When the movies were young

"When the Movies Were Young" by Linda Arvidson is a memoir written in the early 20th century. The book recounts the early days of the film industry, focusing on the experiences of David W. Griffith, one of its pioneering directors, and his wife Arvidson herself as she reflects on their life together in the burgeoning world of cinema. The memoir offers an insider's perspective on the struggles and triumphs of those who contributed to shaping modern filmmaking. At the start of the memoir, the author describes the significant cultural shift as motion pictures began to take hold in early 1900s America, particularly in their New York City studio at Eleven East Fourteenth Street. The narrative sets the scene in an old brownstone filled with nostalgia and change, contrasting the glamorous social gatherings of the past with the burgeoning chaos of the film industry. Arvidson introduces her husband, David Griffith, detailing his journey from a struggling actor to a prominent director while capturing the challenges and changes they faced as pioneers in the film world. The opening invites readers into the rich history of early cinema, inviting them to witness both the exhilaration and the trials that defined this transformative era in entertainment. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Linda Arvidson was an American stage and film actress. She became one of America's early motion picture stars while working at Biograph Studios in New York, where none of the company's actors, until 1913, were credited on screen. Along with Florence Lawrence, Marion Leonard, and other female performers there, she was often referred to by theatergoers and in trade publications as simply one of the "Biograph girls". Arvidson began working in the new, rapidly expanding film industry after meeting her future husband D. W. Griffith, who impressed her as an innovative screen director. Their marriage was kept secret for reasons of professional discretion.