Montgomery County Community College - Betzwood Studios

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  • Date = 1918

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 19 items
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Andrew (Andy) Bennison
Andrew (Andy) Bennison
Actors, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Andrew, 1886-1942
Film still of Andrew (Andy) Bennison from "Oh! Johnny!" Andy Bennison was the younger brother of Louis Bennison. He went on to become a screen writer in Hollywood, working with the Three Stooges and Johnny Mack Brown.
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
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.
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"
Black, William, 1871-, Evans, Frank, Actors, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Louis, 1884-1929, Westerns--1910-1920.
Film still of Louis Bennison holding William Black and Frank Evans at gunpoint from the movie "High Pockets" taken on the studio farm in Betzwood, Pennsylvania.
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".
Louis Bennison
Louis Bennison
Lubin Film Studios, Bennsion, Louis, Johnny Get Your Gun, Silent films, Movie theater ads (Motion pictures)
Movie promotional for the Louis Bennison film, Johnny Get Your Gun.
Louis Bennison advertisement
Louis Bennison advertisement
Bennsion, Louis, Johnny Get Your Gun, Silent films, Movie theater ads (Motion pictures), Lubin Film Studios
Movie promotional for the Louis Bennison film, Johnny Get Your Gun.
Photograph of Portus Acheson
Photograph of Portus Acheson
Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Lubin, Siegmund, 1851-1923, Betzwood Film Company
Photograph of Portus Acheson. Acheson was a cameraman for Betzwood Film Company. At that time he was known as Robert "Bob" Christie, having changed his name.
Photograph of Portus Acheson
Photograph of Portus Acheson
Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company
Photograph of Portus Acheson. Acheson was a cameraman for Betzwood Film Company. At that time he was known as Robert "Bob" Christie, having changed his name.
Photograph of Portus Acheson
Photograph of Portus Acheson
Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Lubin, Siegmund, 1851-1923, Betzwood Film Company
Photograph of Portus Acheson. Acheson was a cameraman for Betzwood Film Company. At that time he was known as Robert "Bob" Christie, having changed his name.
Photograph of Portus Acheson, age 18
Photograph of Portus Acheson, age 18
Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Betzwood Film Company
Photograph of Portus Acheson, age 18. Acheson was a cameraman for Betzwood Film Company.
Photograph of Portus Acheson riding a horse, jumping
Photograph of Portus Acheson riding a horse, jumping
Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Moving picture operators, Moving-picture industry, Memoirs and documents, Lubin, Siegmund, 1851-1923, Betzwood Film Company
Photograph of Portus Acheson riding a horse, jumping. Acheson was a cameraman for Betzwood Film Company. At that time he was known as Robert "Bob" Christie, having changed his name.
Photograph of the Bennison brothers, the Lowry brothers, and Bob Mackswell
Photograph of the Bennison brothers, the Lowry brothers, and Bob Mackswell
Bennison, Andrew, 1886-1942, Bennison, Louis, 1884-1929, Lowry, Ira M., 1889-1951, Lowry, Stanley, Mackswell, Bob, Actors, Silent films, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989
Photograph of (L-R) Louis Bennison, Ira Lowry (Lubin's son-in-law), Stanley Lowry, Bob Mackswell (a Philadelphia sports writer), and Andrew (Andy) Bennison taken in Montgomery County, Pennslyvania at the residence where the Bennisons lived when making films at Betzwood, Pennslyvania
Publicity photo of Josephine Augusta Moy, known as Lady Tsen Mei
Publicity photo of Josephine Augusta Moy, known as Lady Tsen Mei
Lotus Blossom, Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Silent films, Motion picture actors and actresses, Betzwood Film Company, For the Freedom of the East, Lady Tsen Mei, Moy, Josephine Augusta, 1888-1985, Lowry, Ira M., 1889-1951, Kim, Mon Lai, Pattee, H.H., 1893-1974
Josephine Augusta Moy, also known as Lady Tsen Mei and Lotus Blossom, worked for the Betzwood Film Company. Her one film for the studio. "For the Freedom of the East" has not survived.
Publicity photo of Josephine Augusta Moy, known as Lady Tsen Mei
Publicity photo of Josephine Augusta Moy, known as Lady Tsen Mei
Lotus Blossom, Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Silent films, Motion picture actors and actresses, Betzwood Film Company, For the Freedom of the EastLady Tsen Mei, Lady Tsen Mei, Moy, Josephine Augusta, 1888-1985, Lowry, Ira M., 1889-1951
Josephine Augusta Moy, also known as Lady Tsen Mei and Lotus Blossom, worked for the Betzwood Film Company. Her one film for the studio, "For the Freedom of the East" has not survived.
Publicity photo of Josephine Augusta Moy, known as Lady Tsen Mei
Publicity photo of Josephine Augusta Moy, known as Lady Tsen Mei
Lotus Blossom, Silent films, Motion picture actors and actresses, Betzwood Film Company, For the Freedom of the East, Lady Tsen Mei, Moy, Josephine Augusta, Moy, Josephine Augusta, 1888-1985
Josephine Augusta Moy, also known as Lady Tsen Mei and Lotus Blossom, worked for the Betzwood Film Company. Her one film for the studio. "For the Freedom of the East" has not survived.
Publicity photo of Katherine MacDonald
Publicity photo of Katherine MacDonald
Actresses--1910-1930, Silent films, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, MacDonald, Katherine, 1881-1956
Photograph of Katherine MacDonald, "The American Beauty"
Publicity photo of Katherine MacDonald
Publicity photo of Katherine MacDonald
MacDonald, Katherine, 1881-1956, Actresses--1910-1930, Silent films, Lubin, Siegmund, 1851-1923, Betzwood Film Studio, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989
Photograph of Katherine MacDonald, "The American Beauty"