Recently opening at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, “Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898-1971” is an exhibition that highlights the achievements and challenges of black film artists from the beginning of motion pictures to shortly after the 1960s civil rights movement. The exhibition is named after Richard E. Norman’s 1923 motion picture Regeneration. … [Read more…]
Norman Studios is proud to participate in Celebrate Arlington, our third community revitalization festival. Some of our members were part of Old Arlington Inc., our parent group, which was founded in 1993. Community revitalization was one of their major goals. This remained a major goal for Norman Studios Silent Film Museum, Inc., when we incorporated … [Read more…]
Take a virtual tour of Jacksonville’s historic silent film studio complex with Norman Studios Vice President Barbara Wingo…
By Cassandra Geraghty @ayearofsilents Imagine walking down St. George Street in Downtown Saint Augustine and bumping into matinee idol Rudolph Valentino. If you were lucky enough to catch him at the cusp of greatness, filming 1920s “Stolen Moments” you would have seen the up and coming star just months before he catapulted to celebrity status. … [Read more…]
By Cassandra Geraghty @ayearofsilents I’ve done my fair share of research on silent film stars but I hadn’t stumbled upon Anita Dickson Thompson Reynolds until recently, when the above picture caught my eye. There wasn’t much on the internet to learn about Anita but fortunately she had written her memoirs and they offered some insight … [Read more…]
By Cassandra Geraghty @ayearofsilents Noble Johnson was born Mark Johnson in Marshall, MI in 1881. While still young his family moved to Colorado Springs where his father was a well known horse trainer. While attending school there, Noble met and became friends with Lon Chaney and the two remained closed although never working together. He … [Read more…]
By Cassandra Geraghty @ayearofsilents At first glance, Louise Brooks is better known for her bobbed hair, than for her contribution to Silent Film. However, although she had a moderately short career, her striking looks and natural acting ability made a lasting impression on fashion and film today. Louise Brooks was born Mary Louise Brooks in … [Read more…]
By Cassandra Geraghty @ayearofsilents “The First Lady of Screen” came from humble beginnings but her exuberant personality destined her for stardom. Evelyn Preer was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1896 and moved to Chicago at two after the death of her father. She first began acting in high school with the “Lady American Minstrels”. Not … [Read more…]
Each year, on a single day, Americans donate millions of dollars to worthy causes nationwide. Created in 2012, GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world on December 3, 2019 and every day. This Giving Tuesday, we offer three reasons to consider donating to … [Read more…]
What a wonderful experience we had at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, Florida! We thank the Cade Museum staff and volunteers for their hospitality and for the opportunity to educate so many people about Norman Studios. Nearly 9,000 people were able to view the exhibit. Four special events also took place: … [Read more…]