Post by Terry Harbin on Jun 13, 2005 14:52:10 GMT -5
Ithaca Made movie shows
in Watkins Glen…
With Ithaca’s newest homegrown feature film
“Green Lights” now playing at local
theaters, a film that honors the memory of
our silent film days here.
"Hollywood on Cayuga" includes
snippets of scenes from Beatrice Fairfax,
Patria, The Lottery Man, and If Women
Only Knew, which were all filmed in Ithaca.
This Saturday, October 6th, 2001, at 2 pm,
the Watkins Glen Theater will show the last
silent film made in Ithaca.
It premiered in Ithaca on October 9th 1921
and now almost exactly 80 years to the day,
The Schuyler County Historical Society invites
everyone to see (thanks to Terry Harbin) this
recently restored film “If Women Only Knew”
The Historic Watkins Glen Theater
(located on N. Franklin St.) will video project
this special showing for only $3 per seat which
will benefit the Schuyler County Historical Society.
The theatre is just two blocks away from beautiful
Seneca Lake just a short drive from Ithaca and in
time to view the recent fall colors changing.
All ages are encouraged to experience this
melodrama from the past. There will be a display
of Ithaca movie pictures, newspapers and
magazine articles from 1912-1921 for viewing,
along with vhs copies of this film and the 1915
feature film “The Lottery Man”.
Terry Harbin will be available to answer questions
after the showing of the 65-minute feature film.
With both Wharton brothers and the Grossman
Picture Company no longer producing in Ithaca
it looked like the end of moviemaking here.
Then in June of 1920, Cayuga Pictures Inc. was
capitalized at $525,000. A former Wharton writer,
Gardner Hunting, wrote and co-produced this final
Ithaca silent film.
Production began in the Wharton’s old studio at
Renwick Park in July. The film was based on Balzac’s
Meditations on marriage, and the working title was
“The Three Women Who Loved Him.” The film
contains many easily recognizable Ithaca Scenes
such as the Arts Quad and the Eddy Gate entrance
to the Cornell campus, swimming in Fall Creek,
Cascadilla, and Upper Treman are pictured in a
dream sequence.
The Cayuga Picture Company had planned to
make three feature films here in Ithaca. They only
filmed “If Women Only Knew” in Ithaca and then
moved to NYC to film their final film “Scrambled Wives”.
Both films failed at the box offices and Cayuga
Pictures soon folded.
This film stars many little known stars, with the
lead role portrayed by Robert Gordon, well known
for portraying silent films first Huck Finn on the big
screen several times along with Jack Pickford as
Tom Sawyer, they became close friends.
Mary Pickford’s brother had married former follies
girl and now actress Olive Thomas, shortly after
she completed her film debut in episode #10
“Playball” from the Beatrice Fairfax series filmed
by The Whartons’ in 1916.
Olive Thomas tragically died in Paris, France on
September 10, 1920 from accidental mercury
poisoning shortly after this final Ithaca film
was completed, while on an ill advised 2nd
honeymoon with Pickford.
Walter Stainton of Ithaca obtained this film
and deposited in the Library of Congress archives
in the early 1960’s and Harbin recovered it in
1988 during the Ithaca Centennial celebration.
Videobrary of Encino, California recently added
the music to the video so it maybe enjoyed once
again. IF WOMEN ONLY KNEW was filmed by Ithaca
cameraman Ray June Ithacan Arch Chadwick,
William McCoy, David Flynn designed the sets.
The last scene filmed in Ithaca was at 1 pm on
August 13TH 1920, when The Cayuga Picture
Company burned a fake fraternity house for
part of the film. Many Ithacans appeared in
this final scene that lit up the night skies along
Cayuga Lakes’ shores for one last time!
in Watkins Glen…
With Ithaca’s newest homegrown feature film
“Green Lights” now playing at local
theaters, a film that honors the memory of
our silent film days here.
"Hollywood on Cayuga" includes
snippets of scenes from Beatrice Fairfax,
Patria, The Lottery Man, and If Women
Only Knew, which were all filmed in Ithaca.
This Saturday, October 6th, 2001, at 2 pm,
the Watkins Glen Theater will show the last
silent film made in Ithaca.
It premiered in Ithaca on October 9th 1921
and now almost exactly 80 years to the day,
The Schuyler County Historical Society invites
everyone to see (thanks to Terry Harbin) this
recently restored film “If Women Only Knew”
The Historic Watkins Glen Theater
(located on N. Franklin St.) will video project
this special showing for only $3 per seat which
will benefit the Schuyler County Historical Society.
The theatre is just two blocks away from beautiful
Seneca Lake just a short drive from Ithaca and in
time to view the recent fall colors changing.
All ages are encouraged to experience this
melodrama from the past. There will be a display
of Ithaca movie pictures, newspapers and
magazine articles from 1912-1921 for viewing,
along with vhs copies of this film and the 1915
feature film “The Lottery Man”.
Terry Harbin will be available to answer questions
after the showing of the 65-minute feature film.
With both Wharton brothers and the Grossman
Picture Company no longer producing in Ithaca
it looked like the end of moviemaking here.
Then in June of 1920, Cayuga Pictures Inc. was
capitalized at $525,000. A former Wharton writer,
Gardner Hunting, wrote and co-produced this final
Ithaca silent film.
Production began in the Wharton’s old studio at
Renwick Park in July. The film was based on Balzac’s
Meditations on marriage, and the working title was
“The Three Women Who Loved Him.” The film
contains many easily recognizable Ithaca Scenes
such as the Arts Quad and the Eddy Gate entrance
to the Cornell campus, swimming in Fall Creek,
Cascadilla, and Upper Treman are pictured in a
dream sequence.
The Cayuga Picture Company had planned to
make three feature films here in Ithaca. They only
filmed “If Women Only Knew” in Ithaca and then
moved to NYC to film their final film “Scrambled Wives”.
Both films failed at the box offices and Cayuga
Pictures soon folded.
This film stars many little known stars, with the
lead role portrayed by Robert Gordon, well known
for portraying silent films first Huck Finn on the big
screen several times along with Jack Pickford as
Tom Sawyer, they became close friends.
Mary Pickford’s brother had married former follies
girl and now actress Olive Thomas, shortly after
she completed her film debut in episode #10
“Playball” from the Beatrice Fairfax series filmed
by The Whartons’ in 1916.
Olive Thomas tragically died in Paris, France on
September 10, 1920 from accidental mercury
poisoning shortly after this final Ithaca film
was completed, while on an ill advised 2nd
honeymoon with Pickford.
Walter Stainton of Ithaca obtained this film
and deposited in the Library of Congress archives
in the early 1960’s and Harbin recovered it in
1988 during the Ithaca Centennial celebration.
Videobrary of Encino, California recently added
the music to the video so it maybe enjoyed once
again. IF WOMEN ONLY KNEW was filmed by Ithaca
cameraman Ray June Ithacan Arch Chadwick,
William McCoy, David Flynn designed the sets.
The last scene filmed in Ithaca was at 1 pm on
August 13TH 1920, when The Cayuga Picture
Company burned a fake fraternity house for
part of the film. Many Ithacans appeared in
this final scene that lit up the night skies along
Cayuga Lakes’ shores for one last time!