Thanhouser Films on DVD and Online

The Thanhouser Studio and the Birth of American Cinema
Available NOW on DVD and BluRay discs

Download Links to Free Online Thanhouser Films

With the increased popularity of online video delivery combined with the mission for Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc., I am pleased to provide streaming video to many of the 96 films currently available with 64 films now online to watch at no charge. Download this Excel file for a complete list with links. I am asking for donations to help defray costs associated with providing this service. Please use the the "Donate" button below to contribute via Credit Card or PayPal as you see fit and afford. Your donations are tax deductable. Thank you for your continued support, and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to Contact Us. Sincerely, Ned Thanhouser
 

Volume 1
The Early Years
(1910-1912)
Volume 2
Under the Mutual Banner
(1912-1914)
Volume 3
Edwin Thanhouser Returns
(1914-1916)
Volume 4
The Vicar of Wakefield (1910-1917)
Volume 5
Kids and Dogs (1911-1915)
Volume 6 Thanhouser Stars Emerge (1911-1917) Volume 7
Thanhouser Presents Shakespeare
(1910 to 1917)
Volume 8
Thanhouser Presents the Classics
(1912 to 1915)
Only.jpg (6510 bytes) Star.jpg (5896 bytes) Barrier.jpg (6446 bytes) Vicar.jpg (7127 bytes) Little.jpg (3854 bytes) cruze.jpg (4359 bytes)
     
Volume 9
Lloyd Lonergan's Legacy
(1910 to 1917)
Volume 10
More Early Thanhouser
(1910 to 1912)
Volume 11
The Genius of Charles J. Hite
(1913 to 1914)
Volume 12
Edwin and Gertrude Return
(1915 to 1916)
Volumes
13, 14 & 15
(1911 to 1916)

 
   

 

 

David Copperfield (1911)

Treasures from the Library of Congress (1910-1915)

Treasures from the Desmet Collection EYE Filmmuseum (1910-1917)

The Net
(1916)

     

     

Available on DVD and Online

 
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Alphabetical Index to Thanhouser Films
Below is a list of the 96 Thanhouser films that are available on DVD with many streaming online. Each film is accompanied by new and original music composed and performed exclusively for this collection plus film notes including a historical perspective on the rise and fall of the Thanhouser film enterprise (Click here to see a Chronological listing of films).

Download complete Excel database of all 96 Thanhouser films on DVD & Online

Film Title Release Date Description Which Media?  
Actor's Children, The 3/15/10 The first Thanhouser release about the disappearance of an actor's children, their thrilling adventure and how they return to their parents. Volume 10 Online
An American in the Making 4/22/13 An industrial safety film that opens with the immigration of Bela Tokaji, a Hungarian worker, to the USA, and closes with his marriage to his English teacher. Volume 15 Online
Austin Flood 10/6/11 Documentary footage of the aftermath of the Bayless Dam failure in Austin, Pennsylvania, with an introduction by Ned Thanhouser Volume  13  
Center of the Web, The 12/1/14 Who Let the Dogs Out? Thirty German police dogs are the heroes of this crime drama centered on the round up of a gang of counterfeiters Volume 11 Online
Cinderella 12/22/11 Elaborately produced version of the well known George O. Nichols fairy tale, with Florence La Badie and Harry Benham. The EYE version has an insightful commentary track by film scholar Judith Buchanan of the University of York. Volume 1 EYE

Online

Circus Stowaway, A 6/2/11 An orphan boy sneaks into a Barnum & Bailey circus and falls asleep. He overhears a plot by the ringmaster to steal money from his protector, and saves the day. LoC

Online

Clarence Cheats at Croquet 12/9/15 In this "Falstaff" comedy, two rivals face off at croquet. One wins out because of his honesty and Clarence gets it wrong because he cheats. EYE Online
Coals of Fire 1/6/14 A  heartless businessman discharges an old clerk for no reason but his age. British Release Title: Reinstated Volume 14  
Coffin Ship, The 6/20/11 Love story filmed in Long Island Sound with a stowaway and a shipwreck, featuring William Garwood. Volume 1 EYE

Online

Cross Your Heart 11/22/12 A little boy, inmate of an orphan asylum, runs away and falls in with an itinerant knife grinder. Volume 14 EYE
Crossed Wires 6/29/15 Popular suspense drama in two reels with innovative camera technique, with Florence La Badie and Morris Foster. Volume 3 Online
Cry of the Children, The 4/30/12 Critical pre-World War I film on child labor reform, photographed by Carl Louis Gregory. Listed on the National Film Registry in 2011. Volume 2

Online

Cupid the Conqueror 8/11/11 Music by Andy Benz. A young artist, in love with a society girl, induces her to consent to pose for him, in a picture which he believes will be his masterpiece. Volume 13 Online
Cupid the Conqueror 8/11/11 Music by William TN Hall. A young artist, in love with a society girl, induces her to consent to pose for him, in a picture which he believes will be his masterpiece. Volume 13 Online
Cymbeline 3/28/13 Based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. Energetic cinematic pacing and intimacy show rapidly improving narrative technique and realism well beyond the limitations of the stage. Two-reels, filmed in Southern California. Volume 7 Online
Daddy's Double 4/15/10 A deft comedy about a foiled elopement and assumed identity shows the importance of a carefully worked out scenario for narrative flow. Volume 9 Online
David Copperfield 10/1/11 Based on Charles Dickens’s 1850 immortal story of an English lad's tribulation-filled journey to adulthood. Released on three reels over three weeks. Copperfield  
Decoy, The 7/3/14 Complex story of romance and crime, with Murial Ostriche and Morgan Jones (a Princess Film). Volume 2 Online
Dog's Love, A 10/4/14 Fantasy about the love between a child (Helen Badgley "The Kidlet") and her dog ("Shep" The Thanhouser Collie). Volume 2

Online

Dolls House, A 7/28/11 Music only. Based on Henrik Ibsen's 1879 play, Nora, the only child of a kindly old man, never grew up so far as he could see. He treated her 'like a doll.' DVD 13  
Dolls House, A 7/28/11 With commentary by Eirik Frisvold Hanssen of the National Library of Norway. DVD 13  
Down on the Phony Farm 10/12/15 Short Paul Terry cartoon distributed by Thanhouser before the Terrytoons studio opened in 1929. Al Falfa grows a pitcher of beer and Clara the cow goes wild! LoC

Online

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1/16/12 James Cruze featured as Jekyll/Hyde in this second U.S. film version of the classic novel by Robert Lewis Stevenson. With Florence La Badie. Volume 1

Online

Elevator Romance, An 4/28/11 A one-reel portrayal of the thrilling adventures, sharp trials and real perils encountered in an office building aflame. With Riley Chamberlin. EYE  
Elusive Diamond, An 1/23/14 A one-reel crime drama with crooks, ruses, kidnapping, escape, and a twist, all wrapped in a coherent narrative. With Mignon Anderson. Volume 9

Online

Evidence of the Film, The 1/10/13 Discovered in 1999 on the floor of a Montana projection booth, this is a good crime tale with film making as a subject. Listed on the National Film Registry in 2001. Volume 5

Online

Farmer's Daughters, The 9/28/13 The daughters of the farmer do some very good character work fooling young college graduates who are bent on matrimony. Incidental glimpses of American farm life considerably enhance the value of the film. With Billy Noel and Jean Darnell. Volume 11 Online
Fires of Youth 6/17/17 A wealthy industrialist (Frederick Warde) seeks to regain his youth in this cut down two-reel version. Featuring Jean Eagels.   Volume 6 Online
Get Rich Quick 5/26/11 A moral tale about material wealth, with William Garwood, William Russell and Marguerite Snow. Volume 1 Online
Girl of the Cabaret, The 8/8/13 A young man weds a girl from the music hall. She leaves him only to find that the stage has lost its charm and is glad when he discovers her and takes her home.  Volume 14  
Girl of the Grove. The 4/5/12 Filmed in Florida with Florence La Badie in the title role. The girl owns the grove and falls in love with a stranger, only to learn that he is already married Volume 13  
Guiders 8/15/16 A Falstaff comedy filmed in Jacksonville, Florida. "Oscar and Conrad" become 'gentleman guides' and decorate themselves as secret society emblems for reasons best known to themselves.  Volume 15  
Her Nephews from Labrador 1/26/13 The young men from Labrador can't keep cool in the middle of a severe winter. They skate on the ice, attired simply in bathing suits, and plunge repeatedly into the icy water. There is no faking in the picture. Volume 11 EYE

Online

His Great Uncle's Spirit 3/8/12 Full of amazing trick situations that will leave you dazed and delighted! Volume 10 Online
His Uncle's Wives 2/2/13 An artist unexpectedly inherits six wives who come to him from his uncle in Constantinople. His wife makes serious objections, and he finally packs them off to join a theatrical troupe, and happiness is restored. Volume 11 Online
Idol of the Hour, The 3/14/13 She was the idol of the hour, the toast of the town, with admirers galore, only to be rejected for another.  Volume 14  
In a Garden 10/25/12 The gardener tells the story he has seen unfolded within the precincts of a beautiful spot - the beginning of affection between two, the quarrel, and the reconciliation years afterward. Volume 10 Online
In de Tropische Zee 9/14/14 Carl Louis Gregory, Thanhouser's senior cameraman, employed the Williamson Submarine Tube, an air-filled iron tube with a viewing chamber, to produce the first underwater motion pictures. AKA In the Tropical Seas Volume 11 Online
In the Hands of the Enemy 11/16/15 A story of a woman spy, her son and a firing squad draws its analogies from the world war; full of intense situations and graphic action.  Volume 12 Online
Jack and the Beanstalk 12/19/13 The classic fairy tale of the youthful prodigy who mounts the beanstalk to invade the realm of the giant to steal the chicken that lays golden eggs. Volume 14  
John T. Rocks and the Flivver 10/17/15 A young man induces the richest man in the world to ride in a "Flivver" car to win the hand of the girl he claims as his reward. Volume 15  
Joseph in the Land of Egypt 2/1/14 Four reel “Thanhouser Big Production” features James Cruze with the scenario by Lloyd F. Lonergan from Liebler's stage drama, Joseph and His Brethren, in turn taken from a biblical story. Volume 11 Online
Just a Shabby Doll 3/11/13 A romantic story utilizing flashback sequences, featuring Harry Benham, Mignon Anderson and Helen Badgley (the "Thanhouser Kidlet"). Volume 5, EYE

Online

King Lear 12/17/16 Frederick Warde, one of the best known stage actors of his generation, stars in this two-and-a-half reel abridged version cut down from the original five. Volume 7 Online
King Rene's Daughter 7/1/13 A very romantic fiction  set in renaissance France with florid, rich costuming.  Based on Henrik Heri's Danish poetic drama. Volume 8 Online
Little Brother 11/7/13 May's "Little Brother" puts his crab catch to good use and reunites May and Jack. LoC

Online

Little Girl Next Door, The 11/1/12 Tragic drama with a moral lesson, featuring the "Thanhouser Twins" (Marion and Madeline Fairbanks). Volume 5 Online
Madam Blanche, Beauty Doctor 7/9/15 Light comedy with satirical social observation and cross dressing. Featuring Riley Chamberlin and Harry Benham (A Falstaff release). Volume 6 Online
Marble Heart 5/13/13 A story of unrequited love, with three popular Thanhouser stars James Cruze, Margurite Snow and Florence La Badie. Based on the play by Charles Selby. Volume 6 Online
Marvelous Marathoner, The 1/16/15 An energetic and vivacious Falstaff comedy with good pacing combining physical comedy (without slapstick) with situation comedy. Volume 9 Online
Mistake of Mammy Lou. The 11/7/15 The old negro mammy misconstrues her lovelorn mistress' actions to be suicide. She inadvertently saves the day when a robber enters the scene LoC

Online

Modern Monte Cristo, A 2/4/17 Derived from the 1844 novel by French author Alexandre Dumas, this five reel feature adaptation tells the classic story of betrayal and revenge. EYE  
Mother of Her Dreams, The 9/10/15 Every night the vision of a beautiful woman in white comes to the lonely girl in the orphanage and tells her to be brave and good and great happiness will come to her. Volume 15  
Net, The 4/1/1916 In the home of the stalwart young son and his mother, the girl rescued from the sea grows strong again after her fearful exposure. The Net Online
Nicholas Nickleby 3/19/12 With Nicholas Nickleby release, Thanhouser established itself as producer of the best Dickens adaptations in American film. Volume 8 Copperfield

Online

Not Guilty 9/20/10 A man wrongfully convicted escapes, evades capture, and is vindicated. LoC

Online

Oh, What a Knight! 10/22/10 A young girl dreams of rescue by a knight of old only to awake and learn knights of old are foreign to the modern age. LoC

Online

Old Jane of the Gaiety 7/18/15 Old Jane, the wardrobe woman, is an institution at the Gaiety Theatre. She keeps a watchful eye on the younger girls, especially little Nina Fagnant, a serious child with genuine ability. With Ethyle Cooke and Grace DeCarlton. Volume 12 Online
Only Girl in Camp, The 1/10/11 Thieves use trickery to part citizens of the town from their money, but the "Only Girl in Camp" figures out the ruse and saves the day with her father's bear traps! LoC

Online

Only in the Way 1/31/11 Family disharmony with a happy ending, featuring Marie Eline ("The Thanhouser Kid"). Volume 1

Online

Pasha's Daughter, The 1/3/11 A young American man in trouble is assisted by the daughter of the pasha to escape in woman's clothes from Turkey. Elaborately staged, with William Russell. Volume 10 Online
Petticoat Camp 11/3/12 Early "women's lib" story with a comedy twist. Featuring Florence La Badie, William Russell and William Garwood. Volume 2

Online

Picture of Dorian Gray, The 7/20/15 Based on Oscar Wilde's novel, this two-reeler tells the story of Dorian Gray's hedonistic worldview that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life, with commentary track by Judith Buchanan and James Williams. LoC

Online

Pillars of Society, The 5/2/11 Music only. Based on the 1877 play by Henrik Ibsen. In a coastal town in Norway, a respectable family is hiding scandals. Volume 13  
Pillars of Society, The 5/2/11 With commentary by Eirik Frisvold Hanssen of the National Library of Norway. Volume 13  
Portrait of Lady Anne, The 7/23/12 In 1770, the beautiful Lady Anne in a jealous fit throws over her lover who goes away to the war and is killed. Fast forward to 1912 where a descendant of Lady Anne is entertaining and much the same happens. With Florence La Badie. Volume 10 Online
Seven Ages of an Alligator 2/2/13 Documentary footage showing the alligator in several stages of growth, from babyhood to a ripe old age; a film taken at an alligator farm in California. Volume 11 Online
She 12/26/11 Thanhouser's first two reel film, an adventure/fantasy, with James Cruze in dual role of the hero. Based on H. Rider Haggard's novel of the same name. Volume 6 Online
Shep's Race with Death 11/1/14 Heroic dog "Shep" saves the day, also featuring the "Thanhouser Twins" (Marion and Madeline Fairbanks). Volume 5 Online
Silas Marner 3/31/11 Frank H. Crane and Marie Eline star in this one-reel rendition of George Eliot's (nom de plume of Mary Ann Evans) story of the same name. EYE  
Silas Marner 2/19/16 Frederick Warde in his motion picture debut as the bent and twisted miser whose life of selfishness is changed by the influence of a child. Volume 12 Online
Soap Suds Star, The 10/28/15 Comedy about a down-and-out vaudeville team who attempt Shakespeare and destroy their career (A Falstaff release). Volume 3 Online
Spoiled Darling's Doll, The 4/4/13 The Darling and the Doll are exceptionally clever and interesting in this film about a spoiled, naughty child and her doll who comes to life in her dreams. EYE  
Star of Bethlehem, The 12/24/12 Biblical tale about the birth of Christ told with a cast of 100's. This one-reel British version was edited from original three-reel release. Volume 2 Online
Star of the Side Show, The 4/2/12 A comedy featuring the "Thanhouser Kid" (Marie Eline) as a "midget" who joins a circus side show and falls in love with a seven foot giant. Volume 13  
Tannhäuser 7/15/13 Set in medieval Germany, the story of chivalry, mythology and magic (with skillful in-camera tricks), love’s redemption, and tragedy. Based on Richard Wagner's opera. Volume 8 Online
Tell-Tale Scar, The 8/9/14 Pietro discovers the crook with the "tell-tale scar," locates his hideout, fights the crooks until the police arrive winning a $500 reward to win the hand of Maria. LoC

Online

Their Best Friend 2/27/14 A pretty love story in which the machinations of an unfaithful guardian are undone through the unconscious aid given by a dog. Volume 14  
Their One Love 5/2/15 Civil War drama with spectacular night battle sequences, featuring  The "Thanhouser Twins" (Marion and Madeline Fairbanks). Volume 5

Online

Thunderbolt, The 11/26/12 It struck the house, wrecked the old stone chimney and sent the fragments crashing into the room. After the fragments came gold, lots of it.  Volume 13  
Tiniest of Stars, The 1/14/13 Family drama of a brother (The "Thanhouser Kid" - Marie Eline) and sister (The "Thanhouser Kidlet" - Helen Badgley) who take to the stage. Volume 5 Online
Toodles, Tom and Trouble 12/23/15 A Falstaff comedy release. An amusing comedy in which a dog steals a big rag doll that is left by a child in the corner of a park.  Volume 15  
Twins of the G.L. Ranch, The 9/19/15 Their father sells some horses and when the thieves come, the "Thanhouser Twins" (Marion and Madeline Fairbanks) save the day. Volume 15  
Two Roses, The 6/7/10 Thanhouser's 16th release and was advertised as "A powerful, pathetic, pretty story of life in Little Italy."   Online
Uncle's Namesakes 12/12/13 Comedy about twin "boys" who deceive their rich English uncle, with the "Thanhouser Twins" (Marion and Madeline Fairbanks). Volume 5 Online
Vagabonds, The 8/29/15 A series of flashbacks where a penniless, friendless tramp and his dog relate the story of his downfall due to drink. Volume 8 Online
Vicar of Wakefield, The (1910) 12/17/10 Thanhouser's one reel version of Oliver Goldsmith's classic 1766 novel. Volume 4 EYE

Online

Vicar of Wakefield, The (1917) 2/25/17 Thanhouser's elaborate remake with Frederick Warde, eight reels, released by Pathé. Volume 4 Online
Voice of Conscience, The 9/3/12 Two girls fall in love with the same man. Out motoring one day they are thrown from the car and carried to the hospital. One of the girls poisons the other. Volume 10 Online
When a Count Counted 8/25/12 A young stenographer on vacation visits a fashionable seaside resort only to be rejected by her new "friends." Her office worker comes to save the day. LoC Online
When Hungry Hamlet Fled 8/17/15 Hilarious comedy with a romantic vagrant turns a dramatic stage performance into a howling burlesque. A Falstaff release. LoC

Online

When the Studio Burned 2/4/13 Fictional drama exploiting the fire that actually struck the Thanhouser studio on January 13, 1913 burning the main facility to the ground. Volume 9 Online
Winter's Tale, The 5/27/10 The first of six Shakespeare films released by Thanhouser, scenario by Lloyd F. Lonergan and Gertrude Thanhouser. Volume 7 Online
Woman in White, The 7/1/17 Five-reel feature film based on Wilkie Collins' 1860 novel with special lighting effects, a technical tour de force as well as dramatically effective. Volume 9 Online
World and the Woman. The 11/19/16 Jeanne Eagels' film debut tells the story of a prostitute turned faith healer in this five-reel feature, released by Pathé. Volume 3 Online
Young Lord Stanley 10/28/10 A nobleman stoops to manual labor when his funds grow low and falls deeply in love with his employer's daughter. Volume 10 Online
Zudora, Episode #2: The Mystery of the Sleeping House 11/30/14 A story teeming with love and the fiery romantic impulsiveness of the East is told in the two-reel drama, the second episode in Thanhouser's production of Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman's serial photoplay. Volume 12 Online

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