Thanhouser Company

Thanhouser Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Film production
Founded	1909 (1909)
Founder	Edwin Thanhouser, Gertrude Thanhouser, Lloyd Lonergan
Defunct	1920 (1920)
Fate	Dissolved
Headquarters	New York City, New York; later New Rochelle, New York , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Edwin Thanhouser, Charles J. Hite, Lloyd Lonergan, Gertrude Thanhouser
Products	Silent films
Parent	Mutual Film Corporation (from April 15, 1912)

The Thanhouser Company, later known as the Thanhouser Film Corporation, was an early pioneer in the film industry, established in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, along with his wife Gertrude and brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. Based in New York City until 1920, the studio produced more than a thousand motion pictures.

Corporate history

Edwin Thanhouser constructed a film studio in New Rochelle, New York, and by the middle of 1910, the enterprise had gained a reputation as a prominent independent studio. Notable industry personalities such as Frank E. Woods commended the high standard of Thanhouser’s productions.

On April 15, 1912, the company was acquired by Mutual Film Corporation for $250,000, with Charles J. Hite taking over its management.

A devastating fire struck the main New Rochelle studio on January 13, 1913, destroying vital equipment, costumes, and original film negatives. Despite this significant loss, production continued at subsidiary locations to meet distributor obligations while rebuilding efforts were underway.

Following the death of Charles J. Hite in a car accident, the company faced difficulties under less experienced leadership. Edwin Thanhouser returned to oversee operations but was unable to regain the company's prior prominence amid rising competition within the industry. Films featuring star actress Florence La Badie remained commercially successful until her exit in 1917, shortly before her untimely death due to accident-related injuries. Ultimately, the Thanhouser Corporation was dissolved in 1920.

Releases of 1910

The inaugural release from the Thanhouser Company was The Actor's Children, which premiered on March 15, 1910. The narrative follows a theatrical family struggling with rent payments; their children are saved by a theater manager and reunited with their parents. This film is an example of the deus ex machina storytelling device frequently employed by Lonergan. Although it marked their first public release, the initial production filmed was The Mad Hermit, shot in autumn 1909 but not released until August 1910. Lloyd Lonergan’s earliest screenplay was for Aunt Nancy Telegraphs, filmed in December 1909 but never distributed.

Thanhouser gained acclaim with its adaptation of Augusta Jane Evans's novel St. Elmo, which achieved success despite being considered lost for many years. This was followed by original stories such as She's Done it Again and Daddy's Double. On April 15, 1910, two productions were issued on a single reel: A 29-Cent Robbery, introducing Marie Eline—known as the "Thanhouser Kid"—alongside the comedic short The Old Shoe Came Back. Later releases included split reels and adaptations like Shakespeare’s The Winter's Tale, Marie Corelli’s Thelma, and Mary Jane Holmes’s Tempest and Sunshine.

Classic literary adaptations such as Uncle Tom's Cabin alternated with original works including The Mermaid and The Restoration. The August 9 release of The Mad Hermit helped dispel doubts regarding amateurish production standards. Autumn offerings featured inventive plotlines like Dots and Dashes, which incorporated Morse code into a prison escape narrative, alongside seasonal films such as the child-friendly trick film The Fairies' Hallowe'en and A Thanksgiving Surprise, timed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Winter releases included adaptations of timeless works like Paul and Virginia, John Halifax, Gentleman, Rip Van Winkle, and The Vicar of Wakefield. On December 17, Thanhouser introduced Love and Law, launching the "Violet Gray, Detective" series originally part of the "Thanhouser Detective Series". Earlier films also explored investigative themes with titles such as The Girl Reporter and A Dainty Politician. The company additionally released Looking Forward, adapted from James Oliver Curwood’s story about a chemist awakening to a future dominated by women. The year concluded with Hypnotized, which focused on a traveling show featuring a sinister hypnotist.

Filmography

Thanhouser was responsible for creating more than 1,000 silent films, among which are:

• The Cry of the Children: This 1912 two-reel melodrama, partly shot inside an operational textile mill, was honored in 2011 by the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress for its cultural, historical, and artistic importance. The film is regarded as a pivotal work associated with the pre-World War I American child labor reform movement. A prominent critic of the era described it as "the most daring, timely, and powerful plea to eradicate one of society’s harshest injustices."
• The Evidence of the Film: A 15-minute production from 1913 that was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2001.
• When the Studio Burned: Following the January 13, 1913 fire that destroyed the Thanhouser studio in New Rochelle, New York—just three days after releasing The Evidence of the Film—most film negatives were fortunately preserved. Taking advantage of recently acquired production sites in Los Angeles and Chicago, Thanhouser created this 14-minute dramatized short portraying the fire and escape, featuring numerous studio actors playing themselves. It premiered on February 4, 1913.

External links

• Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. official website
• Thanhouser Film Corp., American Film Institute
• Thanhouser Film Archive – The Silent Film Channel
• The Thanhouser Studio collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences