''Monkeyshines'' is a series of experimental

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

silent films made to test the original cylinder format of the Kinetoscope, and are believed to be the first films shot in the United States. ''Monkeyshines, No. 1'' was shot by

William K. L. Dickson William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (3 August 1860 – 28 September 1935) was a British inventor who devised an early motion picture camera under the employment of Thomas Edison. Early life William Kennedy Dickson was born on 3 August 1860 in ...

and William Heise for the

Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invention ...

labs. Scholars have differing opinions on whether the first was shot in June 1889 starring Fred Ott or at some time between November 21–27, 1890 starring Giuseppe Sacco Albanese.Kino Video
"Edison: The Invention of the Movies"
Retrieved August 13, 2006. Both men were fellow lab workers at the company; contradictory evidence exists for each claim. ''Monkeyshines, No. 2'' and ''Monkeyshines, No. 3'' quickly followed to test further conditions. These films were intended to be internal tests of the new camera system, and were not created for commercial use; their rise to prominence resulted much later due to work by film historians. All three films show a blurry figure in white standing in one place making large gestures and are only a few seconds long. ''Monkeyshines No. 3'' has disappeared and may be lost.

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* * * * * * * 1889 films 1890 films 1890s American films Films shot in New Jersey Films directed by William Kennedy Dickson Films directed by William Heise Articles containing video clips American silent short films American black-and-white films 1880s short films {{1880s-film-stub