Bfly Films

17/08/2022

Hello Friends,

As an indie filmmaker, I love to support other indie filmmakers, and here is a chance with a little flick a friend of mine is fundraising for.

Super Ned is the story of a q***r teen with superhero aspirations. Deadpool meets Napoleon Dynamite in this charming coming of age story.

It takes a village to make an indie film, so please consider making an offering small or large and sharing with your friends!

Thanks! And I hope you all are doing super-awesome!

We are just ONE BACKER AWAY from reaching 80 BACKERS!!! Will you be our savior?

HELP US UNLOCK A $5000 MATCHING CONTRIBUTION - ONLY 81 BACKERS TO GO! www.supernedfilm.com

25/07/2020

I have heard people wonder if Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were rivals. This short piece by Buster talking about Charlie shows quite the opposite was true.

Here’s an interesting piece I’ve been wanting to share! It’s from a book called The Legend of Charlie Chaplin, compiled by Peter Haines. This is a collection of essays and intervi…

15/02/2020

Happy Valentine's Day, Sweethearts!

"Life is a beautiful magnificent thing, even to a jellyfish!" -- charlie chaplin

Charlie is pictured here with his longest running leading lady, his friend for life, Edna Purviance.

01/02/2020

Here's a beautiful post from the instagrammer. The caption on the post reads:

"A photo shoot designed by Natacha Rambova of her then married lover, Rudolph Valentino. These images would be used against him in court during his divorce from his first wife Jean Acker."

17/01/2020

Chester Conklin sent Anita Loos this lovely photo of himself portraying Lorelei "the blonde" in her smash hit Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Anita's caption reads, "There have been many famous Lorelei Lees, from June Walker, who first played her on the stage, to Ruth Taylor, who was the Lorelei of silent films, to Carol Channing of the stage musical and Marilyn Monroe of the musical film, but to me none was more satisfactory than Chester Conklin."

from "A Girl Like I," but Anita Loos

08/12/2019

"In her father's theater, Miss Loos watched the films which were screened between acts. The stage manager would raise the curtain so she could watch the reverse side of the screen.

'I saw them all, and it occurred to me that they must need stories. So I wrote one. It was inspired by Mary Pickford. I mailed it in and it was accepted immediately. The title was THE NEW YORK HAT; Mary Pickford played the lead and D.W. Griffith directed. I got twenty-five dollars. I was twelve years old.'

Miss Loos wrote stories for Biograph, Lubin, Kinemacolor, and Kosmik.

Griffith's Biograph Company was her chief customer, however, and the company eventually decided to put her on the payroll. When Anita Loos visited the studio with her mother, she watched first the company secretary, and then Mr Griffith, mistake her mother for herself.

When Griffith had recovered from his surprise at finding his author four foot nine with pigtails, he asked her to work at the studio. The company had been buying so many Anita Loos stories he felt she might as well just be on the lot."

--Kevin Brownlow, THE PARADE'S GONE BY.

Pictured is John Emerson and Anita Loos examining a set of art titles.

21/11/2019

"Director Sidney Franklin, wearing roller skates, works out a traveling shot for QUALITY STREET (1927). The camera is the newly introduced Bell and Howell Eyemo, especially designed for hand-held shooting. The actresss is Marion Davies."

from THE PARADE'S GONE BY, Kevin Brownlow

06/11/2019

"Greta Garbo had something that nobody ever had on the screen. Nobody. I don't know whether she even knew she had it, but she did. And I can explain it in a few words.
I would take a scene with Garbo -- pretty good. I would take it three or four times. It was pretty good, but I was never quite satisfied. When I saw that same scene on the screen, however, it had something that it just didn't have on set.
Garbo had something behind the eyes that you couldn't see until you photographed it in close-up. You could see thought. If she had to look at one person with jealousy, and another with love, she didn't have to change her expression. You could see it in her eyes as she looked from one to the other. And nobody else has been able to do that on the screen. . .
For me, Garbo starts where they all leave off."
--Clarence Brown, in Kevin Brownlow's THE PARADE'S GONE BY

15/10/2019

I love this song by Katie Melua about Mary Pickford and the United Artists. It is a big inspiration for me in creating independent cinema!

Mike Batt wrote this song for Katie after a daily facts calendar offered him the information that Mary Pickford ate roses to increase her beauty.

That sounds to me like something the fan mags made up!

Check out the brand new video for ‘Dreams On Fire’ on VEVO here: https://KatieMelua.lnk.to/DreamsOnFireVideoyv This is Katie Melua's music video for 'Mary Pi...

07/10/2019

If you're in the market for a mansion, the New Jersey home Joseph P. Kennedy purchased for Gloria Swanson is on the market at a 75% reduced price.

Built in 1926 by Count Stefan Poniatowski, heir to the Polish throne and silk manufacturer, the eight-bedroom, fourteen-bath home was designed to resemble an Italian villa in the Renaissance Revival style with three-story towers on each end of the building. You can read all about and see more pictures here: https://local12.com/news/around-the-web/gloria-swansons-new-jersey-mansion-listed-at-99-million

If wishes were horses...O la la!

25/09/2019

'"In the Babylonion sequence of *Male and Female* one of the lions got loose and came within 10 feet of me. The next day, when I came on the set, I was rather shaken from this experience. I'm a Swede, you see, so there's a delayed reaction. Mr. De Mille decided to cut out the shot where the lion is on my back.

'Mr. De Mille,' I said, 'you can't do that. I want to do it. Please--you promised me I could.'

'Young fellow,' he said, 'why do you want to do this?'

'Well,' I said, 'when I was a little girl, I used to sit at my grandmother's piano. On the left-hand side there was a copy of a famous painting called *A Lion's Bride.* You told me you wanted to reproduce this painting, and I'd like to take part.'

'All right,' he said, 'I thought maybe it was a little too much for you.'

In the arena, there was Mr De Mille, the cameraman, and his assistant--and my father, in army officer's uniform, standing on top of this arena looking at his one and only with his eyes bulging out of his head. There were also two trainers, armed with whips. They folded up canvas and put this on my back, which was bare to the waist. They put the animal so that his front legs were resting on me, and little by little they eased the canvas out from under his paws. Then they cracked their whips until he roared. It felt like thousands of vi*****rs. Every hair on my body was standing straight up. I had to close my eyes. The last thing I saw was Mr. De Mille with a gun."

Gloria Swanson, in Kevin Brownlow's THE PARADE'S GONE BY

11/09/2019

"Although Mary Pickford says she seldom exercised control over directors, her cameraman Charles Rosher, declares that she did a lot of her own directing. 'The director would often just direct the crowd. She knew everything there was to know about motion pictures.'"

--Kevin Brownlow, THE PARADE'S GONE BY

06/09/2019

"When director Frank Tuttle invited her to dine with his family at the elegant Beverly Hills Hotel, Clara arrived in a belted bathing suit. 'It was a shocker,' one of Tuttle's daughters remembers. It was also a violation of both the hotel's dress code[s] and Hollywood's rule of formal dress for evening engagements, yet Clara couldn't fathom the fuss. Why should something she wore make someone else uncomfortable?"

Clara was full of shockers! She landed 3 places in Bustle Magazines list of "The 9 Most Scandalous Dresses of the 1920s" https://www.bustle.com/articles/168083-the-9-most-scandalous-dresses-of-the-1920s-were-bold-for-their-time-photos

I'll bet they could've found more, if they looked a little harder!

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27/08/2019

"Susan Berg appeared in the doorway of 905 . . .Her papery, girlish face lived inside a halo of silver-white hair. She blinked and swallowed, her eyes a startling blue that put Claude in mind of tropical fish darting behind aquarium glass. . . She retreated into a cluttered interior hung with bedclothes. In the clanking elevator cage, Claude told Martin that he could remember Susan dancing the tango with Buster Keaton out on the Lido deck.

--It happened a lifetime ago. They sailed across the terra-cotta tile like a couple of Spanish galleons, Claude said, while we all just watched in awe."

from THE ELECTRIC HOTEL, Chapter 1 "The Knickerbocker," Dominic Smith.

pictured: possibly Buster Keaton with Mae Murray

22/08/2019

From the first filmed "actualities" by the Lumiere brothers to Thomas Edison's patent police and into the golden age of silent movies...

Listen to the author of The Electric House, Richard Fidler chat with ABC Australia about his fascinating research into the birth of the film industry.

Writer Dominic Smith on the glittering, perplexing history of the silent film era

17/08/2019

"There was another incident which wasn't amusing at the time, but is amusing to look back on. Julia Swayne Gordon was a vamp, and I played her young lover. She had a tiger, as a pet, in this picture, and it had been in captivity for just six months. We got it from Coney Island, and we had to work with it on the same set. No double exposure or anything. The carpenters had built a great fence around us, and everyone was standing around with guns. Not that they would have been much help; the damage would have been done before they could fire -- and they probably wouldn't have dared shoot for fear of killing us.

Julia and I felt like a couple of Christians . . . I was supposed to be afraid of the tiger, that's what worried me. I expect the tiger could smell my natural fear, on top of which I had to act frightened--I had to back away from it.

In between shots, Julia was stroking the tiger's head, trying to keep him quiet. And she just happened to touch its ear. The tiger raised its head and took her arm in its mouth. We didn't breathe. We were frozen absolutely still.

The tiger held her arm for just a little while, then it looked at her as if to say 'Don't do that again' and opened its jaws and let her go."

James Morrison interviewed by Kevin Browlow in THE PARADE'S GONE BY

13/08/2019

This is so cool -- an interview of Buster Keaton by Studs Terkel in the 1960s. Keaton's early films were getting a new wave of attention, and he was about to re-release a big lot of them first in Germany and then in the US. Keaton had a long period of working anonymously as a gag writer on other people's films, so you can feel how gratifying it is for him to once again get his due for his genius.

Thanks for posting this Hollywood Time Machine!

Silent film pioneer Buster Keaton discusses his career following the release of "When Comedy Was King," a compilation of some classic shorts by Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and others. Keaton reveals how they shot the early silent films, generated material and gags, how they planned big ch...

08/08/2019

This wonderful interview with Kevin Brownlow is all about how he just happened to become the foremost silent film historian.

He shares stories about meeting and interviewing once famous film directors and stars, and how it led to his groundbreaking book: THE PARADE'S GONE BY.

06/08/2019

Clara Bow was known for having a lot of "it" -- that is, s*x appeal. However, what might not be as widely known is that she also had a kind and generous heart.

My favorite story about her unpretentious generosity is from 1928, the year she received 33,727 fan letters in just the month of May -- more mail than any star had ever received before.

One of those letters came from Lyman, a 16 year old boy, who asked if Clara could do him a special favor and visit Peter's Popcorn Booth on Long Beach Pier. Both his mother and father were ill and didn't have the money to pay their bills. Lyman was frightened they would lose their business. He said to her, ". . . I know that if you came to the pier I could sell plenty of popcorn. Maybe even enough to pay off the doctors' bills. . . It sure would cheer me up to see you."

On her first free day after receiving the letter, early in the morning, Clara drove the 50 miles to Long Beach Pier and Peter's Popcorn. Of course, they were completely mobbed by fans, seeking autographs and buying popcorn. Clara stayed the whole day with a big smile on her face until they were completely sold out of popcorn!

According to biographer Laini Giles, the boy said, "I don't know how to thank you, Miss Bow. This has been the greatest day of my life!" To which she replied, "Silly, call me Clara! You'n'me are buddies now, right?" . . . His chest puffed out a bit, and he beamed with pride. Especially when she leaned in for a hug, which Joe captured with his Ansco camera."

I'm not sure if that moment is captured in this picture because there sure a lot of popcorn still on the table!

If you'd like to see some very glamorous pictures of Clara Bow (of which there are many!) follow this link to an article by Vogue magazine written a couple years ago in commemoration of Clara Bow's birthday, which was last week.

https://www.vogue.com/article/industry-icons-clara-bow-actress?verso=true

28/07/2019

The day was bright and clear and filled with humming bees flitting and nestling amongst all the little flowers on this enchanted mountain-top garden patio.

Apple rests her weary bones with the elegant Baroness. These unlikely friends met when Apple chased down the thief who stole the Baroness's ring.

In this still from Buskers Bounty, Apple (Abbey Pleviak) and the Baroness (Elizabeth Baron) relax at the Baroness's estate.

26/07/2019

Ah! The enchanting mechanical poetry of Buster Keaton... What a treat to see such a master work his craft!

Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, film director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer...

22/07/2019

Most people remember Rudolph Valentino as The Great Lover, but did you know he was also famous for his spaghetti?

He loved to prank dinner guests with 6 foot long noodles that he insisted were "autentico" to eat without cutting. Keeping them intact required standing on a ladder and slowly feeding them into the pot as he laughed all the while!

Rudy's recipe itself was sensational. Pola Negri said, “He loved to make spaghetti and meatballs. He had his own special sauce. I never tired of it, and I will never share with anyone else the secret of his meat sauce.”

However, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper happily shared his secret, causing ire among the Italian community because he used sausage rather than ground beef.

If you'd like to make your own special Valentino sauce and learn more about the Valentino spaghetti controversy, follow this link:

http://www.silverscreensuppers.com/rudolph-valentino/recipe-of-the-month-rudolph-valentinos-secret-spaghetti-sauce

17/07/2019

In honor of the anniversary of Apollo 11's trip to the moon, here are some images from Georges Méliès trip to the moon -- long, long ago!

06/11/2018

When the famous inventor Nikola Tesla's unfinished ideas are stolen by LuLu Pommepourrie, a spy for the competition, the mysterious Phantoscope movie viewer is born. Unfortunately, it's creators don't understand the advanced technology they are dabbling with, and when a troupe of circus performers are recorded by the machine, they become trapped in an otherworldy dimension. Apple and the Busker must find a way to set them free!

This episodic adventure flirts with sci fi and noir. The first two episodes, "Maiden Voyage" and "Trick Nickel" are test pieces for this larger project.

06/11/2018

Buskerton’s new Mayor impresses the public and charms the eccentric Baroness. But this entrepreneur-politician has a secret agenda to quench his thirst for power and profit. When Apple, Chico, and Filo get in the way, a wild chase ensues that leads to the center of the conspiracy.

Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Black & White/Sepia
Kodak Super 16mm film to HD digital

06/11/2018

Apple's jilted lover plots his revenge via a ruthless villain. A Busker, a Baroness, and a Diner Boss help her elude him -- as does a little gender bending!

Running time: 60 minutes Black & White Kodak Super 16mm film to HD digital

16/02/2017

"All Your Oscars Are Belong to Us!" This is a sweet little article about how in the 1920s German talent took Hollywood by storm. Our film nods to this history with our leading man Marc Otto playing German-born film director Otto Prost!

We're gearing up to get into post-production on Seaside Swells, so stay tuned to hear about how you can join us in bringing this sweet little romantic comedy to the silver screen!

Given the frenzied, ridiculous propaganda of the war years, it’s surprising to see how quickly Hollywood decided that German stars and directors were just the bee’s knees. Throughout th…

09/04/2016

Buskerfly Productions Founder Abbey Pleviak is appearing at Oddville tomorrow, and she's bringing wishbones!

ODDVILLE: A New Vaudeville Tradition
Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven
SE 2nd & Hawthorne
21+ FREE, $5 suggested donation
TOMORROW: Sun April 10
7pm doors

13/03/2016

Production stills from B-FLY FILMS.