''Helping John'' is a 1912 short American silent comedy written

Bannister Merwin Henry Bannister Merwin (1873 – 22 February 1922), was an American poet, magazine editor, novelist, film director and screenwriter during the silent era. He wrote as many as 141 films between 1909 in film, 1909 and 1921 in film, 1921. He w ...

, directed by Harold M. Shaw, and produced by the

Edison Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as under the name of the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by scientist / inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas A. Edison (1847–1 ...

at its main studio in New York City, in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

Production

Although some modern film references credit Bannister Merwin with directing ''Helping John'', it was actually Harold M. Shaw who served as the motion picture's director. In 1912, in its semimonthly newsletter ''The Kinetogram'', the Edison Company in the August 15 issue recognizes Merwin as the screenwriter of the project with the commonly used "By" credit for story writers; however, in the newsletter's next issue, on September 1, Edison announces Shaw's recent promotion to director at the studio and publicly credits and compliments him for directing ''Helping John'' along with other films produced in the summer of 1912:

Release and distribution

The film was released in the United States on August 28, 1912. By December that year, it reached venues in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, with screenings in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

at the beginning of the month and in

Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

, where the local newspaper on December 26 promoted ''Helping John'' as "A Comedy Drama, written by Bannister Mervin ". It played in

Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

the next month and at His Majesty's Theatre in Stratford, Taranaki in February 1913. Then, in March, it was presented on a twin bill with another comedy, ''

Holding the Fort ''Holding the Fort'' was an ITV situation comedy starring Peter Davison, Patricia Hodge and Matthew Kelly. Plot The situation was a role-reversal comedy in which Russell Milburn (Davison) becomes a 'house-husband' to raise his baby daughter ...

'', at King's Theatre in

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

.
Amusements
'.

Star. Volume XLVII. Issue 14474. 13 March 1913. p 4. Retrieved 25 December 2015

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0478630 1912 films 1912 comedy films 1912 short films Silent American comedy short films American black-and-white films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films English-language comedy short films