Gotham Pictures Company was an American movie production business established in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, subdivision_name = United States
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, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
in 1916 during the
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
era.
was the company's president. Property in Hot Wells, Texas near San Antonio was planned as an area to build a studio for productions. The company transitioned into the sound era and under its then president
Sam Sax
Samuel Sax (September 5, 1880 –January 2, 1962) was an American film producer. He produced 80 films between 1925 and 1946, including the last films of Roscoe Arbuckle. From 1938 to 1941, Sax headed Warner Brothers's British subsidiary at T ...
joined with
RCA Photophone
RCA Photophone was the trade name given to one of four major competing technologies that emerged in the American film industry in the late 1920s for synchronizing electrically recorded audio to a motion picture image. RCA Photophone was an opt ...
to film ''
The Girl from the Argentine''. Gotham worked with
Bristolphone to wire theaters in 1928.
Along with
Rayart
Rayart Pictures was one of the early film production and distribution companies operating independently of the major Hollywood studios in the United States during the later silent film era from the mid-to-late 1920s and into the early "talkies" e ...
, Gotham was one of the significant independent film industry production houses that operated as Hollywood's dominance was still emerging.
Tiffany-Stahl was another independent studio.
A number of the company's films were released in Britain by
Stoll Pictures
Stoll Pictures was a British film production and distribution company of the silent era, founded in April 1918.
Background
During the early to mid-1920s it was the largest film company in Britain and one of the biggest in Europe. Its major domes ...
, a leading
distributor
A distributor is an enclosed rotating switch used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines that have mechanically timed ignition. The distributor's main function is to route high voltage current from the ignition coil to the spark plugs ...
in the country.
Filmography
*''
Black Lightning
Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in ''Black Lightning'' #1 (April 1977), during ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Defying the Law
''Defying the Law'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Bertram Bracken and starring Lew Cody, Renée Adorée, and Josef Swickard
Josef Swickard (26 June 1866 – 1 March 1940) was a Prussian-born veteran stage and screen characte ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Unmarried Wives
''Unmarried Wives'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Mildred Harris, Gladys Brockwell and Lloyd Whitlock.
Plot
The plot evolves around a love triangle in New-York City.
Cast
* Mildred Harris as Pr ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Women and Gold
''Women and Gold'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Frank Mayo, Sylvia Breamer and William B. Davidson.Connelly p.437 It was produced by the independent Gotham Pictures.
Synopsis
In South America, bo ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Night Ship
''The Night Ship'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Henry McCarty and starring Mary Carr, Tom Santschi and Robert Gordon.Connelly p.186
Synopsis
After sailor Bob Randall returns home to Maine after six years being marooned in th ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Silent Pal
''Silent Pal'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Henry McCarty and starring Thunder the Dog, Eddie Phillips and Shannon Day.Connelly p.410 Produced by the independent Gotham Pictures, it was designed as a vehicle for Thunder, ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Shattered Lives'' (1925)
* ''
The Overland Limited'' (1925)
* ''
A Little Girl in a Big City
''A Little Girl in a Big City'' is a 1925 silent film drama directed by Burton L. King and starring Gladys Walton. It is based on an off-Broadway play, ''A Little Girl in a Big City'', by James Kyrle MacCurdy. It was Gladys Walton's final film.
...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Police Patrol
''The Police Patrol'' is a 1925 American silent crime film directed by Burton L. King and starring James Kirkwood, Edna Murphy and Edmund Breese.Munden p.367
Plot
A patrolman falls in love with a dressmaker, is ordered to arrest her when a do ...
'' (1925)
* ''
His Master's Voice
His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Part Time Wife
''The Part Time Wife'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Henry McCarty and starring Alice Calhoun, Robert Ellis and Freeman Wood.Munden p.590 The film was produced by the independent company Gotham Pictures. It was based on a sh ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Northern Code
''Northern Code'' (also written as ''The Northern Code'') is a 1925 American silent Northern romantic drama film directed by Leon De La Mothe and starring Robert Ellis, Eva Novak, and Josef Swickard
Josef Swickard (26 June 1866 – 1 March ...
'' (1925)
* ''
One of the Bravest
''One of the Bravest'' is a 1925 American silent action drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Ralph Lewis, Edward Hearn, and Pat Somerset.
Plot
A father of Irish heritage rejects his firefighter son when he marries and Jewish gi ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Shadow on the Wall'' (1925)
* ''
The Mile-a-Minute Man
''The Mile-a-Minute Man'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Jack Nelson and starring William Fairbanks, Virginia Brown Faire, and George Periolat. It was produced by the independent Gotham Pictures. The plot revolves around two r ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Phantom of the Forest
''The Phantom of the Forest'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film, also classified as a Northern (genre), Northern. It is directed by Henry McCarty (writer), Henry McCarty and stars Thunder the Dog, Betty Francis ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Speed Limit
''The Speed Limit'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Raymond McKee, Ethel Shannon, and Bruce Gordon. It was produced by the independent company Gotham Pictures.
Plot
As described in a film m ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Racing Blood'' (1926)
* ''
King of the Pack
''King of the Pack'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent adventure film directed by Frank Richardson (director), Frank Richardson and starring Charlotte Stevens, Robert Gordon (actor), Robert Gordon and Vera Lewis.Connelly p.369 Produced by the ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Silent Power'' (1926)
* ''
The Sign of the Claw
''The Sign of the Claw'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring Ethel Shannon, Edward Hearn and Lee Shumway.Munden p.715 Produced by the independent Gotham Pictures, it was designed as a vehicle for Peter ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Money to Burn'' (1926)
* ''
Flying High'' (1926)
*''
The Block Signal
''The Block Signal'' is 1926 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Ralph Lewis, Jean Arthur, and Hugh Allan. It was produced by the independent company Gotham Pictures.
Synopsis
A veteran railroad engineer discove ...
'' (1926)
*''
The Golden Web'' (1926)
*''
Hearts and Spangles
''Hearts and Spangles'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Wanda Hawley, Robert Gordon and Frankie Darro.Munden p.334 A medical student is expelled from college and disowned by his father, and goes to jo ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Winning Wallop
''The Winning Wallop'' is a 1926 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Charles Hutchison and starring William Fairbanks, Shirley Palmer and Charles K. French.Munden p.909
Cast
* William Fairbanks as Rex Barton
* Shirley Palmer as Mar ...
'' (1926)
*''
Heroes of the Night
''Heroes of the Night'' is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by Frank O'Connor (actor), Frank O'Connor and starring Cullen Landis. It was produced by Gotham Pictures and released by Lumas Film Corporation.
The film is preserved in the Library ...
'' (1927)
* ''
When Danger Calls
''When Danger Calls'' is a 1927 American silent thriller film directed by Charles Hutchison and starring William Fairbanks, Eileen Sedgwick and Ethan Laidlaw.Munden p.884
Cast
* William Fairbanks as Ralph Spencer
* Eileen Sedgwick as June Weld ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Catch-As-Catch-Can'' (1927)
* ''
Through Thick and Thin'' (1927)
* ''
The Silent Avenger
''The Silent Avenger'' is a 1927 American silent action film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Charles Delaney, Duane Thompson and George Chesebro.Munden p.716
Cast
* Thunder the Dog as Thunder
* Charles Delaney as Stanley Gilmore
* Dua ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Quarantined Rivals
''Quarantined Rivals'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent romantic comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Robert Agnew, Kathleen Collins (actress), Kathleen Collins and John Miljan.Munden p.624 It was produced by the independent film ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Mountains of Manhattan
''Mountains of Manhattan'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Dorothy Devore, Charles Delaney, and Kate Price.Munden p. 528
Cast
* Dorothy Devore as Marion Wright
* Charles Delaney as Jerry Nolan
* ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Down Grade
''The Down Grade'' is a 1927 American silent action film directed by Charles Hutchison and starring William Fairbanks, Alice Calhoun and Charles K. French.Munden p.200
Cast
* William Fairbanks as Ted Lanning
* Alice Calhoun as Molly Crane
* C ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Girl from Rio'' (1927)
* ''
The Woman Who Did Not Care
''The Woman Who Did Not Care'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Lilyan Tashman, Edward Martindel and Philo McCullough.Munden p.919
Cast
* Lilyan Tashman as Iris Carroll
* Edward Martindel as Franklin Pay ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Satin Woman
''The Satin Woman'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Walter Lang and starring Dorothy Davenport, also known as Mrs. Wallace Reid. The film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.
Cast
* Dorothy Davenport as Mrs. Jea ...
'' (1927)
* ''
One Chance in a Million
''One Chance in a Million'' is a 1927 American silent crime film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring William Fairbanks, Viora Daniel and Charles K. French. It was produced by the independent company Gotham Pictures.
Synopsis
After rescuing R ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Sinews of Steel
''Sinews of Steel'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Alberta Vaughn, Gaston Glass and Anders Randolf.
Cast
* Alberta Vaughn as Helen Blake
* Gaston Glass as Robert McNeil Jr.
* Anders Randolf as R ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Final Extra
''The Final Extra'' is a 1927 American silent crime film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Marguerite De La Motte, Grant Withers and John Miljan.Munden p.245
Synopsis
With the assistance of a chorus girl, an aspiring young newspaperman t ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Rose of Kildare
''The Rose of Kildare'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent romance film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Helene Chadwick, Pat O'Malley (actor), Pat O'Malley and Henry B. Walthall. An Irish singer arrives at the gold mining town o ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Blondes by Choice
''Blondes by Choice'' is an American silent comedy film directed by Hampton Del Ruth and starring Claire Windsor. The script was written by Josephine Quirk and Paul Perez.
Plot
When a man named Cliff's car breaks down, he is towed into the ...
'' (1927)
*''
Bare Knees
''Bare Knees'' is a 1928 American silent film comedy drama directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Virginia Lee Corbin as Billie Durey, the family's black sheep, who returns to her small hometown causing a sensation with her short skirts, cigaret ...
'' (1928)
* ''
The Head of the Family'' (1928)
* ''
The Cheer Leader
''The Cheer Leader'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Alan James and starring Ralph Graves, Gertrude Olmstead, and Shirley Palmer.
Plot
Cast
* Ralph Graves as Jimmy Grant
* Gertrude Olmstead as Jean Howard
* Shirley Pal ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Turn Back the Hours
''Turn Back the Hours'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon and Sam Hardy.
Cast
* Myrna Loy as Tiza Torreon
* Walter Pidgeon as Philip Drake
* Sam Hardy as 'Ace' Kearney ...
'' (1928)
* ''
San Francisco Nights
''San Francisco Nights'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Percy Marmont, Mae Busch, and George E. Stone.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 60
Cast
* Percy Marmont as John Vicker ...
'' (1928)
*''
Hellship Bronson
''Hellship Bronson'' is a lost 1928 silent film adventure directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Noah Beery and Dorothy Davenport (aka Mrs. Wallace Reid). It was produced by Gotham Pictures and distributed by Lumas Film Corporation.
Cast
*Doro ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Midnight Life'' (1928)
* ''
Through the Breakers
''Through the Breakers'' is a 1928 American drama film directed by Joseph C. Boyle and starring Margaret Livingston, Holmes Herbert and Clyde Cook (actor), Clyde Cook.Stack & Bowman p.148
Cast
* Margaret Livingston as Diane Garrett
* Holmes He ...
'' (1928)
* ''
United States Smith'' (1928)
* ''
The River Woman
''The River Woman'' is a 1928 American drama film directed by Joseph Henabery that is part-silent and part-sound. Made by an independent company, Gotham, the film starred Lionel Barrymore and Jacqueline Logan.
Cast
*Lionel Barrymore as Bill Left ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
'' (1929)
References
{{Reflist
1916 establishments in Texas
Companies based in San Antonio
Mass media companies established in 1916