The kind folks at Classic Movie Hub have given me the opportunity to create a series of posts dedicated to the history of silent film in Chicago. The first (intro) post is live here, and her… Read More

The kind folks at Classic Movie Hub have given me the opportunity to create a series of posts dedicated to the history of silent film in Chicago. The second post about Selig Polysc… Read More

Ben Model has done it again. Today marks the official release of Model's most recent Kickstarter venture, "The Mishaps of Musty Suffer," and this latest offering is every bit as entertaining… Read More

Recently, silent film accompanist/film historian Ben Model released the second installment of his “Accidentally Preserved” series. The DVD features nine more restored v… Read More

In the last month or so, the rest of the world has realized something that film fans and film historians have known for years -- 75% of American silent films are considered “lost.&rdqu&hell…Read More

On her 80th birthday, Annabelle Whitford was on top of the world. She'd received jams, jellies, flowers, phone calls and telegrams from well-wishers across the country, and had entertained s… Read More

A decade before Elinor Glyn declared Clara Bow the It Girl, she hand-picked another rising star to bring her original stories to the big screen. When the tradepapers reported that Jeanne Ive… Read More

Little Richard Headrick’s golden curls and beyond-his-years acting ability began winning over filmmakers and just the age of 2. Although he quickly became a fan favorite and fan magazi… Read More

By the time Dorothy Dwan was 23, she had been married twice, played leading lady to the likes of Larry Semon and Tom Mix, and faced her own father in court. She had a complicated and interes… Read More

There's been a lot of discussion lately about the guarantees that come with pledging a Kickstarter campaign. While some campaigns have failed to live up to their intended end products, Ben M… Read More

The death of Essanay star Vedah Bertram marks one of the earliest tragedies the film industry had to deal with. When she died at just 20 years old, she had already traveled across the countr… Read More

Charlie Chaplin Essanay advertisementThanks to my recent work with Essanay, I was given the exciting opportunity to pen a series of blog posts for the wonderful Classic Movie Hub site. I'm h… Read More

G.M. "Broncho Billy" AndersonThanks to my recent work with Essanay, I was given the exciting opportunity to pen a series of blog posts for the wonderful Classic Movie Hub site… Read More

Young Gloria SwansonThanks to my recent work with Essanay, I was given the exciting opportunity to pen a series of blog posts for the wonderful Classic Movie Hub site. The thi… Read More

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of volunteering at Essanay Studios’ Open House event as part of Open House Chicago. The 2-day event gives Chicago residents the opportunity to get exclu… Read More

Virginia Valli in front of the historic Essanay Studios entranceFor a few months now, I've had the opportunity to work closely with a wonderful group of people still firmly entrenched in the… Read More

Mary MacLane had been causing a stir for nearly 20 years by the time she joined the ranks at Essanay, and the sensation she caused helped bring the studio new attention. Unfortunately, the p… Read More

Although she was a popular leading lady with the Chicago branch of Essanay, Edna Mayo’s fame and stardom were brief, as was her film career. She was in the public eye for less than fiv… Read More

Marguerite Clayton never quite eclipsed her famous leading man G.M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson, but she managed keep a respectable film career alive for 15 years before retiring ri… Read More

By the time William A. Wellman was 36 years old, he had just as many films under his belt. He had also survived a war, four failed marriages, and some of the tougher aspects of the Hollywood… Read More

She had many nicknames during the height of her fame. The Voiceless Prima Donna. The Venus of the Movie World. The Girl with the Search-light Eyes. The Selig Girl. Yet the one Myrtle Stedman… Read More

Winifred Greenwood toured in vaudeville, performed in musical comedies, and did dramatic stock work before joining the film world. She was versatile, consistent and a hard worker, helping he… Read More

Mae Hotely was respected as a comedienne, a dramatic actress, and a versatile character actress. She was once referred to as “The character actress who makes things happen in Lubin fil… Read More

Adrienne Kroell was dubbed one of the most beautiful women in filmdom, and had a beauty contest trophy to support it. At one point, she was named the most engaged girl in all of Chicago, as… Read More

Richard Travers was once described by Motion Picture Classic as a doctor, soldier of fortune, warrior, and a man about town. A man known for his daring, his willingness to take all kinds of… Read More