La Glu - 1907

Country: France
Also Known As: The Glue
Production Co: Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont
Genres: Short | Comedy
Director: Alice Guy
Although IMDb lists this as a film by Louis Feuillade it is actually one of Alice Guy's - and very good it is too. As with quite a few of these early comedies, the film focuses on the pranks of a mischievous boy, this one in possession of a large pot of glue that offers limitless opportunities for pranks. It's not long before the dignity of adults is disintegrated when they find their feet stuck to steps or their posteriors to bicycle seats. Some of the scenes are genuinely funny, and although the film is fairly primitive by modern standards, it shows a good deal of sophistication for the era in which it was made and offers a good example of how far cinema had progressed not only in the twelve years since its inception, but also in the previous couple of years.

Madame a des envies - 1907

Country: France
Language: French
Release Date: 21 December 1907 (USA)
Also Known As: Madame's Cravings
Production Co: Pathé Frères
Genres: Comedy | Short
Plot keywords: Lollipop, Pregnancy, Sexual Imagery, Phallus, Pregnant Woman, Kinky
Director: Alice Guy
The film is about the irresistible cravings of a pregnant woman which drive her to steal sweets from a child, booze from a cafe customer, a pipe from a baker (she obviously hadn't heard about how it stunts baby's growth), and even scraps from a beggar, much to the distress - and physical discomfort - of her long-suffering husband.

Shooting the chutes_ Luna Park_ Coney Island - 1903

Country: USA
Filmed July 3, 1903.
American Mutoscope and Biograph Co.
Cameraman, G. W. ''Billy'' Bitzer
The ride known as Shoot the Chutes was first introduced in 1895 by inventor Captain Paul Boynton at Sea Lion Park, the first enclosed outdoor amusement park in Coney Island. He billed it as ''the King of All Amusements.'' In 1902 he sold the park to a couple of young sharps, Fred Thompson and Elmer ''Skip'' Dundy. One year later the new gates opened and Luna Park was in operation.
The success of Luna Park would allow Thompson to build and open the 'Hippodrome Theatre' in Manhattan two years later. (see video of ''Panorama from the Times Building, New York'' for a view of the building)
According to historian Woody Register, Boynton was inspired by ''watching boys skipping stones across a pond,'' and the idea was born.
Recommended reading:
The Kid of Coney Island / Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusement - Woody Register

Smilin' Through -1922

Country: USA
Release Date: 13 February 1922 (USA)
Also Known As: Smiling Through
Production Co: Norma Talmadge Film Corporation
Plot Keywords: Based On Play
Genres: Drama
Director: Sidney Franklin
Writers: Jane Cowl play "Smiling Through" (as Alan Langdon Martin)
James Ashmore Creelman adaptation
Sidney Franklin (adaptation) (as Sidney A. Franklin)
Jane Murfin play "Smiling Through" (as Alan Langdon Martin)
Stars: Norma Talmadge, Wyndham Standing and Harrison Ford
Here Norma Talmadge plays the Irish girl who wants to wed the son of the man who killed her uncle's fiancee on their wedding night. Family feuds battle true love. Copies of this film exist in two archives: the Library of Congress and the Nederlands Filmmuseum.

Une héroïne de quatre ans - 1907

Country: France
Directors: Louis Feuillade, Alice Guy
Genres: Short
Also known as: A Four-Year-Old Hero
Production Co: Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont
This is a typically well-produced little film from Alice Guy, the pioneering French woman. It follows a little four-year-old girl who skips away when her nursemaid falls asleep on a bench in the park. The little girl helps the police apprehend a couple of muggers, prevents a blind man from falling into a canal and a trio of drunks from being obliterated by a train at a level crossing before finding a helpful policeman to take her home much to the relief of her parents and nursemaid.
The film is particularly well edited, with sequential shots clearly showing the girl and her nursemaid leaving the lounge of the girl's parents, leaving the house and walking to the park. It's the sort of sequence that we take for granted today, but back then many filmmakers would probably have considered a couple of those shots superfluous. This one's worth a look.

Wedding of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth - 1923

Silent video footage of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) (1923).
Prince Albert initially proposed to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1921, but she turned him down, due to misgivings about royal life. When he declared he would marry no other, his mother, Queen Mary, visited Glamis to see for herself the girl who had stolen her son's heart. She became convinced that Elizabeth was "the one girl who could make Bertie happy", but nevertheless refused to interfere. After the third proposal Elizabeth finally agreed to marry Albert: their engagement was announced in January 1923.
The Duke and Duchess of York had two children, Elizabeth (who would succeed her father as Elizabeth II), born 21 April 1926 and Margaret, born 21 August 1930.

The Villain Foiled - 1911

Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 31 August 1911 (USA)
Production Co: Biograph Company
Plot Keywords: Alcohol | Fiance | Suitor
Genres: Short | Comedy
Directors: Henry Lehrman, Mack Sennett
Stars: Edward Dillon, Blanche Sweet and Joseph Graybill