Rolfe Photoplays Inc., originally B. A. Rolfe Photoplays Company, was an American
motion picture
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
production company established by musical entertainer
B.A. Rolfe. Its productions were primarily filmed on the
East Coast, usually in and around
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a Borough (New Jersey), borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop The Palisades (Hudson River), The Palisades.
As of the 2020 Uni ...
, although the company also filmed in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Its films were distributed through an agreement with
Louis B. Mayer's Metro Pictures Corporation.
Between 1915 and 1918, B.A. Rolfe used Rolfe Photoplays Inc. to produce forty-nine
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
s, several of which were collaborations with
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
/
screenwriter
A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
Oscar A.C. Lund including the 1916 drama "''
Dorian's Divorce''" starring
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blyth; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' A Free Soul'' (1931) ...
. As well, he used the corporate name "B.A. Rolfe Photoplayers Inc." and
"B.A. Rolfe Productions" to produce another three films including the 1919 fifteen-part
mystery serial ''
The Master Mystery'' starring
Harry Houdini
Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts.
Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...
.
was an executive at the studio.
By 1920, the B.A. Rolfe production companies ceased operating.
Films
*''
Rip Van Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle" () is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in Colonial history of the United States, colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Du ...
'' (1914)
*''
The Three of Us'' (1914)
*''
Satan Sanderson'', adapted from a 1907 book by
Hallie Erminie Rives
*''
The Cowboy and the Lady'' (1915)
* ''
Destiny
Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
'' (1915)
*''
Cora'' (1915)
*''
Marse Covington'' (1915)
*''
Dorian's Divorce'' (1916)
*''
The Purple Lady'' (1916)
*''
The Sunbeam'' (1916)
*''
The Brand of Cowardice'' (1916)
*''
The Awakening of Helena Richie''
*''
The White Raven'' (1917)
* ''
The Trail of the Shadow'' (1917)
* ''
Miss Robinson Crusoe
''Miss Robinson Crusoe'' is a 1917 silent American comedy-drama film, directed by Christy Cabanne
William Christy Cabanne (April 16, 1888 – October 15, 1950) was an American film director, screenwriter, and silent film actor.
Biography
...
'' (1917)
* ''
The Duchess of Doubt'' (1917)
* ''
The Girl Without a Soul'' (1917)
* ''
The Barricade'' (1917)
References
Mass media companies established in 1915
Mass media companies disestablished in 1920
Defunct American film studios
Articles containing video clips
Film production companies of the United States
1915 establishments in New Jersey
1920 disestablishments in New Jersey
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