This blog post was written by Maris Tiller, SCRC Research Services GRA. Maris is a Graduate student pursuing her Master’s in Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction.
Today in SCRC, we’re going way back in time to the start of Hollywood and American cinema with our Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection! Contained in this single-box collection are souvenir programs, pamphlets, and small advertisements for various films of the silent and early sound era.
Programs like these were and are common for theater performances. They give the audience an idea of the cast, an overview of the production, and serve as take-home memorabilia for the show. These programs are no different! Available for purchase at the movie theater, these programs offered film enthusiasts information about the cast, crew, production, and film stills. Typically, they cost the same amount as the movie ticket itself. It was also common for programs to include a summary of the film. Bigger, longer productions received lengthier and more extensive summaries that spanned multiple pages, while smaller movies were given a brief paragraph or two (Singh).
Through these records, we can see that popular subjects for films of the day included politics, history, and theater. For example, we have The Courage of Silence, about a woman during World War I,
An adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts,
Heart of a Hero, a biographical film about American Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale,
And The Children Pay, dealing with the effect of divorce on children and families.
Notable also is this program for Camille, an adaptation of Alexander Dumas’ The Lady of the Camellias, which was a major starring vehicle for Alla Nazimova and popular silent film heart-throb Rudolph Valentino.
Also featured here are multiple programs for films starring Dorothy and Lillian Gish, who were big stars at the time. Starting as child actors in the theater, the Gish sisters made a name for themselves by the time they were teenagers. Lillian had a reputation for dramatic roles while Dorothy played more comedic parts. During their silent film careers, they frequently worked with prominent director D.W. Griffith. Lillian Gish continued to find work into the sound era and is often referred to as the “first lady of cinema.” (Stans)
For larger, more complex productions, there were more detailed programs created. In addition to the usual content found in smaller pamphlets, these programs include extensive summaries of the film, the actors’ biographies, and background information about the production.
Below, you can see examples from two Lillian Gish vehicles: Romola and The Scarlet Letter.
Fun fact: Romola also co-stars Dorothy Gish!
Even in the Sound era, films continued to have souvenir programs! The example below is a program for the 1936 best-picture Oscar winner The Great Ziegfield, which not only talks about the film and its production, but also the life of Florenz Ziegfield, on which the film is based. Stills included in the programs place emphasis on spectacle, glamour, and excess.
Souvenir film programs remain a hot collectible item for Old Hollywood enthusiasts to this day! They are important documents in the history of film that not only offer insight into the films themselves, but also the time in which they were produced. Even as some films from the silent and early Hollywood eras have become lost, documents like these can provide proof of their existence and popularity.
Cited Sources
Silent film & early Hollywood ephemera collection, C0337, Box 1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries
Singh, Anjuli. “Part 2: Treasures from Hollywood’s Silent Era | National Museum of American History.” National Museum of American History, 5 July 2017, americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/part-2-treasures-hollywoods-silent-era.
Stans, Lea. “Silents Are Golden: The Iconic Careers of Lillian and Dorothy Gish .” Classic Movie Hub Blog, 23 Jan. 2020, www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/silents-are-golden-the-iconic-careers-of-lillian-and-dorothy-gish/.
Follow SCRC on Social Media and look out for future posts on our Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky accounts. To search the collections held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our website and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail us at speccoll@gmu.edu or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.
