Las Vegas, NM: THE RATTLESNAKE (1913)
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:09 pm
http://www.vegasnewmexico.com/2008/01/a ... t-the.html
A Night at the Silent Movies
by Birdie Jaworski
A still from Romaine Fielding's "The Rattlesnake"
Filmmaker Romaine Fielding fell in love with New Mexico's endless sky, with her territorial bustle. At the turn of the last century, residents of Las Vegas reported seeing him roam the dusty Plaza dressed in an expensive wool coat, his mustache carefully clipped and waxed, the epitome of Hollywood glamour. Fielding wrote and directed some of the first movie Westerns, some of them filmed in San Miguel County.
Fielding cultivated an aura of mystery. Born William Grant Blandin in Iowa, he claimed to be the son of wealthy European aristocrats - he wasn't - and worked as a travel agent, machinist, and railroad engineer. Hungry for adventure, he wandered to Alaska where he met novelists Jack London and Rex Beach who both became his lifelong friends. Under the new name of Fielding, he tried his hand at acting, then production, and discovered he had a talent for creating realistic scenes of Wild West hardship.
On January 30, the Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum will screen one of Fielding's silent films, "The Rattlesnake," following their Annual Meeting. Before the film, Elmo Baca, a Las Vegas native, will speak on "Romaine Fielding and the Las Vegas Film Tradition." Baca has served two years as New Mexico Historic Preservation Field Officer as well as four years in the late 1990's as the Director of the New Mexico Main Street Program. He helped found the Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation of Las Vegas, NM and has been involved for over 20 years in revitalizing Las Vegas historic districts.
Baca's deep interest in local film stems from his work in reviving the historic Kiva Theatre in the 1970's as a working theatre. A popular lecturer on preservation and community development, Baca will share his research on Fielding's role in American film.
"Fielding was a pioneer of the silent cinema during the formative years of the World War I era, when such stars as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were on the rise. Unfortunately, many of Fielding's films were destroyed in a warehouse fire in 1914," says Baca. "Now largely forgotten, Fielding was once among the most popular film stars of the early silent film industry. He directed more than 70 films and acted in more than 60 features. Working as a film producer for the Lubin studio of Philadelphia, Fielding was among the first artists to interpret the West."
In 1913, Fielding crossed the Mexican border where he was able to film the attack on Nogales by "Constitutionalist" forces. He arrived in Las Vegas shortly after and produced nine feature films including "The Rattlesnake," one of only a handful of Fielding films that survives. Fielding's biggest local film effort was "The Golden God," a $50,000 movie - a huge sum then - involving scores of actors and extras, and attracting great crowds during the filming.
"Of historical interest is a fading ghost sign remnant on the west side of the Plaza Hotel declaring 'Hotel Romaine,' a vestige of Fielding's stay in Las Vegas," Baca explains.
A publicity blurb of the time describes the film as "Man who threatens society with a dangerous snake returns to sanity after an encounter with a young girl." A still from the movie in the City of Las Vegas Museum's photo archives shows a man holding what appears to be a dangerous rattlesnake, rattles and all, while a young girl and older woman cower in fear.
Local pianist Em Krall will play accompaniment on the Duncan Opera House piano. Charlie's Bakery and Cafe will provide refreshments, including popcorn. Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum member Yvonne Bond relishes the role Las Vegas continues to play in the film industry.
"Las Vegas has recently had an uptick in local movie production," muses Bond. "Las Vegas residents are still trading stories and jokes about the infamous "border crossing" on the University Avenue off-ramp set up during the filming of the Coen brothers' 'No Country for Old Men.' Movie stars, attempting to remain incognito, are seen in town. All this becomes part of our area's tradition, just like ranching, mines, drought, fire, and the railroad."
"The Rattlesnake," film by Romaine Fielding, 6 p.m. January 30. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum. The City of Las Vegas Museum is located at 727 Grand Avenue. The event is free and open to the public; donations welcome. For more information, call the Museum at 454-1401, extension 283 or Bob Mishler at 425-5929.
A Night at the Silent Movies
by Birdie Jaworski
A still from Romaine Fielding's "The Rattlesnake"
Filmmaker Romaine Fielding fell in love with New Mexico's endless sky, with her territorial bustle. At the turn of the last century, residents of Las Vegas reported seeing him roam the dusty Plaza dressed in an expensive wool coat, his mustache carefully clipped and waxed, the epitome of Hollywood glamour. Fielding wrote and directed some of the first movie Westerns, some of them filmed in San Miguel County.
Fielding cultivated an aura of mystery. Born William Grant Blandin in Iowa, he claimed to be the son of wealthy European aristocrats - he wasn't - and worked as a travel agent, machinist, and railroad engineer. Hungry for adventure, he wandered to Alaska where he met novelists Jack London and Rex Beach who both became his lifelong friends. Under the new name of Fielding, he tried his hand at acting, then production, and discovered he had a talent for creating realistic scenes of Wild West hardship.
On January 30, the Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum will screen one of Fielding's silent films, "The Rattlesnake," following their Annual Meeting. Before the film, Elmo Baca, a Las Vegas native, will speak on "Romaine Fielding and the Las Vegas Film Tradition." Baca has served two years as New Mexico Historic Preservation Field Officer as well as four years in the late 1990's as the Director of the New Mexico Main Street Program. He helped found the Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation of Las Vegas, NM and has been involved for over 20 years in revitalizing Las Vegas historic districts.
Baca's deep interest in local film stems from his work in reviving the historic Kiva Theatre in the 1970's as a working theatre. A popular lecturer on preservation and community development, Baca will share his research on Fielding's role in American film.
"Fielding was a pioneer of the silent cinema during the formative years of the World War I era, when such stars as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were on the rise. Unfortunately, many of Fielding's films were destroyed in a warehouse fire in 1914," says Baca. "Now largely forgotten, Fielding was once among the most popular film stars of the early silent film industry. He directed more than 70 films and acted in more than 60 features. Working as a film producer for the Lubin studio of Philadelphia, Fielding was among the first artists to interpret the West."
In 1913, Fielding crossed the Mexican border where he was able to film the attack on Nogales by "Constitutionalist" forces. He arrived in Las Vegas shortly after and produced nine feature films including "The Rattlesnake," one of only a handful of Fielding films that survives. Fielding's biggest local film effort was "The Golden God," a $50,000 movie - a huge sum then - involving scores of actors and extras, and attracting great crowds during the filming.
"Of historical interest is a fading ghost sign remnant on the west side of the Plaza Hotel declaring 'Hotel Romaine,' a vestige of Fielding's stay in Las Vegas," Baca explains.
A publicity blurb of the time describes the film as "Man who threatens society with a dangerous snake returns to sanity after an encounter with a young girl." A still from the movie in the City of Las Vegas Museum's photo archives shows a man holding what appears to be a dangerous rattlesnake, rattles and all, while a young girl and older woman cower in fear.
Local pianist Em Krall will play accompaniment on the Duncan Opera House piano. Charlie's Bakery and Cafe will provide refreshments, including popcorn. Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum member Yvonne Bond relishes the role Las Vegas continues to play in the film industry.
"Las Vegas has recently had an uptick in local movie production," muses Bond. "Las Vegas residents are still trading stories and jokes about the infamous "border crossing" on the University Avenue off-ramp set up during the filming of the Coen brothers' 'No Country for Old Men.' Movie stars, attempting to remain incognito, are seen in town. All this becomes part of our area's tradition, just like ranching, mines, drought, fire, and the railroad."
"The Rattlesnake," film by Romaine Fielding, 6 p.m. January 30. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum. The City of Las Vegas Museum is located at 727 Grand Avenue. The event is free and open to the public; donations welcome. For more information, call the Museum at 454-1401, extension 283 or Bob Mishler at 425-5929.