Comments for Black Diamond Comedies

Comment on Silent Films vs. Films of Today by Julian

Julian — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:01:10 +0000

Where modern film viewers go astray in understanding silent era films is often in the quality of the visuals; we are used to seeing grainy, flippy images that were not part of the originals, which were not much different in quality than modern films. This alone accounts for a lot of the modern dismissal of silent films as primitive, even stupid. Too, the night scenes in silent movies, a blue tint that is actually quite beautiful, was lost in reprints…never mind the question of acting or dialogue; the silent films depended upon visual images even more than today and so we need to start there, when evaluating silent films vs sound presentations.

Comment on History in the Backyard by wyomingvalleystories

wyomingvalleystories — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 21:50:45 +0000

Dear Edward Skuchas, I apologize for taking so long to reply, but I thought you’d be interested in the National Film Preservation Foundation’s release of films recovered from New Zealand and preserved in U.S. archives. Lyman Howe’s “Famous Ride on a Runaway Train” (1921) appears on the NFPF’s DVD “Lost and Found: American Treasures from the New Zealand Film Archive.” http://www.filmpreservation.org/dvds-and-books/treasures-new-zealand. The NFPF also posted another Howe film on their web site this July: http://www.filmpreservation.org/blog/2015/7/2/happy-independence-day

Comment on The Sterling Hotel by Bob Nardone

Bob Nardone — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 02:02:45 +0000

Love this blog/site…didn’t know silent films were made in the area. Thanks for the detailed history.

Comment on History in the Backyard by Edward G. Skuchas, PE

Edward G. Skuchas, PE — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 11:06:44 +0000

Nice articles about the industry in the Valley. I had been trying to view a Lyman Howe film that included scenes of the Wilkes Barre & Hazleton Electric Railway. I wonder if it was included in the Runaway train film. I had a reference to a “Cannonball” which they may have called the cars on that line or possibly the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley / The Laurel Line which was WB to Scranton. These were intercity passenger lines that operated from an outside third rail like NY city subways. I spoke with a relative of Lyman Howe that live in New England (MA or CT) I think trying to get more info on the particular film that might still be around. Does your group have access to any of Howe’s films? Thank you. Ed S

Comment on Are words really better than silence? by wyomingvalleystories

wyomingvalleystories — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:46:02 +0000

In reply to RP.

Thank you so much for your post. a student in my course also remembered seeing the paramount logo, and took a picture of it. I posted it here: http://blackdiamondcomedies.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/paramount_tile.jpg

I don’t know what that building was–but local historian Charlie Petrillo told my student it was not related to the Black Diamond Comedies. I am going to try to find out more about this in the future.

Comment on Are words really better than silence? by RP

RP — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:08:54 +0000

I remember walking to Coughlin high school passing a single story red brick building on the west side of N. State St. about halfway in the block between E. Market and E. Union St. It had on the top over the main entrance (which was like a garage door) a logo of one of the motion picture studios, I think it was Paramount pictures (it was a pic of a mountain with stars around it in a circle). Other kids said motion pictures were made there. But I never found any story or history in the news about what it was, and I never saw any activity in there, never saw anyone going in or out. What was with that?.