The Betzwood Film Archive and Film Festival

The Betzwood Motion Picture Studio was in operation between the years 1912 and 1923. Initially founded by film pioneer Siegmund Lubin of Philadelphia, and after 1917 owned and operated by Wolf Brothers, Inc. of Philadelphia, the 350 acre studio saw the production of over one hundred films. Of these, only a few have survived the ravages of time, indifference, fire, and nitrate deterioration and many of the "survivors" have come down to us only as fragments. So far twenty-nine Betzwood films have been located in archives in the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands, and the search goes on.

The Betzwood Film Archive was established in the Library of Montgomery County Community College in 1989 so that this unique part of our local history is preserved for all to enjoy. Since its founding, the archive has received grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Montgomery County Community College Foundation and generous donations from several private individuals. This financial assistance has made it possible for us to acquire 16mm copies of nineteen of the Betzwood films and video copies of three other fragments. Every spring we screen a selection of these historic films for the community at our annual Betzwood Silent Film Festival. The films are presented as they would have been seen originally--on a large screen with live organ accompaniment.

Our Next Screening will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2008, at 8:00 pm in the Science Center Theater on the Blue Bell Campus, and will include a tribute to actress, Wilna Hervey, who played "The Powerful Katrinka" in the Toonerville Trolley films. In addition to her work on Broadway and in films, Wilna Hervey was also an artist who lived most of her very unconventional life as a part of the Maverick Art Colony in Woodstock, NY. Click Here to learn more about Wilna Hervey, her films, and her art.

This year's program will include the following films:

The Skipper's Narrow Escape (1920, Betzwood Film Company)

The Skipper's Flirtation (1920, Betzwood Film Company)

The Fire Chief (1922, Paul Gerson Productions)

Pop Tuttle's Movie Queen (1922, Paul Gerson Productions)

As always, the films will be shown at the correct projection speed, and accompanied live on the organ by the ever-popular Don Kinnier, and supplemented with sound effects by Judy Townsend.

General Admission: $8.

To be put on our mailing list, write to Cultural Affairs Office, Montgomery County Community College, Box 400, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA, 19422-0796. Or call (215) 641-6518 or e-mail us at jeckhard@mc3.edu

 

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