Leonard-Cushing fight | 1894 | Nonfiction, Sports, Short

Title: Leonard-Cushing fight | 1894 | Nonfiction, Sports, Short Studio: Kinetoscope Exhibition Company Starring: Mike Leonard, Jack Cushing Release Date: August 4, 1894 Runtime: 6 minutes Format: 35mm, black-and-white, silent; produced for Kinetoscope exhibition; each round 150 feet Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Short --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Round 1 00:01:00 Round 2 00:02:00 Round 3 00:03:00 Round 4 00:04:00 Round 5 00:05:00 Round 6 --- Summary: An early boxing film produced for Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope, Leonard-Cushing fight records a staged contest between Brooklyn pugilists Mike Leonard and Jack Cushing. The bout unfolds across a series of brief rounds designed to fit the mechanical limits of the apparatus, culminating in Leonard’s knockout of Cushing. Beyond the action in the ring, the film documents the meeting of sport and motion-picture technology at the dawn of cinema, demonstrating how live events were adapted to fixed camera positions, continuous lighting, and short reel capacities. The surviving material offers a rare glimpse of spectators, referee, and fighters within the confines of Edison's studio ring. --- Background: Filmed in Edison’s Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey, on June 14, 1894, the production was organized for peep-show exhibition on multiple Kinetoscope machines. William Heise operated the camera, with production overseen by W. K. L. Dickson. The film was sold one round at a time, each on approximately 150 feet of 35mm film, and premiered in Manhattan on August 4, 1894; it is widely regarded as the first released sports film. Only a short fragment survives today. --- Trivia: The Library of Congress holds a 37-second fragment, noting that its copy represents part of a single round. Contemporary Edison catalog descriptions emphasized “an actual six-round contest” and advertised the film as “sold by rounds” for Kinetoscope exhibition. Created and published by the Kinetoscope Exhibition Company, the film was produced specifically for viewing in coin-operated parlors rather than projected to a seated audience. Reports describe the Manhattan premiere at a Nassau Street Kinetoscope parlor, where patrons could pay to watch individual rounds, including the final knockout. At roughly six minutes in total across six one-minute rounds, it ranked among the longest motion pictures made up to that time. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: August 4, 1894 Original Studio / Distributor: Kinetoscope Exhibition Company Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: PublicDomain SilentFilm 1890s Edison Kinetoscope Boxing SportsFilm Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/00694127/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/00010330/00010330.mp4