Japanese acrobats / Thomas A. Edison, Inc.

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The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920

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Japanese acrobats / Thomas A. Edison, Inc.

CREATED/PUBLISHED
United States : Edison Manufacturing Co., 1904.

SUMMARY
An Oriental man and boy walk on a stage with a painted backdrop of a garden or park, give a slight bow to the camera as if it were an audience member, and remove their silk jackets. Both wear dark tights and leotards with light-colored slippers; the man also wears grey trunks, and the boy sports a white cloth around his middle. Lying on his back on a fitted mat, the man juggles and spins the boy with his feet. The boy's acrobatic movements include spinning in a tucked ball-like position, flipping lengthwise in a prone position, flipping from a standing position to a shoulder-stand, somersaulting from a standing to a sitting position, repeated flips involving both the hands and feet of the man, and other series of somersaults and turns. After finishing the act, the acrobats take a slight bow and run off the stage, then return for another bow before finally exiting.

From Edison films catalog: A Japanese juggler performs some marvelous juggling feats with a boy. Lying on his back on the floor, he spins the boy with his feet and makes him turn numerous somersaults. 120 ft. $18.00.

NOTES
Copyright: Thomas A. Edison; 29Apr1904; H45038.

Original main title lacking.

Duration: 1:44 at 18 fps.

Materials listed originate from the paper print chosen best copy of two for digitization; for other holdings on this title, see the M/B/RS Paper Print database.

Catalog no. 5930; code name (for telegraphic orders) Valgamos.

Arch pos, arch neg, and masterpos include two pullbacks with approximately 2 ft. of black; these printing errors have been edited out in production of a digital file.

NCN046324; Japanese acrobats.

Filmed in Edison's New York City studio.

Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K.R. Early motion pictures, 1985; AFI cat.: film beginnings, 1893-1910, 1995; Edison films catalog, no. 288, July 1906, p. 48.

Received: 12/14/94 from LC film lab; arch pos; preservation; Paper Print Collection.

Received: 10/26/94 from LC film lab; arch neg; preservation; Paper Print Collection.

Received: 1/19/95 from LC film lab; masterpos; preservation; Paper Print Collection.

Received: 4/29/04; paper pos; copyright deposit; Paper Print Collection.

SUBJECTS
Juggling--United States.
Acrobatics--United States.
Acrobats--United States.
Jugglers--United States.
Japanese--United States--Games.
Silent films.
Vaudeville.
Shorts.

MEDIUM
1 reel of 1 (119 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. arch pos.
1 reel of 1 (119 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. arch neg.
1 reel of 1 (119 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. masterpos.
1 roll (117 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. paper pos.

CALL NUMBER
FPE 7673 (arch pos)
FPE 7671 (arch neg)
FPE 7674 (masterpos)
LC 1658a (paper pos)

DIGITAL ID
(m) varsmp 1658

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