''Gladiola'' is a three-reel American silent drama produced by the

Edison Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison and incorporated in New York City in May 188 ...

. The script, by

Mary Rider Mary Rider (sometimes credited as Mary Rider Mechtold) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and short story writer active primarily during the 1910s. Biography Mary was born in Illinois to judge George Rider and his wife, Elizabeth Prett ...

, was written specifically as a vehicle for

Viola Dana Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films. Early lif ...

Production

''Gladiola'' was Edison Company production number 7985. The production was shot largely at the Edison Company's studio at Decatur Avenue and Oliver Place in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, with additional "exterior scenes taken in the

gladiolus ''Gladiolus'' (from Latin, the diminutive of ''gladius'', a sword) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). It is sometimes called the 'sword lily', but is usually called by its generic name (plural ''g ...

fields of Berlin, N.Y." Gladioli are used as a visual

leitmotif A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglici ...

throughout the film. The production was able to locate a two-day-old baby, identified as "Master Warren Scott Moore," to play the title character's newborn baby in one scene. In publicity for the film, Edison hyped Moore's status as the youngest actor on the screen. Publicity noted that "Master Moore" shared his scene with Harry Linson, thought to be one of the oldest working actors on the screen at age 67. Director John H. Collins and star

were married the same year this film was produced.

Release

''Gladiola'' was released in the United States on October 15, 1915. It debuted in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

in late March 1916, and in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in early April. It was first shown in

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

on November 10, 1916.Amusements
''

The Oamaru Mail The ''Oamaru Mail'' is a weekly community newspaper published each Friday in Oamaru, New Zealand, by the Dunedin–based media company Allied Press Ltd that serves the North Otago area. The motto of the paper is "Your community, Your News". ...

''. Volume XLVI. Issue 12997. 9 November 1916. p 3. Retrieved 28 December 2015

References

External links

* {{John H. Collins 1915 films 1915 drama films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films American silent short films Films directed by John H. Collins 1910s American films