Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “A Burton Holmes’ lecture did not interest us as it should.” This piqued my interest as Moses seldom mentioned attending educational events.
Elias Burton Holmes (1870-1958) was a well-known American traveler, photographer, filmmaker, and lecturer. A Chicago-born personality, Holmes brought his distant travels home to American audiences across the country. Some of his early twentieth century trips included South America, Europe, Russia, India, Ethiopia, and Burma.
Advertisement’s for Burton Holmes’ lectures included the caption, “To travel is to possess the world.” A 1917 Paramount Picture advertisement for Burton Holmes stated, “It isn’t any trick to fill your theatre now and then with a big star or special splurge in advertising – but You must be a shrewd and scientific manager to build up your business and keep your house filled and your expenses low. You can do this by demanding a star short reel. A star short reel is one with advertising possibilities, a nationally known name that draws a few new people to your house – not the kind that come to any picture house, but the kind who haven’t been going to pictures, the kind that have read Burton Holmes books or traveled. These pictures bring the limousines to your theatre door.” Other advertisements questioned, “Why fool along with just a scenic when you can have a personally conducted travelogue by the world-famous traveler BURTON HOLMES. You can advertise the name and attract business. A ‘star’ single reel is a priceless compared to the ordinary type. Make every picture ‘do its bit.’ Fillers cost you big money – good pictures are cheap. Satisfy and build with this great series.”
In 1920, Burton Holmes Travelogues included colored views and moving pictures of his trip to Europe in 1919. By this time his lecture series included “Battlefields of France,” “Allies on the Rhine, and the Russian Empire’s Fall and Rise of the Bolshevists.
In 1920, “The Boston Globe” described “Allies on the Rhine,” reporting, “Last summer Mr. Holmes motored through the lovely Rhine Valley and also up the even more sweetly picturesque valley of the Moselle. Of course, the three cities which are the centers of Allied occupation receive especial notice on his screen – Mayence occupied by the French, Coblenz by “the Yanks’ and Cologne by the British. The comparison of the methods of control utilized by these three military forces is in itself a most interesting study, but besides this, the country and its people, especially the Prussians, give Mr. Holms a wealth of pictures and much serious thought” (25 Jan. 1920, page 58).
In 2004, 200 reels of Holmes’s documentary footage were discovered in an abandoned storage unit. They are now housed in the George Eastman House Film Museum. Here is a 3.44 minute promo for Holmes educational series posted to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYW-Szvbh1c
For more information about Holmes visit Chicagology.com:https://chicagology.com/silentmovies/burtonholmes/
To be continued…
