61 Early Rare Variety Stage Motion Pictures on CD

for veiwing on a computer

(see complete list and description below)

1897 to 1920

$9.99

"The 61 motion pictures in the American Variety Stage collection include animal acts, burlesque, dance, comic sketches, dramatic excerpts, dramatic sketches, physical culture, and tableaus. The films represented were copyrighted between 1897 and 1920.  The later films in this collection, superior in clarity and production, are from the 1919-1920 series, "Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies," produced by Hans A. Spanuth of Chicago.

The CD contains the following 61 Short Films:

The range in length from less that 30 seconds to over 11 Mins

List of Variety Stage Films

The full descriptions are too long for this ad so

Animal Acts

"Animals of all types appeared on the vaudeville stage, including sheep, pigs, cats, dogs, horses, bears, elephants, donkeys, monkeys, and birds. The use of these acts stemmed from a fascination at the turn of the century with man's control of nature and the homification of animals. Three typical vaudeville acts depicted in these films are "Laura Comstock's Bag-Punching Dog " named Mannie, Professor Leonidas's troop of cats and dogs featured in "Stealing a Dinner ," and "Jumbo--the Trained Elephant." "

"Animal acts normally occupied the first or last place on the bill held by "dumb acts." Dumb acts did not rely on sound as a singer or comedian might. Conventional theater wisdom of the time held that these acts would be appropriate for the opening and closing of the show when the audience would be noisily entering or exiting the theater."

Laura Comstock's Bag-Punching Dog  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1901.

Opens with the head and shoulders of a woman in full dress and hat and the front paws and head of a boxer visible behind a sign that reads "Miss Laura Comstock's Bag Punching Dog." Cuts to the dog sitting on his haunches on a stage with a painted backdrop of a trail through a forest. As the dog starts to wander offscreen, a large punching bag drops from above. He leaps up and hits the suspended bag with his head and body, causing it to swing. The dog repeatedly punches the bag in this manner until he knocks it down completely, grabs it in his mouth, and shakes it from side to side in his teeth.

From Edison films catalog: This wonderful dog "Mannie," owned by the vaudeville star, Miss Laura Comstock, is a most learned animal. He has been trained to perform all sorts of tricks, and his intelligence is, perhaps, most marked in his latest and most difficult feat, that of punching the bag. This picture depicts him in a bag punching performance which is really wonderful. His high jumps and lightning-like punches are remarkable and cause one to marvel at the amount of patience that must be necessary to teach a dog such tricks. Duration: 1:31

Stealing a Dinner  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

A man sits at the dinner table, with a row of dogs behind him and a black dog sitting near the table in the foreground. When the master rings a bell for service, a dog enters on her hind legs dressed in a servant's cap and apron. As she hops toward the table, however, a cat jumps upon the surface. The master tosses the cat off the table as the serving dog exits. The man rings the bell again but gets no response, so he takes off his dinner napkin and leaves the stage. Seeing this, the black dog turns and jumps on the table, where he promptly eats his master's dinner. The black dog then grabs the cat in his mouth and places it on the table. As the man returns to the table, he sees his empty plate and the cat crouched nearby. Thus blaming the cat for the stolen dinner, the man first scolds the feline and then draws a pistol aimed at the "thief." When the black dog sees the gun, however, he jumps on the table between the pistol and the cat, begging on his hind legs for the master to spare its life. The man grabs the dog by the collar, dragging him to the floor, and instead shoots the unlucky dog. A large dog--perhaps a Great Dane--in a policeman's uniform enters on his hind legs, grabs the man by the shoulders from behind, and chases him offstage. The other dogs follow in an excited pack. Duration: 0:50

[Animal Act with Baboon, Dog, and Donkey] from Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies  Commonwealth Pictures Corp., 1919 or 1920?

Opens on a closeup of a baboon "playing" a violin, then cuts to a medium shot of the same. The baboon wears a white short-sleeved shirt with a loose bow tie and tweed pants. Cuts to a closeup of the baboon in a circular mask or iris effect, without the violin but with a collar around his neck and a striped kitten that he places on his shoulder. Another iris effect opens to a long shot of a stage with a painted backdrop of a river. Standing at stage left is a woman in a spangled, sleeveless dress to the knee and high laced boots, holding the leash of a dark donkey. The baboon stands center stage, near a man in a white animal trainer suit with dark piping and a white cap. On a chair stage right sits a black and white spotted dog. A series of cuts show the baboon performing various tricks, including roller-skating in a circle around the man, doing a walking handstand, circling the stage atop a large ball, and riding the ball down a ramp with the kitten in his arms. The dog then creates figure-eights through the woman's legs as she walks, and jumps a rope held by the woman and baboon. Cuts to the baboon riding a bicycle in a circle around the man. Cuts to the baboon leading the donkey onstage, and then to the donkey apparently play-biting and kicking two men. The gag of the men trying to mount the donkey--only to be bitten, kicked, or thrown off--is repeated, with one intertitle: "A 100% kick." Ends after the baboon jumps on one man.  Duration: 1:28

Tom Tinker's Pony Patter from Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies  Commonwealth Pictures Corp., 1919 or 1920?

Camera iris opens to six ponies with decorated harnesses and plumed halters, standing in the center of a stage with a painted backdrop of mountains. Cuts to two ponies on a seesaw, with a moustached man in a white uniform with dark piping and a white cap holding their leads. A second trainer in a dark suit can also be seen occasionally with the ponies. Individual ponies perform a variety of tricks, including rolling a slatted barrel across the stage with front legs and then with a nose, knocking over the barrel, "limping" across the stage with one front leg held off the ground, and pushing the trainer over with a nose-butt. Cuts to the six ponies lined up at the back of the stage, with each pony's head lying over the neck of the pony in front of him. Cuts to the ponies circling the trainer in a straight radial line and then in various combinations, including three by three, pairs, and singly. The ponies finish their circling by walking in a straight line to the front of the stage and then bowing on their knees. Cuts to a closeup of the six ponies in a line, facing the camera, which closes in an iris effect to black. Duration: 2:01

Jumbo - The Trained Elephant from Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies     PART 1    PART 2  Commonwealth Pictures Corp., 1919?

Camera iris opens from black to a smiling man standing in front of an elephant, who is seated on her haunches on a stool with her front legs raised in the air. They are apparently on a stage with a painted backdrop of a forest. The man gives the elephant a treat, who then stands as the iris closes. Another iris effect opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a castle. A man enters, dressed in a trainer or ringmaster's uniform of a dark suit with shoulder braids and a white cap. He is followed by Jumbo, a small Indian elephant with clipped tusks wearing a headress or headband. Both bow to the camera. A circus stool is rolled on the stage and Jumbo steps onto it with her front legs. A pony and dog enter the stage and create a domino effect behind the elephant, with the pony's front legs on Jumbo's rear and the dog's front legs on the pony's rear. Cuts to the dog making figure eights around Jumbo's legs as the elephant walks. Cuts to Jumbo lying down, then the pony and dog stand on either side of her with their front legs on her sides. Cuts to the pony walking across the stage on its hind legs, and then bowing with the trainer to the camera.

Cont.: Cuts to Jumbo climbing on the circus stool with all four legs. The trainer gives her one end of a rope to hold with her trunk, and he twirls the other end as the dog jumps the rope. The trainer and the dog then jump the rope together as Jumbo watches. Cuts to the elephant sitting on the stool as the trainer places a handbell on a small table in front of her. Jumbo picks up the bell with her trunk and rings it. The man sets a plate on the table, from which Jumbo eats and then tosses aside. She rings the bell again and appears to drink from the bottle which her trainer brings in response. A series of jump cuts show Jumbo crawling on the ground in a circle on her back knees, standing on her hind legs, performing a handstand on her front legs, balancing on the circus stool with various combinations of two legs, and dancing in place with her front legs. Cuts to a frame of intertitle: "Oh! How she dances." With her back to the camera, Jumbo shuffles her hind legs in a kind of dance. Cuts to a closeup of Jumbo's open mouth as she walks toward the camera. Closes with her picking up a series of flags on the ground with her trunk and tossing them over her back. She holds the last one--a U.S. flag--as she turns in a cirle, the trainer bows, and the dog excitedly jumps around on stage.  Duration: 2:53 (part 1) and 1:43 (part 2)

Burlesque

"The word "burlesque" refers to two kinds of entertainment. In its original meaning, burlesque signified a comedy that parodied its original source. Burlesque eventually also came to denote "leg shows" or acts that focused on a woman's body and featured scantily-clad women, often in the act of undressing. The films in this collection do not represent the full range of burlesque on the variety stage, especially because burlesque often relied on dialogue and song, and was longer in length than films of the time. Still, filmmakers took burlesque subjects as their inspiration and often captured burlesque performers.

Vaudeville acts such as Ella Lola (" Turkish Dance"); the "French chanteuse eccentrique," Karina ; and Princess Rajah recreated their stage shows for the screen, thus providing a glimpse into the type of exotic dance entertainment shown on stage during this period. (Princess Rajah's act was filmed at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition and, like Ella Lola's act, is reminiscent of the hootchy-cootchy dances of exotic performers such as Fatima and Little Egypt.)

Films such as "Pity the Blind, no. 2 ," and "Trapeze Disrobing Act " offer the type of humorous burlesque seen on the vaudeville stage. The latter makes fun of the stereotypical unsophisticated "rube" who came to view burlesque. "Kiss Me" pokes fun at burlesque entertainment by featuring real burlesque posters on a wall with a poster of a woman that comes alive before a fascinated male spectator."

From Show Girl to Burlesque Queen  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903. Opens on a dressing room set with a mirror, dressing table, and chair center stage and a folded dressing screen on the left. A smiling, dark-haired woman enters through the door on stage right, unbuttoning a full-length polka-dot costume. As she undresses, she frequently looks directly at the camera and smiles. She removes her sash or cummerbund, the top with its trailing sleeves, and her skirt, leaving her clothed only in a sleeveless chemise. Smiling directly at the camera, she mischievously slips a strap of the garment off one shoulder, then ducks behind the screen. After the chemise is thrown over the top of the screen, her arm furtively reaches out from behind the screen and grabs a slight garment from the back of the chair and some items from the dressing table. She then emerges wearing a risqué, decorated costume with cap sleeves and a very short skirt, gathered at the waist. Her legs appear to be bare. The woman brandishes a sword, grabbed from under the discarded dress, and strikes a seductive pose as the viewer glimpses a costumed man entering the room.  Duration: 1:02

Karina  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1902.

On a bare stage with a black background stands a woman with short, curly hair, wearing a dark dress with a sleeveless top, low-cut bodice, mid-calf length skirt, and layers of petticoats. Smiling at the camera, she seductively raises her skirt to reveal the multiple white petticoats, as well as her lacy, white bloomers to the knees, white tights, and a garter on her right thigh. Peering over her lifted skirt, Karina slowly turns around and then lowers to her knees and leans back, circling with her upper body and arms. Still holding up the skirt, she returns to standing. With her back to the viewer, she bend backwards at the waist so that she looks at the camera, and dramatically covers her face with one arm. Karina then stands back up and turns to the camera. Lifting her skirt, she performs a "dance" consisting of circles, leg lifts, and twirls. Duration: 0:23

Kiss Me  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904.

Opens on a stage set of a street with a sidewalk and a high fence completely covered with female burlesque troupe posters. The four posters visible advertise actual contemporary burlesquers Fred Irwin's Majestics, Rose Sydell (of her London Belles), Phil Sheridan's New City Sports (with the tag line "Ain't we three birds"), and the Rentz-Santley Co. One of the center posters--that for Rose Sydell--features an attractive woman with nude shoulders. Two well-dressed women pass along the sidewalk, glancing disapprovingly at the images covering the fence. They are followed by a woman and a younger girl, perhaps her daughter. The latter pauses to look at the Sydell poster; the older woman, looking back, reacts in horror at what she sees and drags the girl away. An older bearded gentleman then strolls by, enjoying an eyeful of the posters, and is about to walk off when he is drawn back to the woman in the Rose Sydell ad. He jumps as she seemingly comes to life and turns to look at him seductively, pursing her lips. The man rubs his eyes, but still the woman in the poster watches him. He finally puts on his eyeglasses and examines the girl closely. Unbeknownst to him, an older woman enters the scene. Shocked, she grabs the man by his ear and drags him away as he blows a kiss to the "poster."  Duration: 1:06

Pity the Blind, no. 2  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904.

Filmed version of a popular vaudeville gag, as if from the audience of a variety theater. A boy, holding a sign under his arm, leads a man onto a stage with a painted backdrop of a city street corner. With his dark glasses and cane, the man is apparently blind. He kneels down slightly left of center stage and lays down his hat and cane, while the boy turns the placard around so that it reads "Pity the Blind," places it around the man's neck, and exits the stage. A gentleman with a cigar crosses the stage, pauses to read the sign, and drops some money in the blind man's hat. He is followed by two well-dressed women in furs and long coats, who also leave coins for the beggar after searching their purses. As they start to exit, however, one of the women stops and raises her skirt to adjust her tights. Behind her back, the supposed blind man slides his dark glasses down his nose and ogles the woman's exposed leg. With the leggings in place, the women exit the stage none the wiser, leaving behind a smiling "blind" man. Duration: 0:51

Princess Rajah Dance  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904.

Princess Rajah performs an "Oriental" or belly dance, and a balancing chair act in her teeth like that often found in folk performances in various cultures from Northern Africa to Greece. Shot outdoors in a street scene at the St. Louis Exposition, the film captures her act in an extreme long shot. She wears a dark, sleeveless dress to mid-calf, with a fringed, low-cut bodice and fringed belt worn at the waist, over multiple petticoats, bloomers, stockings, and heeled shoes. While playing finger cymbals, Princess Rajah performs a variety of dance movements that include spins, traveling movements, shoulder and hip shimmies, a frontal hip lock, other hip movements, and pirouettes. She then grabs a decorated chair in her teeth and swings it above her head, playing the finger cymbals and performing traveling foot movements, followed by floor work with the chair. Returning to a standing position still with the chair in her mouth, she performs shimmies and hip movements while playing the finger cymbals, then lowers the chair in front of her face and spins. She puts the chair down with a flourish, makes a closing gesture to the camera, and starts to exit the frame. Duration: 1:11

Trapeze Disrobing Act  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1901.

Camera is positioned as if in the audience at a vaudeville or burlesque show. Two men with long hair and beards in rough clothing appear to be eating and talking in a box on the left as a female aerialist sits on a trapeze over the stage and its painted backdrop of trees. Fully dressed in street clothing, the trapezist removes her jacket and hat before performing a flip. She stands to remove her skirt and then sits back down on the bar as she takes off her corset and throws it to the country bumpkins in the box, who fight over the undergarment. The trapezist continues to disrobe, removing her shoes, stockings, and garters, again throwing the latter to the men, and then seemingly hangs upside down (with her feet anchored off-camera) as she slips off her petticoat. Thus clad only in tights, trunks, and a camisole, the woman performs her trapeze act to the increasingly excited men.

From Edison films catalog: The scene is on the stage of a vaudeville theatre. A lady dressed in evening costume is performing on a trapeze. Two Rubes are seated in a box in the theatre. 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.  Duration: 2:18

Turkish Dance, Ella Lola Thomas A. Edison, Inc., 1898.

A young, dark-haired woman performs a period "Oriental" dance (commonly known as a belly dance) with some Turkish styling. She performs distinctive dance movements that include shoulder shimmies with pelvic movements and several foot patterns, side traveling movements with pelvic circles, a slow pelvic circle and a front pelvic lock, and paddle turns with various arm gestures. Her dance costume consists of a two-layered skirt to the knee, a hip belt with fringe, a chemise-like shirt under a fitted vest, several layers of necklaces and front decoration, white stockings, white--perhaps ballet--shoes, and a glittering fitted cap. Duration: 0:29

Comic Sketches

"Comedy acts in various forms--including monologists, two-person acts with a straight man/woman and a comic foil--and broad farcical sketches were dominant forms of variety stage entertainment. When these comic sketches were translated to silent film, however, the important element of dialogue was omitted. The examples found in this collection, therefore, largely feature non-verbal humor that could be easily understood in screen.

While these examples are certainly typical of vaudeville humor, there is unfortunately no way of knowing whether these particular skits were actually performed on the stage. It is possible that some skits were adapted for use in these motion pictures or that only the less verbal parts of the acts were used. These motion pictures did, however, use typical vaudeville sets, humor, and stereotypical characters from the vaudeville stage.

Some of the acts featured in this collection were based on characters from comic strips, including Alphonse and Gaston, the Happy Hooligan , and Foxy Grandpa. These characters were also used in stage shows. The two Foxy Grandpa selections ("The Boys Think They Have One on Foxy Grandpa..." and "Foxy Grandpa and Polly in a Little Hilarity") were based on a stage musical, starring Joseph Hart and his wife, Carrie DeMar, who reprised their roles on film. Series of films were made with all three of the comic strip characters mentioned above, as well as the character of the Tramp ("The Tramp's Unexpected Skate").

Some of the films feature burlesque comedy that makes fun of the vaudeville theater itself, as in "The Extra Turn ' and " Levi & Cohen, the Irish Comedians," both of which feature bad acts getting panned by the audience.

Popular comedians recreated parts of their sketches: for example, Charles E. Grapewin in "Chimmie Hicks at the Races" and the team of Montgomery and Stone in "Dancing Boxing Match." Montgomery and Stone became famous as the scarecrow and tin-man in the 1903 stage production of "The Wizard of Oz."

Ethnic humor can be seen in abundance in the broad stereotypes of Jews in " A Gesture Fight in Hester Street," and the Irish in " A Wake in Hell's Kitchen" and "Levi & Cohen, the Irish Comedians."'

Alphonse and Gaston, no. 3  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903

Opens on a set of a saloon or tavern with a long bar and pictures on the wall that include boxers, a ballerina, and a reclining female. At the end of the bar stands the bartender, reading a newspaper. Two men dressed as the clownish characters of Alphonse and Gaston enter the bar. Both have dark, bushy hair and beards and wear hats, with one dressed in a dark jacket and checkerboard pants and the other wearing a plaid jacket, dark trousers, and spats. Alphonse and Gaston order a bottle, then politely and repeatedly insist that the other should take the first drink. A cowboy dressed in fringed chaps, boots, a Western hat, and a neck kerchief enters the bar, a pistol in each hand, and laughs at the Frenchmen's antics. He begins shooting at their feet, forcing them to dance, while he and the bartender have a good laugh. As the bartender begins to spritz them from soda bottle, Alphonse and Gaston exit the bar dancing. The cowboy walks to the bar and pours himself their drink as he and the bartender continue to laugh over the incident. Duration: 0:53

As In a Looking Glass  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

Opens on a split stage set of two rooms with a door and wall between them. In the living or dining room on the left of the frame, an elderly, bearded man sits at a table, reading the newspaper. In the bedroom on the right, a boy in a suit with short pants attaches a long string to the end of a dresser drawer, with the other end hanging from a hole in the wall to the other room. As the boy works and watches, a woman dressed in a long-sleeved white blouse, striped skirt to the knee, and dark stockings enters the main room with a pitcher, which she sets on the table in front of the gentleman and then exits. The boy finishes with the drawer, replacing it in the bureau, and then quietly enters the other room unnoticed. He feeds more of the string through the hole in the wall, attaches the loop at the end of it to a leg of his grandfather's chair, and retreats to the door to watch. The woman enters the bedroom and powders her face and fixes her hair in the mirror above the dresser. She tries to open the top drawer--the one the boy has rigged--but it appears stuck. After struggling with it, she succeeds in yanking it open, falling backwards in the process. As the drawer opens, the attached string pulls over the man and the chair. When the man sees the boy jumping with delight at the door, he chases his grandson out of the room. Duration: 1:01

The Boys Think They Have One on Foxy Grandpa, but He Fools Them  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1902.

Opens on a stage with a stone fence and a painted backdrop of a forest or garden. In front of the fence is a bench, on which sits Joseph Hart as the cartoon character of Foxy Grandpa, reading a newspaper or magazine. He sports a bald pate with white bushy hair on the sides, a large bulbous nose, and a potbelly, and wears spats with a light-colored suit, vest, and tie. From stage right enter two mischievous boys, "Chub" and "Bunt," dressed in matching suits with short pants to the knee and dark stockings, boots, and caps. One of the boys carries a banjo. They stop and gesture at Foxy Grandpa, laughing, and hand him the banjo when he looks up and notices them. As the boys laugh and poke each, Grandpa begins to play the banjo like a pro, inducing the boys to engage in a bit of tap or shuffle dancing. When they finish, Foxy Grandpa takes the floor while providing his own music on the banjo. As the boys clap and watch in amazement, Grandpa tap dances and performs advanced movements such as split kicks. Closes with all three dancing offstage. Duration: 1:08

Chimmie Hicks at the Races  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, [1900?]

Filming of a character sketch by the well-known vaudevillian Charles E. Grapewin. On a bare stage backed by a dark curtain, a man dressed in a three-piece suit and overcoat holds a racing program and excitedly watches a race supposedly taking place offstage. With enthusiastic jumping and other delighted pantomime, he makes it clear his horse has won the race. A second man in a suit and hat enters from stage right and pays Chimmie his winnings, a portion of which the gambler returns to the man for another bet. With the start of the second race, he again watches with rising excitement, but suddenly his face falls and he angrily throws his hat on the ground, having evidently lost this time. The other man returns and collects all of Chimmie's money plus his pocketwatch. The repentant gambler then kneels, shakes his arms to the heavens, rips up his program, and scatters the pieces on the ground, apparently swearing off betting. He rises, pulls on his hat, and dejectedly begins to walk offstage. Duration: 0:47

The Chimney Sweep and the Miller  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1902.

Filming of a popular vaudeville gag. Opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a lake and forest. From opposite sides of the stage enter a chimney sweep, covered from head to toe with black soot and carrying a folding broom and black sack, and a miller, dressed completely in white and carrying a white sack. The two men bump into each other center stage, with some of the sweep's soot dirtying the miller's uniform. They exchange angry words, and then begin hitting each other with their sacks. As expected, black soot from the chimney sweep's bag spots the miller's whites, and white flour from the miller's sack lands on the sweep's dark clothing. The brawl culminates with a large cloud of black and white in which the men seem to disappear. Duration: 0:31

Dancing Boxing Match, Montgomery and Stone  : [Winthrop Moving Picture Co.], 1907.

Very short vaudeville turn from the well-known team of Montgomery and Stone. Appears to have been filmed outdoors in front of black paper taped up on a wall as a backdrop. Two men box in a comedic manner, with the film opening as one man in a cap punches the other and then ducks behind him. The second man swings wildly through the air, causing him to fall down in an acrobatic shoulder roll that in turn propels him back to a standing position. He turns and finds his opponent, then approaches him swinging as the film ends abruptly.  Duration: 0:05

Dog Factory  Part 1  Part 2 Edison Manufacturing Co., 1904.

In the middle of a store or factory set sits a machine identified as the "Patent Dog Transformator." On the walls behind it are coils of sausages or hot dogs, labeled with the name of the dog they represent: Pointer, Setter, Fighting Bull, Bull, Terrier, Spaniel, Poodle, Plain Dog, Trained Dog, Bull Pups, Boston Bull, Daschund [sic], Mut, and Pug. At the top of the back wall is a sign that reads "Dogs made while you wait--Dog Factory--Dogs mixed to order." A bearded man in a suit stands by the machine looking bored, as his partner in a cap and apron dusts the rows of sausages. A tramp enters the store with a string of three dogs, which he sells to the man in the suit. One by one, the three dogs are loaded into the top of the machine, cranked by the man in the apron, and transformed into links of sausage that come out the right end of the contraption. These links are then hung up in their proper places on the wall: Plain Dog, Trained Dog, and Boston Bull. A man identified as a dandy with his cane and straw topper enters and orders a spaniel. The process is then reversed, as the appropriate coil of meat is taken off the wall and put in the top of the machine, resulting in a dog exiting from the left end of the transformator. The next customer, a woman, orders a dachshund, but the dog proves too jumpy for her and is changed back to a sausage; the woman then settles on a terrier, and leaves happily with her purchase [end of part 1].

Cont part 2: A man in a suit enters the factory and orders a trained dog. The resulting canine does tricks such as a back-flip at the urging of the owner in the apron, and the customer leaves satisfied. When the next woman requests a small dog, a string of bull pups are produced for her, from which she selects her favorite; the rest of the puppies are turned back to sausage. Finally, a "tough" enters the store and orders a Boston Bull, but he rejects the resulting dog as not mean enough. The factory owners then create a fighting bull, which comes out of the transformator biting. In the resulting commotion, with the Boston Bull also running around the store, the fighting bull grabs the tough by the seat of his pants and the two wrestle. The factory owners laugh as the bull and customer exit the shop, still fighting.

From Edison films catalog: On the walls of the factory a lot of different varieties of frankfurters are hung. Each is marked with the breed of dog it is made from. A combined dog and bologna making machine is seen in the foreground, and two Germans are working industriously over it. A tramp enters with about a dozen dogs of various types, and sells them to the Germans. They are soon transformed into sausage and the tramp departs with his cash. A dude now enters who wants to buy a spaniel. The dog is quickly made and sold. A number of customers follow and are supplied with dogs that suit their fancies. Finally a tough enters who wants a bull dog. A Boston Bull is produced, but does not suit him. He wants a fighting bull. The dog is made, and as he jumps from the machine he grabs the tough by the pants, and dog and man mix up in a rolling match all over the floor. The tough finally releases himself and disappears, leaving the fighting bull dog to be again turned into bologna.  Duration: 2:13 (part 1) and 2:14 (part 2)

The Extra Turn   Edison Manufacturing Co., 1903.

Camera is positioned as if in the audience of a vaudeville show. A man and two women, all in evening clothes, are seated in a theater box to the left of a stage with curtains and a painted backdrop of trees. A young woman in a white dress, identified by a sign as "Dolly Lightfoot," performs a simple dance with leg kicks. The audience in the box applaud as she finishes, takes a curtsy, and exits. When they continue to clap, the dancer returns for an encore bow, and the man in the box throws her a bouquet of flowers. After she again exits, a man comes on the stage and changes the sign to "Extra," indicating an extra "turn" or act. A man in evening dress and holding sheet music takes the stage, and begins to sing with broad gestures. The trio in the box grumble and angrily gesture at the stage, then they throw their fans and hats at the oblivious singer and cover their ears. More hats and other objects are thrown by the off-camera audience, until one succeeds in knocking down the vocalist. He runs off stage, but quickly returns with an umbrella and continues to sing undaunted, even when the man in the box throws his seat cushion. Finally, two stagehands enter and drag and push the offending singer off stage, to the relief of the theater patrons.

From Edison films catalog: This scene opens with a view of a stage setting and private box. After Miss Dolly Lightfoot has finished a clever dance, a card is placed upon the stage announcing an extra turn. An Italian vocalist appears and starts to sing. He is received with a shower of missiles, to which he pays no attention, until he is finally floored. He rushes from the stage and reappears with an umbrella for protection. He defiantly continues to sing. Two stage hands rush from the wings, seize him, and drag him from the stage.  Duration: 1:28

A Frontier Flirtation  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

Opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a forest or garden. On a park bench center stage sits a well-dressed woman with a dark veil obscuring her face, holding an open parasol overhead and a closed fan in her lap. A mustached cowboy enters, dressed in fringed chaps, boots, Western hat, neck kerchief, and pistol belt. When he spies the woman, he primps for a moment, arranging his mustache, and then approaches her. The cowboy takes off his hat and bows, then leans into the bench to talk with her. She rebuffs his numerous attempts to take her hand, but finally allows him to lift her veil. The cowboy reacts in horror as an animal face, perhaps a monkey's, is revealed, and then runs off the stage. A stylish gentleman in a suit with a straw boater and cane enters and sits familiarly beside the woman. He reaches over and removes what proves to be a mask as he and the now-beautiful woman have a good laugh. At one point, the gentleman gives her a kiss on the cheek. Duration: 0:48

A Gesture Fight in Hester Street  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

Opens on a street scene with a sidewalk and backdrop of storefronts, including a liquor store and pharmacy, apparently meant to represent Hester Street in New York City. A bearded, dark-haired street peddler in a long dark coat and hat hawks suspenders and perhaps neckties. A young woman in a long skirt and long-sleeved white blouse with a flowered hat walks quickly past, and the peddler turns to gesture angrily after her. Behind him enters another bearded peddler, also identified through his clothing as Jewish, and his pushcart. The cart bumps the first peddler, who turns and argues with the interloper. The argument escalates into a pushing match and then a brawl, with the men's hats knocked off and the pushcart turned over by their wrestling. A policemen enters and tries to break up the fight with his nightstick Duration: 0:24

Happy Hooligan  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903

Opens on a stage set of a house exterior, complete with a door, window, and ivy on the walls. In front of the house, an organ-grinder plays as Happy Hooligan listens and claps along merrily. The Hooligan character is dressed as a tramp in a ragged and torn suit, and sports a bald pate with an incredibly tiny hat perched atop it. A middle-aged woman appears in the house window and yells down to the musician to stop. Encouraged by Hooligan, however, the organ-grinder continues as the woman grows increasingly upset and Hooligan pokes fun at her. As she leaves the window, the tramp suddenly warns off the organ-grinder, pushing the street musician offstage. From the other side of the stage enters an angry policeman, who grabs Hooligan by the throat, shaking and yelling at him. The woman reappears in the window with a pail of water, which she mistakenly throws on the policeman. When she sees the officer sputtering on the ground, she faints against the window frame. As Hooligan laughs heartily, the policeman gets up and storms inside the house. Duration: 0:46

Levi & Cohen, the Irish Comedians  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903

Opens on a vaudeville or variety stage with a flat painted curtain of a stone fence and garden. On the right side of the stage sits a sign that reads "Zuzu Daffy, Singing Soubret." A boy in an usher's uniform crosses the stage and replaces the sign with one that reads "Levi and Cohen, Irish Comedians." The boy exits, and the curtain rises to reveal a painted backdrop of a pharmacy storefront. Two men strut onto the stage; one in a black beard, black coat with tails, light-colored pants, and a black top hat, and the other with a bald pate and large nose, dressed in a dark coat and vest, plaid pants, and a bowler, and carrying a cane. The pair go into their act, which seems to consist of the bearded man repeatedly knocking the bowler off the head of his partner while enthusiastically telling a joke or story. The unfortunate man finally has enough, and jumps his bearded friend. The "audience" of this act are apparently displeased with the performance, and two men sitting between the camera and the stage stand up and begin pelting the comedians with eggs or vegetables. While Levi and Cohen try to shield themselves from the barrage, both of them--as well as the set--are soon splattered with stains. Duration: 0:58

Mr. Jack in the Dressing Room  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904.

Opens on a stage set of the interior of a theatrical dressing room. Along a bar that serves as a dressing table sit three costumed young women--perhaps chorus girls or members of a burlesque troope--adjusting their hair and makeup in three mirrors hanging from the wall. Two of the women wear very short outfits that show their stockinged legs; the third woman is dressed in a ruffled dress to the knee. A portly, middle-aged man with muttonchop whiskers enters the room, dressed in evening clothes and top hat and carrying a cane. He hands the cane and hat to the delighted women and responds to them in a jovial, familiar manner. He calls in a uniformed boy with a tray of glasses and a bottle, then pours drinks for himself and all the ladies. They toast each other and drink, then the man begins to dance a jig. The women apparently decide to dress him as a woman, placing a tulle apron around his waist as he rolls up his pants legs. As he continues his jig, a severe-looking woman in a dark dress, hat, and gloves enters. She reacts in shock at the sight of the dancing man in his skirt, then grabs him and hits him with the parasol she carries. As the young women watch and laugh, the older woman drags the embarrassed man from the room by his ear. Duration: 0:57

The Serenaders  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, [1899?]

Opens on a stage set of a two-story brick building. Two street serenaders in rather shabby clothes stand outside the building, one playing a trombone and the other what appears to be a clarinet. A young woman appears in the upstairs window and looks down smiling on the two suitors. She soon favors and encourages the trombonist by throwing kisses and clutching her chest, while clearly rebuking the other. The rejected clarinetist angrily kicks the successful serenader in his rear, propelling the trombone player up to the woman's window in an effect that appears to be achieved through stop motion and a wire. The failed suitor howls in pain and hops around holding his foot, while the trombonist sits on the window sill in the arms of the woman and shakes off his competitor's attempts to pull him to the ground. Duration: 0:26

Subub Surprises the Burglar  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1903

Opens on a bedroom set, with a man in a white nightshirt asleep on a Murphy bed. The bedroom window is raised from the outside, and a man dressed in black clothes and cap enters, furtively looks around the room, and checks to see that the bed's occupant is asleep. The burglar then rummages through the clothes in a chest of drawers and, finding nothing of interest, turns to the homeowner's pants near the bed. As the burglar finds and pockets a wallet, Subub awakes, sees the burglar, and activates the bed so that it closes up into the wall. The underside of the Murphy bed appears to be metal, with what look to be six canon or gun holes. As the burglar turns and notices the folded bed, gunfire shoots from the bed's portholes. With the sixth and final shot, the burglar blows up and disappears in a cloud of smoke, through the use of stop-motion cinematography. An American flag is raised from the top of the curious weapon and the bed unfolds, with Subub gleefully clapping and waving his arms.

From Edison films catalog: Picture shows bedroom, and man asleep in bed. A burglar raises the window cautiously, climbs in, and proceeds to go through the man's clothes. The man awakes and pulls a lever, closing himself up in the folding bed, the bottom of which is iron-clad, with guns and portholes. The burglar is dumbfounded, and cannot move. Subbubs turns his battery loose, blowing the burglar to pieces. He then raises an American flag on a staff on top of the bed as a signal of victory. The bed opens up again and Subbubs goes to sleep.  Duration: 1:04

The Tramp's Unexpected Skate : Edison Manufacturing Co., 1901.

On a stage with a painted backdrop of a terrace overlooking a park, a man identified as a tramp by his ragged costume and beard lies asleep against a potted palm tree. Two boys enter from screen right, each rolling on one skate. They see the sleeping tramp, communicate to each other through gestures the gag they have in mind, and bend down to untie their skates. The boys then tie the skates on the feet of the sleeping hobo, and awake the man by raising and then dropping one of his legs. The tramp quickly wakes and jumps up to grab the boys, only to roll and slip, then fall on his back, as the boys easily run around him. As the tramp struggles to his feet and then falls again, the boys laugh at and taunt the hapless man. The comedic actions and pratfalls of the tramp on roller-skates are repeated.

From Edison films catalog: Here is a picture that appeals to both young and old. A weary looking tramp lies asleep under the wall of a picturesque park. Two mischievous boys enter on roller skates. They take a cautious view of Weary Willie, when a bright idea enters their heads. They hold a short conference and then removing their skates, they proceed to strap them firmly to the feet of Weary Willie. They then wake the tramp by tickling him under the chin with a straw. Then, just what is expected by the audience happens. Willie starts out in pursuit of his youthful tormentors, but the skates are a hindrance to his progress. In his mad endeavor to reach the boys he goes through a series of very humorous antics and ends by falling in a heap several times, striking on his head more often than on his heels.  Duration: 0:47

2 A.M. in the Subway  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1905.

Opens on a set of a subway platform, with two tracks on either side and stairs leading up to the exit. A policeman stretches and wearily sits on a box or crate, as a uniformed conductor awaits a train. A subway car arrives on the left side of the platform and the conductor opens the door. A well-dressed man with a cigar in his teeth exits with his arms around two women dressed in long skirts and jackets, gloves, and fancy hats. The trio laugh and stumble on the platform as if having a hilarious time, getting the attention of the policeman who attempts to stop their bawdy behavior. Another train arrives on the right track. A man heading for that car in a tweed suit and bowler is briefly stopped by the merry trio and joins them in a laugh. As this passenger boards the train, the policeman and conductor discuss the troublemakers left on the platform. One of the women causes a sensation by raising her skirt and revealing striped stockings as her male companion bends to tie her bootlace, with the other male traveler ogling her out the subway car window. Seeing this inappropriate display of leg, the policeman pulls up the gent and forces him and the women on board the car. The beleagured officer then spies a woman's stockinged legs hanging out a window, and reboards the train. The policeman, both women, and both men exit the subway car and argue madly on the platform, with the man in the tweed suit waving a pair of artificial female legs that were apparently displayed in the window instead of the real thing. Duration: 0:53

A Wake in "Hell's Kitchen"  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, [1900?]

Takes place on a rather plain room set, with a single religious picture and a coat hanging from the plain, white walls. An open coffin sits in the center of the room, with its lid leaning against the back wall. An older, grey-haired woman--presumably the widow--stands holding a bunch of flowers to the left of the coffin, wailing and wiping away her tears with her apron. On the other side of the coffin sit two male mourners in three-piece suits, drinking beer. As the two men talk and light a pipe and the woman turns away in her grief, the occupant of the coffin--an older, balding man--sits up and looks around. He spies a large mug of beer to the side, picks it up, drinks all of the ale, and lies back down. When the woman places her flowers in the coffin, she notices the empty mug and questions the two mourners. The three engage in a heated argument, during which the "corpse" throws the flowers out of the coffin. Seeing this, the woman falls in a faint. In their hurry to get away, the two men knock over the coffin, spilling the supposed deceased on top of the woman. Duration: 0:28

Dance

"The selections in the dance category reflect the wide variety of dance styles that were performed on the variety stage during this period. It appears that many of the performers used in these films actually performed on the vaudeville stage. The Franchonetti Sisters, advertised by the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company as a "popular team of vaudeville artists," perform the French quadrille dance. Fougere, "the famous Parisian chanteuse," performs her ragtime cakewalk, "Hello, Ma Baby." The cakewalk dance, popular in minstrel shows, is performed in these motion pictures by a professional troupe from New York ("Cake Walk" and "Comedy Cake Walk"). Crissie Sheridan performs a skirt dance similar to those done by the popular Annabelle. Versatile dancer Ella Lola performs two dances, a period-style belly dance (Turkish Dance, Ella Lola) and one based on the "Trilby" craze. (In the play "Trilby" by George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier, an artist's model named Trilby falls under the influence of the hypnotist Svengali.) Kid Foley and Sailor Lil provide a vivid example of a Bowery dance reminiscent of the Parisian "Apache dance." Cathrina Bartho performs her Speedway dance in "A Nymph of the Waves" that takes advantage of film tricks to make it appear as if she is dancing on waves. Ameta , a specialist in "novel" and "elaborate" dances, according to The New York Clipper, creates a swirling funnel from huge pieces of cloth in a variation on the skirt dance. (The comedy and burlesque sections also contain dance performances including "The Boys Think They Have One on Foxy Grandpa, but He Fools Them," "Karina," "Princess Rajah Dance," and "Turkish Dance, Ella Lola.")'

Ameta  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

Two large squares of white fabric completely cover a woman standing on a stage with a paneled wall as a backdrop. The fabric is supported in front and back of her by some sort of flexible poles along the top edge. The woman bends these rods and peaks out from the resulting hole, with her head and neck visible. She then performs what appears to be a variation on a skirt dance , with the fabric acting as a type of voluminous costume; she is actually wearing a full-length decorated dress. Holding the poles in either hand, she twirls the fabric about her, in both a front-to-back and side-to-side motion. She closes by twirling herself so that the fabric forms an upward-moving spiral, completely covering her upper body. Duration: 0:26

Betsy Ross Dance  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903

Opens on a bare stage with a painted backdrop of an interior theater wall and pillar. From screen right, a woman twirls onstage and performs an enthusiastic dance. It appears she is a woman dressed to look like a little girl, in a short, ruffled dress and sash, tights, and ballet slippers, with long, dark hair worn in curls. Her movements include some with an apparent ballet influence, such as pirouettes and walking on pointe. She also performs various feet and leg movements, leg kicks both to the front and side, spins, and twirls, all the while flouncing and lifting her skirt and smiling coquettishly. She ends by throwing a kiss to the camera as she twirls offstage. Duration: 1:28

Cake Walk American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

Five African Americans--three men and two women--perform a cakewalk, a dance featuring fancy strutting that was named after the prize awarded in the original contests. The dancers wear rather formal attire, with the men in dark suits and black tie and the women in full-length, high-collared dark dresses; one woman carries a small American flag. As they step in place against a light background, the center male--holding up a top hat and twirling a cane--moves toward the camera and briefly performs some fancy steps. As he moves back, the man at the left end of the line does a quick twirling step and links arms with his partner. The other two dancers also pair off as the center male leads them in a strutting movement around the stage. When they return to the original line, all five step towards the camera with the center man slightly ahead of the others. The film ends just as they stop the cakewalk. Duration: 0:24

Charity Ball  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1897.

A man in formal dinner clothes and a woman in a white ruffled dress with a flower corsage and white shoes execute various dance steps designed as exhibition dancing. The set is bare, without backdrops or props. The couple's feet are not evident at times in the frame, and the dance appears to have been shot in relatively slow motion. Duration: 0:34

Comedy Cake Walk  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

Five African Americans--three men and two women--perform an exaggerated cakewalk in fancy evening clothes. Two of the men wear formal black tie in tuxedos with tails, while the third wears a gray tux of shiny material with an extremely long overcoat and exaggerated cuffs. All have matching top hats and canes. The women wear highly decorated hats and tight-fitting, frilly dresses of only mid-calf length, with one hand on their hip pulling up that side of the skirt. Two couples step in time against a white background as the third, center man prances forward and executes a comedic, wobbly-kneed step. He then moves back to lead the others in the strutting around the stage, all the time spinning and prancing among them. As the couple to stage left jaunt past the camera, the woman pauses to hitch up her stocking. The man in the gray suit on the right twirls his cane and struts toward the camera with his partner; they then pause on opposite sides of the frame. The woman kisses a handkerchief she is holding in one hand and flirtatiously throws it on the ground. As the man smiles knowingly and reaches for it, however, the woman yanks the fabric back to her on a string. Both laugh and continue strutting. All five dancers then return to a line and start a fancy step towards the camera. Duration: 0:27

Crissie Sheridan  Thomas A. Edison, Inc., 1897.

A woman in a white gown performs a skirt dance, using her arms to produce circles and other patterns within the folds of her costume. Her legs and feet appear to be bare. Duration: 0:40

Dance, Franchonetti Sisters  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

Three young women with dark, curly hair stand on a stage with a black background and patterned carpet or tile underfoot. They wear tights, ballet shoes, and frilly dresses to the knee with multiple petticoats and ruffled drawers. They begin by raising their right legs up by their heads, and then perform a dance with a variety of kicks and leg movements, their hands either in the air or pulling up their skirts. The sisters also grab their right legs again and hop in a circle, then do cartwheels and land on the floor in the splits. Jumping back to their feet, the women twirl in circles and around each other in circles in what appears to be a type of pirouette, while holding up their skirts and showing their bloomers in a manner similar to the cancan. Duration: 0:23

Ella Lola, a la Trilby  Thomas A. Edison, Inc., 1898.

A young, dark-haired woman performs a dance inspired by George du Maurier's character Trilby, in an early modern dance style reminiscent of Isadora Duncan. She dances barefoot without stockings and is dressed in a long, flowing gown bound across the bosom in Grecian style, with inside fringe and a draped cape hooked to her wrist. She also wears what appears to be a garland headpiece. Holding her gown with one hand throughout, the dancer performs a series of kicks and turns with leg kicks front and back, rocking, and round de jambe. Duration: 0:36

Fougere  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, [1899?]

Opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of what appears to be clouds [K.R. Niver sees the background as rolling waves]. From the left of the frame enters Eugenie Fougère in a strutting type of leg movement, shot in profile but with her face turned toward the camera. She wears a dress with a dark, lace-patterned, low-cut bodice, striped sleeves, and a frilly white skirt to the knees; multiple dark petticoats and white bloomers to the knees; stockings; heeled shoes; and an tri-corner hat with a feather. Other dance movements include a backwards shuffle step, clutching her bosom and then cupping her ear as if listening with a skipping foot movement, and a sideways step across the stage. For most of the dance she lifts her skirt high in a manner similar to a cancan. She closes by kneeling in a brief curtsy with her hand tucked at her chin, and then exits the stage. Duration: 0:37

Foxy Grandpa and Polly in a Little Hilarity  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1902.

Opens on a stage with a stone fence and a painted backdrop of a forest or garden. Husband and wife team of Hart and DeMar as cartoon characters Foxy Grandpa and Polly enter hand-in-hand from behind the fence. Grandpa has a bald pate with bushy white hair on the sides, a big bulbous nose, and a potbelly, dressed in a light-colored suit with a vest and spats and carrying a bowler in his left hand. Polly wears a ruffled, light-colored dress with dark trim that goes to her ankles, a bedecked bonnet, white stockings, heeled shoes, and a choker around her neck. Both are smiling broadly as they reach center stage and begin their vaudeville-style dance, with tap, soft shoe, and other synchronized leg movements and twirls in what appears to be a ragtime rhythm. Duration: 0:30

A Nymph of the Waves   American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, [1900?]

Superimposition of a woman dancing over footage of crashing waves from the rapids of Niagara Falls. The woman wears a frilly, perhaps feather-trimmed, white dress with a low-cut bodice, a matching feathered hat, white stockings, and white ballet slippers. She holds up her skirt through the entire dance, revealing her ankles and lower legs as well as a flash of a garter above the knee on her left leg. Her movements appear to be a mixture of ballet and variety-style dancing such as a cancan, including spins and toesteps on pointe. She closes with a flourish of her skirt as she executes a curtsy on pointe with one foot. Duration: 0:24

A "Tough" Dance American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1902.

From either side of a white, apparently outdoors, setting enter a man and woman, both wearing ragged street clothes and caps. As they approach center stage, the man grabs the woman's arm and pulls her to him, then slaps her. Still holding her arm, the man and his partner cockily strut towards the camera. The man grabs the woman in a crouched, bear-hug type of hold and they perform a rough little dance that almost seems a parody of a waltz. In a jerky type of jitterbug, the man twirls the woman out of his hold and back again, a movement which is repeated often within their spinning dance. They finally fall to the ground, still clutching each other, and roll around. Duration: 0:45

Physical Culture

"Physical culture acts include acrobatic performances, contortionists, boxing, strongmen, iron jaw acts, and other exhibitions requiring physical prowess or dexterity. Several of the acrobatic acts featured here probably would have been the opening or closing acts of vaudeville bills. They were known as "dumb" acts, because they contained no dialogue and were, therefore, deemed appropriate for the opening and closing of shows when people would be noisily milling in and out of the theater.

Some of the acts in the motion pictures selected are advertised by the film production companies as being vaudeville or circus performers, implying that they were indeed professional performers who appeared on the variety stage. These include the "Japanese Acrobats," the Three Buffons in the comedic "Three Acrobats ," Neidert of "Bicycle Trick Riding, no. 2 ," and Hadji Cheriff from the Midway Plaisance at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (" Arabian Gun Twirler").

Other film selections feature acts that were described in advertisements or short articles in The New York Clipper. These include the "Gordon Sisters" with their "bag punching and scientific act;" Treloar, a Harvard graduate and ex-varsity oarsman who later won a prize for being the most perfectly developed man in the world; and Latina, who strongman Eugene Sandow describes as a type of "the perfect woman." Sandow, billed as "The Most Powerful Man on Earth," was an immensely popular attraction on the variety stage and is shown in these selections flexing his muscles and doing a back-flip.

The later Spanuth films feature performers of even greater skill. For example, the " Kawana Trio" perform difficult acrobatic stunts with their feet, and " Three Jumping Tommies" execute a series of impressive acrobatic stunts on the floor."

Arabian Gun Twirler  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1899.

A bearded man performs a rifle twirling act on a stage with a painted backdrop of a city street corner. He wears a white turban and a dark two-piece costume of tunic and baggy pants that narrow at the knees; perhaps the costume of an Arab infantryman. The tricks he performs include throwing the spinning rifle in the air and catching it; twirling the gun in front of him, above his head, behind his back, to the side of his torso, and under his leg; and twirling the rifle as he switches hands. Duration: 0:40

Bicycle Trick Riding, no. 2  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1899.

Opens with a man riding a bicycle in a backwards circle, on a stage with a painted backdrop of a city street. He dismounts, then remounts the cycle and rides in a forwards circle, pausing and balancing for a moment as he rears up and spins the front wheel. Continuing in the circle, the man moves in front of the handlebars and continues pedaling briefly. For his next trick, the cyclist makes one circle and then pauses center stage as he does a balancing act to the left side of the bike, with his left leg on the pedal and his right on the front wheel. Ends after he remounts but continues to hold the bicycle motionless.

From Edison films catalog: "Neidert," of national fame, does stunts on his wheel that are simply wonderful. Makes his bicycle rear up, and rides around the stage on his back wheel; besides a lot of other easy things, such as riding on one pedal and riding backward, seated on handlebar.  Duration: 0:34

Expert Bag Punching  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

A man stands on a stage with a painted backdrop of a forest, as if performing a vaudeville act. To the right of the frame is a sign on an easel identifying him as "Gus Keller, Novelty Bag Puncher, New Polo A.A." To the left of the frame is a rack of various punching bags, topped by American flags and a sign identifying the particular skill being exhibited. Keller stands near a large metal frame for the suspended bag being worked, which is also topped with waving American flags. Rather than sporting attire, Keller wears light-colored slacks, shirt, and shoes, with a dark tie tucked in his shirt front and a pair of gloves tucked at his waist. He proceeds to demonstrate seven types of exhibition bag punching, each in separate scenes as described below that are edited together with dissolves.  Duration: 1:30

Gordon Sisters Boxing  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1901.

Two women on a stage approach from either side of the painted backdrop of a garden and engage in a boxing match. Both the boxing gloves and the hits exchanged between the women seem genuine. One woman wears a modest white dress with long sleeves and a skirt to mid-calf, dark stockings, and laced boots. The other woman--taller, thinner, and perhaps younger--sports a shorter, dark, sleeveless dress and the same dark stockings and boots.

From Edison films catalog: Champion lady boxers of the world. Here we depict two female pugilists that are really clever. They are engaged in a hot and heavy one-round sparring exhibition, which is photographed against a very pleasing background, consisting of a park, with marble entrance and walk, and beautiful trees and shrubbery. The exhibition is very lively from start to finish; the blows fall thick and fast, and some very clever pugilistic generalship is exhibited.  Duration: 1:36

Japanese Acrobats  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1904.

An Oriental man and boy walk on a stage with a painted backdrop of a garden or park, give a slight bow to the camera as if it were an audience member, and remove their silk jackets. Both wear dark tights and leotards with light-colored slippers; the man also wears grey trunks, and the boy sports a white cloth around his middle. Lying on his back on a fitted mat, the man juggles and spins the boy with his feet. The boy's acrobatic movements include spinning in a tucked ball-like position, flipping lengthwise in a prone position, flipping from a standing position to a shoulder-stand, somersaulting from a standing to a sitting position, repeated flips involving both the hands and feet of the man, and other series of somersaults and turns. After finishing the act, the acrobats take a slight bow and run off the stage, then return for another bow before finally exiting.

From Edison films catalog: A Japanese juggler performs some marvelous juggling feats with a boy. Lying on his back on the floor, he spins the boy with his feet and makes him turn numerous somersaults.  Duration: 1:44

Latina, Contortionist  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1905.

A woman wearing a light-colored leotard, gathered at the waist, and tights stands against a black background. Although she is filmed in a long shot, her feet are cut off in the frame. She opens with a flourish of her arms and faces the camera. First stretching up with her arms, Latina then bends in half at the waist, steps into a metal ring or hoop, and places her head in the ring as well. Still bent at the waist, she moves the hoop up past one shoulder and then the other, past her waist, and over her buttocks, finishing with her body completely free of the ring now held up behind her back. Latina repeats the contortion act in reverse, passing the ring down her doubled-up body and past her shoulders to the ground. She steps out of the hoop and gestures with her arm. Turning to face screen left, with her left side in profile, Latina places her hands behind her neck, bends at the waist until her head touches her legs, steps into the ring on the floor, and repeats her contortionist trick as above, first from the ground up and then back down. She faces the camera when finished, throws the audience a kiss, and gives a small bow. The film then cuts to a medium shot of Latina, from the bust up. She interlaces her fingers and holds out her arms in front of her with palms towards the camera, so that her elbows point out. In that position, she raises her arms over and behind her head, and then down her back, dislocating her shoulders in order to achieve that motion. The film ends as she turns her back to the camera. Duration: 0:55  

Latina, Dislocation Act  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1905.

Opens with a repeat of the last scene in "Latina, contortionist." In a medium shot from the bust up, Latina faces the camera and interlaces her fingers with her arms held out in front of her, palms towards the camera and elbows pointed out. In that position, she raises her arms over and behind her head and then down her back, dislocating her shoulders in order to achieve that motion. She then turns her back to the camera, with her hands still locked behind her, and slowly brings her locked arms up and over her head; the viewer can clearly see her shoulder joints dislocate in the process. She turns back to face the camera as her arms continue to return to their starting position in front of her. Latina closes by unlacing her fingers and spreading her arms with a flourish.  Duration: 0:23

Sandow  American Mutoscope Company, 1896?]

Strong-man Eugene (Eugen) Sandow poses in a long shot on a bare stage against a black background, wearing only tight trunks and laced sandals. He begins with his arms folded against his chest, looking off screen left, then strikes a variety of poses that accentuate his muscular development. These positions include flexing his right arm with the fist to his head and face to shoulder; turning his back to the camera and flexing his upper arms and shoulder muscles; and, with his back still to the camera, stretching out and up with one arm at a time. Sandow then turns back to face the camera and performs a standing backflip. He closes in the same pose with which he opened. Duration: 0:24

Kawana Trio from Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies, no. 6  Commonwealth Pictures Corp., c1919.

Opening title identifies the Kawana Trio as "artistic foot jugglers." The camera iris opens to reveal three Asians--two men and a woman--dressed in kimonos and looking down. They raise their heads and look at the camera, smiling, as the iris closes. Another iris effect opens to a stage with a dark background and a decorated, cushioned platform center stage. The men now wear white leotards with sashes tied at their waists. One of the two men reclines on the platform with his buttocks raised and supported by the cushion and his legs up in the air. The woman, dressed in a white leotard with a camisole-type top, enters and is helped up onto the reclining man's feet by the other partner. Starting on her stomach, the woman is juggled first to a sitting and then a side-reclining position. The film cuts to a closeup of the woman's body and the juggler's feet as he flips her into various positions, and then back to the long shot as she is juggled on her knees, feet, and stomach; somersaulted to a sitting position; and somersaulted to her back and spun. The trio then take a bow to the camera from the stage.

Cont.: The film cuts to a longer shot of the stage with two platforms on either side and the woman standing by a smaller platform center stage and behind the others. With her "spotting" them, the two men position themselves on their backs on the two platforms with their legs facing each other, and take turns juggling and spinning a circus-type barrel and then tossing it to the other, all with their feet. After several times back and forth, the two men stand on the stage and gesture to the camera. The film then cuts to a closer shot of one man positioned on a platform in center stage. The second acrobat runs and jumps onto the reclining man's feet and is juggled and somersaulted. As the second man is spun in a sitting position, the film cuts to a closeup. The man also spins in a tucked position, and then back to a sitting one. With a final cut to the original long shot, the first man continues to juggle and flip the other. Closes with a bow to the camera from the trio. Duration: 3:16

Three Acrobats  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1899.

Vaudeville stage act of two male and one female clown-acrobats who make use of a constructed "break-away" wall of spring-hinged windows and doors. Begins with a male clown in dark tights and leotard with a white clown collar tumbling through the set's upper window, as a second male in a light suitcoat over dark tights and leotard tumbles out the bottom window. Both men have painted faces and wild clown hair. As they chase each other in and around the wall's doors, a dark-haired woman in light tights and leotard, without greasepaint, surreptitiously hits one of the male clowns with a board. That man thinks it is the other male who has struck him, and the chase continues. This business is repeated with a bucket. As the first male clown kicks the other, however, the woman is spotted and blamed for the incident, resulting in a chase between all three "acrobats" in and out of the set's doors. Duration: 0:34

Treloar and Miss Marshall, Prize Winners at the Physical Culture Show in Madison Square Garden  Edison Manufacturing Co., 1904.

Opens with a woman posing on a pedestal, dressed in a white body leotard with a sash tied at her hips. Marshall continues with various feminine poses, reminiscent of classic Greek statuary, to accentuate her figure. Film cuts to Treloar posed on the bare stage without a pedestal. He wears brief leopard-skin trunks or short tunic, wrist bands, and Roman-looking laced sandals. His poses accentuate the muscular development of his upper body, particularly that of his arms, and include movements that make the muscles jump. Treloar finishes with a slight nod to the camera. Duration: 2:10

Kruger and Ward from Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies Commonwealth Pictures Corp., 1919 or 1920?

Opening title introduces "Kruger and Ward, the tall and short of it." The camera iris opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a canyon and waterfall. Two clowns walk across the stage: a dwarf with a fake bald pate dressed in evening clothes and a top hat, and a tall, thin clown dressed as a woman. The dwarf follows the "woman" with a handkerchief, trying to get her attention, as the woman circles and appears to be looking for something on the ground. She finally notices her little suitor, but responds by kicking him down and then giggling. Undaunted, the dwarf gets back up, motions to the tall woman to bend down, and whispers in her ear. She giggles again and the two flirt.

Cont.: Film cuts to the same stage and backdrop, now with a hanging trapeze bar and two rings. Onto the stage walks the tall clown, now dressed in a sleeveless shirt and satiny, ruffled bloomers to mid-calf with tights. Following him is the dwarf, no longer in facepaint or wearing the fake pate. The clown mounts the bar and assumes a contortionist position that demonstrates his limberness by apparently folding his torso in half: anchored by his ankles, he sits up so that he looks at the camera with his head over the bar and his arms beneath it and through his legs. From that position, the clown lifts the dwarf off the ground with a rope which the small acrobat grasps in his teeth. As he hangs by his mouth, the dwarf sheds his tuxedo to reveal a satiny sleeveless shirt and pants to the knee with tights. The camera pans down to follow him as he releases the mouth grip and gestures to the camera. Cuts to a closeup of the dwarf, now shirtless, from the back as he contorts and perhaps dislocates his shoulders. He turns around and continues contorting and flexing his upper muscles.

Cont.: Cuts to the clown jumping on a table placed center stage. He lays on his back with his legs in the air, then brings his legs down behind him and to the side as he sits up with his upper torso. He returns to a normal sitting position facing the camera, and then assumes a variety of pretzel-like positions with his legs. Cuts to a similar shot of the stage with hanging rings but no table. With a boost from the clown, the dwarf hangs from the rings and performs a series of flips that force his apparently dislocated shoulders behind his torso. Again from the hanging position, he then rotates and dislocates his shoulders one by one, and repeats the actions several times. Cuts to the dwarf helped on to the hanging bar, from which he swings by the back of his neck only. Cuts to the clown mounting the bar, hanging by one arm as he wraps his legs around his middle torso, and rotating the arm so that his contorted body spins. The clown then hangs from the bar with both hands and wraps his legs around his body so that his feet are behind his head. In that position, he rotates his body through his legs and up and over his shoulders. The clown briefly sits on the dwarf's shoulders and spreads his arms in a gesture for the camera. Duration: 3:25

Three Jumping Tommies from Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies, no. 38 Commonwealth Pictures Corp., c1920.

Opening title introduces "Three jumping Tommies in their original acrobatic stunts," with "Tommies" apparently referring to the performers' British military uniform costumes of caps, shirts and ties, knickers to the knees, tights, and short boots. Cuts to a long shot of a stage with a painted backdrop of a garden with fountains. From stage right march three young men; a short boy flanked by two taller men. As they reach center stage, the three turn to the camera and salute, then toss off their caps. The three acrobats perform a variety of acrobatic and gymnastic stunts, including backflips from another's handhold, cartwheels and somersaults where no hands touch the floor, leaping spins similar to cartwheels but with the upper torso parallel to the floor, and a lively shuffle dance interspersed with cartwheels, spins, and twirls. One of the taller boys also performs a series of slow, somewhat comic backwards somersaults, then does a series of handsprings in place at center stage as the other two perform kicks from handstands on either side.

Cont.: Film cuts to another shot of the stage, which now features a tower made of four stacked tables and supported by two of the acrobats and a fourth man. On top of the tower in a chair sits one of the taller acrobats. This boy then does a backflip off the tower, at no time leaving the seat of his chair which lands upright on the stage. The three "Tommies" move downstage, the smaller boy takes a bow from center stage, and the camera lens closes in an iris effect. Duration: 2:43

Toto Brothers from Spanuth's Original Vod-A-Vil Movies  Commonwealth Pictures Corp., 1919 or 1920?

Opening title identifies this as a "balancing and iron jaw novelty act." Cuts to a long shot of a stage with a carpet and dark curtains as a backdrop, in front of which stand four chairs and a table. From stage left enters a man wearing dark leotards with a single-shouldered top, a waist belt, and dark high-top shoes with a white border. From stage right tumbles a male clown dressed in a white sailor suit and cap. The two engage in a slap-and-tumble novelty turn. The man then carefully positions two chairs facing each other on the carpet, but as he attends to one the clown sits in the other laughing, until it is yanked out from under him by his impatient "brother." This bit is repeated with the other chair. Finally, the two chairs are positioned correctly and the man performs a balancing act across them, with one arm on one chair and his feet on the other. Behind him, the clown grabs another chair and unsuccessfully attempts his own balancing act. His balancing brother, in the meantime, lowers himself as if doing a one-handed pushup, grabs in his mouth a handkerchief placed on the chair, and raises back up. He then encourages the clown to attempt the same act, with the expected humorous result that the chairs are pushed apart and the clown falls to the ground between them. The clown is picked up by his brother and tossed out of the way.

Cont.: While his brother lays on the carpet and balances two stacked chairs in one hand as he moves about, the clown tries to balance some sort of stick in his mouth. Cut to intertitle: "You will notice I do all the work, but a double act gets more money, so I carry the brother with me." Cuts back to the man still balancing the stacked chairs from reclining, standing, and sitting positions, as the clown first tries a headstand and then balances his midsection on the back of a chair and scuttles it across the floor. The brothers then move the table to center stage. Cuts to intertitle: "You must have lock-jaw to do this." Cuts back to a closer shot as the man places a chair on top of the table and two others to either side of him, kneels down, grabs the corner of the table in his mouth, and slowly rises to his feet with the table in his teeth and a chair held high in each hand. In the background, the clown fails at a balancing act with a single chair. His brother then lowers the furniture back to the ground and gestures to the camera. Cuts to intertitle: "To fully appreciate this stunt, try it on your kitchen table when you get home." Cuts to the man placing a chair on the edge of the table, on which the clown sits. The iron-jaw brother then grabs a rung of the chair in his mouth and its front legs in his hands, and begins to lift the chair and clown in his teeth. Film ends abruptly. Duration: 5:23

Dramatic excerpts, dramatic sketches, and tableaus

"Short dramatic sketches or scenes from long dramatic pieces were often performed as vaudeville "turns," or acts. The examples in this category, "Duel Scene, By Right of Sword' ," "A Ballroom Tragedy," and "The Society Raffles ," are typical of the fare seen on the stage during this period. The latter two were obviously chosen because of the strong visual qualities of their stories. "Fights of Nations" is a patriotic piece that features a series of vignettes leading to a grand finale that conveys the philosophy of the United States as a melting pot. (Several nations are depicted through stereotypes in a series of altercations that culminate in the peaceful representation of a United States with Uncle Sam presiding over all. Notably absent from this final peaceful picture are African-Americans; a Native American woman is shown kneeling in a subjugated position."

Dramatic Excerpt

Duel Scene, "By Right of Sword"  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904.

Opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a lake surrounded by forest. A bearded man wrapped in a dark cloak and wearing a dark fur shako--apparently the novel's character of Major Devinsky--stands stage left. Behind him, a group of three soldiers move about impatiently, watching for someone offstage. According to Marchmont's story, the men should be late 19th century Russian soldiers, but in the film they wear military uniforms that seem French in design instead, with light-colored breeches sporting embroidered designs, dark buttoned jackets with another coat slung over one shoulder, dark fur shakos with plumes, and shiny black boots to the knee. From stage right enters the story's main character of Hamylton Tregethner, masquerading as infantryman Alexis Petrovitch in a similar uniform and cloak. The duelers remove their cloaks and jackets, roll up their shirtsleeves, and accept their swords from the soldier acting as "second." The portion of the book where Tregethner tries to persuade Devinsky to abandon the duel is presented on film as a pantomimed discussion, then the two opponents face each other and the duel is started. During the swordfight, Tregethner is brought to his knees at one point, but prevails and ends the duel by cutting Devinsky on the arm. As the loser storms off the stage, one of the soldiers salutes the victor. Duration: 1:43

Dramatic Sketches

A Ballroom Tragedy  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1905.

Opens on a set of a sitting room, apparently off a ballroom where dancers occasionally can be glimpsed through a curtained entrance stage right. Near the entrance, a young couple in formal attire talk--perhaps angrily--as another couple exit the dancing. The second man introduces his companion--a striking woman in a risqué white gown with a low-cut bodice and bare shoulders--to the other man and then reenters the dance hall. The young man apparently excues his female companion, who is plainer in comparison with the new arrival, and invites the woman in white to join him on a settee. The two talk closely and affectionately, as the spurned woman returns with a knife in her hand and hides in the curtain behind the sitting couple. When the two kiss, she reaches out and stabs her rival in the back. The injured woman jumps up in pain and then collapses on the floor, apparently dead. The murderess runs away as the young man rushes to hold the fallen woman. Duration: 0:50

Fights of Nations  Part 1    Part 2    Part 3 American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.

Part 1: In "Mexico and Spain," a man dressed as a Mexican peasant spies on a happy young woman and her suitor, who wears a fancy Spanish, matador-style outfit. The woman dances for her companion, then the couple embrace and sit on a stone bench, holding hands. The jealous peasant rises from his hiding place to stab his rival, but the woman grabs his arm and stops him. The two men engage in a fierce knife fight, with the woman at one point helping her suitor regain his lost weapon. The Spaniard finally disarms his opponent, but consents to the woman's begging and spares the peasant's life. (155 ft.) -- "Our Hebrew Friends" opens to a street set with a painted backdrop of storefronts. A man apparently identified as Jewish through his dark hair and full beard argues with a Jewish necktie peddler. The argument soon escalates into a shoving match, through which a portly gentleman tries to pass. A third man, also apparently Jewish, happens upon the scene and soon joins the fight. The three men turn in a circle kicking each other until a policeman arrives and breaks them apart. The third man draws the officer aside with an offer of a bribe, which the policeman happily accepts. The money, however, is apparently taken back secretly when the two shake hands, and the three men rejoice after the policeman walks off. (83 ft.)

Part 2: "'Hoot mon!' A Scottish Combat" opens with the end of a duel between two uniformed men in kilts as one falls to the ground wounded. A third kilted man enters and sees the fallen man, and in turn fights with the victor with swords and shields. The third man ultimately disarms his opponent and stands victorious with his foot upon the man's chest. (57 ft.) -- "Sunny Africa, Eighth Avenue, New York" takes place in an African-American dance hall. After a dance number, a young man in a cap and striped shirt sits for a drink with his female companion. He is soon induced, however, to perform an energetic tap dance as the other patrons watch and clap. When he is motioned outside after the dance, an older suited gentleman notices his absence and introduces himself to the young woman, who invites him to sit down. They have a drink and are dancing a lively cakewalk when the young man returns and angrily breaks them apart. The two men draw large knives and fight, until the woman and a waiter finally separate them. Smiling, the young man and his lady cakewalk out the door. (176 ft.)

Part 3: "Sons of the Ould Sod" opens on a set of a two-story tenement. A woman hangs clothes on a line from an upper window as her husband returns home with a pail of beer. The man next door--who, like the husband, is balding with full sideburns and a beard--sits on a bench in front of the building and reads a newspaper. The woman accidentally drops a wet sheet on the neighbor's head, prompting a battle of words and shaken fists between the angry man on the street and her husband in the window above. When the husband dumps what appears to be sawdust, the neighbor retaliates by drenching him with a hose until the woman breaks a barrel over his head. The husband comes downstairs and the fight becomes a brawl between the two men. The woman finally ends the battle by bringing out a bucket of beer and pouring drinks for the weary men, who laugh and toast each other. (147 ft.) -- Closes with "America, The Land of the Free," on a set of a grand staircase decorated with various flags and the American eagle, and two large U.S. flags draped on either side. In pairs, different characters descend the staircase and happily introduce themselves: a dark-haired man in uniform and a woman in black lace (perhaps representing the French), a bearded man in a different uniform and a woman in a white gown (perhaps representing Russia), a very stout older gentleman bearing the British flag on his shirt, and the Spaniard and Mexican from the earlier scene. A young Native American woman hurries down the stairs and kneels center stage with her head bowed. Closes with two young U.S. soldiers flanking the entrance of Uncle Sam, who is cheered by all. (126 ft.) Duration: 3:32 (part 1), 3:28 (part 2), and 4:02 (part 3

The Society Raffles  American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1905.

 Opens on a set of a nicely-decorated living room, with a door stage left and a settee in front of an open window in the foreground. A middle-aged man with greying hair and a mustache, wearing formal evening clothes, enters the room, looks around, and seems relieved to find it empty. He crosses to the window and signals, and a roughly-dressed "tough" appears. The two men talk, apparently making plans, and then the bandit ducks out of sight as a couple enter the room. A younger man, also in a tuxedo, introduces a woman in a white gown and jeweled tiara, then leaves. The older man invites the woman to sit. As he takes her hand and appears to court her, he cleverly slips the tiara off her head and hands it out the window to his waiting accomplice. The thief kisses her on the cheek, then checks his pocketwatch, rises, and excuses himself. The woman follows him to the door, but as she walks back to the settee she sees the tough at the window examining the tiara. She clutches her head and screams, then swoons in a faint on the sofa as the bandit runs away. Duration: 0:48

Tableaus
"Tableaus, or living pictures, were also popular on the vaudeville stage. While "Spirit of '76" is not technically considered a tableau because it incorporates movement, it still serves as a representative sample of famous scenes being brought to life on stage--in this case, the well-known painting by Archibald M. Willard."

Spirit of `76 American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1905.

Dramatic recreation of the ca. 1875 painting "The spirit of '76" by Archibald M. Willard. Film opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a battlefield and stage props of dirt, stones, and a broken wagon wheel. From stage left marches a trio of Revolutionary soldiers in a fife and drum corps. As in the painting, the center drummer is a tall, older, white-haired man in a white shirt and dark vest. On his left, the other drummer is a young boy dressed in a uniform with a tricorner hat and boots to the knee. On the right marches a dark-haired fife player with a bandaged head, dressed in an unbuttoned uniform. When they reach center stage, the three march in place and play a tune as smoke from the battlefield drifts behind them. The soldiers then turn around, march towards the backdrop, and off stage right. A flash of smoke on stage simulates canon fire, after which the drummers and fife player march back onstage, still playing. After they have performed briefly, a man in a uniform and tricorner hat enters behind them, waving a large American flag. The corps continues to march in place and play as the flag waves. Duration: 0:57

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