Montgomery County Community College - Betzwood Studios

Active Filters:
  • Language = en

About This Collection

Welcome to the Montgomery County Community College's Betzwood Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. In the first decades of the motion picture industry Montgomery County was home to one of the largest film studios in the country. Siegmund Lubin owned and operated the Betzwood Studios along the banks of the Schuylkill River, a three hundred acre site complete with filming, production, and distribution centers. As one of the earliest film moguls, Siegmund Lubin has both regional and national significance. He was a technical innovator whose many contributions to the industry helped propel film to its position atop the entertainment industry. The collection contains film stills, publicity, correspondence, trade journals, slides, and glass plate negatives among other items. Using PA Photos and Documents in tandem with Worpress Blog site, the college seeks to tell the history of this important but forgotten player in film history.
Displaying 155 items
Filter
Andrew (Andy) Bennison and Frank Evans
Andrew (Andy) Bennison and Frank Evans
Evans, Frank, Actors, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Andrew, 1886-1942
Film stills of movie released by the Lubin Film Studio
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio, Silent films, Motion picture studios, Betz, John, 1831-1908, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Eckhardt, Joseph P., Lubin, Siegmund, -1923
Image of the Pennsylvania Historical And Museum Commission marker celebrating the Betzwood Studio's role in film history. The state dedicated the sign in 2003
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio, Silent films, Motion picture studios, Power Plant, Lubin Manufacturing Company, Eckhardt, Joseph P., Lubin, Siegmund, -1923
One of the pre-existing structures on the Betzwood estate. The buildings were used as a factory, power plant, and storage facilities.
Casual photograph of Louis Bennison
Casual photograph of Louis Bennison
Christie, Robert, 1896-1989, Actors, Silent films, Lubin, Siegmund, 1851-1923, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Louis, 1884-1929
Photograph of Betzwood Motion Picture Studio star Louis Bennison taken by Bob Christi aka Portus Acheson.
Comedy subtitles to be used in silent features, written by Portus Acheson
Comedy subtitles to be used in silent features, written by Portus Acheson
Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Toonerville Trolley, Intertitles, Comedy films, Jokes
Comedy subtitles to be used in silent features, written by Portus Acheson. Includes some subtitles for the Toonerville comedies
Comedy subtitles to be used in silent features, written by Portus Acheson
Comedy subtitles to be used in silent features, written by Portus Acheson
Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Motion picture plays., Comedy films., Intertitles., Toonerville Trolley, Betz, John
Comedy subtitles to be used in silent features, written by Portus Acheson. Includes some subtitles for the Toonerville comedies
Department of Public Safety Operator's License for Portus Acheson
Department of Public Safety Operator's License for Portus Acheson
Moving-picture projection, Motion picture camera, Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Philadelphia (Pa.), Philadelphia (Pa.). Department of Licenses and Inspections
Department of Public Safety Operator's License for Portus Acheson, a cameraman for Betzwood Film Company, licensing him to "[…] operate Moving Picture Machines in the City of Philadelphia, subject to the provisions of the said Ordinance of Councils."
Film still from "High Pockets"
Film still from "High Pockets"
Black, William, 1871-, Evans, Frank, Actors, Branding of cattle, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989
Film still of William Black and Frank Evans branding a cow from the movie "High Pockets" taken on the studio farm in Betzwood, Pennslyvania. This location is now a housing project.
Film still from "High Pockets"
Film still from "High Pockets"
MacDonald, Katherine, 1881-1956, Actors and actresses, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Black, William, 1871-
Film still of William Black and Katherine MacDonald from the movie "High Pockets"
Film still from "High Pockets"
Film still from "High Pockets"
Actresses, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, MacDonald, Katherine, 1881-1956, Westerns--1910-1920.
Film still of Katherine MacDonald from the movie "High Pockets"
Film still from "High Pockets"
Film still from "High Pockets"
MacDonald, Katherine, 1881-1956, Ryan, Sam J., -1936, Actors and actresses, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Louis, 1884-1929
Film still of Sam Ryan, Louis Bennison, and Katherine MacDonald from the movie "High Pockets"
Film still of Louis Bennison in "A Misfit Earl"
Film still of Louis Bennison in "A Misfit Earl"
Actors, Silent films, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Louis, 1884-1929, Westerns--1910-1920.
Film still of Louis Bennison in "A Misfit Earl" sitting in his aunt's living room
Film still of Noah Reynolds, John Keenan, Louis Bennison, and an unknown woman
Film still of Noah Reynolds, John Keenan, Louis Bennison, and an unknown woman
Keenan, John, Reynolds, Noah, -1948, Actors and actresses, Silent films, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Louis, 1884-1929, Westerns--1910-1920.
Film still of Noah Reynolds, John Keenan, Louis Bennison, and an unknown woman
Hand-written notes for Portus Acheson, side 1
Hand-written notes for Portus Acheson, side 1
Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Vitagraph Company of America.
Hand-written credentials for Portus Acheson as a moving picture operator, mentioning Vitagraph Pictures, side 1
Hand-written resume for Portus Acheson
Hand-written resume for Portus Acheson
Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Résumés (Employment), Photographers., Vitagraph Company of America.
Hand-written credentials for Portus Acheson as a moving picture operator
Hand-written resume for Portus Acheson, side 2
Hand-written resume for Portus Acheson, side 2
Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Résumés (Employment)
Hand-written credentials for Portus Acheson as a moving picture operator, mentioning Metro Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, and Edison Pictures, side 2
Interim affirmation of Portus Acheson as a licensed moving picture operator
Interim affirmation of Portus Acheson as a licensed moving picture operator
Moving-picture projection, Motion picture camera, Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Philadelphia (Pa.). Department of Public Safety, Philadelphia (Pa.). Fire Marshal
A letter from the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Police, Philadelphia, Fire Marshal's Office, signed by Fire Marshal George W. Elliott affirming Portus Acheson as a licensed moving picture operator in lieu of his official license until it was issued 1 December 1920.
Johnny Get Your Gun publicity
Johnny Get Your Gun publicity
Bennison, Louis, Betzwood Film Company, Silent films, Cort, John, Lubin, Siegmund, Movie theater ads (Motion pictures)
A promotional postcard from Boyd's Theaters, Omaha Nebraska, for the Louis Bennison film, "Johnny Get Your Gun".
Johnny Get Your Gun publicity
Johnny Get Your Gun publicity
Bennison, Louis, Betzwood Film Company, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Cort, John, Lubin, Siegmund, Movie theater ads (Motion pictures), Westerns--1910-1920., Crisp, Donald, 1880-1974, Anderson, Mary, 1897-1986, Ferguson, Casson, 1891-1929
A promotional postcard from Boyd's Theaters, Omaha Nebraska for the Louis Bennison film, "Johnny Get Your Gun".
Johnny Get Your Gun publicity
Johnny Get Your Gun publicity
Bennison, Louis, Betzwood Film Company, Silent films, Cort, John, Lubin, Siegmund, Movie theater ads (Motion pictures), Westerns--1910-1920., Crisp, Donald, 1880-1974, Stone, Fred, 1873-1959, Anderson, Mary, 1897-1986, Ferguson, Casson, 1891-1929
A promotional postcard from Boyd's Theaters, Omaha Nebraska for the Louis Bennison film, "Johnny Get Your Gun".