Top of page

Film, Video Pity the blind, no. 2

Digital viewing copy

About this Item

Title

  • Pity the blind, no. 2

Summary

  • Filmed version of a popular vaudeville gag, as if from the audience of a variety theater. A boy, holding a sign under his arm, leads a man onto a stage with a painted backdrop of a city street corner. With his dark glasses and cane, the man is apparently blind. He kneels down slightly left of center stage and lays down his hat and cane, while the boy turns the placard around so that it reads "Pity the Blind," places it around the man's neck, and exits the stage. A gentleman with a cigar crosses the stage, pauses to read the sign, and drops some money in the blind man's hat. He is followed by two well-dressed women in furs and long coats, who also leave coins for the beggar after searching their purses. As they start to exit, however, one of the women stops and raises her skirt to adjust her tights. Behind her back, the supposed blind man slides his dark glasses down his nose and ogles the woman's exposed leg. With the leggings in place, the women exit the stage none the wiser, leaving behind a smiling "blind" man.

Names

  • Weed, A. E., camera
  • American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
  • Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)
  • Niver (Kemp) Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • United States : American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904.

Headings

  • -  Swindlers and swindling--Humor
  • -  Begging--Humor
  • -  Deception--Humor
  • -  Charity--Humor

Genre

  • Filmed vaudeville acts
  • Comedy films
  • Silent films
  • Short films
  • Nonfiction films

Notes

  • -  H41755 U.S. Copyright Office
  • -  Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 2Feb1904; H41755.
  • -  Original main title lacking.
  • -  Duration: 0:51 at 16 fps.
  • -  Viewing print and dupe neg pic (35 mm.) include a pullback and 1 ft. of black; this printing error has been edited out in production of the digital file.
  • -  Biograph production no. 2782.
  • -  Paper print shelf number (LC 1310) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
  • -  Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
  • -  Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 251; AFI catalog : film beginnings, 1893-1910, p. 836; Biograph photo catalog, v. 6 [MI]; Biograph production log, v. 2: 1903-1912.
  • -  Camera, A.E. Weed.
  • -  Photographed on January 15, 1904 in the Biograph studio in New York City.
  • -  Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.

Medium

  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (20 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (52 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (20 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (52 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • master pos pic 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 20 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • paper pos 1 roll of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : b&w ; 35 mm.
  • paper pos (copy 2) 1 roll of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : b&w ; 35 mm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • FLA 4324 (viewing print)
  • FEC 2274 (viewing print)
  • FRA 1472 (dupe neg pic)
  • FPE 7924 (dupe neg pic)
  • FRB 1974 (master pos pic)
  • Box 0026F (paper pos)
  • Box 5008F (paper pos, copy 2)

Repository

  • Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 96520225

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright or other restrictions in the vast majority of motion pictures in these collections. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse.

In rare cases, copyrighted motion pictures are made available by special permission to the Library and may be used only for educational purposes. For example, the Gershwin home movies fall within this category. Rights assessment is your responsibility. No registration information exists for some titles, and reproduction of some titles may be restricted by privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Additionally, some works may still be protected by copyright in the United States or some foreign countries. The written permission of the copyright owners in materials not in the public domain is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions.

Whenever possible, we provide information that we have about copyright owners and related matters in the catalog records, finding aids and other texts that accompany collections. You should consult the catalog information that accompanies each item for specific information. This catalog data provides the details known to the Library of Congress regarding the corresponding item and may assist you in making independent assessments of the legal status of these items for their desired uses. You should also consult restrictions associated with donations to the Library.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Weed, A. E., Camera, American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, Paper Print Collection, and Niver. Pity the Blind, No. 2. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/96520225/.

APA citation style:

Weed, A. E., American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, Paper Print Collection & Niver. (1904) Pity the Blind, No. 2. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/96520225/.

MLA citation style:

Weed, A. E., Camera, et al. Pity the Blind, No. 2. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/96520225/>.