William Heise

Dickson Experimental Sound Film

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

William K.L. Dickson

William K.L. Dickson plays the violin while two men dance. This is the oldest surviving sound film where sound is recorded on the phonograph.

Annabelle Serpentine Dance

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Annabelle Moore

In a long, diaphanous skirt, held out by her hands with arms extended, Broadway dancer Annabelle Moore performs. Her dance emphasizes the movement of the flowing cloth. She moves to her right and left across an unadorned stage. Many of the prints were distributed in hand-tinted color.

Annie Oakley

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley was probably the most famous marksman/woman in the world when this short clip was produced in Edison's Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey. Barely five feet tall, Annie was always associated with the wild west, although she was born in 1860 as Phoebe Ann Oakley Mozee (or Moses)in Darke County, Ohio. Nevertheless, she was a staple in the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and similar wild west companies. Because of her diminutive stature, she was billed as "Little Sure Shot." The man assisting her is this appearance is probably her husband, Frank E. Butler. Annie had outshot Butler (a famous dead-eye marksman himself) in a shooting contest in the 1880's. Instead of nursing his bruised ego because he had been throughly outgunned by a woman, Butler fell in love, married Little Sure Shot, and became her manager.

Blacksmith Scene

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Charles Kayser, John Ott

Three men hammer on an anvil and pass a bottle of beer around. Notable for being the first film in which a scene is being acted out.

Caicedo (with Pole)

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Juan A. Caicedo

King of the slack wire. His daring feats of balancing as he performs his thrilling feats in midair show that he is perfectly at home.

Annabelle Butterfly Dance

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Annabelle Moore

Annabelle (Whitford) Moore performs one of her popular dances. For this performance, her costume has a pair of wings attached to her back, to suggest a butterfly. As she dances, she uses her long, flowing skirts to create visual patterns.

The Kiss

William Heise

May Irwin, John C. Rice

They get ready to kiss, begin to kiss, and kiss in a way that brings down the house every time.

Prof. Welton's Boxing Cats

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Henry Welton

"A glove contest between trained cats. A very comical and amusing subject, and is sure to create a great laugh." (by Edison Films)

Carmencita

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Carmencita

The first woman to appear in front of an Edison motion picture camera and possibly the first woman to appear in a motion picture within the United States. In the film, Carmencita is recorded going through a routine she had been performing at Koster & Bial's in New York since February 1890.

Chinese Laundry Scene

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Phil Doreto, Robetta

The pursuit of Hop Lee by an irate policeman.

Fire Rescue Scene

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

"Firemen in working uniform, rubber coats, helmets, and boots. Thrilling rescue from burning building. Smoke effects are fine." - from the Edison Catalog

Luis Martinetti, Contortionist

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Luis Martinetti

Luis Martinetti, a contortionist suspended from acrobatic flying rings, contorts himself for about thirty seconds. This is one of the first films made for Edison's kinetoscopes.

Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

James J. Corbett, Peter Courtney

James J. Corbett and Peter Courtney meet in a boxing exhibition.

Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

Fred Ott

A man (Thomas Edison's assistant) takes a pinch of snuff and sneezes. This is one of the earliest Thomas Edison films and was the first motion picture to be copyrighted in the United States.

Fatima's Coochee-Coochee Dance

William Heise, James H. White

Fatima

The dancer Fatima, well-known for her dancing shows at the World's Exhibition in 1893, performs for the camera. She opens her act by twirling around a few times, and then she does the 'muscle dance' for which she had attracted considerable notoriety.

Dickson Greeting

William Heise, William K.L. Dickson

William K.L. Dickson

William K.L. Dickson brings his hat from his one hand to the other and moves his head slightly, as a small nod toward the audience. This was the first film produced by the Edison Manufacturing Company to be shown to public audiences and the press.