Often cited as the first American serial, Edison’s What Happened to Mary consisted of 12 one-reel episodes, released monthly beginning in the summer of 1912 to coincide with the publication of a serialized story in The Ladies’ World magazine. Starring the popular Mary Fuller as a foundling in search of her biological parents, the series was a sensation—inspiring fashion layouts, songs, a novelization, a board game, a Broadway play, and the 1913 sequel (now lost) Who Will Mary Marry? Six of the original 12 episodes were restored from nitrate negatives in MoMA’s collection; a seventh (episode nine) was scanned from an 8mm print in the Library of Congress. This February, a ninth chapter, The Affair at Raynor’s (episode four) was discovered as a 16mm print in the NYU-William K. Everson Collection at the George Eastman Museum; we thank our colleagues at GEM for preparing a DCP in time for our presentation. Piano accompaniment by Ben Model (September 8), Donald Sosin (September 17).
Program approx. 100 min.
The Affair at Raynor’s [episode 4]. 1912. USA. Directed by Charles Brabin.
A Letter to the Princess [episode 5]. 1912. USA. Directed by Ashley Miller.
A Clue to Her Parentage [episode 6]. 1912. USA. Directed by Ashley Miller.
False to Their Trust [episode 7]. 1912. USA. Directed by Ashley Miller.
A Will and a Way [episode 8]. 1912. USA. Directed by Charles Brabin.
The Way to the Underworld [episode 9]. 1912. USA. Directed by J. Searle Dawley. 8mm.
The High Tide of Misfortune [episode 10]. 1912. USA. Directed by Charles Brabin.
A Race to New York [episode 11]. 1912. USA. Directed by Charles Brabin.