While Thanhouser Company may not be one of the best known of the early film companies, what is certain is that its founder and public figurehead was Edwin Thanhouser. Missing from this account, however, is the critical role played by his wife, Gertrude Homan Thanhouser. She was a major contributor to the success of the Thanhouser film enterprise, where she worked as actress, scenario writer, film editor, and studio executive.
Gertrude Thanhouser portrait, circa 1890s. Private Collection.
Gertrude Thanhouser portrait, circa 1890s. Private Collection.
Production still from From the River’s Depths (1915). Private Collection.
Production still from Their One Love (1915), featuring Marion and Madeline Fairbanks (the Thanhouser twins). Private Collection.
Edwin and Gertrude Thanhouser with their two children, Lloyd and Marie, in the Swiss Alps, 1913. Private Collection.
Edwin and Gertrude Thanhouser in Egypt, c. 1920. Private Collection.
In the spring of 1909, Gertrude moved with her husband, actor turned theatre manager Edwin Thanhouser, to New York, where they established Thanhouser Company as an independent motion picture production studio. From the certificate of incorporation, signed in New York by Louis S. Philips and dated October 28, 1909, we see that the company was capitalized with $10,000 divided into one hundred shares: ninety-eight in Gertrude’s name as secretary, and one share each to Edwin, president, and Lloyd Lonergan, Gertrude’s brother-in-law and vice president. Leon J. Rubenstein in Billboard reported that Edwin was the first to head an American motion picture studio with a theatrical background, and Gertrude’s acting career of fourteen years gave her the stagecraft to be a powerful and creative force in this new venture. Magazine articles as well as family history document Gertrude’s key role in the formation, management, and operation of the company.
Gertrude was featured in Thanhouser’s second film release, St. Elmo (1910). The Morning Telegraph review was critical of the acting, complaining that “… the story… is told by the sub-titles in the film, and not so much by the acting.” It was the only film on which she received acting credit. She received co-scenario writing credit, however, with her brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan, for the screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” which survives. Reviews for this film, like that in Moving Picture World, were positive: “Undoubtedly Mr. Thanhouser’s long knowledge of stagecraft stood him good stead in posing this picture.” By the summer of 1910, Thanhouser Company had earned enthusiastic approval as one of the leading independent film production companies. Frank Woods wrote in the New York Dramatic Mirror: “… Thanhouser pictures, of course, rank highest. Indeed, the manner in which this new company without previous experience in picture making has developed in quality shows what may be done in film manufacture when intelligence and energy are employed.” As her son, Lloyd F. Thanhouser, recalled in August 1980, Gertrude’s contributions to scenario development, mise-en-scène, and editing helped make these good reviews possible.
In the spring of 1912, three years after establishing Thanhouser Company as a producer of high quality films, Gertrude, Edwin, and Lloyd Lonergan sold their shares in the company to producer Charles J. Hite of Mutual Film Corporation for $250,000, as reported in the New Rochelle Pioneer. Gertrude, Edwin, Lonergan, and Hite were appointed to the board of directors of Mutual’s new acquisition, now incorporated as “Thanhouser Film Corporation.” In the fall of 1912, Hanford C. Judson reports for the Moving Picture World that Gertrude and Edwin took their two children on a “grand tour” of Europe, where they studied the European film industry with the intention of returning to America to resume their careers in motion pictures. Charles J. Hite assumed leadership of the corporation when Gertrude and Edwin left for Europe.
According to Q. David Bowers, Hite expanded the reputation of the “Thanhouser” brand as an innovative leader in the industry with the twenty-three episode serial The Million Dollar Mystery and two new brands: “Princess Films” and “Falstaff” comedies (1995). When World War I erupted in August 1914, the Thanhouser family made a hasty escape back to the US on a refugee ship. Within weeks of Gertrude and Edwin landing in New York in September 1914, Charles Hite was tragically killed in an automobile accident, leaving the Thanhouser Film Corporation leaderless and adrift. In February 1915, the Mutual Film Corporation board of directors in an extraordinary move lured Edwin out of retirement. He was made president of the Thanhouser Film Corporation on a three-year contract with a salary of $75,000 per year. Photoplay tells us that Edwin and Gertrude returned in February 1915 to lead the company that bore their name.
According to the Morning Telegraph, Gertrude immediately resumed her role as supervisor of the scenario department and was credited for writing the scenario for their first “new” release, Their One Love (1915). This one-reel drama, still extant, capitalized on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and was a shrewd, competitive response to Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915). Her scenario received positive reviews: “As a whole: A gem; Story: Different…,” wrote Wid Gunning in the Evening Mail (5). Gertrude was also credited as scenario writer for four other films in 1915, including a two-reel comedy-drama, a one-reel drama, and two four-reel “Mutual Masterpicture” feature films. She remained active in company affairs; as the Moving Picture World notes, she attended a meeting with President Woodrow Wilson on February 12, 1916.
In the summer of 1916, the untimely death of Thanhouser leading actress Florence LaBadie and the rise of films with big name stars such as Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin contributed to the decline in popularity of Thanhouser films. Ejected from Mutual’s distribution schedule, Edwin was forced to scale back operations and speculatively produce feature films for sale to Pathé Exchange, and, according to Bowers, Gertrude now spent little time at the factory. In 1918, Motography reports, the founders and former owners retired from the film industry, leaving the Thanhouser Film Corporation with a positive bank balance, unlike many others of the era.
The full extent of Gertrude Thanhouser’s contributions to the success of the Thanhouser film enterprise and the early film industry will never be known for certain. Much of the public records cite Edwin and only give credit to Gertrude when her role was documented by company releases. It is evident, however, that Gertrude’s day-to-day involvement in the management of the company and her leadership over the creative aspects of scenario development and film editing were significant contributions to the success of the Thanhouser film enterprise.
The Winter's Tale. Prod.: Edwin Thanhouser, sc.: Gertrude Thanhouser and Lloyd F. Lonergan (Thanhouser Company. US 1910) cas.: Anna Rosemond, Martin Faust, Frank H. Crane, Amelia Barleon, Alfred Hanlon, si, b&w, 35mm, 1 reel. Archive: Library of Congress.
Their One Love. Prod.: Edwin Thanhouser, sc.: Gertrude Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Madeline Fairbanks, Marion Fairbanks, Roberta Wilson, si, b&w. Archive: Library of Congress, BFI National Archive.
2. Gertrude Thanhouser as Executive Producer
Daddy’s Double. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, sc.: Lloyd F. Lonergan (Thanhouser Company US 1910), cas.: Frank H. Crane, Fred Santley, Isabelle Daintry, si, b&w. Archive: Library of Congress, BFI National Archive, Academy Film Archive.
The Girl of the Northern Woods. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, Prod./dir.: Barry O’Neil, sc.: Llyod F. Lonergan (Thanhouser Company US 1910) cas.: Frank Crane, Anna Rosemond, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress, Library and Archives Canada.
Not Guilty. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1910) cas.: Frank H. Crane, Marie Eline, si, b&w/tinted, 35mm., 985 ft. Archive: Library of Congress.
Thelma. . Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir./sc.: Theodore Marston (Thanhouser Company US 1910) cas.: Anna Rosemond, Frank Crane, Yvonne Marvin, Alphonse Ethier, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Two Roses. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1910) cas.: Frank H. Crane, Anna Rosemond, Marie Eline, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Deutsche Kinemathek.
Value—Beyond Price. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1910) si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Vicar of Wakefield. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir./sc.: Theodore Marston (Thanhouser Company US 1910) cas.: William Garwood, Bertha Blanchard, Marie Eline, Martin Faust, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress, EYE Filmmuseum, BFI National Archive, Lobster Films.
Young Lord Stanley. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, sc.: Lloyd F. Lonergan (Thanhouser Company US 1910) si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
Oh, What a Knight. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, sc.: Lloyd F. Lonergan (Thanhouser Company US 1910) si, b&w. Archive: Library of Congress.
Austin Flood/Disaster in Austin. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
A Circus Stowaway. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w. Archive: BFI National Archive.
The Coffin Ship. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w. Archive: EYE Filmmuseum.
An Elevator Romance. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w. Archive: EYE Filmmuseum.
The Expert’s Report. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Get Rich Quick. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Bill Russell (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w. Archive: Museum of Modern Art, Academy Film Archive.
In the Chorus. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) cas,: Sarah Adler, si, b&w, 16mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
Little Old New York. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) cas,: Edward Genung, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
Lochinvar. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) cas,: Edward Genung, si, b&w, 16mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Only Girl in Camp. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
Only in the Way. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) cas.: Helen Badgley, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress, Academy Film Archive.
The Pasha’s Daughter. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) cas.: William Garwood, si, b&w. Archive: Museum of Modern Art.
The Pillars of Society. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Company US 1911) cas.: Julia M. Taylor, Martin Faust, si, b&w. Archive: George Eastman Museum, BFI National Archive.
Romeo and Juliet. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Theodore Marston (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w. Archive: BFI National Archive.
She. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: George Nichols (Thanhouser Company US 1911) si, b&w. Archive: BFI National Archive, Library of Congress.
Ambition. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) si, b&w, 16mm. Archive: George Eastman Museum.
The Baby and the Boss. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Boyd Marshall, Helen Badgley, Marion Fairbanks, Dave Keleher, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Crossed Wires/ A Telephone Tragedy. Exec. prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Florence La Badie, Boyd Marshall, Morris J. Foster, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: BFI National Archive, Library of Congress.
In the Hands of the Enemy. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Inda Palmer, J. Morris Foster, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
John T. Rocks and the Flivver. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Mignon Anderson, George M. Marlo, John Holden, Arthur Bauer, si, b&w. Archive: Library of Congress, BFI National Archive.
The Little Captain of the Scouts. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Grace De Carlton, Charles Compton, Leland Benham, Ethel Jewett, si, b&w, 35mm, 2 reels. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Mistake of Mammy Lou. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Wayne Arey, Morgan Jones, Grace De Carlton, Nellie Gilmore, si, b&w, 16mm. Archive: Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art.
The Mother of Her Dreams. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) si, b&w. Archive: BFI National Archive.
The Mystery of the Chang Case. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) si, b&w, 16mm Archive: George Eastman Museum.
The Necklace of Pearls. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Ethyle Cooke, Ethel Jewett, Thomas A. Curran, Sully Guard, Wayne Arey, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
Old Jane the Gaiety. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Ethyle Cooke, Grace De Carlton, Jay Yorke, Morgan Niblack, Janet Henry, Winnifred Lane, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Patriot and the Spy. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: James Cruze, Marguerite Snow, Alphonse Ethier, si, b&w, 35mm, 4 reels. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Eugene Moore (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Harris Gordon, Ernest Howard, Helen Fulton, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Scoop at Bellville. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Eugene Moore (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) si, b&w. Archive: BFI National Archive.
The Spirit of the Audubon. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Lawrence Swinburne, Helen Badgley, Leland Benham, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress.
The Vagabond. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, sc.: J.T. Trowbridge (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Morris J. Foster, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: Library of Congress, Academy Film Archive.
When Hungry Hamlet Fled. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) si, b&w. Archive: BFI National Archive.
Which Shall it Be? Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1915) cas.: Zana Williams, Ernest C. Warde, si, b&w. Archive: George Eastman Museum.
King Lear. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Ernest C. Warde, sc.: Philip Lonergan (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1916) cas.: Federick Warde, Ernest C. Warde, Wayne Arey, Ina Hammer, Edith Diestel, si, b&w, 16mm.; 5 reels. Archive: George Eastman Museum, Academy Film Archive.
Matching Dreams. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1916) cas.: Vivan Rich, Alfred Vosburgh, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: George Eastman Museum.
Silas Marner. Exec. prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Ernest C. Warde (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1916) cas.: Frederick Warde, Louise E. Bates, Morgan Jones, Valda Valkyrien, si, b&w. Archive: Library of Congress.
Divorce and The Daughter. Exec. Prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Frederic Sullivan, aut.: Agnes Christine Johnston (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1916) cas.: Florence La Badie, Edwin Stanley, si, b&w, 5 reels. Archive: BFI National Archive.
The World and the Woman. Exec. Prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Eugene Moore, sc.: Philip Lonergan (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1916) cas.: Jeanne Eagels, Boyd Marshall, Thomas A. Curran, si, b&w, 35mm., 5 reels. Archive: George Eastman Museum.
The Fires of Youth. Exec. Prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Émile Chautard, sc.: Agnes Christine Johnston (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1917) cas.: Frederick Warde, Helen Badgley, si, b&w, 35mm & 16 mm., 5 reels. Archive: UCLA Film & Television Archive, Library of Congress, BFI National Archive.
It Happened to Adele. Exec. Prod.: Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Van Dyke Brooke, sc.: Agnes Christine Johnston (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1917) cas.: Gladys Leslie, Carey L. Hastings, si, b&w, 35mm., 2 reels of 5, 717 ft. Archive: Library of Congress, Library and Archives Canada.
The Image Maker. Exec. Prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Eugene Moore (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1917) cas.: Valda Valkyrien, Harris Gordon, si, b&w. Archive: Private Collection.
War and the Woman. Exec. Prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Ernest C. Warde, sc.: Philip Lonergan (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1917) cas,: Florence La Badie, Tom Brooke, si, b&w, 35mm., 5 reels. Archive: George Eastman Museum.
The Woman in White.. Exec. Prod. Gertrude Thanhouser, Edwin Thanhouser, dir.: Ernest C. Warde, sc.: Lloyd F. Lonergan (Thanhouser Film Corp. US 1917) cas,: Florence La Badie, Richard R. Neill, Wayne Arey, si, b&w, 35mm., 5-6 reels. Archive: Library of Congress, Academy Film Archive.
B. Filmography: Non-Extant Film Titles:
1. Gertrude Thanhouser as Screenwriter
The Actor’s Children, 1910; Fairy Fern Seed, 1915; From the River’s Depths, 1915; Price of her Silence, 1915.
2. Gertrude Thanhouser as Actress
St. Elmo, 1910.
3. Gertrude Thanhouser as Executive Producer
The American and the Queen, 1910; An Assisted Elopement,1910; Avenged, 1910; The Best Man Wins; 1910, The Booming Business, 1910; The Childhood of Jack Harkaway, 1910; The City of Her Dreams, 1910; The Converted Deacon, 1910; The Convict, 1910; Cupid at the Circus, 1910; A Dainty Politician, 1910; The Doctor’s Carriage, 1910; Dots and Dashes, 1910; The Fairies’ Hallowe’en, 1910; The Flag of His Country, 1910; A Fresh Start, 1910; The Girl Reporter, 1910; The Girl Strike Leader, 1910; Gone to Coney Island, 1910; The Governor’s Daughter, 1910; Her Battle of Existence, 1910; Home-Made Mince Pie, 1910; A Husband’s Jealous Wife, 1910; Hypnotized, 1910; The Iron-Clad Lover, 1910; Jane Eyre, 1910; Jenks’ Day Off, 1910; John Halifax, Gentleman, 1910; The Latchkey, 1910; Lena Rivers, 1910; Leon of the Table d’Hote, 1910; The Liar and the Thief, 1910; A Little Fire Chief, 1910; The Little Hero of Holland, 1910; Looking Forward, 1910; Love and Law, 1910; The Lucky Shot, 1910; The Mad Hermit, 1910; The Mermaid, 1910; The Millionaire Milkman, 1910; Mistress and Maid, 1910; Mother, 1910; Paul and Virginia, 1910; The Playwright’s Love, 1910; Pocahontas, 1910; The Restoration, 1910; Rip Van Winkle, 1910; She Stoops to Conquer, 1910; She Wanted to Marry a Hero, 1910; She’s Done It Again, 1910; The Stolen Invention, 1910; Taming a Woman Hater, 1910; Tangled Lives, 1910; Tempest and Sunshine, 1910; A Thanksgiving Surprising, 1910; Their Child, 1910; Back to Nature, 1911; Baseball and Bloomers, 1911; The Baseball Bug, 1911; Beneath the Veil, 1911; Bertie’s Bainstorm, 1911; Brother Bob’s Baby, 1911; The Buddhist Priestess, 1911; The Charity of the Poor, 1911; Checkmate, 1911; The Colonel and the King, 1911; Count Ivan and the Waitress, 1911; Courting across the Court, 1911; The Court’s Decree, 1911; The Cross, 1911; Cupid the Conquerer, 1911; Deacon Debbs, 1911; Divorce, 1911; A Doll’s House, 1911; A Drift; 1911; The East and the West, 1911; Everybody Saves Father, 1911; The Five Rose Sisters, 1911; For Her Sake, 1911; For Washington, 1911; Foxy Grandma, 1911; The Higher Law, 1911; His Younger Brother, 1911; The Honeymooners, 1911; The Imposter, 1911; The Jewels of Allah, 1911; The Judge’s Story, 1911; Lady Clare, 1911; The Lady from the Sea, 1911; Last of the Mohicans, 1911; The Lie, 1911; The Little Mother, 1911; Lorna Doone, 1911; Love’s Sacrifice, 1911; The Missing Heir, 1911; The Moth, 1911; A Mother’s Faith, 1911; Motoring, 1911; The Mummy, 1911; A Newsboy Hero, 1911; The Newsy and the Tramp, 1911; Nobody Loves a Fat Woman, 1911; The Norwood Necklace, 1911; The Old Curiosity Shop, 1911; Old Home Week, 1911; The Passing, 1911; The Pied Piper of Hemelin, 1911; Poet of the People, 1911; Prompt Payment, 1911; The Railroad Builder, 1911; The Regimental Ball, 1911; The Rescue of Mr. Henpecked, 1911; Robert Emmet, 1911; The Romance of Lonely Island, 1911; The Satyr and the Lady, 1911; Silas Marner, 1911; The Sinner, 1911; The Smuggler, 1911; The Spirit Hand, 1911; The Stage Child, 1911; Stage Struck, 1911; Stealing a Ride, 1911; The Stepmother, 1911; The Tempest, 1911; The Tempter and Dan Cupid, 1911; That’s Happiness, 1911; Their Burgler, 1911; The Tomboy, 1911; $1000 Reward, 1915; Adventures of Florence; 1915; All Abroad, 1915; The Angel in the Mask, 1915; At the Patrician’s Club, 1915; The Baby Benefactor, 1915; Beneath the Coat of a Butler, 1915; Bianca Forgets, 1915; Big Brother Bill, 1915; A Bird of Prey, 1915; The Bowl Bearer, 1915; The Bridal Bouquet, 1915; Bubbles in the Glass, 1915; A Call from the Dead, 1915; The Commuted Sentence, 1915; The Conscience of Juror No. 10, 1915; The Country Girl, 1915; The Crimson Sabre, 1915; The Corgmere Ruby, 1915; Cupid in the Olden Times, 1915; The Cycle of Hatred, 1915; Daughter of Kings, 1915; The Dead Man’s Keys, 1915; A Disciple of Nietzsche, 1915; The Dog Catcher’s Bride, 1915; Double Exposure, 1915; The Duel in the Dark, 1915; Fashion and the Simple Life, 1915; Fifty Years After Appomattox, 1915; Finger Prints of Fate, 1915; The Fisherwoman, 1915; The Flying Twins, 1915; A Freight Car Honeymoon, 1915; The Game, 1915; The Girl of the Seasons, 1915; God’s Witness, 1915; Graft Versus Love, 1915; The Gratitude of Conductor 786, 1915; The Has Been, 1915; A Hatful of Trouble, 1915; The Heart of the Princess Marsari, 1915; Helen Intervenes, 1915; Helen’s Babies, 1915; Her Confession, 1915; Her Menacing Past, 1915; His Majesty the King, 1915; His Sister’s Kiddies, 1915; His Two Patients, 1915; His Vocation, 1915; His Wife, 1915; The House Party at Carson Manor, 1915; In a Japanese Garden, 1915; In Baby’s Garden, 1915; In the Jury Room, 1915; In the Valley, 1915; An Innocent Traitor, 1915; An Inside Tip, 1915; Inspiration, 1915; Jealousy, 1915; The Last Concert, 1915; Life Worth While, 1915; The Light on the Reef, 1915; Long Arm of the Secret Service, 1915; Love and Money, 1915; Lucy’s Elopement, 1915; M. Lecoq, 1915; The Magnet of Destruction, 1915; A Maker of Guns, 1915; A Man of Iron, 1915; The Master’s Model, 1915; The Menacing Past, 1915; Mercy on a Crutch; 1915; A Message through the Flames, 1915; Milestones of Life, 1915; The Mill on the Floss, 1915; The Miracle, 1915; The Mishaps of Marceline, 1915; Mr. Meeson’s Will, 1915; A Moment of Sacrifice, 1915; Monsieur Nickola Dupree, 1915; The Mystery of Eagle’s Cliff, 1915; A Newspaper Nemesis, 1915; On the Brink of the Abyss, 1915; Out of the Sea, 1915; Outcasts of Society, 1915; The Political Pull of John, 1915; The Reformation of Peter and Paul, 1915; The Refugee, 1915; Reincarnation, 1915; The Revenge of the Steeplejack, 1915; The Road to Fame, 1915; Shep, the Sentinel, 1915; The Shop Lifter, 1915; The Six Cent Loaf, 1915; The Smuggled Diamonds, 1915, Snapshots, 1915; The Song of the Heart, 1915; The Speed King, 1915; The Spirit of Uplift, 1915; The Stolen Jewels, 1915; Three Roses, 1915; Through Edith’s Looking Glass, 1915; The Answer, 1916; Arabella’s Prince, 1916; At the Edge of the Aqueduct, 1916; Betrayed!, 1916; The Black Terror, 1916; The Brothers Equal, 1916; Bubbles in the Glass, 1916; The Burglar’s Picnic, 1916; The Carriage of Death, 1916; The Cruise of Fate, 1916; Fear, 1916; The Fear of Poverty, 1916; The Fifth Ace, 1916; The Five Faults of Flo, 1916; A Flaw in the Evidence, 1916; The Flight of the Duchess, 1916; For Uncle Sam’s Navy, 1916; The Girl from Chicago, 1916; The Heart of a Doll, 1916; Her Father’s Gold, 1916; The Hidden Valley, 1916; In the Name of the Law, 1916; John Brewster’s Wife, 1916; AMan of Honor, 1916; The Man’s Sin, 1916; Master Shakespeare, Strolling Player, 1916; The Net, 1916; The Nymph, 1916; Oh! Oh! Oh! Henery!!, 1916; Other People’s Money, 1916; Outwitted, 1916; The Oval Diamond, 1916; The Phantom of Witness, 1916; The Pillory, 1916; Prudence the Pirate, 1916; The Reunion, 1916; The Romance of the Hollow Tree, 1916; Saint, Devil and Woman, 1916; The Shine Girl, 1916; Society Wolves, 1916; The Spirit of ’61, 1916; The Spirit of the Game, 1916; Their Last Performance, 1916; An Amateur Orphan, 1917; The Candy Girl, 1917; The Heart of Ezra Greer, 1917; Her Beloved Enemy, 1917; Her Life and His, 1917; Her New York, 1917; Hinton’s Double, 1917; The Man without a Country, 1917; Mary Lawson’s Secret, 1917; A Modern Monte Cristo, 1917; Pots and Pans Peggie, 1917; A Master of Millions, 1918; The Perfect Model, 1918.
C. DVD Resources:
An index to the Thanhouser films that are available on DVD via the Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc.
D. Streamed Media:
An index to the Thanhouser films that are available online via the Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc.
Trailer for the 2014 documentary The Thanhouser Studio and the Birth of American Cinema (directed by WFPP contributor Ned Thanhouser).
Link to trailer also includes option to purchase or rent full film.
The Coffin Ship (1911) via EYE Filmmuseum (Dutch intertitles)
Credit Report
Although many films were made by the Thanhouser Company or Thanhouser Film Corporation between 1912 and 1914, the Thanhousers were not involved in their production. The Little Captain of the Scouts and The Patriot and the Spy are incomplete.
Citation
Thanhouser, Ned. "Gertrude Homan Thanhouser." In Jane Gaines, Radha Vatsal, and Monica Dall’Asta, eds. Women Film Pioneers Project. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2013. <https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-24qe-7d47>
