Richard Semler Barthelmess was an American film actor, principally of the Hollywood silent era. He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D. W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920) and was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927. The following year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for two films: The Patent Leather Kid and The Noose.
1917 in film was a particularly fruitful year for the art form, and is often cited as one of the years in the decade which contributed to the medium the most, along with 1913. Secondarily the year saw a limited global embrace of narrative film-making and featured innovative techniques such as continuity cutting. Primarily, the year is an American landmark, as 1917 is the first year where the narrative and visual style is typified as "Classical Hollywood".
A lost film is a feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. Early films were not thought to have value beyond their theatrical run, so many were discarded afterward. Nitrate film used in early pictures was highly flammable and susceptible to degradation. The Library of Congress began acquiring copies of American films in 1909, but not all were kept. Due to improvements in film technology and recordkeeping, few films produced in the 1950s or beyond have been lost.
Valeska Suratt was an American stage and silent film actress. Over the course of her career, Suratt appeared in 11 silent films, all of which are now lost, mainly due to the 1937 Fox vault fire.
Henry King was an American actor and film director. Widely considered one of the finest and most successful filmmakers of his era, King was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and directed seven films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Jane Lee (1912–1957) and Katherine Lee (1909–1968), sisters, were child stars in silent motion pictures and vaudeville theatre. They were also known as the "Baby Grands", "Lee Kids", or the "Fox Kiddies" for their appearances in Fox Film productions.
Highland Lawn Cemetery is a city-owned cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana. Opened in 1884, the cemetery includes 139 acres (0.56 km2).
The Soul of Broadway is a 1915 American silent crime drama film produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by Herbert Brenon. Popular vaudeville performer Valeska Suratt starred in the film which was also her silent screen debut. The Soul of Broadway is now considered lost. It is one of many silent films that were destroyed in a fire at Fox's film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey in July 1937.
The Immigrant is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and starring Valeska Suratt, an actress who specialized in playing vamp roles and who was one of Theda Bara's film rivals. The film is now considered lost.
Jealousy is a 1916 American silent drama film written and directed by Will S. Davis. The film starred Valeska Suratt in another popular vamp role. The film is now considered lost.
A Rich Man's Plaything is a 1917 American silent drama film produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. The film starred Valeska Suratt in her final film role. A Rich Man's Plaything is now considered lost. It is one of many silent films that were destroyed in a fire at Fox's film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey in July 1937.
The Victim is a 1916 American silent drama film that was written and directed by Will S. Davis. The film starred Valeska Suratt and Herbert Heyes, and was distributed by Fox Film Corporation. All prints are believed to be lost.
She is a 1917 American silent fantasy adventure drama film directed by Kenean Buel and produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. It was loosely based on H. Rider Haggard's oft filmed 1887 best-selling novel, She: A History of Adventure. Now considered lost, the film starred Valeska Suratt and Ben Taggart.
The New York Peacock is a 1917 American silent crime drama film directed by Kenean Buel. Distributed by Fox Film Corporation, the film starred Valeska Suratt. It is now considered lost.
Wife Number Two is a 1917 American silent drama film feature directed and written by William Nigh. The film starred Valeska Suratt, vamp rival to Theda Bara on the Fox lot, and was Suratt's penultimate silent film performance. The film is now considered lost.
The Slave is a 1917 American silent drama film written and directed by William Nigh. The film starred Valeska Surratt. It is now considered lost.
The Siren is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by Roland West, in one of his earlier efforts, and starred Valeska Surratt. The Siren is now considered lost.
A major fire occurred in a 20th Century-Fox film-storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States on July 9, 1937. Flammable nitrate film had previously contributed to several fires in film-industry laboratories, studios and vaults, although the precise causes were often unknown. In Little Ferry, gases produced by decaying film, combined with high temperatures and inadequate ventilation, resulted in spontaneous combustion.
Damon and Pythias is a 1914 American silent epic film directed by Otis Turner and starring William Worthington, Herbert Rawlinson, and Cleo Madison. It is based on the Greek legend of Damon and Pythias set during the reign of Dionysius I of Syracuse. It was an ambitious production by Universal Pictures, made at a time when feature films were rapidly replacing short films as the leading format in cinema. For much of the opening reel the cast are introduced, appearing in their modern dress rather than historical costumes.
Joseph Granby was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1915 to the 1960s.
