#cold boys at the movies

[north-pole-picture-co]

The Truth About the Pole

I babbled about this in the tags of my last post. Frederick Cook made it to the North Pole, and he was there first, or so he claimed. He was determined to defend his honor with words, in the newspapers, on the lecture circuit, or, if push came to shove, with a few punches. In 1911, he added a new tool to his arsenal: the “moving picture.”

The Truth About the Pole is a little over 15 minutes long. It features Cook as himself, replicating his “heroic” feats and facing off against the “Arctic Trust,” a gaggle of dastardly characters who stand in for Peary and Cook’s other detractors. With their sinister moustaches and hammy gestures, they make for classic silent screen villains straight out of central casting. Spoiler alert: they lose. Onscreen if not off, Cook’s reputation as the discoverer of the North Pole remains intact. The film even ends with some footage of Cook arriving in Copenhagen after having (allegedly) reached the pole. The whole film is available on YouTube. It’s also on the Internet Archive, which is, hooray, back up and running!

For what it’s worth, I find this little movie charming in its way. If you’re on my blog and reading this post, then you already know how charismatic a guy Fred Cook is. That comes through here, even in the grainy 110+ year old footage. I particularly like the bit toward the end when he removes his hat and bows to the camera. You can see the hint of a sly smile on his face.

An advertisement published in Moving Picture World, April 1911. This was a trade publication, aimed at film distributors, theater owners, and other industry professionals. Cook incorporated The Truth About the Pole into a vaudeville act. He’d give a lecture and show the movie, along with slides of images from his expedition. This mixture of live entertainment (in Cook’s case, a lecture) with movies was common at this point in the history of the medium, when short films were the norm and feature-length productions had not yet taken off in earnest. His “North Pole Picture Co.”—really just Cook and the film’s producer-director, Wilbert Melville—took out ads in this magazine in order to sell the film to to distributors and get it into as many theaters around the country as possible.

I’m currently digging into when and where this movie was made, contemporary reactions, and Cook’s adventures in vaudeville. More to come.

[mynameis-veryfuckingconfused]

and 14 years later i'm still here

[astrobei]

on june 11th 1993, mike wheeler drags his vaguely amused (and highly endeared) boyfriend will byers to the movie theater, shells out for the largest size popcorn they have available, and gets 2 premium, middle-row seats to watch steven spielberg’s jurassic park

(he’s been vibrating with anticipation ever since the first trailer came out. he makes will go see it with him another five times before it leaves theaters.)

[johntorrington]

have you guys seen matthew mcnulty sonic shirt

[llynwen]

my take on the whole nun situation is that daryl is fucking scared. hes stuck in france, not sure he will ever get to see his family again, not even sure if they still care about him (which is a ridiculous concept but him verbalizing this doubt is indicative of just how down in the dumps he's been feeling). he is also starting to care for the kid and isabelle, which is also scary because if he Does manage to get home, he will never see them again, and if he lets himself get attached then that will be yet another loss that he'll have to deal with. so he's kind of stuck in this situation where he is desperate for some familiarity and comfort (hence his sudden change of attitude towards the kid, i mean he rly did a whole 180 from yelling at the fucker to teaching him how to play baseball) but also trying to remember where his loyalties lie (family back home). then we get to the kiss scene. i think it's interesting that he only goes for it after she tells him her and the kid will go to america with him. cause he must be so damn relieved! this way he gets to both go back And keep these new people that he cares about in his life. I also think that him doing this thing that we've never seen him do before (and at this point i'd like to remind everybody that we've only ever seen him hold leah's hand, as far as i'm concerned his cherry remains firmly unpopped thank you very much) is a result of being thrown into this completely new environment. i think it's a kind of might as well situation. he's already all the way out there, he's not sure he'll ever get back, he's not sure he wants to get back (because he's convinced nobody cares about him. as one does). and since isabelle is Visibly interested in him (which, for someone who was raised catholic is Extremely Amusing. like, sister ion think jesus would appreciate you frenching the hot american, no matter how good he looks in them overalls), maybe this is the way for him to ensure her and the kid stay in his life. basically, what i'm saying is, daryl is confused and scared and lost and just doing things that feel right at the moment and he doesn't know what to do with himself or the situation. i cannot wait for carol to smack him upside the head and drag his dumbass home.

[mysonsareturtles]

I’m such a “Mutant Mayhem focused on Mikey specifically” truther

[bizarreandjarring]

girls night

[icewindandboringhorror]

sneeping with his legs up over his head for some reason... weird boye

[turbomnstr]

[anavilante]

[Modern AU]

Gale *sighs*: Love is a weakness and an evolutionary mistake… Benny: You are literally making a Valentine's card for Bucky. Gale, pointing his hot glue gun towards Benny: You're on thin fucking ice, DeMarco!

[north-pole-picture-co]

The best-advertised man in all the world!

Do you want to see more Fred Cook movie ads? Of course you do! Unless otherwise noted, these ads were all published in the trade magazine Moving Picture World in 1911.

[vol. 8, no. 8, 25 February 1911]

You heard the man! This picture “has set New York agog.” Who needs scientific data to back up their wild claims when you have the magic of cinema? I mean, the movie shows him taking measurements. That’s just as good as the real thing, right? Right?

[vol. 8 no. 10, 11 March 1911]

“Greatest success in the annals of picturedom.” I’m not so sure about that. “The world’s biggest conspiracy.” If you say so. Still, I suppose playing to packed crowds at the Manhattan Opera House is no small feat. Look at the size of the place! Even after 113 years and many modifications, it remains an impressive venue.

[vol. 8, no. 12, 25 March 1911]

“A film which both friends and enemies of the explorer will flock to see.” Any publicity is good publicity!

I’d love to see some of the “elegant line of lithographs, window cards, heralds, cuts and lobby photos” mentioned.

[vol. 8, no. 13, 1 April 1911]

Fred and Wilbert Melville (director of the movie and manager of their little “production company”) tailored the act for different theaters and audiences, with Melville stepping in to deliver some of the lectures.

“BEWARE of tricksters offering spurious Dr. Cook films.” Did Cook have to contend with movie piracy, in addition to attacks on his honor as an explorer? Piracy was actually pretty common in the early days of the movies, because the copyright status of motion pictures was (at the time) up in the air.

Another reference to counterfeit Cook films appears in The Nickelodeon, vol. 5, no. 12, 25 March 1911:

Now we return to Moving Picture World:

[vol. 8, no. 16, 22 April 1911]

States rights are going fast, so get your bids in now! The way film distribution worked back then, the production company would sell the film to a distributor who would sell it to theaters in their state or territory. Local theaters played the print over and over again until the film fell apart, squeezing as much use (and as much profit) out of it as possible.

This last one is my favorite for sheer drama. From Motography, vol. 5 no. 4, April 1911:

“The nation wants to know who lied!”

“The best loved—most hated—best advertised man in all the world, Dr. Frederick A. Cook”

Great reels, wonder-slides, and masterful lectures, oh my! It’s no wonder distributors were snapping up the rights in advance. Or at least they were if we believe Cook and Melville.

“Has Cook had fair play?” You decide!

[one-in-a-million-fishsticks]

I drew my children!!!

[c0pper0tter]

Spoilers for xmen 97 ep 5, if you somehow havent seen it dont keep scrolling

Don't cry if you didn't listen to me

I am NOT OKAY

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

WHY DO ALL MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS DIE FUCK THIS SHIT MAN IM TOO CURSED FOR ANY FANDOM

[valentronic]

[onlyonekenobi]

..

[tokuvivor]

6, 7, 15, and 29 for the fanfic ask game

6. Vaguely spoil one of your fics without telling us which one it is

How can robots take over the world if they can’t even handle garlic?

7. Share the first line of your five most recently published fics

Spoils and Traditions: “Okay… Pep, Pep, Pep…” Della muttered to herself as she entered the convenience store.

Designed for Evil, Turned Out Good: “Dads, I’m going for a walk!”

It’s Getting Cold in Here: “So your uncle really keeps all his money here, in this one building?” Selene asked.

Welcome Home: It had been a busy couple of days for Gyro Gearloose and his wife, Katherine Lupin.

He’s My Boy: “Come on, you can do this!” Gyro told himself. “It’s just like any normal business meeting with Mr. McDuck et al.”

15. What fic of yours would you most like to rewrite?

(Copy-pasted from my answer to Shy)

Movies I Missed on the Moon. I think I could’ve done better with it given more time (given it was a Duckverse June story). I think the way I worked in the Captain Ersatz versions of some movie titles was kinda awkward. I liked the plot I presented with it, but I could’ve done it better.

29. Which fic would you most like to have fan art done for?

Either The Power of Three or Bridging the Gap.