Georgetown, SC: Museum to recover 1923 film
Bruce Calvert
Museum to recover 1923 film
By Meredith Carter, mca...@gtowntimes.com October 06, 2005
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After 81 years, Pied Piper Malone is finally coming home.
The silent movie, filmed in Georgetown in 1923, was missing until this
past August. That's when John Coles and Mark Tiedje, two Mt. Pleasant
authors and South Carolina theater historians, located in the archives of
Gosfilmofond in Moscow, Russia, the only known copy of the film to exist.
Gosfilmofond agreed to secure a copy of Pied Piper from Tekhno Video
in Moscow. The computerized copy will cost $1,077, which the Georgetown
Historical Society has agreed to pay.
The money is expected to be sent to Russia soon. After receiving the
check, Gosfilmofond has agreed to send the computerized copy immediately.
It could take two to three weeks after that for the film to arrive in
Georgetown.
Debby Summey, director of the Georgetown County Museum, said she was
excited about the discovery.
"I'm thrilled that everybody in Georgetown will have a chance to see
the movie," she said. "The film shows a lot of Georgetown - the Episcopal
Church, the Courthouse and businesses on Front Street."
When the film arrives, Summey said, the Georgetown County Museum plans
to hold a public showing.
The Strand Theatre is being considered as a screening location;
however, plans will not be set until the film is received.
Summey said Mildred Higgins, a Georgetown resident who acted as an
extra in the film, will be "the honored guest."
"It would be a wonderful thing for Miss Higgins to see the film again
after 81 years. She would enjoy seeing her classmates from so long ago,"
Summey said. "But it will also be great for everybody in Georgetown,
especially those of us who were around in 1923."
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Searching for Piper
Efforts to find the film began in early this summer, when Coles and
Tiedje, authors of Movie Theatres of Charleston, visited Georgetown to
research their latest book about movie theaters throughout South Carolina.
After learning about Pied Piper Malone and interviewing Higgins, the
pair began searching for any existing copies.
According to John Coles, "It just seemed like a natural extension of
our research to get involved with Debby (Summey) in bringing Pied Piper
Malone back to Georgetown after 80-plus years."
Coles said he and Tiedje were surprised to discover the only known
copy in Moscow. They asked Boris Bohun-Chudyniv, who located Pied Piper
Malone in Gosfilmofond, why the silent film might have ended up in Moscow
and not the U.S.
The answer, Coles said, "comes down to economics."
"For American film companies, when a film no longer had commercial
value, it was destroyed or recycled," he said. "In Europe, especially
Eastern Europe, each film was viewed as a work of art. Motion picture films
from America and Western Europe were difficult to obtain and were highly
prized."
Coles added that only 135 of 590 silent films made in the U.S. in 1923
have survived to present-day - about 23 percent.
"Why Pied Piper Malone survived will always be a mystery," he said.
Both Coles and Tiedje agreed that it would be "wonderful for Miss
Higgins to see the film again" because "she would
enjoy seeing her classmates from so long ago."
Local girl becomes 'starlet'
Higgins made her silver screen debut in Pied Piper Malone. She and
some of her classmates were chosen to play extras, children who followed
Jack around during his on-shore scenes.
Higgins said she thinks she knows why the producers chose her.
"I think my red hair shined and caught their attention," she said.
Higgins and her classmates acted in several crowd scenes, a courtroom
scene and scenes around Georgetown. They were excused from school to act in
Pied Piper Malone, where they worked alongside child star Peaches Jackson.
"We felt like movie stars," she said. "We were so proud that our names
were in the movies."
Overall, Higgins earned $12 for her performance - money she used, she
said, "to buy Christmas presents."
"What a luxury!" she added.
Higgins said that, 81 years later, she has trouble believing it ever
happened.
"Thinking back, it hardly seems real. That was something rare for that
time," she said. "Georgetown was a little quiet town."
Still, Higgins said she will never forget the happy memories her
acting experience gave her.
"It really was the highlight of our childhood. I'm glad I got a chance
to do that," she said.
It's an experience, she added, that she'll be happy to revisit when
Pied Piper Malone returns to Georgetown.
"I'm glad to hear something about it," she said. "It brings back those
special days for me."
Ready for a Close-Up: 1923 Georgetown
Georgetown got a first-hand view of Hollywood - and national
recognition - when a 65-member Paramount Pictures crew stepped off a train
Nov. 6, 1923. Their mission was simple: make Pied Piper Malone, a
feature-length film, using the port city as a backdrop.
Originally set in New England, Director Alfred E. Green settled on
Georgetown because of the city's warmer November climate. The port city also
provided the busy commercial and residential scenery needed for the film.
Pied Piper Malone featured two of Hollywood's most popular young
actors, Lois Wilson and Thomas Meighan.
Wilson, who played Shirley Temple's mother in Bright Eyes (1934), was
a school teacher-turned-actress. Meighan was one of Hollywood's top male
actors, starring in a number of Cecil B. DeMille films.
The film traces a love triangle among Jack Malone (Meighan), a black
sheep sailor, first mate Charles Crosby (Cyril Ring) and school teacher
Patty Thomas (Wilson).
For more information about Coles' and Tiedje's upcoming book, call
881-2612 or visit www.scmovietheatres.com.
For more information about the film, call Summey at 545-7020.
ŠGeorgetown Times 2005
Jason Liller
--Jason Liller
Early Film
> Anyone know if this title is public domain?
It was copyrighted on Feb 6, 1924 by Famous Players-Lasky Corp., and if
Paramount renewied it in 1952, then it still is in copyright. The
pre-1977 records are not on line, unless there has been a change or
reassignment made to them after that date, so it is not an easy check.
Jason Liller
>Paramount renewied it in 1952, then it still is in copyright. The
>pre-1977 records are not on line, unless there has been a change or
>reassignment made to them after that date, so it is not an easy check.
Yeah. I was going to contact the museum to suggest that they look into
a home video release, but I don't even want to bring it up unless I'm
reasonably sure it's public domain.
--Jason Liller