Thanhouser Company Preservation, Inc.
Preservation Activities
2010 2009 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Watch the Video: Preserving Thanhouser: Past Present & Future

2013

Acquired 12 page brochure from the 1914 Joseph in the Land of Egypt that complements the sheet music for this film acquired in 2006. 

2011
Six Thanhouser posters were discovered as part of the CH New collection held by the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina . The Cat's Paw and The Mohammedian Conspiracy were the second film and forth installments of two-reel dramas directed by Frederick Sullivan. Lloyd Lonergan developed scenarios derived from the series Adventures of a Diplomatic Free Lance by Clarence Herbert New which had been running for the previous five years in Blue Book magazine. To see these one, three, and six sheet posters, click on any of the images below:

The Cat's Paw (1914, One Sheet)	The Cat's Paw (1914, Three Sheet)	The Cat's Paw (1914, Six Sheet)	The Mohammedan's Conspiracy (1914, One Sheet)	The Mohammedan's Conspiracy (1914, Three Sheet)	The Mohammedan's Conspiracy (1914, Six Sheet)

A new poster acquisition for 2011 was The Dancer (1914). It is an interesting one sheet poster since it does not contain any reference to Thanhouser as producer or distributor, just that it is a Mutual production. Identification as a Thanhouser production is confirmed from the tag line, number of reels and imagery matching the synopsis of this film.

2010
Acquired this year was the sheet music from the 1916 Thanhouser production Prudence, The Pirate; unfortunately, this film is not known to survive. Also acquired in 2010 on eBay was a nitrate print from 1911 of the split reel short subject The Only Girl in Camp. This film has been delivered to the Library of Congress for preservation and inclusion on a future DVD release.
      

2009
New acquisitions this year include two three-sheet posters, Veteran Mounted Police Horse (1913) and Message to Headquarters (1913) plus a six-sheet of Message to Headquarters. These posters were in poor condition and simply preserved in their current condition mounted on linen as the expense to restore them would be exorbitant and the corresponding films are not known to survive.

Seven new Thanhouser films have been discovered and identified at various locations around the world; these films are in various stages of preservation:
 - The Ring of a Spanish Grandee (1912) at The Netherlands Filmmuseum
 - The Children's Hour (1913) courtesy of Bob King of Classic Images
 - The Tell-Tale Scar (1914) at the New Zealand Film Archives
 - Little Brother (1913) at the New Zealand Film Archives
 - Hannah's Henpecked Husband (Falstaff, 1915) at the University of South Carolina
 - The Schemers (Princess, 1915) at the University of South Carolina
 - Guiders (Falstaff, 1916) at Getty Images
 - Modern Monte Cristo (Pathé, 1917) at The Netherlands Filmmuseum

These discoveries bring the total known number of surviving Thanhouser films to 200!

2006
Two new posters were acquired from Janice Yorke Davis,  The Dashing Druggist's Delima (Falstaff, April 29, 1916) and  Willing Wendy to Willie (Falstaff, May 1, 1916). Her great uncle was Jay C. Yorke who as the featured actor in both these films and these posters were passed down through her family. These posters required extensive restoration and are now available for viewing by clicking on the images below. Thanks again to Janice for making these available for preservation and access.

2005
Two new one-sheet posters were acquired in 2005 via auction on eBay: When a Man Fears (1910) and The Valkyrie (1915). These two posters were in fair to poor condition and were shipped in January 2006 to Studio C in Vista, California  for restoration. Click on the posters below to see the restored version completed in 2006

 
Also acquired in 2005 were 14 other Thanhouser memorabilia items, including beautiful images of Thanhouser actresses Mignon Anderson and Clarine Seymour plus two heralds for The Million Dollar Mystery, Episode 3 and A Bird of Prey. All new acquisitions have been posted to the Image Gallery.

The Thanhouser nitrate film Value--Beyond Price (1910) that was acquired in 2001 from John Conning was successfully shipped in 2005 to the Library of Congress Preservation Center in Dayton, Ohio. Also, in January 2005, Professor Erkki Huhtamo of UCLA reported he discovered a reel of Thanhouser nitrate film, The Guilty Baby (1912), in an Edison Kinetoscope he acquired for his personal collection. Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. arranged for this title to be donated to the Library of Congress where it is now undergoing preservation.

2004
Two new one-sheet posters were purchased in 2004 at The Last Motion Picture Company poster auction held in conjunction with CINECON 2004: Rivalry (1914) and The Baby and the Boss (1915). These posters were in fair to good condition; no restoration work is planned at this time.

Additional Thanhouser memorabilia items acquired in 2004 include a beautifully hand tinted photograph of Thanhouser actress Jeanne Darnell, a postcard of actor William Russell, and a collectible pinback of Marguerite Snow as Zudora .

2003
Several new collectables were acquired in 2003, including a herald for Inspiration (1915) staring Audrey Munson; this film created controversy as she posed nude for this art film. Also acquired were postcards depicting the original Thanhouser factory on Warren and Grove streets in New Rochelle, actor James Cruze, and actresses Mignon Anderson, Muriel Ostriche and the most popular Thanhouser star, Florence LaBadie.

2002
Two new three-sheet posters were acquired in 2003 from Stephen Dillow of Center, Kansas, Jack and the Beanstalk (1913) and Little Dorrit (1913). These posters were in very poor condition when received and were immediately shipped to Studio C in Vista, California for restoration; the results are simplify amazing. click on the "before" images below to see the fine work done to preserve and restore these images.
 

2001
In early 2001, Amy Beaton of Fargo, North Dakota, inherited several movie posters from her grandfather. He was the owner of a General Store in Columbus, North Dakota, and he purchased them from a theater located next door. Three posters are vintage Thanhouser (The Pasha's Daughter, The Evidence of the Film, and The Marble Heart) and were in excellent condition.  Thanks to the generosity of Amy, she donated these to Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. for all to enjoy. Thank You Amy!  The restored posters are now a part of the Thanhouser collection. 

Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. acquired the Nitrate film Value--Beyond Price (1910) from John Conning with the intention of shipping to the Library of Congress Film Preservation Center in Dayton, Ohio for preservation.

2000
Several Thanhouser memorabilia items were acquired this year, including a Her New York herald, Maude Fealy post card, and a Thanhouser Kid & Kidlet post card.

1999
In September 1999 Mr. Bruce Lyall of Recycled Records in San Francisco donated an image of the 1910 Thanhouser poster Ten Nights in a Bar Room. This poster can be viewed in the Poster Gallery.

In April 1999 Kay Henrikson of St. Anthony, Idaho discovered three "Thanhouser Players" posters of Maude Fealy, James Cruze and Mignon Anderson inside the walls of a house on her property which was about to be demolished. The three posters were in poor condition and had considerable water damage. (Click here to see "before" images.) Through the negotiations by Mr. Thanhouser, Hennrikson generously donated these to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library.  Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc.underwrote 50% of the cost of this effort. Also discovered at this location was a poster from King Rene's Daughter (1913) staring Maude Fealy.

In March 1999 the 1913 Thanhouser production The Evidence of the Film was found on the floor of a projection booth in Montana. John Eickhof from Northwest Theatre Equipment Company of Wendell, Idaho made this discovery. His technician, Phil Housh, contacted Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. through the web-site. Mr. Eickhof graciously donated the nitrate print to the Library of Congress for preservation, in exchange for a 35mm-safety print. This film was acquired and preserved by the Library of Congress and was projected at a Thanhouser program in Washington, DC in June 1999.