Ithaca holds a strong, albeit unexpected, place in the nascent days of America’s cinematic history, one that can be seen in either formal or informal treks around the greater Ithaca area.
Central New York is full of historical oddities, and its film history is perhaps chief among them. Ithaca rests in the middle of a chain of three cities, including Rochester and Auburn, all of which played significant roles in, or hold indelible connections to, the very early history of cinema: Rochester’s Eastman Museum houses one of the oldest film archives in the world, Ithaca was a substantial silent film hub for just under a decade in the 1910s, and Auburn can count Theodore Case among its former residents, who first synched film and sound together and for whom the Case Research Lab is now named (Auburn is called the “Birthplace of Talking Movies”).
“Between [those three places], there’s a lovely little narrative of early film-making,” said Diana Riesman, Executive Director of the Wharton Studio Museum, who is leading the charge to make Ithaca’s film background a more prominent part of its historical identity.
Of course, to do so requires answering one essential question: Why Ithaca?
In her words, Riesman said the question is as relevant today as it would have been back when the story first began, in the early 1900s.
It seems the bulk of Ithaca’s involvement in the movie industry was simply by happenstance: Ted Wharton came to the area in 1912 from Chicago scouting for a campus-like atmosphere to shoot a short film about college life and found Cornell University. The city’s aesthetic versatility, boasting Cornell, the wilderness and a downtown all within a short distance was well-suited to produce a wide variety of film settings in a time when movies, still silent, were an entirely visual medium.
“As a visual person, I think he looked around and said ‘Wow, it’s really beautiful, they have waterfalls and gorges and the lake,’ much like people do today,” Riesman said. “And I think as a filmmaker, I think he appreciated the nice blend between the rustic and the urban.”
Wharton left for a short period, but soon returned with his brother Leopold and leased the building that would become their headquarters and possibly the most significant mark they’d leave on the area to this day: the Wharton Studio Building. But their building is only one of several landmarks around Ithaca that may hold value to a cinephile, either burgeoning or established, as shown by the Wharton Studio Film Tour which can be found online for a self-guided exploration. A few highlights to check out in-person below:
Wharton Studio Building-- Stewart Park
Although it may not quite look like it now as the years have worn on its walls, the Wharton Studio Building in Stewart Park was the headquarters of Wharton Studios and Ithaca’s short, but bright, time in the center of the movie industry’s spotlight.
Remnants remain of its past, including metal tracking on the ceiling that could have been used to assist in set movement and scene-building. Its surrounding settings of Stewart Park could also be used for outside filming or more scene construction.
Admittedly, the property used to contain some more impressive features, like a tower the Whartons had constructed before they shut down the company around 1920 that was destroyed by a hurricane. But the future of the Wharton Studio Building could be much more promising than its current form, though, as people like Riesman are pushing for renovations to convert the building into a more inviting visitor center. The end goal would be to make the old Wharton headquarters into a historic hub that would serve to educate visitors and locals about Ithaca’s silent film history.
Eddy Street Gate-- Cornell University
Though it holds its own historical value as one of the more prominent landmarks on Cornell University’s campus, the Eddy Street Gate is also purported to be where the final film of that era was shot in Ithaca. The film, called If Women Only Knew, was produced in 1920 by Cayuga Pictures, who took over the Whartons building after they had ended their business. The film starred big names of the era like Madelyn Clare and Robert Gordon.
Upper Entrance-- Robert Treman State Park
Treman State Park hosted one of the more interesting film experiences of the period for the Whartons, who centered The Great White Trail around the park’s upper entrance, one of 37 Leopold Wharton films during the years around 1910-1920. Unfortunately, though, according to Riesman, the winter that year was surprisingly lacking in snow, so production had to eventually be shifted up to the Adirondacks for the required scenery. The movie did star Doris Kenyon, who went on to become a well-known soap opera actress in the 1940s.
Greystone Mansion-- 106 Cayuga Heights Road
The former home of prominent local Robert Treman and silent-era film star Irene Castle now holds a Cornell fraternity, but don’t let that deter you. But beyond housing that local power couple, it was also featured in a few silent films, most notably A Romance of the Air in 1918, and Castle regularly used the house for photo shoots from nationwide magazines like Vanity Fair and Vogue.
According to the silent film tour’s site, Castle used to have sea-water trucked in to fill the backyard pool, before letting it drain down the hill and onto the adjacent road every few days before another delivery. Not that anyone needs further reason to hate rich people now, but just in case.
Other places noted by the tour are the Cornell University Arts Quad, Cornell’s Goldwin Smith Hall, the Cascadilla Gorge Trail, the Stewart Avenue Bridge, the Stewart Park Picnic Pavilion and of course Cayuga Lake as a whole. Each have a claim to film history similar to those listed above.
If you’re interested in experiencing some more of Ithaca’s celluloid past, the Wharton Studio Museum runs annual screenings called Silent Movies Under the Stars, which is coming up on August 25, which includes a movie along with live original chamber music. In September, Riesman said they are working with the Cherry Theater to develop a production, written by two local playwrights, that will serve as a headphone-walking tour in Stewart Park “set against the backdrop of the Wharton era.” And, of course, October is Silent Movie Month where there’s a list of different events and activities organized by the local theater community.
