A Short History of Holmes' Film Work

The Early Years

Burton Holmes had already been giving travel lectures for four years when he began to investigate the new moving picture technologies that were being developed in Europe and America. By the mid-1890's Edison and the Lumière brothers had demonstrated films to the public. But their equipment was all hand-built, and you couldn't just walk into the retail store and buy a movie camera.

Burton Holmes and Herford T. Cowling, Japan, 1917
Burton Holmes and Herford T. Cowling, Japan, 1917
© BHHC; All Rights Reserved

Holmes was a serious and capable photographer; his first real job had been as clerk in a camera store. He knew who was developing the neatest technologies, and in 1897 sent his cameraman and associate Oscar Depue to Paris to buy a camera from Léon Gaumont. [Click here for more information on the development of early cinema.]

Thayer Soule, in On the Road with Travelogues, wrote, "In 1897 Holmes introduced the first travel movies, not part of the show, but presented afterward, as a novelty. The first were 25-second sequences that had no connection with the subject of the show, or with each other: A police parade in Chicago, the Omaha fire department responding to an alarm, or Neapolitans consuming spaghetti. They were black and white, of course, but created a sensation. In charge of this new department was Oscar Depue, an inspired technician, who became Holmes' partner.

"Their first camera was a bulky French contraption that used film 60mm wide, fed unperforated into the camera. The camera, operated by a hand crank, perforated the film as it went through, sending a shower of confetti-like bits out the side. For projection, the camera gate and sprocket assembly were transferred to the projector to insure proper registration. A carbide lamp provided the illumination. Its white, hot flame was dangerously close to the film, which was cellulose nitrate, hightly exposive. Foamed off loose into a barrel, it presented a perfect opportunity for an explosion. In later years both men marveled they hadn't blown themselves up! Holmes, even half a century later, carried in his wallet a short piece of that first 60mm film. When Vistavision, Cinemascope, and Todd-AO came along with their huge screens, people marveled at the width of the film, almost double the standard 35mm.

"'You mean,' BH would say, handing them that strip of film, 'something like this?'

"'That's it. Just like that. Boy, this new film is terrific.'

"BH would smile. 'We used this back in 1897,' he said."

Soule goes on to add, "In 1902 Holmes switched to the new standard 35mm film. He used it for the next 38 years, with a safer, more efficient arc light. Oscar found a way to 'paste the films together,' as he put it, making possible longer sequences. He was the first to spool film onto reels, safer and more convenient than bins of loose footage. The film was still highly explosive, but the risk was significantly reduced. He went on to head the Burton Holmes Films laboratory in Chicago. The big sign on the water tank of their Ashland Avenue plant was a familiar sight to three generations of passengers on the elevated system. He also developed the Depue multiple sound and picture printer. It became a standard in the industy, and remained so for 40 years."

One of Holmes' early films, for the 1899-1900 season, was "Moki Land," of Native American peoples in Arizona. [Still photographs from this trip can be found in Volume 6 of his Travelogues.] Jeremy Rowe, writing in "A Photographic History of Arizona 1850 - 1920," says: "Motion picture cameras documented the Snake Dance at Walpi as early as 1899 when Oscar Depue visited the Hopi pueblo. Depue presented one of the first motion picture shows at a trading post in Canyon Diablo during a second trip to the area in 1900." [See his Photographers in Arizona 1850-1920: A History & Directory for more information on early photography in Arizona.]

George C "Professor" Hall's website on silent movies has a page on Holmes' and Depue's 1898/9 films in Arizona, with stills from the "Rattlesnake Jack" segment.

Holmes and his crew used 60mm films to supplement his slide-illustrated lectures for the next several years, switching to 35mm film for the 1902/03 season. See the full list of Lectures and Travelogues, by year, elsewhere on this site for more details on what was shown.



Holmes with some his films, circa 1950. Used by permission; all rights reserved

In the late 1970's a complete listing of all the films then still extant in the BHI archive was compiled by Bill Cartwright, Scott Goren, and Genoa Caldwell. Of particular interest was a 45-minute (1600 feet) promotional film "The Burton Holmes Story," which included short segments of some of his earliest film footage, including:

1897: USA: Chicago police; Omaha fire department
1897: England: London street scenes; Queen Victoria
1898: Philippines
1898: Hawaii: Hula girls
1900: Paris: Street scenes; Cafe de la Paix
1901: Russia: Tolstoy; Moscow; St. Petersburg and the Czar; Trans-Siberian Railroad
1901: China: Peking; street and river scenes
1901: Korea: Seoul street scenes; dancers; Inchon bay [long segment]

In addition to the short segments in this compilation film, there were other reels with more of the original footage (possibly remastered onto 35mm nitrate stock) from these same expeditions. There is also footage from New York City and Japan in 1900, and a very short segment listed as "Hopi Indians" and dated 1903, which may actually be based on film shot in 1898 and repackaged for the 1903/04 lecture season.

How much of this film survives today is anyone's guess. Many of the archived films were discovered by Jason Turner in 2003, as he cleaned up an apartment building which had been owned by his father, preparatory to selling it. Jason's father had owned a liquor store across the street from the BHI headquarters, and had rented a small cottage to Robert Mallet. Apparently, when BHI closed down, Mallett and Hollingsworth had asked Jason's father to store the films in his apartment building until they had some place else to put them. They never came back for them.

These films are now at the film museum at George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Some are in very bad condition and need restoration as soon as possible; money is an issue. For more on the discovery of the films see the press release, and our pictures of the films in temporary storage.

 



Burton Holmes at work in the Philippines, 1898
© BHHC; All Rights Reserved

 

The Classic Period

In 1902 Holmes obtained the first of his many 35mm movie cameras, and immediately put it to use. By 1905 he and Oscar Depue had dozens of short film segments from their travels. Some of these still exist, in the rediscovered film archive; but some may be viewed now only as short paper print segments at the Library of Congress.

Before 1912, films could not be copyrighted as such; but their content could be protected by making paper prints of a short segment of the film, and copyrighting that paper print. There are 82 paper print segments archived in Moving Image collections in the Library of Congress. Here is a subject list of the films deposited in the Library of Congress as paper prints in 1905, including 35mm films made and shown 1902-5, approximately in order of filming:

  • Denmark—1 segment
  • Norway—13 segments
  • Yosemite and central California—12 segments
  • Yellowstone—12 segments
  • Grand Canyon—4 segments
  • Alaska—9 segments
  • Ireland—10 segments
  • Southern UK: Conwy Castle, Wales; and a squad of Seaforth Highlanders—2 segments
  • Japan—1 segment
  • Oberammergau Passion Play (a panorama from the Electric Railway)—1 segment
  • The Tyrolian Alps—8 segments
  • Switzerland—6 segments

The following three segments could have been made independently of the others, or as part of any of several shooting trips:

  • San Francisco: Ferry Boats—1 segment
  • Pasadena, California: Roman Chariot Race, and Floral Parade of Rose Festival—2 segments

Typical LC paper print strips on archive card, front and back:





card and enlargement of upper left picture ("Fourth of July Parade, Yosemite, California"—grayscale scan):






All photographs and scans by Michael Ward. We would like to give special thanks to the wonderful people at the Library of Congress Moving Image Collections, who went out of their way to help us.

 

Holmes and Hollywood

By 1915 Holmes had a contract with Paramount to make a weekly short travel film for general distribution. We don't have a good list of the early films. The Library of Congress' Cumulative Copyright Catalog volume for motion pictures, 1912 to 1939, lists many films 1920-22, ©Burton Holmes; and 1933-36, ©Holmes Films, Inc.; item marked [*] is ©Holmes Lectures, Inc. Additional items below marked [§] are not in the copyright list, but have been found in library or other catalog listings from [§ LC] = Library of Congress / [§ AFI] = American Film Institute / [§ THMFS] = Theodore Huff Memorial Film Society] / [§ JL] = Jeff Lewis.

1907

  • TR Reviews the Fleet [§ LC]

Jeff Lewis, Jlewis on the TCM Forum Site, has compiled extensive lists of short films for a variety of publications. Many thanks for his help in untangling Holmes's short-film work. Most of his 1916 films were shot between 1905 and 1914, but his later films were often released within a year or so after filming. His name is not given on extant records from 1915 or earlier, and one source indicates that 1916's "Cliff Dwellers of America" (February 7) was his first "official" release. Jeff goes on to point out the January 8, 1916 issue of MOTION PICTURE NEWS (page 50), which quoted W. W. Hodkinson, President of the Paramount Pictures Corporation: "It is our aim to make the Paramount-Burton Holmes Travel Pictures short, to offer plenty of variety, and to bring out the human interest in the life of the countries to be visited on what we might call 'Our Easy Chair Journeys' ". The article went on to say, "Practically eight months of the year, Mr. Holmes devotes to the search for something new, picturesque, or awe-inspiring. With his two associates, Oscar Bennett Depue, lantern operator and camera expert, and Louis Francis Brown, business manager, Mr. Holmes is said to have traveled more than two and a half million miles."

Jeff continues: "Actually there is a ton of material in the MOTION PICTURE NEWS articles from 1916 through 1922. He conducted quite a few interviews for the magazine. One details how he almost lost his life filming a Hawaiian volcano in April 1917. Another talks about revisiting the Philippines that same summer as the country was mobilized for the war."



Burton Holmes in MOTION PICTURE NEWS, 8 January 1916, page 50

1916 (distributed by Paramount)

  • 39. 3Jan16; MP486.
  • (Australian Series)
  • 40. 7Jan16; MP484.
  • 41. Australia's Unknown. 14Jan16; MP489.
  • 42. Australia's Unknown. 19Jan16; MP494.
  • 43. 27Jan16; MP501.
  • The Cliff Dwellers Of America / Feb 7
  • The Grand Canyon / Feb 14
  • A Day With A West Point Cadet / Feb 21
  • Our Middies At Annapolis And The U.S. Aviation School / Feb 28
  • Summer Days Near San Diego, California / Mar 6
  • Felling Big Trees In California / Mar 13
  • Going Some In San Francisco / Mar 20
  • The Fighting Forest Rangers In Arizona / Mar 27
  • Old And New Manila (originally filmed in 1913)/ Apr 3
  • Bilibid, The Sing Sing Of Philippines (originally filmed in 1913) / Apr 10
  • The Pasig River (The Filipino Thames) (originally filmed in 1913) / Apr 17
  • The Lowlands Of Luzon (originally filmed in 1913) / Apr 24
  • The Dog Eaters Of Benguet (originally filmed in 1913)/ May 1
  • Hiking With The Ikorrotes (originally filmed in 1913)/ May 8
  • Among The Head Hunters (originally filmed in 1913) / May 16
  • Cruising Through The Philippines (originally filmed in 1913) / May 22
  • The Murderous Moros Of Mindanao (originally filmed in 1913) / May 29
  • Visiting The Sultan Of Sulu (originally filmed in 1913) / Jun 5
  • The Penal Colony Of Palawan (originally filmed in 1913) / Jun 12
  • Imperial Berlin [this next Summertime series was called "Europe at Peace," and covered European locales before 1914] / Jun 19
  • The Spreewald Near Berlin / Jun 26
  • Munich the Magnificent / Jul 3
  • Beautiful Bavaria / Jul 10
  • Down The Danube To Vienna / Jul 17
  • The Real Bohemia / Jul 24
  • Picturesque Prague / Jul 31
  • From Carlsbad To Moravia / Aug 7
  • In Innsbruck, Capital Of The Austrian Tyrol / Aug 14
  • In South Tyrol, The Italian Corner Of Austria / Aug 21
  • Climbing The Austrian Alps / Aug 28
  • Seeing Naples [may not have been released]
  • In Switzerland / Sep 4
  • Motoring In England / Sep 11
  • Glasgow To Edinburgh / Sep 18
  • Bonnie Scotland / Sep 25
  • A Scotch-Irish Reel / Oct 2
  • In Old Ireland / Oct 9
  • Southern Italy / Oct 16
  • The Island Of Capri / Oct 23
  • Vesuvius In Eruption (10th anniversary) / Oct 30
  • In Classic Greece / Nov 6
  • In Modern Athens [initially titled "The Olympics in Athens"]/ Nov 13
  • British Egypt / Nov 20
  • The Real Streets Of Cairo/ Nov 27
  • The Lower Nile / Dec 4
  • The Upper Nile / Dec 11
  • Going To Halifax ]this and the following Canadian scenics were filmed July to September 1916] / Dec 18
  • The Land Of Evangeline / Dec 25

1916 (also)

  • Glacier National Park [Ref: William K. Everson collection: October 4, 1971 showing of the Theodore Huff Memorial Film Society, noted: "...these early Burton Holmes split-reelers (each less then ten minutes, and designed to be coupled with another short) are rather charming, not least in their deliberate picture-postcard effects, heightened by the rich toning." [§ THMFS]

1917 (distributed by Paramount Famous Players-Lasky)

  • From The Bay Of Fundy To The St. Lawrence / Jan 1
  • Quaint Quebec / Jan 8
  • Montreal, Old And New / Jan 15
  • Ottawa And Toronto / Jan 22
  • Georgian Bay To Winnipeg / Jan 29
  • Beautiful Banff / Feb 12
  • With The Stony Indians / Feb 19
  • Exquisite Lake Louise / Feb 26
  • The Yoho Valley / Mar 5
  • On The Great Glacier / Mar 12
  • Thru Canadian Canyons / Mar 19
  • Vancouver & Victoria / Mar 26
  • Midwinter Sports In Quebec / Apr 2
  • East Of Suez / Apr 9
  • In Old India / Apr 16
  • Among The Holy Hindus / Apr 23
  • Curious Colombo / Apr 30
  • Colorful Ceylon / May 7
  • With The Kandy Elephants / May 14
  • Batavia, The Javanese Capital / May 21
  • A Journey Through Java / May 28
  • Surbaya, The Busy Burg Of Java / Jun 4
  • Bread Lines In Orient And Occident / Jun 11
  • Fruitful Florida / Jun 18
  • Palm Beach And Miami / Jun 23
  • How California Harvests Wheat / Jul 2
  • In The High Sierras / Jul 9
  • An Oregonian Niagara / Jul 16
  • Catching And Canning Oregon Salmon / Jul 23
  • To The Summit Of Mt. Hood / Jul 30
  • Geysers Of The Yellowstone / Aug 6
  • Wonders Of Yellowstone / Aug 13
  • Tropical Nassau / Aug 20
  • Madrid to Madeira / Aug 27
  • Ride Upstairs by Steamer (Norway) / Sep 3
  • Hong Kong and the Pearl River / Sep 10
  • Canton and Shanghai / Sep 17
  • Picturesque Peking / Sep 24
  • Across Manchuria to Korea / Oct 1
  • The Singular City of Seoul / Oct 8
  • Queer Korean Customs / Oct 15
  • Tokyo, the Metropolis / Oct 22
  • Nikko in Snow Time / Oct 29
  • The Land of Madame Butterfly / Nov 5
  • Around Fujiyama / Nov 12
  • Kyoto, the Ancient Capital / Nov 19
  • Three Marvelous Matsuris / Nov 26
  • Osaka to Nagasaki / Dec 3
  • Canning Time In California / Dec 10
  • In Glacier Park / Dec 17
  • Going To The Sun / Dec 24
  • On The Farm Where The Food Comes From / Dec 31

1918 (distributed by Paramount Famous Players-Lasky)

Aug/Sep data is from listings in MOVING PICTURE WORLD.

  • Sydney, The Antipodean Metropolis / Jan 7
  • A Trip To The Jenolan Caves Of Australia / Jan 14
  • Melbourne, The Magnificent / Jan 21
  • 'Round About Melbourne / Jan 28
  • Adelaide, Capital Of South Australia / Feb 24
  • On The Way To The Front With The Chinese Labor Corps / Mar 4
  • The Alaska Cruise / Mar 11
  • A Summer Day In Skagway / Mar 18
  • Over The White Pass / Mar 25
  • Down The Yukon / Apr 1
  • In Happy Honolulu / Apr 8
  • Peerless Pineapples Of The Pacific / Apr 15
  • High Spots Of Hawaii / Apr 22
  • Our Filipino Fighting Force / Apr 29
  • The Philippino National Guard / May 6
  • The Klondike Today / May 13
  • Oblin: The Switzerland Of British Columbia / May 20
  • On The Beach At Waikiki / May 27
  • The Melting Pot Of The Pacific / Jun 3
  • Today In Samoa / Jun 10
  • The Tonga Isles / Jun 14
  • Yesterdays In Samoa / Jun 17
  • Auckland: The Metropolis Of New Zealand / Jul 1
  • Rotorua: The Yellowstone Of The Antipodes In New Zealand / Jul 8
  • Among The Maoris Of New Zealand / Jul 15
  • Wellington And The North Island Of New Zealand / Jul 22
  • Down South In New Zealand / Jul 29
  • Who's Who In The Zoo / Aug 5
  • Along The Queensland Coast / Aug 12
  • The Cruise Of The Aki Maru / Aug 19
  • Sojourning In Sapporo / Aug 26
  • With The Hairy Ainu / Sep 2
  • Japanese Table Manners / undetermined release date
  • Wee Ones Of Japan / Sep 23
  • Sailing The South Seas To Fiji / Sep 30
  • Sight Of Suva / Oct 6
  • Methodized Cannibals / Oct 13
  • Fiji Does Its Bit / Oct 20
  • Fire Walkers Of Bega / Oct 27
  • The Belgian Sisters Of Luzon / Nov 24
  • Inson / Dec 1
  • Two Ends Of The Rope / Dec 8
  • Turbaned Tommies / Dec 15
  • Gorge Of Pagsangen / Dec 22
  • Two Cities Of Old Cathay / Dec 29
  • Sights of Suva [§ AFI]

All other releases of November 1918 are "carry overs" from October: "Fiji Does Its Bit" and "Fire Walkers Of Bequa", so this year did have fewer titles than the other years.

1919 (distributed by Paramount Famous Players-Lasky)

  • In A Manila Wrapper / Jan 5
  • Cane Fields Of Calamba / Jan 12
  • Celestial Contrasts / Jan 19
  • Canning Scenery / Jan 26
  • American Y.M.C.A. In London / Feb 2
  • St. Dunstan's Happy Blind / Feb 9
  • War Women Of England / Feb 16
  • London Plays Ball / Feb 23
  • The Cabaret Of Old Japan / Mar 2
  • Making Sombreros In Manila / Mar 9
  • Gay Parie In Wartime / Mar 16
  • Glorious Versailles / Mar 23
  • Zamboanga / Mar 30
  • Seeing Sights In London / Apr 6
  • Land Of The Mompies / Apr 13
  • Some British Bits Well Done / Apr 20
  • Filipino School Days / Apr 27
  • With The Yanks In France / May 4
  • Tagalog Tailors / May 11
  • Across France With Yankee Gas Hounds / May 18
  • From Cocoon To Kimona / May 25
  • With Uncle Sam's Submarine Chasers / Jun 1
  • The Silken Cities Of Suwa-Ko / Jun 8
  • From The Timber Of The Piave / Jun 15
  • Frocks And Frills Of The Filipinos / Jun 22
  • Chateau Thierry And Beyond / Jun 29
  • Up The Upper Parana / Jul 6
  • The Cataract Of Iguason / Jul 13
  • The Miracle Of Montior / Jul 27
  • American Women In France / Jul 30
  • Bangkok / Aug 3
  • Going Down To Buenos Aires / Aug 10
  • In Siamese Society / Aug 17
  • The Salvation Army On The Job / Aug 24
  • Ayudhya, Siam / Aug 31
  • Paris The Magnificent / Sep 7
  • Up-To-Date Manila / Sep 14
  • The Doughnut That Did It / Sep 21
  • Taihoku, Metropolis Of Formosa / Sep 28
  • Around About London / Oct 5
  • Teak Logging With Elephants / Oct 12
  • A Day In Florence / Oct 19
  • Lawmakers Of The Philippines / Oct 26
  • Rolling Down The Rio / Nov 2
  • The White Elephant Militant / Nov 9
  • Uncle Sam, Salvager / Nov 16
  • The Salt Of Anping / Nov 23
  • In The Basque Country / Nov 30
  • Push Car Trails In Formosa / Dec 7
  • A Scenic Classic / Dec 14
  • In Brittany / Dec 21
  • King Rama At The Royal Wat / Dec 28

1920 (distributed by Paramount Famous Players-Lasky)

  • Gaping Gullets Of Gifu / Jan 4
  • Mirrors Of Nature / Jan 11
  • The Royal Ballet Of Bangkok / Jan 18
  • From Blarney To Broadstairs / Jan 25
  • Belgium Smiles Again / Feb 1
  • Filming Ferocious Formosans / Feb 8
  • Parisian Faces And Figures / Feb 15
  • Oriental College Boys And Co-Eds / Feb 22
  • The Yankee Watch On The Rhine / Feb 29
  • Bustling Brussels / Mar 7
  • The Kingdom Of The Yellow Robe / Mar 14
  • Strassburg Redeemed / Mar 21
  • The Boys' Big Club / Mar 28
  • Martyred Cities / Apr 4
  • The Franco-British Rhine / Apr 11
  • Up-Country In Siam / Apr 18
  • In Lovely Lorraine / Apr 25
  • In Happy Alsace / May 2
  • An Oriental Sing Sing / May 9
  • Artistic Antwerp / May 16
  • Musko And Musume Of Nippon / May 23
  • A Gold Star Pilgrimage (Battlefields Of France) / May 30
  • Beautiful Bruges / Jun
  • The Lure Of The Lerelie / Jun
  • Lake Of The Sun And Moon / Jun
  • Parisian Holidays / Jul
  • The Land Of Laos / Jul
  • Frenchifying Metz / Jul
  • In Flanders Fields / Jul
  • Cocoanuts And Copra / Aug 1
  • Heroic Liege / Aug 8
  • Hunting For Formosan Headhunters / Aug 15
  • The Sentence Of The Sarre / Aug 22
  • Souvenirs Of Singapore / Aug 29
  • Alsatian Days / Sep
  • Farmers Of Formosa / Sep
  • In Rural Belgium / Sep
  • Luzon Lingerie / Sep
  • The Land Of Pardons / Oct
  • Moselle Memories / Oct
  • Nature's Contrasts / Oct
  • Rubbering In Selangor / Oct
  • With The Sultan Of Perak / Oct
  • Around About Manila / Nov
  • The Port Of Penung / Nov
  • Pyrenean Perspective / Nov
  • Land Of Tin Millionaires / Nov
  • In Finisterre / Dec © Nov 27
  • Quaint Kuala Lumpur / Dec
  • Snowbound Pyrenees / © Dec 11
  • Malayan Motor Roads / © Dec 20
  • Bordeaux To Lourdes / © Dec 29

1921 (distributed by Paramount Famous Players-Lasky)

  • Catching Up in Canton / © Jan 6
  • Beautiful Bermuda / Jan 12
  • Memories of Old Malacca / Jan 12
  • Under Cuban Skies / Jan 19
  • All Aboard for Brindisi / Jan 27
  • A Little Atlantis / © Feb 5
  • Palma de Majorca / © Feb 12
  • Modern Aspects of Japan / © Feb 23
  • Christian Crusaders in Constantinople / © Mar 3
  • In the Garden of the East / © Mar 13
  • Jerusalem, the Holy City / © Mar 18
  • Modern Jerusalem / © Mar 25
  • Along the Riviera / © Apr 3
  • Alexandria / © Apr 10
  • Biskra, the Beautiful / © Apr 11
  • Present-Day Prague / © Apr 18
  • A Polynesian Odyssey / © May 1
  • Galata Bridge / © May 2
  • Monte Carlo / © May 4
  • Bazaars of Cairo / © May 11
  • Country Life in Bohemia / © May 27
  • City of Algiers / © Jun 2
  • In New Madrid / © Jun 8
  • Liberated Jerusalem / © Jun 14
  • Marseilles / © Jun 20
  • Spanish Children / © Jul 9
  • The Road to the Pyramids / © Jul 11
  • Rice Fields and Rice-Fed Wrestlers of Japan / © Jul 12
  • Calling on the Sphinx / © Jul 19
  • In Barcelona / © Jul 25
  • In Shanghai and Macao / © Aug 2
  • Spanish Holidays / © Aug 8
  • Solomon's Temple / © Aug 15
  • Toledo and Segovia / © Aug 22
  • Marvelous Manhattan / © Aug 29
  • Cruise to Vera Cruz / © Sep 6
  • Boro-Bodor and the Bromo / © Sep 16
  • Torrid Tampico / © Sep 20
  • Kwang-Chow-Fu / © Oct 5
  • Nice and Cannes / © Oct 10
  • Mexican Oil Fields / © Oct 14
  • In Batik Land / © Oct 20
  • Across the Grand Canyon / © Nov 1
  • Seville in Fair Time / © Nov 6
  • At the Wailing Wall / © Nov 13
  • Rural Java / © Nov 20
  • Santa Fe / © Nov 29
  • Seeing San Marino / © Dec 12
  • Watching the Wayangs / © Dec 12
  • In Old Granada / © Dec 14
  • Fairy Foreland / © Dec 25

1922 (first five distributed by Paramount Famous Players-Lasky)

  • Stamboul / © Jan 2
  • Along the Rio Grande / © Jan 8
  • At the Damascus Gate of Old Jerusalem / © Jan 15
  • First Families of America / © Jan 22
  • Lake Maggiore / © Jan 22

  • Burton Holmes Text Films (National Non-Theatrical M.P.) - 5 shorts completed (per Film Daily, February 23rd)
  • A Trip Around The World (Bureau of Education of New York City) / Mar 27

1923 (first two per "Film Daily" listing, June 3, 1923, along with 307 reels not determined as either new or reissues of earlier films)

  • War Of The Wooden Soldiers / May 15
  • Jack And The Beanstalk / May 22
  • Melting Pot of the Pacific [§ AFI]

1924 (distributed by M.J. Winkler)

  • Peat Logging With Elephants / Oct 1
  • The Salt Of Anping / Nov 1

"According to the 'Motion Picture Herald Guide' for 1925, M.J. Winkler (who also handled the early animated cartoons for Walt Disney, featuring 'Alice in Wonderland', as well as Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer’s 'Felix the Cat') reissued the following Paramount titles: 'Pyrenean Perspective'; 'Under Cuban Skies' (listed as: 'Under Cuban Sky'); 'The Salt Of Anping'; 'The Cabaret Of Old Japan' and 'In The Garden Of The East'. According to 'Film Daily' (September 14, 1924), a full 26 titles were scheduled for 1924-25 release." -- Jeff Lewis

1926

  • Indian Durbar [§ LC]
  • Reykjavik, Capitol Of Iceland

1927

  • Nile And Pygmy Hippopotami (producer only, made by Raymond L. Ditmars)
  • Niagara Falls

1928-1930 (not certain of exact dates but these were available for school use on 16mm)

  • Two Ends Of A Rope: Demonstrates workers cutting the stalks of Albaca or Manilla hemp.
  • How Batik Is Made In Java
  • Winter Breadline In Wyoming
  • Where West Is Still West
  • Don Coyote
  • Eastes Park, Colorado
  • When Winter Comes To The Range

1930 (distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as “Around The World with Burton Holmes” with release dates listed in Motion Picture Herald, all with soundtracks)

  • Glories Of Nikko / Aug 23
  • Spain's Maddest Fiesta / Sep 13
  • China's Old Man River / Oct 4
  • Through The Yangtze Gorges / (part 2-color Technicolor) Oct 23
  • Dublin And Nearby / Oct 27
  • Modern Madrid / Nov 15
  • Into Morocco / Dec 6
  • An Investment In American Prosperity (four reel featurette made for Corporate Trust Shares) / Dec 9 [FILM DAILY review]

1931 (also Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

  • Peeps At Pekin / Jan 17
  • A Tale Of The Alhambra / Feb 7
  • Sultan's Camp Of Victory / Feb 28
  • Busy Barcelona / Mar 14 (Motion Picture Herald review date)
  • That Little Bit Of Heaven / Mar 21

1932 (independent releases with sound, some also available in 16mm silent versions for school use)

  • The Real Hollywood [§ BHHC] (FILM DAILY reports a January 10, 1932 showing in two parts at Carnegie Hall)
  • Belgium The Beautiful, silent 16mm extract titled "Beautiful Bruges"
  • Cairo To The Pyramids
  • Cheese Market Of Alkmaar
  • Holland And The Dutch: Also available in 16mm silent reels: "Isle Of Marken" & "Going To Volendam"
  • Lake Of Lucerne
  • Paris: Also split into silent 16mm versions: "Café Life In Paris", "Nine Glories Of Paris" & "Paris Markets"

1933 (for the Century of Progress Exposition. H. T. Cowling credited)

  • Around The Fair With Burton Holmes / © Jun 15
  • Belgian Village / © Jun 15
  • Indian Village / © Jun 15
  • Lama Temple / © Jun 15
  • Opening Day Ceremonies And The Queen And Her Court / © Jun 15
  • The Enchanted Island / © Jul 15
  • The Fair At Night / © Jul 15
  • The Fair From The Air / © Jul 15
  • Streets Of Paris / © Jul 15
  • Wings Of A Century / © Jul 15
  • The World A Million Years Ago / © Jul 15
  • Streets Of Paris #2 / © Sep 15
  • American Legion Parade / © Oct 15
  • Darkest Africa / © Oct 15
  • Events Of The World's Fair / © Oct 15
  • Exhibits Of The Fair / © Oct 15

  • A Century of Progress Exposition: Sally Rand [§ LC]
  • A Century of Progress Exposition: Sky-Rides [§ LC]
  • Double Keyboard Piano (with Winifred Christie) [§ JL]

1934

  • 1934 The World's Fair / © Jun 1
  • 1934 Villages of the World's Fair / © Jul 6
  • 1934 World's Fair at Night / © Jul 9
  • 1934 World's Fair Wings of a Century / © Jul 9
  • 1934 World's Fair Black Forest
  • 1934 World's Fair from the Air

  • Beautiful Bermuda

1935

  • Fifty-two Paychecks A Year (narrator: J. Manley Phelps) (25 minutes)
  • Ethiopia (Narrator: Harlow Wilcox) / Dec 15 (FILM DAILY mentions a lecture showing in St. Louis)

1936

  • Alluring Bali (narrator: Harlow Wilcox) / © Feb 15
  • Historic Rhineland

By 1938 BHI was producing and copyrighting educational and vocational films for the industrial market. While they continued to produce film programs for the lecture series, we do not find these by name in the copyright catalogs. The LC Motion Picture Copyright Volume for 1940-1949 = [§ LC 49] lists many educational films made during this period. Films marked [§ LWS 49] are in the 1940-9 copyright guide, but are credited to A. P. Twogood at Vocational Guidance Films, Inc., for the Life Work Series, and may have nothing to do with BHI — though BHI did many vocational films for the Life Work Series.

1938

  • Baseball: 41 minute documentary (re-edited to 20m as "Winning Baseball" in 1941)
  • To The Ladies [Milwaukee Lace Paper] (22 minutes)

1939

  • More Life in Living [National Dairy Council]

1940

  • Finding Your Life's Work / © Feb 24
  • Journalism / © Apr 1
  • Radio And Television / © Apr 1
  • Automotive Service / © Sep 19
  • The Woodworker / © Sep 19

1941

  • America Learns to Fly [National Dairy Council]
  • Meat For America (Armour)
  • The Metal Working Lathe (John J. O'Brien & Russel E. Frushour / South Bend Lath Works) / © Aug 15
  • Plain Turning on the Metal Working Lathe (John J. O'Brien & Russel E. Frushour / South Bend Lath Works) / © Aug 15

1943

  • Capacitance (U.S. Navy) / © Jul 17
  • Radio Shop Techniques / © Oct 21
  • Beneficient Reprobate - Ethyl Alcohol, Its Nature And Its Properties: 40 minute instructional

1944

  • Inductance (Radio Technician Training for US Navy) / © Feb 8
  • R. C. L. (Radio Technician Training for US Navy) / © Feb 8
  • Aviation Machinists Mate: Parachute Responsibilities (for U.S. Navy)

1945

  • Bookkeeping and Accounting / © Sep 20
  • Heating and Air Conditioning / © Sep 20
  • Agriculture / © Nov 15

1946

  • The Baking Industry / © Mar 15
  • Laundering and Dry Cleaning / © Mar 15
  • The Restaurant Operator / © Mar 15
  • Photography / © Aug 15
  • Teaching / © Aug 15
  • Telephone and Telegraph / © Aug 15
  • Transportation (Bus, Truck, Taxi) / © Aug 15
  • Forestry and Forest Industries / © Aug 15
  • The Pharmacist / © Sep 15

1947 (Your Life Work Series

  • Air Transportation / © May 15
  • Fire and Police Service / © May 15
  • The Librarian / © May 15
  • Printing / © May 15
  • Historic New England (in color, 21 minutes)
  • Nation's Building Stone
  • Trapping for Profit (for Armstrong Machine)

1949

  • Grinding and Use of Basic Lathe Tool Cutter Bits (in color, 22 minutes, for South Bend Lath Works) / © Jun 27

1951

  • Surprising South Africa (in color) / © Mar 8

1952

  • Andean Glimpses (in color) / © Mar 24

Separate reference:

  • Bustling Brussels
  • Beautiful Bruges
  • Going to Vollendam.
  • These three were described August 27, 1963 [§ THMFS] "The first two items seem early indeed, certainly prior to World War One judging from the costumes, the limited amount of motor transport, and the greater quantities of horse-drawn wagons. Photographically it is quite polished, and there is one really expert dissolve, presumably done in the camera. The third segment seems to be from a much later period, presumably the early or mid 1920's."

 

Posters

Hollywood lived and died by publicity, and so did the Burton Holmes Travelogues. We have just a small peek at the kinds of posters put out by the studios for his films.

[More to come.]

 

 


Update history: This page originally created 29 September 2004. Latest revision 15 August 2016.