in a board with their dog whips, in which sport they are very expert. In the background will be seen one of their "Topeks," a sealskin tent in which they live during their short summer.” (Edison catalog)

1901