Glenroy Bros. [No. 2] | 1894 | Comedy, Short

Title: Glenroy Bros. [No. 2] | 1894 | Comedy, Short Director: William K. L. Dickson Studio: Edison Manufacturing Company Starring: Glenroy Brothers Based on: The Glenroy Brothers’ vaudeville act “The Comic View of Boxing: The Tramp & the Athlete” Release Date: October 6, 1894 Runtime: 0.3 Format: 35 mm, black-and-white, silent, 30 fps, approx. 33 ft; produced for the Kinetoscope; filmed at the Black Maria studio, West Orange, New Jersey Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Comedy, Short, Silent, Vaudeville --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening stance 00:00:05 Comic boxing begins 00:00:10 Acrobatics and feints 00:00:15 Comedic finish --- Summary: A brief filmed segment of the Glenroy Brothers’ popular stage routine presents a comic mismatch between a neatly outfitted “athlete” and a tramp-like foil. Their bout plays as slapstick, with exaggerated swings, evasions, and acrobatic gags replacing serious pugilism. The piece distills vaudeville’s fast-paced humor into seconds-long visual beats tailored to the Kinetoscope, emphasizing gesture, timing, and physicality over narrative. --- Background: Shot at Thomas Edison’s Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey, on October 6, 1894, this film is one of Edison’s early filmed vaudeville acts created for single-viewer Kinetoscope parlors. William Heise operated the camera, and William K. L. Dickson oversaw production for Edison Manufacturing Company. The film captures a portion of the troupe’s stage routine and reflects the period’s interest in novelty subjects and athletic displays translated into concise motion-picture attractions. --- Trivia: Also circulated under the descriptive title Comic Boxing: The Glenroy Brothers, and listed simply as Glenroy Brothers in some catalogs. The Library of Congress records the film at approximately 18 seconds at 30 frames per second, with a physical length of about 33 feet. A contemporary Raff & Gammon catalog described the subject as “Farcical pugilists in costume,” underscoring its comic intent rather than competitive sport. Cinematographer William Heise shot the scene inside the Black Maria, whose pivoting roof admitted sunlight for proper exposure. As with many 1894 Edison subjects, the film was intended for peep-show exhibition via the Kinetoscope rather than projected to a seated audience. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: October 6, 1894 Original Studio / Distributor: Edison Manufacturing Company Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: GlenroyBros 1894 PublicDomain SilentFilm Edison BlackMaria Vaudeville EarlyCinema ShortFilm Comedy Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/00694121/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/00180327/00180327.mp4