Director: James H. White

Cast: Thomas Edison

Synopsis: A staged scene of Thomas Edison at work in his laboratory.

Hmmm…

Something tells me what we’re seeing here isn’t the eminent Mr Edison at work in his laboratory rather than the old boy pretending to work in a mock-up of a laboratory in his Black Maria studio. This stretching of the truth is rather appropriate given the fact that despite his claims, many of the inventions for which Edison took credit were actually the work of those in his employ, including the cinema which, in the States at least, was largely down to his assistant W. K. L. Dickson.

Wearing a white laboratory gown, Edison makes himself busy transferring potions and liquids from one container to another. It’s not exactly exciting stuff, but the film lasts less than 30 seconds and it is interesting to see the old fella on the screen.

(Reviewed 5th August 2014)