Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 145 – Harley Merry’s “Parsifal” and Scenic Realism

In 1893, Merry was credited for his “innovation in scenic realism” at the Holmes Star Theatre. His scenery for “The Pulse of New York” was advertised as “a perfect picture of city life” with “elaborate scenic embellishments” and “wonderful mechanic effects” (The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 30, pg. 10). Merry’s stage settings introduced well-known points of interest and scenes from everyday metropolitan life, including a bustling elevated railroad, activity around a river pier, a famous Bowery resort, a steam pile driver at work, and a building on fire. The rescue scene showcased the “leap for life” – the new the method adapted by the New York Fire Department for saving human lives. This final scene would later be developed into the Luna Park attraction “Fire and Flames.”

Poster for “The Pulse of New York,” a production designed by Harley Merry.

At the time, Merry was exploring a new type of stage entertainment; one that that went beyond any romanticized visual spectacle. I believe that it was a late-nineteenth century version of our current “reality TV.” It was understandable that Merry gravitated toward creating realistic settings for both the stage and film. He soon partnered with the Edison Manufacturing Company and was involved in an early film production “Parsifal.” This short film was based on the New York Metropolitan’s Opera that ran for approximately one half hour.

1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.
A scene from the 1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.
A scene from the 1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.
A scene from the 1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.
A scene from the 1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.
A scene from the 1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.
A scene from the 1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.

Each copy of the film was sold with an illustrated lecture on the life and works of Wagner, the story of Parsifal, and a synopsis of the different scenes. The movie was divided into eight reels, each reel containing a separate scene running from 20 feet to 382 feet in length: (part one) “Parsifal Ascends the Throne;” (part two) “Ruins of Magic Garden;” (part three) “Exterior of Klingson’s Castle;” (part four) “Magic Garden;” (part five) “Interior of the Temple;” (part six) “Scene Outside the Temple;” (part seven) “Return of Parsifal;” and (part eight) “In the Woods.” The production team was relatively small: Edwin S. Porter (director and photographer), Edison Manufacturing Company (producer) and Harley Merry (scenery). The cast included Adelaide Fitz-Allen, as Kundry and Robert Whittier as Parsifal. Unfortunately, due to the expensive price and unfamiliar medium, the film only sold only a small number of copies. Merry almost certainly lost his $1800 investment.

Advertisements in Motion Picture World (Dec. 7, 1907, page 655) noted “In Parsifal we offer the greatest religious subject that has been produced in motion picture since the Passion Play was first produced by the Edison Company about eight years ago, and there has been a constant demand for this picture during all these years, and continuing up to the present day. At the same time, there has been not only a demand, but a long-felt want for a new religious picture of interest and merit similar to the Passion Play.

Harley Merry acquired the motion picture rights for Parsifal and brought his idea to Edison and Porter. Edison had been experimenting with ways to combine silent films with recorded music and the fit seemed perfect. This is the same year that Edison films for many other topics also appeared, including spectacles at Coney Island, such as“Fire and Flames.”

The final contract to produce “Parsifal” was between Edison Manufacturing Company and Merry Scenic Construction Company, giving Merry a royalty payments based on the linear feet of each film sold. Merry was to receive two cents foot for a film that measured 1,975 feet long. Each copy was sold for approximately $335 dollars (today’s equivalent of over $9,000). Although several full-page ads were placed in the New York Clipper, the film did not sell well at all. Interestingly, the Library of Congress restored the film in 2001, taking the soundtrack from surviving copies of the original Kinetophone cylinders.

Advertisement for the Kinetophone by Thomas Edison.

What I find fascinating about Merry’s career as a scenic artist and designer is the he continued to adapt his scenic art form to new technology. Merry, as well as Ernest Albert and others, were continuously integrating new technology into their final painted product, whether it was stage machinery or Kinetophone.

To be continued…

Author: waszut_barrett@me.com

Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.

One thought on “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 145 – Harley Merry’s “Parsifal” and Scenic Realism”

  1. Harley Merry (EJ Brittian) was my GG Grandfather. Recently I have just found out about him. All I know is what has been printed in newspapers. This is the first time I have seen his work. This is amazing!

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