Our Movie Houses
A History of Film and Cinematic Innovation in Central New York

Cloth $24.95    |    978-0-8156-0896-7    |    2008

Winner of the Theatre Historical Society of America’s Outstanding Book of the Year Award

Leonard Maltin has posted a Holiday Movie Book Survey on his website. His writeup for Our Movie Houses: A History of Film & Cinematic Innovation in Central New York:
http://www.leonardmaltin.com/2008YearEndBookSurvey.htm

OUR MOVIE HOUSES: A HISTORY OF FILM & CINEMATIC INNOVATION IN CENTRAL NEW YORK by Norman O. Keim with David Marc (Syracuse University Press) — If you love movie theaters and their history you’ll want to explore this well-illustrated volume with a regional point of view. To quote its cover blurb, "This book provides a highly readable and richly detailed account of the origins of American film in Central New York, the colorful history of neighborhood theaters in Syracuse, and the famous film personalities who got their start in the unlikely snow belt of New York state." Appendices include a listing of drive-ins and theater organs in central New York state, and biographical sketches of movie people who were either born in the area or attended school there, ranging from Pearl White and Jackie Coogan to Gil Cates.

Reviews
"A trove of information, for the historian of film and the casual reader."
—Central New York Magazine

"Norm Keim has captured all the excitement and innovation of those early days of local movie making, creating an entertaining and engrossing story. At the same time, he has also created a factually accurate reference book which will be a ‘must-have’ in every theater historian’s library"
—Karen Colizzi-Noonan, President, Theatre Historical Society

"[A] valuable resource on regional theater."
—Library Journal

"A fascinating read."
—Syracuse City Eagle

Description
Conventional screen histories tend to concentrate on New York City and Hollywood in chronicling the evolution of American cinema. Notwithstanding the tremendous contribution of both cities, Syracuse and Central New York also played a strategic—yet little-known—role in early screen history. In 1889 in Rochester, New York, George Eastman registered a patent for perforated celluloid film, a development that would telescope the international race to record motion by means of photography to the immediate future. In addition, the first public film projection occurred in Syracuse, New York, in 1896. Norman O. Keim and David Marc provide a highly readable and richly detailed account of the origins of American film in Central New York, the colorful history of neighborhood theaters in Syracuse, and the famous film personalities who got their start in the unlikely snow belt of New York State. Lavishly illustrated, this book will be treasured by both film buffs and Central New Yorkers.

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Authors
Norman O. Keim was founder and director of the Syracuse University Film Studies Center and adjunct professor of film studies from 1973 to 1985. He created Film Forum, a weekly presentation of art films in the university’s Gifford Auditorium and the Regent Theatre from 1967 to 1980.

David Marc is communications manager in the publications department at Syracuse University. He is the author of Bonfire of the Humanities: Television, Subliteracy, and Long-Term Memory Loss and the coauthor of Prime Time, Prime Movers, both published by Syracuse University Press.

7 x 10, 140 pages, 100 black-and-white and 25 color illustrations, tables, appendixes