The Tiniest of Stars
R: Unknown. D: James Cruze, Marguerite Snow, Marie Eline, Helen Badgley. P: Thanhouser Film Corporation. USA 1912/13
Print: Library of Congress

“The movie was shot in New Rochelle NY in the fall of 1912 and released in January 1913. (…) Marie Eline was such a superb young pioneer child silent performer that she became known as the Thanhouser Kid. She made her first movie for Thanhouser in 1910, The 29 cent Robbery when she was barely 8. In this movie, she pulls off the part of a young boy better than any boy could have.”
preservationhall01

“An air of authenticity infuses this family drama of a brother and sister who take to the variety stage. The popular stage was a source of everyday entertainment for most Americans of the time, and had been Edwin Thanhouser’s career before 1910. Audiences were beginning to recognize and demand more of the little actresses Marie Eline (who plays the little boy) and Helen Badgley, which led to the studio promoting them, and demand for their movies helped create the star system which survives today stronger than ever.”
Thanhouser

Marie Eline with Thanhouser:

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