Strand Theatre
Special Strand Theatre 108th Anniversary Post - ...
Special Strand Theatre 108th Anniversary Post - "Pennington's Choice"

Special Strand Theatre 108th Anniversary Post - "Pennington's Choice"

To celebrate the 108th anniversary of the opening of The Strand Theatre, here is some information about the very first film to run in Delaware, Ohio’s Home for First-Run Movies.

Showing 108 years ago at The Strand Theatre was "Pennington's Choice".
The day was Monday, April 10, 1916.

This was the opening night of Delaware Ohio’s largest theater at that time.

Read all about the history of your Stand Theater here: https://www.thestrandtheatre.net/history
Read the newspaper ad here: https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/779

Pennington's Choice is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by William Bowman and starring Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne a popular film acting team of the era. It was distributed by Metro Pictures.[1][2]

Pennington's Choice

1915

50 minutes

In this fast-paced silent comedy, the heart of a handsome Yankee socialite is stolen by a comely Canadian lass. The trouble is, he cannot marry her until he earns her father’s respect and approval. As he lives up in the Canadian wilderness, the enthusiastic suitor immediately boards a northbound train. It is a long-trek, but eventually he knocks upon her father’s cabin door and finds her “twin” sister there to greet him. Athletic and daring, she shows the city slicker up at every turn. At one point she even tries to seduce the young fellow, but though she is attractive, he is not swayed (it’s a good thing too as the “twin” is really his true-love in disguise). One day real trouble comes in the form of two burly, bullying loggers who beat the sawdust out of the hero. To get revenge, he calls his best friend, the ex-world heavyweight champion, to come for a visit. With his help, the hero teaches the loggers a lesson, wins his lady’s heart and finally the approval of her father.

https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v105851
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/P/PenningtonsChoice1915.html
https://catalog.afi.com/Film/13833-PENNINGTONS-CHOICE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington%27s_Choice

Week of October 4th - "God's Country and the Law"

God's Country and the Law

Showing this week 100 years ago at The Strand Theatre was God's Country and the Law, a 1921 American silent drama film produced by Pine Tree Pictures and distributed by Arrow Films. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Fred C. Jones and Gladys Leslie in the leading roles. It was adapted from the 1915 novel God’s Country and the Woman by James Oliver Curwood, which had been previously filmed under that title in 1916.

'Poleon and his daughter Oachi live a quiet existence in the North Woods, as do their neighbors, André and Marie Beauvais. Doré, a villainous whiskey runner fleeing from the Northwest Mounted Police, is hospitably welcomed by 'Poleon; but when he forces his attentions on Oachi, her father drives him away. Terror-stricken by the loss of his rattlesnake idol, and thus deprived of communion with the evil spirits, he is welcomed at André and Marie's cabin but is likewise thrashed soundly and sent on his way. Doré returns when Marie is ill, in André's absence, and kidnaps her during a storm; she escapes and leaps over an embankment, there to be found unconscious by Oachi the next day. Doré, driven mad with fear, returns to their home wounded, and a vision of Marie brings his death.

—Pamela Short

Week of July 7th, 1921 - "The Misleading Lady" and "Fair and Warmer"

The Misleading Lady4.png

100 years ago at The Strand Theatre….

"The Misleading Lady" and "Fair and Warmer"

Director
George Irving

Writers
Charles W. Goddard(play)
Paul Dickey(play)
Lois Zellner(scenario)

Stars
Bert Lytell
Lucy Cotton
Frank Currier

In 1921, the film slate was “Fair and Warmer” with May Allison with an unnamed Mack Sennett comedy on Friday with “The Misleading Lady” and a hall Room Boy’s comedy on Saturday.

This was an earlier version of a more famous film staring Claudette Colbert. Jack Craigen, an engineer who has just finished a construction job in South Africa, returns to New York. There, at the home of his Uncle Cannell, he meets stage-struck society girl Helen Steele and her playwright fiancé Tracey. Scheming to win the lead in their new production, The Siren , Helen wagers Cannell and Tracey that she can vamp Jack--a notorious woman-hater--and have him propose to her in a week. She succeeds, but when Jack learns of the ruse, he resolves to teach her a lesson in primitive emotions. When she teases Jack about him kidnapping her as natives in Africa do to their prospective mates, he takes her away to his mountain lodge. There, comic escapades follow, including his chaining her ankle and the arrival of various characters--a lunatic who imagines himself to be Napoleon, two drunks, a reporter and Tracey. At the end, Jack's caveman tactics have won the heart of Helen, and she agrees to be his wife.

Week of June 30th, 1921 - Frontier of the Stars

Frontier of the Stars is a lost 1921 American drama silent film directed by Charles Maigne and written by Charles Maigne and Albert Payson Terhune. The film stars Thomas Meighan, Faire Binney, Alphonse Ethier, Edward Ellis, Gus Weinberg and Florence Johns.

Buck Leslie (Meighan) is a gangster who is embroiled in a barroom brawl and mistaken for a killer. He climbs to a rooftop in order to evade the police and finds Hilda Shea, an innocent, wheelchair-bound girl (Faire Binney). Hilda's sheltered life consists of her tenement home and its rooftop. Leslie easily convinces the girl that he is merely playing a game and she willingly sends the pursuing cops away. A friendship develops between the crook and the invalid, and it brings out the best in Leslie.

https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/21014

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133781/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_of_the_Stars

https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v92446

Week of June 9th, 1921 - The Passionate Pilgrim and Heliotrope

100 Years Ago At The Strand….

Two films leaving us little trace were showing at The Strand that week.
https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/20556

The_Passionate_Pilgrim_1921_newspaper.jpg

The Passionate Pilgrim

An innocent man goes to prison for obstruction of justice when his wife refuses to reveal that her father was killed by her mother (and it wasn't suicide). When he is finally released, he meets and becomes involved with a young woman who belongs to the town's influential elite. Once again, he finds himself caught up in intrigue - which eventually leads to his exposing the mayor of the town as corrupt.
Only an incomplete print survives in the Library of Congress collection
Director
Robert G. Vignola

Writers
Samuel Merwin(novel)
George DuBois Proctor

Stars
Matt Moore
Mary Newcomb
Julia Swayne Gordon
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012558/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passionate_Pilgrim_(1921_film)

Heliotrope 5.JPG

Heliotrope

A prison inmate obtains his release from prison in order to rescue his daughter from the clutches of her unscrupulous mother's plot to implicate the girl in a blackmail scheme.
Heliotrope is a lost 1920 American silent drama film directed by George D. Baker and written by Robert W. Chambers and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Wilfred Lytell, Ben Hendricks Sr., Julia Swayne Gordon, Betty Hilburn, Diana Allen, and Frederick Burton. The film was released on November 28, 1920, by Paramount Pictures.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliotrope_(film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011278




Week of June 3rd, 1921 - The Charm School

100 Years Ago At The Strand....

The Charm School

The Charm School is a lost 1921 American silent comedy film starring Wallace Reid. Produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures this James Cruze directed film was based on a 1920 Broadway stage play and novel by Alice Duer Miller that starred veteran actress Minnie Dupree.[2] It is currently a lost film.[3][4] It was filmed on the campus of Pomona College in Claremont, California.

When Mrs. Rolles (Farrington) insists that she will not have Austin Bevans (Reid) as a son-in-law, he insists that she will. But when his aunt dies and leaves Austin a girl's boarding school in her will, Austin gives up his suit of Susie Rolles (Bains) and decides to run the school.

https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/20897

Director
James Cruze

Writers
Thomas J. Geraghty
Alice Duer Miller(story)

Stars
Wallace Reid
Lila Lee
Adele Farrington

Week of May 26th, 1921 - The Testing Block

Week of May 26th, 1921 - The Testing Block

“The Testing Block”

The tough outlaw 'Sierra' Bill falls in love with the traveling girl violinist Nelly Gray. Sierra forces her into marrying him. They have a child, but family life is interrupted by the gambler Ringe, who not only persuades Nelly to leave her husband but ruins Sierra at the gaming table. With thoughts of vengeance, the angry Sierra breaks out of jail and goes after Ringe.

William S. Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. For the 100th anniversary of this film, it has been uploaded with an introduction and music track to YouTube for you to enjoy.

https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/21104
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Testing_Block
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011756/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Hart

Director
Lambert Hillyer

Writers
William S. Hart (screenplay)
Lambert Hillyer(scenario)

Stars
William S. Hart
Eva Novak
J. Gordon Russel

Week of May 19th, 1921 - Conrad in Quest of His Youth

100 Years Ago At The Strand Theatre….

Conrad Warrener, a man of near middle-age, reflects nostalgically on the happy times of his youth and decides to recapture them. However, what he learns about the "second time around" is neither what he expected nor what he hoped for.

This quietly personal film is often used as an example of why William DeMille was so overshadowed by his younger brother. Thoughtful silent films could be entertaining, but never brought the spotlight as much as the big-budget spectaculars.

https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/20592
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011070/
https://moviessilently.com/2020/10/19/conrad-in-quest-of-his-youth-1920-a-silent-film-review/
https://youtu.be/tzLXGGMIiUY

Director:
William C. de Mille

Writers:
Leonard Merrick (novel), Olga Printzlau

Stars:
Thomas Meighan, Mabel Van Buren, Mayme Kelso

https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/20592
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011070/

Week of May 12, 1921 - Brewster’s Millions

100 Years Ago At The Strand Theatre….

Brewster’s Millions

There have been at least seven film versions of this story based on a 1906 play (based on a 1902 novel).
This was a tremendous hit for Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle that is now entirely lost as are many silent films.
Monte Brewster learns that he has inherited $10 million from his late grandfather, but then learns that he must spend $2 million in less than a year (without explaining to anyone why) and remain unmarried to inherit the rest of the money.
The most recent version was in 1985 with Richard Pryor and John Candy.

https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/21185
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster%27s_Millions_(1921_film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011998/

Director:
Joseph Henabery

Writers:
George Barr McCutcheon (novel), Winchell Smith (play)

Stars:
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Betty Ross Clarke, Fred Huntley

Week of May 4, 1921

100 Years Ago At The Strand Theatre...

"Midsummer Madness" strikes Julian Osborne when his wife Daisy goes to visit her sick father, leaving Julian behind to fall victim to the charms of his best friend Bob Meredith's neglected wife Margaret.
This silent film was copyrighted in 1920, but delayed for release until 1921. Sound familiar?

Also, Buster Keaton’s first independent release, “One Week”. This is a famous film where a kit house build goes wrong. Treat yourself to a viewing. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q0FMxZBmO4

Director:
William C. de Mille

Writers:
Cosmo Hamilton (novel), Olga Printzlau (scenario)

Stars:
Jack Holt, Conrad Nagel, Lois Wilson

https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/20610
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer_Madness_(1921_film)
https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/496159/midsummer-madness
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011462/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Week_(1920_film)


Week of April 27, 1921

100 Years Ago At The Strand Theatre….
https://www.thestrandtheatre.net/100years

Mary Pickford in “The Love Light” premiered on April 27, 1921.

Angela maintains a coastal lighthouse in Italy, where she awaits the return of her brothers from the war. She learns they are casualties and takes solace in the arms of an American sailor washed ashore.
Gladys Marie Smith, known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the American film industry, she co-founded Pickford–Fairbanks Studios

Here is an excellant overview of the film by Ben Mankiewicz.

Director:
Frances Marion

Writer:
Frances Marion

Stars:
Mary Pickford, Evelyn Dumo, Raymond Bloome

Watch the film yourself for free at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Love_Light_(1921).webm
or on Amazon Prime with music https://smile.amazon.com/Love-Light-Mary-Pickford/dp/B018SIJTNE
https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/21284
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012408/
https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/335335/the-love-light/#overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Love_Light

Week of April 19, 1921

100 Years Ago At The Strand ….
”Something To Think About”

Cecil B. Demille’s silent film starring Gloria Swanson is filled with overwrought drama. Read the Wikipedia plot outline to see just how much melodrama is packed into this 77 minute film.
Or you can watch it on YouTube.
The weekend film was “The Branded Woman”, starring Norma Talmadge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_to_Think_About
https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/20718
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011716/
Director:
Cecil B. DeMille

Writer:
Jeanie Macpherson (story)

Stars:
Elliott Dexter, Gloria Swanson, Monte Blue

Week of April 12, 1921

100 years ago at The Strand...
What a great week that was.
Marion Davies (Number 1 Actress of the time) in “The Restless Sex” all through
the week, then Douglas Fairbanks on the weekend in one of his
greatest roles.
FYI, Mark of Zorro can be watched for free on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/wbQZZRf3Fsc)