Edna's First 4th of July in Lovelock

On July 4th, 1899, Edna Purviance was three years old and enjoying her first Fourth of July in Lovelock, Nevada. The family moved to Lovelock in November of 1898, where her parents leased The Singer Hotel.

By July 4th, the family were very settled in their new town and were part of the Fourth of July celebration, as Edna’s sister Bessie and mother Louise, sang at the special day long event. Being three years old, she wouldn’t remember much about it, but she met her uncle William Purviance for the first time, who was the oldest brother of Edna’s father Madison.






















The day was filled with events everyone in the Big Meadow Valley shared in from parades, horse races, a series of fun races for young and old (tug a wars, egg races, slippery pole climbs, etc.) followed in the evening and well into the morning of July 5th - a grand ball (dance with live music) and dinner.

Below is just a ‘taste’ of some events held on Edna’s first 4th of July in Lovelock, Nevada.

The Fourth of July in Lovelock - 1899
Lovelock Nevada - Lovelock Tribune

“The Fourth was a gala day in Lovelock. It was one long round of pleasure from the first firecrackers in the early morning till the last strains of the music in the ball room died away in the dawn of another day.

Grand Marshal of the Day Grannis with appropriate sash and decorated horse was on hand to lead the parade and a respectable turnout followed.”

“It was high noon when the crowd was assembled under the big trees in the Ruddell Grove. It was the enjoyment itself to sit in the shade with the cool wind blowing through the leafy boughs. Mr. Ruddell had carefully laid fresh-cut alfalfa over the bare places left by the burning of the old houses and one walked as on a carpet. Strong planks gave ample seat room. The children romped in a big awing nearby. The lemonade and ice cream stand offered refreshments to all. It was a regulation picnic ground and a more suitable place would be hard to find in the valley.”

“In the absence of the president of the day, Hon. W.C. Pitt and C.H. McIntosh took his place and introduced Rev. Bott, who delivered the invocation. In the choir were Mrs. Stautts, Mrs. (Louise) Purviance, Mrs. J.A. McIntosh, Mrs. Williams’, Mrs. White, Miss Stroke, Miss (Bessie) Purviance, Miss Marshall, Prof. Lynips, C.H. McIntosh and Rev. Bott.

The choir sang the Star Spangled Banner. Miss Marshall gave an instrumental selection.”

“A pleasing interlude at the picnic was the singing of the “Lost Ship Maine” by Mrs. (Louise) Purviance and Miss Bessie Purviance.”

“C.H. McIntosh as orator of the day, spoke against expansion. He contrasted the glories of the flag in the past with the war now going on in the Philippines.”

Well, some things don’t change...

As an added note, Charlie Chaplin was on tour with the Eight Lancashire Lads in 1899. By July 1899, he was on his seventh month with the group that begin touring in late December, 1898.

Footnote: In the ad, it mentions 'purses will also be offered'. In case you didn't know, a 'purse' was award money given in the form of usually gold dollar coins, presented in a leather pouch. In the case of pole climbing, a $3 purse was placed on the top of the pole. The first person to reach the top of the pole won the price. Today, $3 might buy a cup of coffee and a newspaper. In 1899, it represented two days worth of wages, working a good 10 or more hours each day in the haying fields.

Le Cafe - French Tribute to Chaplin

With it being sort of a holiday week for me, using most of the free time from normal business to work on The Sea Gull and cataloging of the Edna Purviance Collection. I like to thank again everyone who has entered the Sea Gull drawing from around the world. Right now, we are in the middle of production just before the first full book test printing.

Thought I share this French tribute film to Charlie Chaplin. The film is called 'Le Cafe' created in 2006. The film sort of gets it idea from The Immigrant and a few other Chaplin films. You can see it at this link at Internet Archives.

Also, to our state side visitors, Happy Fourth of July!

TCM has Chaplin films in July

Can't make it to Bologna, Italy or London for special Chaplin events? Turner Classic Movies has a few films this summer starting on July 9th, with Modern Times and A Dog's Life. Later, on July 23, they will show A King of New York.

Check this link for more Chaplin films this summer...

Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom

He became an actor at the right time. Here is a link to a book review to the new book: "Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom". Written by Dasuke Miyao and produced by Duke University Press, it covers the life of Sessue Hayakawa, one of the most successful Japanese stars that ever was.

"In 1916, Hayakawa was, for example, "ranked number one in the Chicago Tribune popular star contests," and in a poster advertising "A Mammoth Triple Feature Program," reproduced in Daisuke Miyao's "Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom," the space accorded to Hayakawa is equal to that devoted to Hart and Charlie Chaplin, indicating that, Miyao notes, "Hayakawa had ... by 1917 achieved star status equal to that of Chaplin and Hart." - asahi, David Cozy

Grand View City Council Meeting June 26th on Video

If you are interested in hearing the June 26th Glendale City Council meeting, which covers Grand View, you can go to this link and look up the June 26th, 2007 City Council Meeting to see the full video of the meeting.

The video is over 5 hours, but you can move the video ahead, by dragging the center in and out cursor. The Grand View section of the meeting starts about 2 hours and 15 minutes into the video. The Grand View part lasts about one hour, with many details covered. A PDF file will also appear when you upload the video for viewing, outlining the evening events.

If you didn't see the meeting or live out of the area, it will help you understand the issues involved in keeping the cemetery open and hear from some of the lawyers in the current court case. They are looking to hear good ideas, too. more>

Note: With the current court case continuing, with varies opinions that it could last months to years, it leaves little for Edna's situation at this time.

Article on the new book Valentino

Here is a link on an article about David Bret's new book about silent film star VALENTINO. more>

City Lights to be shown in Santa Barbara

August 22, 2007 - Campbell Hall - University of California, Santa Barbara - A new 35mm print of City Lights is scheduled to be shown at the University of California Campbell Hall, August 22, 2007.

Tickets for this event are available. more>

Grand View to be opened, but....

This evening the Glendale City Council held a public meeting on the future of the Grand View Cemetery for visitations.

After over a one hour meeting on the issue, they voted to keep the cemetery open at the same schedule arrangement as now, but due to the current condition of the trees on the property, they will need to look into options into dealing with the trees and possible future watering of the property. Watch for new opening dates.

Lisa Burks has a report on her blog. And here is the link to the latest story from the Glendale News. Posted June 27th (available for free, 14 days): article>
As far as the class action suit being settled, no one really give a clear answer, since there are thousands of claims.

Note on seeing the June 26th meeting on video: more>

Looking for 'The Melody Lingers On'

I am looking to see if any films exist of the 1935 United Artist release called 'The Melody Lingers On'. It starred Josephine Hutchinson and George Houston. Thanks... L

Update: I have found this film playing in theatres in 1939 and 1951.

NOTES: Hutchinson played the role in North by Northwest as the senator's wife who claimed Grant's character drank too much at a party at her house. She also played the wife in The Story of Louis Pasteur. Hutchinson's mother played Mrs. Meade in Gone with the Wind.

SILENT BITE - WYOU - Madison, Wisconsin is using Charlie Chaplin to promote their new local public station. more>

10th Annual Broncho Billy Festival - Update

From the Argus press: Festival in Fremont

"We're showing these films in a Nickelodeon-era theater that showed these films when they first played," said David Kiehn, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum historian. "We have an unbeatable combination here." - Argus, June 25th, 2007

Times keep Changing...

I have been going over the material about Lovelock and Paradise Valley, Nevada for Edna Purviance's biography and have always been interested in reading how the area looked like in her childhood days.

It had many farm fields, home gardens full of plants and flowers, fruit trees of many varieties, and fresh fruit and vegetables available during the growing season - from fresh strawberries in the spring, to loads of tomatoes in the fall.

I remember that same kind of landscape where I grew up too.

Both of our areas in Idaho and Nevada were created out of desert. Irrigation was the key in making it an oasis.

The Lovelock area (and all desert areas in the west) have always had problems with water, with new pressures today from cities like Las Vegas trying to buy water rights from northern Nevada to pipe down to Vegas. Every time a farmer or rancher sells their water rights, they get that much closer to turning their land back into desert and losing valuable natural wetlands.

On our trips to Lovelock, I could see areas returning back to sagebrush desert, I never realized how quickly that could happen, until I recently saw some images of my old farm in Idaho.

I always remember my farm as a very green place, just on the edge of sagebrush land. On my side of fence there was a variety of fruits and vegetables to eat, green pastures for the horses, and a pond for the ducks to play and nest around.

I knew the other side of the fence could look like my, if it only had water. And it continued looking like desert until a new landowner bought the property and removed all the sagebrush and started watering. He turned it into a hay field, and it looked as green as my side of the fence.

Our water came from a local dam and we paid for water rights to have so many acre-feet each year for the growing season. I always thought our farm would look the same, (at least in some form), but the era of small family farms was coming to a close in that district, and I just lived there during the sunset years.

Well, to keep a long story short, one of my relatives has given up the family farm due to reasons unknown to me. I was viewing images of it recently and it is nothing like I remembered.

Our once green pastures, where I spent every spring picking wild asparagus, riding horses, taking walks, etc. is now back to desert. Sagebrush and desert dry grass have replaced tall green grass, bean and hay fields.

I know it is back to its natural state, but doesn't make it easy to look at. But the pioneers did look at that desert, and saw an oasis and turned it into one. It is just their great grand kids are returning it back to sage.

At least it gives me a better idea what Edna must have felt when passing by Lovelock the last time, and seeing her old home gone, ranches she horseback ride gone, and towns she use to visit as as child, abandoned. Times surely keep changing...

(Oh, as for my pond on the farm, it is gone too.)

Niles Silent Film Museum

KGO, San Francisco, did a short video story on the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. more>

AFI 100 Films - silent film list

"City Lights-Best picture I ever seen."- Jack Lemmon

The American Film Institute announced their new 100 greatest film list this evening. While Citizen Kane holds the top spot, this posting is for the silent films on the list.

#82- Sunrise (1927)
#78- Modern Times (1936)
#58- The Gold Rush (1925)
#49- Intolerance (1915)
#18- The General (1927)
#11- City Lights (1931)

City Lights moved from #76 on the old list to #11. Modern Times move from #81 to #78, and The Gold Rush moved #74 to #58. (1997 List)

One odd moment is when Robin Williams talked about The Gold Rush. He mentioned the dance of the potatoes, which is not correct. Charlie Chaplin does the dance of the the dinner rolls, in the dream scene with Georgia Hale. I heard this reference to potatoes before by another actor, but it always been dinner rolls.

Jack Lemmon was on the stage Oscar night when Charlie Chaplin made his return visit to America in 1972.

Charlie Chaplin on an eye lash?

One of those, believe it or not. On the ABC Evening News this evening, they showed British artist, Willard Wigan, who creates sculptures on gains of sand that can fit inside a needle hole.

One of the pieces is Charlie Chaplin in his tramp outfit, with cane, on the end of an eye lash. (see image)

The segment is the last one on the program, with Chaplin the last sculpture shown. They have the full video on ABC News website.


UPDATE March 11, 2010 - Willard Wigan was recently interviewed by the Global Atlanta. You can see the interview here. There is a clip of the Chaplin figure on the eyelash in the video interview. Also, residences in Atlanta can see his work until March 27th, at the Atlanta Art Gallery.

2009: See more with this 2009 lecture by Wigan on TED.

Paul Merton coming book includes Charlie Chaplin

Paul Merton is well-known for his silent film involvement in the UK, with special programs on BBC Radio and television. He did a BBC4 special on the silent comics called "Paul Merton's Silent Clowns" just last year, which included Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Laurel and Hardy. It was so well received, he was asked to do a book on the comics...

"Merton described his long-term passion for the world of art. “I have always enjoyed visual art but I also see other things like silent films as being deeply artistic.”

"The comedian is currently writing a book about silent comedians, such as Charlie Chaplin, and spent much of his train journey to Wales adding to it.

“I did a programme for BBC4 about it and it was well received so the publishers asked me if I fancied writing a book." more at this link...