Who are these people?

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:02 pm

Can anyone recognize these people from Foto Arts Productions in the late 20's.We know that Otis Thayer is in the middle and George La Dura is to his right. Who are the others?

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:03 am

Only the observation that it's the most studiedly-posed 'candid' shot I've ever seen.....I hope their films were better.....

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:50 am

I am sure that this photo was posed and was purely for promotional purposes, but don't they look like they are having fun!

boblipton · Post by **boblipton** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:59 am

Did Foto-Art make any movie besides TRACY THE OUTLAW?

Bob

barafan · Post by **barafan** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:15 am

I wish I knew who these people were, but I love the shot. The girl on the right seems to be doing her best Clara Bow, and the fellow in the tilted hat to right of center's definitely got his Little Caesar on!

rudyfan · Post by **rudyfan** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:08 pm

From the distance the woman on the left looks almost like Anita Loos, but I know that can't be righht.

Tommie Hicks · Post by **Tommie Hicks** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:47 pm

The fellow standing next to the gal holding the (difuser?) looks like Ralph Graves, but I can't tell for sure.

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:28 pm

boblipton wrote:Did Foto-Art make any movie besides TRACY THE OUTLAW?

Bob

We know that they made other movies and we have some titles, but we have not found any existing copies. My wife's great grandfather was part of the company and apparently burned all of his copies in a bonfire sometime in the 1940's. He said that no one would want to see them anymore because they were silent films. He had movies that he had made in Colorado all the way back in the 1910's.

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:01 pm

We have found out that Jack Mcfarland a newsreel cameraman and Reed N. Haythorne the cinematographer on "The Human Adventure" in 1935 were both cinematographers for Foto Art in the 1920's. I have not found any photos of them but I wonder if they are in this picture.

missdupont · Post by **missdupont** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:03 am

Otis Thayer made films for the Colorado Film Company in the early 1900s, but that's all I know.

barafan · Post by **barafan** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:51 am

"He said that no one would want to see them anymore because they were silent films."

That has to be one of the saddest - and most chilling - things I've ever heard. How much we've lost because people felt that way.

boblipton · Post by **boblipton** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 9:05 am

barafan wrote:"He said that no one would want to see them anymore because they were silent films."

That has to be one of the saddest - and most chilling - things I've ever heard. How much we've lost because people felt that way.

Melies destroyed his films for the same reason.

Bob

barafan · Post by **barafan** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 9:20 am

Melies destroyed his films. . .

And Mary Pickford wanted all of hers to be destroyed so people in the future wouldn't laugh at her. Sometimes it seems Lillian Gish was the only one with any vision at all.

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:17 pm

Thanks for all of your suggestions and comments! I am trying to educate myself on the silent era and I am truly enjoying the movies. I have just scratched the surface but I am learning more every day. We are hoping that our documentary will open a window into the world of independent silent film makers. We still have a lot of scenes to shoot and a lot of research to wrap up so it will be at least a year before this project sees the light of day. I am sure that I will be asking more questions and will need lots of advice on where to look for specific information. Thank you all for being so gracious!