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The Invisible Ray: 1921
Washington's Leader Theater circa 1921. Now playing: The serial "Invisible Ray" and, from 1916, Douglas Fairbanks in "The Americano" and a short called "The Return of Draw Egan." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
Huh?
It looks like a group of people standing outside a theater to me. I can't find one that I think looks not to right size or proportion.
Doctored picture?
Is it just me or are more then half of those in the "Line" not to right size or porportion. A few almost look like they were cut out of other pics and added in via computer.... Sorry but as a fan of this site and of these pictures I am going to have to put this one under suspicsion. Looking back I think only 13 of those in the line were actully "There" when this picture was taken.
Yes, I do know about old cameras and film.
[Maybe it's time for a refresher course. See where it says "glass negative" in the caption? That means the photo (click here) was made without film. - Dave]
Asian kid
D.C. had a small Chinatown. The kid may have come from there.
Asian kid in line
Odd to see an Asian kid in the line. I wonder what the story is?
[Lots of Asian diplomats living with their families in D.C. - Dave]
Saturday mornings
My brothers and I also spent Saturday mornings at the kiddie shows and only as an adult did I figure out exactly what my parents were doing at home while we were at the movies.
High Voltage
Check out the special f/x they put up for the "Invisible Ray" display. That makeshift towers on either side look like they have wires strung from insulators, which probably had high voltage running through them to create a Jacob's Ladder type spark gap. There appears to be a spark above the wires, but it looks more like a scratch on the negative, plus the sparks would be jumping between the wires. Although that really wouldn't be invisible or a ray. If only they'd spent as much on an artist for those cutouts.
At the Movies
Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.
-- Introduction to "The Lone Ranger"
When I was a child in the late 1940s, my grandparents took me to the movies every Saturday evening. The theater always showed a double-feature Western, or shoot-'em-up, as my grandfather called them, a cartoon, a short subject like the Three Stooges, and a serial episode. The serials were a clever way to ensure a returning audience for about 12-15 weeks. Each episode always had a cliffhanger ending that made you eager to return next week to learn how the hero escaped death.
I hope we get to see the interior of the Leader Theater.
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