The Universal Silents
by Richard E. Braff
Category: Performing Arts

On June 8, 1912, Carl Laemmle of the Independent Motion Picture Company, Pat Powers of Powers Picture Company, Mark Dintenfass of Champion Films, and Bill Swanson of American Eclair, meeting in New York City, signed a contract to merge their studios. The four formed a storied name in Hollywood history--the Universal Motion Picture Manufacturing Company.From A la flamme le papillon se brule les ailes, a 1912 French Eclair film distributed by Universal, to Zip and His Gang (1915), this is a comprehensive filmography of 9,397 silent-era feature, split reel, and one, two, and three reel films produced or distributed by Universal Motion Picture Manufacturing Company. The film entries include title, release date, copyright date, producer, director, scenarist, author, length of the film, and major cast members. The work also includes the 74 serials released by Universal.