The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920

View this film:

(To download the film for future viewing, be sure to set your browser to the "load to disk" or "retrieve to disk" option.)

Part 1 of 1

MPEG format ... 5 megabytes

Quick Time format ... 3 megabytes



CREATED/PUBLISHED

United States : Edison Manufacturing Co., 1899.

SUMMARY

Opens with a man riding a bicycle in a backwards circle, on a stage with a painted backdrop of a city street. He dismounts, then remounts the cycle and rides in a forwards circle, pausing and balancing for a moment as he rears up and spins the front wheel. Continuing in the circle, the man moves in front of the handlebars and continues pedaling briefly. For his next trick, the cyclist makes one circle and then pauses center stage as he does a balancing act to the left side of the bike, with his left leg on the pedal and his right on the front wheel. Ends after he remounts but continues to hold the bicycle motionless.

From Edison films catalog: "Neidert," of national fame, does stunts on his wheel that are simply wonderful. Makes his bicycle rear up, and rides around the stage on his back wheel; besides a lot of other easy things, such as riding on one pedal and riding backward, seated on handlebar. 50 feet. $7.50.

NOTES

Copyright: Thomas A. Edison; 20Mar1899; 20771.

Original main title lacking.

Duration: 0:34 at 20 fps.

Materials listed originate from the paper print chosen best copy of two for digitization; for other holdings on this title, see the M/B/RS Paper Print database.

Code name (for telegraphic orders) Unbottomed.

NCN046281; Bicycle trick riding, no. 2.

Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K.R. Early motion pictures, 1985; Edison films catalog, no. 105, July 1901, p. 49; AFI cat.: film beginnings, 1893-1910, 1995.

Received: 11/23/94 from LC film lab; ref print; preservation; Paper Print Collection.

Received: 7/15/94 from LC film lab; dupe neg; preservation; Paper Print Collection.

Received: 3/20/1899; paper pos; copyright deposit; Paper Print Collection.

SUBJECTS

Stunt cycling--United States.

Bicycles--United States.

Silent films.

Vaudeville.

Shorts.



RELATED NAMES

Neidert, performer.

Thomas A. Edison, Inc.

Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)



MEDIUM

1 reel of 1 (43 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. ref print.

1 reel of 1 (43 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. dupe neg.

1 roll (43 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. paper pos.

