The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals

1909 Comedy 4 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith

Open in new tab

About The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals

An amateur dramatic society picks the Jones house for its next meeting. Mr. and Mrs. Jones both catch the acting bug. The comedy is one of the Jones series and shares its reel with The Hindoo Dagger.

Cast & crew

More about The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals

D. W. Griffith directed. G. W. Bitzer photographed it at the New York studio. Biograph copyrighted it on 13 February 1909, H122929, and released it on 18 February 1909 on a split reel with The Hindoo Dagger. It is 400 feet and runs 4 minutes. John R. Cumpson plays Mr. Jones. Florence Lawrence plays Mrs. Jones. Linda Arvidson plays the maid.

Themes

  • A dramatic society in a private house
  • A husband and wife who both start acting
  • A comedy cut to share a reel
  • Mr. Jones
  • Mrs. Jones
  • amateur theatricals
  • split reel
  • The Hindoo Dagger
  • Florence Lawrence
  • Biograph

Making

Griffith shot the Jones farce in the New York studio and paired the 400-foot comedy with The Hindoo Dagger so the two shorts filled one reel.

Look

G. W. Bitzer photographed the Jones parlor where the amateur company rehearses.

Music

Silent.

Preservation

A print survives. AFI describes it as extant.

Notes

  • AFI files it under the Jones comedies.
  • George Gebhardt, Anita Hendrie, David Miles, Herbert Prior, Mack Sennett, and Dorothy West are theatre people in the cast list.
  • Marion Leonard plays Mrs. Trouble.
  • Moving Picture World noted the film on 13 February 1909, five days before release.
  • A print survives and is on the Internet Archive.

Also available

  • Internet Archive (TheJonesesHaveAmateurTheatricals)

More from D.W. Griffith

View all →