Gnome Motion Picture Company

Gnome Motion Picture Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Film studio
Founded	1910
Defunct	1911 (presumed)
Fate	Closed
Headquarters	The Bronx, New York City, New York
Key people	Frederick Kalmbach, Mildred Hutchinson

The Gnome Motion Picture Company was a brief-lived film production enterprise credited with three projects from 1910 to 1911, all centered on narratives involving gnome characters. The titles associated with the company—Alice in Funnyland, The Birth of the Gnomes, and Alice's New Year's Party—appear to have never reached public release. Trade publications stopped mentioning the company by January 1911, and its treasurer, Frederick Kalmbach, was subsequently sued by New York City over unpaid taxes. Despite the lack of confirmed distribution, the American Film Institute still lists these three films as having been released in January 1911.

History

Founded to produce motion pictures utilizing Meredith-Jones camera patents controlled by the Animated Picture Patents Company, the firm was incorporated with a capital investment of $30,000. The board of directors included Frederick Kalmbach, James C. Hutchinson, and H. Meredith Jones. The studio and administrative offices were situated at the intersection of Park and Tremont Avenue in Bronx, New York City, New York. Equipment purchases featured a Motiograph Moving Picture Machine alongside Hallberg's Standard Automatic Electric Economizers.

Mildred Hutchinson, an experienced child actress known for her work with Edison, Vitagraph, and Melies studios, played leading roles in productions designed for young viewers that revolved around fictional gnome tales. However, none of the three planned films seem to have been publicly exhibited. Financial difficulties plagued the venture; Kalmbach faced a $3,000 tax claim which he successfully contested after the company ceased operations. The final trade press mention occurred on January 14, 1911, announcing a short postponement of the three films’ release.

Thomas Bedding of The Moving Picture World commended the company's innovative focus on producing "fairy pictures for young people," noting its pioneering effort to create content targeted at children during the Christmas period. Marketing materials promoted a December 1910 release schedule; however, delays ultimately led to the project's discontinuation by early 1911. The Gnome Motion Picture Company exemplifies an early attempt to develop a specialized market segment focusing on family-friendly holiday-themed films.

The Birth of the Gnomes

A plot summary published in The Nickelodeon describes an ancient fairy who brings into existence a new species called Gnomes, assigned to perform benevolent deeds worldwide. The film was advertised as being approximately 1000 feet in length and originally slated for release on December 12, 1910. This was postponed first to "Christmas week" and then to January 1911. No verified release occurred, nor were there further mentions in trade journals.

Alice in Funnyland

According to a synopsis in The Nickelodeon, this story features a wealthy girl named Alice who dreams of journeying to Funnyland alongside Santa Claus and Gnomes. In this magical realm, toys and animals animate themselves to entertain Alice before she awakens on Christmas morning. Initially planned for release on December 19, 1910, then rescheduled to December 26, it was ultimately delayed indefinitely with no evidence of public screening or distribution.

Alice's New Year's Party

Unlike the other two films with published summaries, Alice's New Year's Party lacked detailed coverage in trade publications and was never assigned a definitive release date beyond an initial plan for "Christmas week." The American Film Institute notes that an advertisement in Moving Picture World (January 1911) mentioned a brief postponement; nevertheless, this film also failed to reach audiences.