Silent Movie Guy

Interestingly enough, the first motion picture studio was built by Thomas Edison in East Orange, New Jersey at a cost of less than $800.

 At the turn of the century, Nickelodeons were very popular throughout the United States. And the public loved them.

In a rather short time, perhaps as early as 1910 to 1915, a phenomenon had taken place; movie theaters had become a fixture in almost every town in the country. Complete with snacks, comfortable seats and a big screen. Smaller theaters probably only had a piano to accompany the silent film, while the larger theaters may have had a theater organ. And there were a few movie palaces that may even have employed an orchestra.

To the theater owner, this business was strictly about profits. And if there was a way to save  money, they were always open to suggestions. One such suggestion  was to eliminate paying all those musicians who played during the silent movie  by replacing them  with a theater organ or even a piano, depending on the theater's budget. It made more sense to pay a single organist or pianist rather than a small orchestra! 

For more detailed history of the Silent Movie history, the following websites are very valuable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_film

	Silent Star of the Month. Each month featuring a star from the silent era. April's star is not a person at all! It is the cartoon character, Felix the Cat.
	Silent film interest groups and related resources.
	Films of the Silent Era
	Stars/Film Makers of the Silent Era - heaps of links to pages featuring silent stars.
	Music in Silent Films
	The Loss and Preservation of Silent Films
	Heaps of silent film related links