Silent Era Home Page > PSFL > Companies > V > The Vitagraph Company of America
The Vitagraph Company
of America
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Type of Company
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Production and distribution company
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Country of Origination
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United States of America
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Years of Operation
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Formed 1900
Active 1900-1901 and 1902-1925
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Company Principals
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J. Stuart Blackton
Albert E. Smith
William T. ‘Pop’ Rock
Andre Roosevelt, production manager (circa 1917)
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Company Offices
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East 15th Street and Locust Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, USA (circa 1906)
Morton Building, 110-116 Nassau Street, New York, New York, USA (at least by February 1907 through circa 1910)
109 Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA (circa 1910)
25 Cecil Court, London, England, United Kingdom (circa 1910)
15 Rue Sal, Paris, France (circa 1910)
East 15th Street and Locust Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, USA (circa 1913 through circa 1915)
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Company Studios
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Santa Monica, California, USA (circa 1911)
1708 Talmadge Street, Hollywood, California, USA (1915 through circa 1923)
94 Fourth Avenue, Bay Shore, New York, USA (1916)
East 15th Street and Locust Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, USA (circa 1915 through circa 1923)
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The Vitagraph Company of America, established on 15 February 1900, was originally the American Vitagraph Company. The company temporarily ceased production in January 1901 due to Edison patents lawsuits. The company resumed production after a distribution agreement was reached with Edison Manufacturing Company in 1902. By circa 1904, the company was again handling its own distribution. The company’s product was distributed by The General Film Company, Incorporated (1911 through circa April 1915), and V-L-S-E, Incorporated, distributed Vitagraph output from circa 13 April 1915 through circa September 1916. The company was sold to Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated, on 20 April 1925. Welcome Comedies established as a Vitagraph brand name in 1925.
Production continued under the Vitagraph Company name into the 1930s. Vitagraph was the longest-surviving American film company that was established in the 19th century.
References: Brownlow-Parade pp. 14, 15, 16, 379, 569; Miller-Comedies pp. 3, 4, 6; Robinson-Palace p. 113 : MovPicWorld-19070309 p. 13; MovPicWorld-19100108 p. 6 : Website-AFI : with additional information provided by Andrew Cohen and Thomas Santorelli.
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