Movies starring

A Christmas Carol (1910)

10 mins     Drama, Fantasy      

A Christmas Carol (1910) The 1910 adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is one of the earliest, a one reel silent version which still works remarkably well...

Frankenstein (1910)

16 mins     Horror, Sci-Fi      

The year is 1910 and whilst film making had already been around for 30 years cinema was still in its infancy. Along comes directors J. Searle Dawley working for the Edison Studio and made the first movie version of Mary Shell...

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)

13 mins     Adventure , Fantasy      

Whilst this 1910 version of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is the earliest surviving movie adaptation there have been quite a few other early adaptations which I am sure must be as curious to watch as this one i...

A Christmas Accident (1912)

15 mins     Drama      

There is always something quite fascinating about watching really old silent movies as not only do you get a snapshot of what life was like but you also get to see what passed as entertainment back then and whether or not it ...

Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)

11 mins     Comedy      

So here is the first movie featuring Charlie Chaplin as the iconic Little Tramp, although to be technically correct "Kid Auto Races at Venice" was the first movie released featuring Chaplin as the Little Tramp as just days pr...

Mabel's Busy Day (1914)

10 mins     Comedy      

"Mabel's Busy Day" was Charlie Chaplin's 17th movie, released just 4 months after he made his debut with "Kid Auto Races at Venice" and whilst it saw him starring alongside Mabel Normand again it is a bit of a nothing little ...

Tango Tangles (1914)

12 mins     Comedy      

Charlie Chaplin once said that in the early days they didn't have scripts just ideas and would go somewhere with just a couple of people and make a movie. That along with the fact the movie industry was a very different beast...

Wife and Auto Trouble (1916)

14 mins     Comedy      

It never fails to amaze me how much is crammed into these old silent movies as in just the 14 minutes which "Wife and Auto Trouble" runs it has comedy, characters as well as some entertaining stunts and special effects. Now I...

The Rink (1916)

20 mins     Comedy      

One of the attractions of watching early Charlie Chaplin movies is not so much that they are entertaining, which they certainly are but also to watch the evolution of the comic genius. And "The Rink" is a great example of Cha...

His Wedding Night (1917)

19 mins     Comedy      

As I have said before I don't need much of an excuse to watch a movie no matter what it is but over the years that willingness to watch any movie means I have often ventured into the bygone era of silent pictures. Up until re...

My Wife's Relations (1922)

22 mins     Comedy      

Buster Keaton was a comedy genius, a master of delivering slapstick and visual gags, unfortunately "My Wife's Relations" is not the best movie to demonstrate that genius. But "My Wife's Relations" is a movie which at just ove...

West of Hot Dog (1924)

30 mins     Comedy, Western      

Having received news that he is in line for some inheritance in the small town of Hot Dog, the naive Stan makes his way there, getting robbed on the way when the stagecoach he is travelling on is robbed by a band of outlaws. ...

Big Business (1929)

19 mins     Comedy, Family, Short      

I would urge anyone who is a fan of Christmas movies and find themselves over indulging with festive films to the point they grow tiresome to search out Laurel and Hardy's "Big Business" as it will restore than smile to your ...

Borrowed Wives (1930)

62 mins     Comedy      

So here is the good news "Borrowed Wives" is free to watch because it is another old movie whose copyright was never renewed and so has falled into the public domain. The bad news, well it is a weak romantic comedy farce feat...

The Apache Kid's Escape (1930)

58 mins     Western      

I wouldn't be surprised if actor Jack Perrin use to be known as smiling Jack as it seems he is always dishing out a huge smile when ever the camera is focused upon him. It is Perrin's beaming smile which ends up the most memo...

The Big Trail (1930)

125 mins     Adventure , Western      

Let me tackle "The Big Trail" as a piece on western entertainment to start with and I hate to say this but as entertainment it is not all that. The trouble really comes from this clearly being a big production aiming to be an...

The Gay Diplomat (1931)

67 mins     Drama      

The most entertaining thing about "The Gay Diplomat" is a bit of trivia about lead actor Ivan Lebedeff doctoring the audience preview cards to say they loved it and him when the producers knew it was a disaster. Disaster is p...

The Range Feud (1931)

64 mins     Western      

Back in 1931 when "The Range Feud" was made it would have been Buck Jones who would have drawn audiences to watch yet now over 80 years later the attraction is John Wayne. But like so many of early John Wayne movies this is j...

The Montana Kid (1931)

60 mins     Western      

Simply put "The Montana Kid" is about as typically looking an early 1930s western you can get with the most memorable aspect of it being the unnatural character portrayals as we have forced laughing and lines delivered in a s...

The Nevada Buckaroo (1931)

59 mins     Western      

Ooh Bob Steele playing a bad guy, well you know that won't stick and so we get to see Bob as The Nevada Kid, looking surprisingly youthful as well, converting from being a bad guy to a good guy. Of course it is an unwritten r...