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Dear Silent Hall of Fame Users:

    You have come to this website, because you like silent films and silent movie stars.  There are many places like this.  But unlike other sites, here at Silent Hall of Fame you can make a real difference.  You can help us show for the first time many films featuring your favorite silent stars that have not been seen in generations.  This will bring their names back into the public discourse.  But you can do much more than that: you can help your favorite silent stars receive belated recognition and glory.

    Until now there has never been an organization with the purpose to place a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for movie personalities from a century ago.  Silent Hall of Fame is this historic organization.  Silent Hall of Fame is the only organization of its kind.  We will make history and we invite you to become a part of history by sponsoring a silent movie star for the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  All contributions are tax deductible.

   Please use this button for a one-time donation. Use the button on the right-hand side for a recurring donation.

 

Rare Gems on DVD

Our users have spoken, and we have listened. You want to see rare and hard to find films, and we have created for you the Silent Gems Collection, available on eBay. This DVD collection includes rare and for the first time available films with our stars, as well as other silent masterpieces. These are high quality films that are hard to find anywhere else. Please click on this link to see the collection: Silent Gems Collection

Important Update:

You don't have to leave our website in order to obtain the films from our Silent Gems Collection. These gems are now available to our users as a reward for donation. For details click here.

 Out Yonder 1919The Woman God Forgot 1917That Model from Paris 1926For Better for Worse 1919Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall 1924

 

OUR DOCUMENTARY

    We are proud to present to all silent film lovers our multiple award-winning documentary! In March 2015 it won the distinction "Award of Merit" at the San Francisco Film Awards. In May it won the Silver Award at the 2015 International Independent Film Awards. In September 2015 it won the Award of Recognition at the Accolade Global Film Competition. Of equal merit is the inclusion of the documentary in the Official Selection of the San Jose International Short Film Festival in October 2015. In December the documentary won the extremely prestigious Diamond Award at the 2015 California Film Awards. The amazing run of recognition for our documentary continued in 2016. In February it was included in the Official Selection of the Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival.

 San Francisco Film Awards newInternational Independent Film Awards newAccolade Global Film Competition Award newSan Jose International Short Film Festival newCalifornia Film Awards small new

"The Boy Detective" (1908) - hidden gem

Robert-Harron-in-The-Boy-Detective-1908-cinematographer-Billy-Bitzer-00 

   Robert Harron and the newspaper boy, who will become the boy detective



Directed by                       Wallace McCutcheon
Cinematography by         Billy Bitzer
Starring                             unknown (the newspaper boy), Robert Harron (the messenger boy), Edward Dillon
Distributed by                   Biograph Company
Release date                      March 11, 1908
Country                             United States
Running time                    5 m.

 

This film is part of our series 'Hidden Gems'. It can be watched by registered users who make a donation. For more details, please click here.


"The Boy Detective, or The Abductors Foiled" is a short crime drama.  The film is included in our program to illustrate the work of our stars Robert Harron and Billy Bitzer.

This is the earliest surviving film with Robert Harron that we have. He was one month short of 15 y.o. Robert Harron plays the messenger boy, as was often the case in his first roles. Thus, we can glance at the humble beginning of his illustrious career, which would take him to star roles in such masterpieces as "Intolerance" (1916) and "True Heart Susie" (1919), to mention just a couple.

We trust that silent film lovers will not judge harshly the quality of the print.  Many early films are only available in a paper print format, and we are all very lucky that they have survived the trials of time for us to enjoy.

 

Click to enlarge:

 

Attention please.

Registration and donation are required to watch the films part of the series 'Hidden Gems'. Please complete the steps in the article 'Gems for Donation' before proceeding.

Registered users who made the required donation please click here to watch this gem.

 

Below is a short preview of the film.