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American Cinema in 1917

Buster Keaton makes his screen debut in 1917, while, with the USA's entry into the Great War, the producer of The Spirit of '76 receives a ten-year jail sentence for attempting to cause a mutiny

The Butcher Boy (1917)

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle's The Butcher Boy (1917)

Key developments

The formation of First National Pictures paves the way towards vertical integration.

Buster Keaton makes his debut and Harold Lloyd creates his 'glasses character.'

The Gulf Between, the first two-strip Technicolor feature, is released.

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Key films

A posed still from Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle's The Butcher Boy (1917)

The Butcher Boy (1917)

Buster Keaton’s film debut, alongside Roscoe Arbuckle, introduced the future comic master to movies in a brisk slapstick short.

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A scene from the set of The Spirit of '76 (1917)

The Spirit of '76 (1917)

A Revolutionary War spectacle notorious for censorship during wartime, illustrating how patriotic historical filmmaking could become politically contentious.

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A young Francis and John Ford

The Tornado (1917)

A short melodrama chiefly notable today as legendary director John Ford's directorial debut.

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People who made their mark

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Popular comedian and director known as “Fatty,” and an early screen star.

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin

Worldwide silent-film star, director and creator of the enduring Little Tramp.

Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil B. DeMille

Influential director and producer whose spectacles helped define Hollywood feature filmmaking.

Douglas Fairbanks

Douglas Fairbanks

Swashbuckling silent-screen star, producer and co-founder of United Artists.

D. W. Griffith

D. W. Griffith

Pioneering director whose narrative techniques shaped early feature filmmaking, amid a contested legacy.

Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton

Innovative silent-film comedian, actor and director celebrated for precise visual comedy.

Tom Mix

Tom Mix

Legendary western star whose screen persona defined the silent-film cowboy.

Mabel Normand

Mabel Normand

Groundbreaking comedienne who played a major role in Keystone’s formative years.

Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford

“America’s Sweetheart,” a leading silent star, producer and co-founder of United Artists.

Mack Sennett

Mack Sennett

Founder of Keystone Studios and a key creator of American slapstick comedy.

Active studios

Kalem Studio in Jacksonville, Florida

Kalem

A pioneering studio that at first owned no active studio, Kalem was the first American company to send units to film in foreign lands.

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