The Thanhouser Company was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, producing over a thousand films.
A number of film adaptations of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin have been made over the years. Most of these movies were created during the silent film era. Since the 1930s, Hollywood studios have considered the story too controversial for another adaptation. Characters, themes and plot elements from Uncle Tom's Cabin have also influenced a large number of other movies, including The Birth of a Nation (1915), while also inspiring numerous animated cartoons.
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a 1914 American silent historical drama film directed by William Robert Daly using Vitagraph and starring Sam Lucas, Walter Hitchcock, and Hattie Delaro. It was based upon playwright George L. Aiken's theatrical adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. It was produced at Fort Lee, New Jersey by the newly founded World Film studio. The film is historically notable for being the first movie with a black actor playing a leading role.
The Thanhouser Company was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser. It operated until 1920. It produced over 1,000 films, but several dozen of the films were of small filler subjects, educational or documentaries. Many of these smaller subjects were listed as a quarter or half a reel in length and received very little critical review or analysis by film critics and the media.
Her Battle for Existence is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The fictional drama follows Susan Dale, a young woman used to luxury. She chooses between two suitors, but her fiancé breaks the engagement off after Susan's father loses his money and life. Susan now tries to support herself, but fails in the role and decides to kill herself. Her other suitor rushes in and stops her suicide and they get married. Little is known about the production of the film, but it was released as a split reel with Sand Man's Cure on April 22, 1910. The film is presumed lost.
Jane Eyre is a 1910 American silent short classic drama produced by the Thanhouser Film Corporation. Adapted from Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, Jane Eyre, the film mirrors the events and plot of the original book. The writer of the scenario is unknown, but Lloyd Lonergan probably adapted the work. The film's director is often and erroneously claimed to be Theodore Marston, but Barry O'Neil or Lloyd B. Carleton are possible candidates. The cast of the film was credited, an act rare and unusual in the era.
The Best Man Wins is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film features Thanhouser's leading players Anna Rosemond, Martin Faust, Frank H. Crane and Marie Eline in a drama about morality. Two suitors are vying for the hand of Julia Seaton and propose to her on the same day, but she asks for a month to decide between them. In the time, the caliber of both men are tested when asked by a young girl, named May, to help her dying mother. The doctor refuses to help, and the lawyer offers his assistance, but her mother soon dies. The orphan is taken in by the Seaton family and personally attests to the character of both men when Julia Seaton has to choose between her suitors.
Cupid at the Circus is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is a romance with a storyline focused around a country boy who follows a circus parade to the circus grounds and becomes intent on sneaking into the show. He is discovered, but before he can be ejected, a girl asks her father to buy him a ticket of admission. Thankful, the boy gives her his pocket knife. Years later the two meet again and when he sees her using his pocket knife. He proposes and she accepts. Not too much is known for certain about the production of this film, including the writer, director and photographer credits. The circus scenes were done with special arrangement by Barnum & Bailey. The film was released on May 20, 1910, to favorable reviews. The film is presumed lost.
The Girl of the Northern Woods is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is a drama that follows Lucy Dane and Will Harding and a jealous halfbreed trapper named José. Considering Will his rival, José attempts to ambush Will, but instead shoots Will's assistant. José then blames Will for the deed and Will is bound by a lynch mob and set to be executed. Lucy frees Will and sends the lynch mob away, but José encounters Will and the two fight. José is wounded and falls over a cliff, but Will is recaptured by the mob. From the bottom of the cliff, José calls out for help and Lucy responds to him. José confesses his crime to Lucy and she rushes to Will and prevents his execution. The film was directed by Barry O'Neil and was released on June 3, 1910. An incomplete print of the film survives in the Library of Congress after its rediscovery in 1978 as part of the Dawson Film Find.
Thelma is a 1910 American silent short drama film produced by the Thanhouser Company. The story was based on Marie Corelli's 1887 novel of the same name, it focuses on a Norwegian maiden who meets Sir Phillip and the two are wed. Lady Clara conspires to ruin the marriage and tricks Thelma with a letter purported to be from her husband. Thelma returns to Norway and to the death of her father. Thelma, alone in the world, prays at her mother's grave for strength. Sir Phillip searches for Thelma, ultimately finding her, uncovers the tricks which have been played on them and they fall back in love. Released on June 21, 1910, the film was met with praise in The Moving Picture World. An incomplete print of the film survives in the Library of Congress archives.
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film was adapted by from the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The plot of the Thanhouser production streamlined the actual story to portray the film over the course of a single reel. The film was released on July 26, 1910, on the same day that Vitagraph released the first reel of their own three reel version of Uncle Tom's Cabin. This prompted the Thanhouser Company to advertise against the Vitagraph film by referring to the other as being overly drawn out. The film garnered mixed, but mostly positive reception in trade publications. The film is presumed lost.
Lena Rivers is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film follows a young woman who leaves home to search for employment and becoming married to a wealthy man, but the marriage is kept secret. The husband is arrested by mistake and by the time he is freed, his wife and child depart and he believes them dead. The young woman entrusts her baby, Lena, to her mother before her death. At age 16, Lena goes to the city is visited by her father, but the relationship is only known when he sees a picture of her mother in her locket. The film was an adaptation of Mary Jane Holmes' 1856 novel Lena Rivers and was released on August 12, 1910. It had a wide national release and received positive reviews from critics.
Their Child is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film begins with Ellen Stokes whose extravagant lifestyle is outside the means of the family. While their only son is hosting a birthday party, the husband informs Ellen that they are financially ruined because of her. Ellen attempts to get money from her uncle, who refuses, and a friend of the family soon comes to her aid with a loan. Ellen is deceptive in telling who provided the money and her jealous husband soon learns the truth. In anger, he takes the child and leaves. The child soon returns to Ellen and she whisks him away to a new home where she fails to obtain gainful employment. The son decides to sell newspapers for some money and in this job is recognized by his father, soon the family is reunited. Marie Eline played the role of "their child" and was likely so well disguised that the reviewer for The Nickelodeon believed her to be a boy. The film was released on October 21, 1910, and was met with positive reviews. The film is presumed lost.
Ten Nights in a Bar Room is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. Adapted from the novel Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There by Timothy Shay Arthur, the production focuses on Joe Morgan after he has become a hopeless drunkard. Often Morgan's young daughter, Mary, comes to beg her father to return home. One day, she appears during a fight between the two men and is fatally struck by a bottle thrown by the saloon-keeper. Before Mary dies she asks her father to promise to swear off alcohol and he accepts. He is reformed and becomes successful, while the saloon-keeper is killed in a fight in an irony of fate. The film was released on November 4, 1910 and met with mixed reviews. The film is presumed lost.
The Girls He Left Behind Him and The Iron Clad Lover are two 1910 American silent short comedies produced by the Thanhouser Company. Both films were originally released together on a single reel and are two distinct and separate subjects. The Girls He Left Behind Him focuses on a young man, Jack Redfern, who receives a letter from an old sweetheart of his. This prompts him to reminiscence about all the girls he has had affections for on the eve of his wedding. All the old sweethearts of his life then appear at his wedding to wish him well. The Iron Clad Lover concerns two suitors who are vying for the affections of Bessie. Tom, who plays a game of chess with her father, ends up quarreling with him and he is thrown out of the house. The next day, Tom attempts to bring flowers and candy for Bessie's birthday, but is dismissed by the angry father. Tom decides to dress up in a suit of armor and ends up breaking a vase when trying to announce himself. The suit of armor is thrown out and Bessie and the other suitor chase down the junk dealer to free Tom from the suit of armor. Both films were released on December 9, 1910 and were met with positive reviews by The Moving Picture World and the New York Dramatic Mirror. Both films are presumed lost.
Rip Van Winkle is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is an adaptation of Washington Irving's 1819 short story "Rip Van Winkle" with some differences in the plot. The film focuses on the title character whose idle life is made difficult by his cantankerous wife. Winkle heads into the mountains and encounters spirits of Henry Hudson's men. Upon partaking of their alcohol, Winkle falls into a slumber for twenty years. He returns home and has difficulty proving his identity and must save his property from an unlawful accusation by his rival. After he proves his identity, he is reunited with his family. The title character was played by Frank H. Crane, but the production credits are largely unknown. The film was released on December 6, 1910, and met with positive reviews. The film is presumed lost.
Love and Law is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film begins with a meeting between Tom Egan and Sue Jennings. Sue asks Tom, who had previously been sweethearts, for each others' love letters because she will soon marry another man. On this same night, Jack Deming confronts Tom in a drunken state and brandishing a revolver. Jack seeks vengeance because was put into financial ruin by Tom's speculative advice, but Tom manages to calm him down. Tom pens a letter to Sue and takes his own life, making it appear as if Jack murdered him. Jack is arrested, but a young detective named Violet Gray proves his innocence. Jack and Violet also fall in love. The role of Violet Gray was played by Julia M. Taylor, but the other roles and staff credits are unknown. The film was released on December 13, 1910, it would be the first of four films in the "Violet Gray, Detective" series. The film is presumed lost.
The Vicar Of Wakefield is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film was adapted from Oliver Goldsmith's 1766 novel The Vicar of Wakefield, but covers only part of the plot and deviates significantly from the book to allow the story to be told within the confines of a single reel of film.
St. Elmo is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Vitagraph.
