Thanhouser Company
Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc.
705 NW Albemarle Terrace
Portland, OR 97210 USA
E-mail: tco@thanhouser.org
Internet: http://www.thanhouser.org
  Trademark     			          Press Contact: Ned Thanhouser (503) 677-7020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 4, 2000
Thanhouser Releases Three New Silent Film Videos
Thirteen Historic Silent Films Restored and Updated with New Music
PORTLAND, OR – Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. announced today the release of thirteen new silent films on three videocassettes. The films were produced by the pioneering Thanhouser film enterprise in New Rochelle, New York between 1910 and 1917. This brings to six the total number of videotapes and 26 films that have been restored and re-released by the company since 1996.
The films for this new collection were assembled with the cooperation of archives around the world: The Library of Congress in Washington, DC, The British Film Institute in London, England, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York, EmGee Film Library in Reseda, California, and the Nederlands Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, Holland. Raymond A. Brubacher composed and performs new musical accompaniment exclusively for this three-volume set.
•	Volume 4: The Vicar of Wakefield contrasts the 1910 and 1917 release of this 18th century Oliver Goldsmith novel. Originally released in 1910 on one reel, Thanhouser tackled this subject again in 1917 as an eight reel “Pathé Special Production” staring Frederick Warde. These two films provide an excellent study on the rapid evolution of early film technique, style and story development that evolved during this era.
•	Volume 5: Thanhouser Kids and Dogs features seven “one reelers” with popular Thanhouser child actors Marie Eline (“The Thanhouser Kid”), Helen Badgley (“The Thanhouser Kidlet”), Marion and Madeline Fairbanks (“The Thanhouser Twins”), and Shep (“The Thanhouser Collie”). Included on this tape is the 1913 release The Evidence of the Film. This film was discovered in 1999 on the floor of a projection booth in Superior, Montana and was recently preserved by The Library of Congress.
•	Volume 6: The Thanhouser Stars showcases four films featuring popular Thanhouser stars James Cruze, Marguerite Snow, Florence LaBadie, Riley Chamberlin, Harry Benham, William Russell, Muriel Ostriche, and Frederick Warde. Jeanne Eagels fans will be especially pleased to see this popular star in the 1917 Thanhouser production of Fires of Youth, one of Thanhouser’s final productions.
The videocassettes are priced at $24.95 each or $69.95 for all three. The videos are available for immediate shipment and may be ordered directly from Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. at 705 NW Albemarle Terrace, Portland, OR 97210. 
Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established for the research, preservation and publication of educational materials related to early silent era, with a specific focus on Thanhouser. For additional information, e-mail tco@thanhouser.org, FAX (503) 223-3733, or on the Internet at www.thanhouser.org. 
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Background on Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc.

Thanhouser Company, including its successor, Mutual's Thanhouser Film Corporation, was an extraordinarily active and energetic film company that thrived from 1909 through 1917. Based in New Rochelle, New York, Thanhouser produced and released over 1,000 silent films to worldwide distribution. 
Founder Edwin Thanhouser was the first head of an American motion picture studio who had a substantial background in theater. He was an important leader in the rebellion of the "Independents" against the Motion Picture Patents group associated with Thomas Edison. 
Thanhouser entered the field and grew to be significant at the time when Edison and Biograph were peaking and then going into decline. Hence, Thanhouser was an important element in bridging the gap between the earliest pioneers and the establishment of the "Hollywood" industry we know today.
Important Thanhouser screen personalities include James Cruze, who rose to fame as a Hollywood director during the 20's and 30's; legendary Broadway star Jeanne Eagels; and popular Shakespearean actor Frederick Warde, star of the recently discovered 1912 feature film Richard III. 
According to the National Film Preservation Foundation, only half of U.S. feature films survive in complete form. Of the American features produced before 1920, only 20% survive. The situation is worse for films prior to 1920. Of the over 1,000 films produced by Thanhouser, only 182 prints have been located. While most surviving Thanhouser films have been preserved, new films are discovered each year and over a dozen Thanhouser nitrate films currently await preservation. 
Important collections of Thanhouser posters and films are maintained at the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), The George Eastman House (Rochester, New York), the British Film Institute (London), Netherlands Filmmuseum (Amsterdam, Holland), The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library, and in private collections and archives.
Ned Thanhouser, grandson of founders Edwin and Gertrude Thanhouser, has worked since 1986 to locate, preserve and improve access to early film history. With his family he established in 1989 the Thanhouser Film Preservation Endowment at the Library of Congress and he was a member of the 1994 AFI/NEA Film Preservation Grant Advisory Panel. In 1995 he formed a non-profit company, Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc., to further his preservation activities. Mr. Thanhouser has assisted in the identification and preservation of Thanhouser films held in archives and private collections around the world. 
Twenty-six restored Thanhouser films are available on six VHS videocassettes. Also available is the complete history of the Thanhouser film enterprise on CD-ROM: Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, written by noted historian Q. David Bowers. 
Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established for the research, preservation and publication of educational materials related to early silent era, with a specific focus on Thanhouser.  For additional information, e-mail tco@thanhouser.org, FAX (503) 223-3733, or on the Internet at www.thanhouser.org. 

Press Contact: Ned Thanhouser (503) 677-7020

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