Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1912)

Record Details:

Title:

Moving Picture World

Date:

Jan-Mar 1912

Publisher:

New York, Chalmers Publishing Company

Volume:

Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1912)

Leaf #:

00075

Language:

English

Subjects:

Motion Pictures, Film Industry Trade Magazine

Collection:

Early Cinema and Hollywood Studio System

Format:

Periodicals

Contributor:

Media History Digital Library

Sponsor:

Media History Digital Library

Coordinator:

Media History Digital Library

Description:

Moving Picture World, founded in 1907 by J.P. Chalmers, was one of the motion picture industry's first trade papers. Published on a weekly basis in New York City, Moving Picture World informed exhibitors about films available for rental and editorialized on behalf of the growing industry (improving the quality of movies through higher filmmaking standards, not government censorship, was a frequent topic). The paper reached its height in the mid-to-late-1910s--a fact reflected in the circulation figures and the huge amount of advertising that filled every issue during the period. In the 1920s, Moving Picture World lost ground to other competing weekly trade papers -- including Variety, Exhibitor's Herald, and Motion Picture News. In 1927, Moving Picture World ceased publication when it was acquired by Martin Quigley's Exhibitor's Herald. Across the 20 year run of Moving Picture World, readers can watch the transition from short film programs to feature films and witness the transition from the dominance of Edison's Trust to the rise of the "Independent" film companies that ultimately became the Hollywood studios. Silent film historians have utilized and cited Moving Picture World more frequently than any other trade paper, and the publication still has many insights left to offer. -- Eric Hoyt, 2012/2013

Date Added:

September 21, 2023