Gramophone in silent film, 1914

[Josh Cattermole 1999]

Hi all,

Interesting showing today. As well as an old 78 record collector, I also collect silent film prints. In this case two of my hobbies collide, and this beautiful piece of film shows a gramophone. This two-Reel mystery/crime film, titled The Seventh Prelude, was made by The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, and was released on the 31 July 1914. The plot revolves around a greedy uncle trying to control his niece in the hope he'll get her late father's fortune while declaring her insane in the process. He tricks her with a hidden gramophone, but is eventually caught and arrested due to the aid of detective Jack Gordon. This fragment shows the very end of the film, with the evil uncle getting caught by the police and dragged away, as the gramophone plays Chopin's The Seventh Prelude. The film is, to the best of my knowledge, a lost film, such as many from this period (about 80-90% of all silent films are lost).

Of course, the centrepiece is the gramophone. I'm curious what the eagle eyed members of this group think the model is. In any case, I hope you enjoy

[phonogfp]

It's an early-production Victrola IX.

George P.

[Josh Cattermole 1999]

Cheers George.

[Inigo]

Nice. I watched the other day Brief Encounter, the British film of 194x? And after having seen it in the past several times, just the other day I noticed that the woman and her husband listen to the radio on a hmv521 radiogram. It is seen twice in the film.
There is a thread for this subject in the forum, something as Phonographs in Movies or such... We should copy these messages there. It is already a most long thread with dinner like 13 pages of messages since 2009..!

[VanEpsFan1914]

Find an archivist--that piece of film might be important in case someone else has the rest of the film laying around!

Collecting silent film is a fascinating hobby; good for you & if you get a chance please share about that in the Parlor section too--most people on here have watched silent movies before & many love them.

[Josh Cattermole 1999]

Thanks for your interest all Yes, I'm scheduled to chat with an expert on the studio that made it tomorrow, and see where we land.

[gunnarthefeisty]

Thanks for your interest all Yes, I'm scheduled to chat with an expert on the studio that made it tomorrow, and see where we land.

I sure would love to watch this. A dream of mine is to stumble across a film such as this in some antique store or whatnot.

[Josh Cattermole 1999]

Same here, will be a fun piece. Also, to be honest you'd be surprised how many of these little fragments are floating about from the silent era. Many hiding away in attics and basements. But yes, for most people they don't understand the significance of what they have.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Was there any more uncovered about this in your chat with the guys from the Essanay museum?