His Uncle’s Wives
R: Lawrence Marston. D: Jean Darnell, Harry Benham. P: Thanhouser Film Co. USA 1913
Print: Library of Congress

“An artist unexpectedly inherits six wives who come to him from his uncle in Constantinople. His wife makes serious objections, and he finally packs them off to join a theatrical troupe, and happiness is restored. Split with Seven Ages of an Alligator“.
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Seven Ages of an Alligator
K: Carl Louis Gregory. P: Thanhouser Film Co. USA 1913
Print: Library of Congress

“In early 1913 as Thanhouser staff and crews were setting up a facility in Los Angeles, cameraman Carl Louis Gregory was taking documentary footage, from which four ‘split reel’ short subjects were created: A Million Birds, filmed at California pigeon and ostrich farms; Los Angeles the Beautiful (two different version with the same title), showing scenic attractions; and Seven Ages of an Alligator, filmed at an alligator farm. Released together, His Uncle’s Wives and Seven Ages of an Alligator filled up one 1,000-foot ‘split reel’.”
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Split Reel:
“A reel that can be screwed apart in order to place film on the core between its two halves. The film on the core becomes the film on the reel. One should be careful not to screw the two halves too tightly together, because they may become difficult to separate.”
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