Walter R. Booth
Encyclopedia
Walter Robert Booth was a British
magician and early pioneer of British film working first for Robert W. Paul
and then Charles Urban
mostly on "trick" films, where he pioneered the use of hand-drawing techniques that lead to the first British animated film, The Hand of the Artist
(1906).
and David Devant
at the Egyptian Hall
in Piccadilly
, London
, where he is presumed to have first encountered filmmaker Robert W. Paul
, who exhibited some of his earliest films there in 1896.
Booth went to work for Paul first devising and then later directing short trick films, beginning with The Miser's Doom and Upside Down; or, the Human Flies
(both 1899). Many of their early collaborations, such as Hindoo Jugglers and Chinese Magic (both 1900) were based on conjuring tricks, whilst A Railway Collision
(1900) pioneered the use of scale models. They reached the height of their collaboration in 1901; with simple trick films, such as Undressing Extraordinary
, The Waif and the Wizard
and An Over-Incubated Baby
which relied on jump-cuts, The Devil in the Studio and Artistic Creation
which integrated hand drawn elements, and Cheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London Restaurant
which experimented with superimposition; as well as more complex films, such as The Haunted Curiosity Shop
, Scrooge; or, Marley's Ghost and The Magic Sword
which has been compared to the work of Georges Méliès
. Their collaborations continued for the next five years with such films as The Extraordinary Waiter
(1902), Extraordinary Cab Accident and The Voyage of the Arctic (both 1903), befored culminating with Is Spiritualism A Fraud?
and The '?' Motorist
(both 1906).
In 1906 Booth went to work for Charles Urban
and constructed his own outdoor studio in the back garden of Neville Lodge, Woodlands, Isleworth, London, where, with F. Harold Bastick, he made The Hand of the Artist
(1906), which has been described as the first British animated film. He went on to produce at least 15 films a year for Urban including semi-animated trick films The Sorcerer's Scissors (1907), When the Devil Drives (1907), and proto-science fiction invasion fantasies The Airship Destroyer (1909) and The Aerial Submarine (1910), as well as The Automatic Motorist
(1911), a partial remake of The '?' Motorist (1906), up until 1915.
He subsequently went on to produce advertising films, including A Cure for Cross Words for Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate and he invented an advertising method called Flashing Film Ads, described as unique colour effects in light and movement. Little is known of his subsequent career and he died in Birmingham in 1938.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
magician and early pioneer of British film working first for Robert W. Paul
Robert W. Paul
Robert W. Paul was a British electrician, scientific instrument maker and early pioneer of British film.-Early career:...
and then Charles Urban
Charles Urban
Charles Urban was an Anglo-American film producer and distributor, and one of the most significant figures in British cinema before the First World War...
mostly on "trick" films, where he pioneered the use of hand-drawing techniques that lead to the first British animated film, The Hand of the Artist
The Hand of the Artist
The Hand of the Artist is a 1906 British short silent animated comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring the director's hand bringing to life photographic images of a young man and woman only for each sequence to end in them being crumpled up and discarded in the form of confetti...
(1906).
Biography
Booth, the son of a porcelain painter, followed his father with an apprentiship at the Royal Worcester Porcelain factory in 1882, where he worked until 1890. He had been a keen amateur magician and subsequently he joined the magic company of John Nevil MaskelyneJohn Nevil Maskelyne
John Nevil Maskelyne was an English stage magician and inventor of the pay toilet, along with many other Victorian-era devices. His door lock for London toilets required the insertion of a penny coin to operate it, hence the euphemism to "spend a penny".-Biography:Maskelyne was born in Cheltenham,...
and David Devant
David Devant
David Devant was an English magician, shadowgraphist and film exhibitor. He was born David Wighton in Holloway, London...
at the Egyptian Hall
Egyptian Hall
For the Glasgow building see The Egyptian Halls.The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an Exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson.-History:...
in Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he is presumed to have first encountered filmmaker Robert W. Paul
Robert W. Paul
Robert W. Paul was a British electrician, scientific instrument maker and early pioneer of British film.-Early career:...
, who exhibited some of his earliest films there in 1896.
Booth went to work for Paul first devising and then later directing short trick films, beginning with The Miser's Doom and Upside Down; or, the Human Flies
Upside Down; or, the Human Flies
Upside Down; or, the Human Flies is an 1899 British short silent drama film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a conjuror sending his audience to the ceiling...
(both 1899). Many of their early collaborations, such as Hindoo Jugglers and Chinese Magic (both 1900) were based on conjuring tricks, whilst A Railway Collision
A Railway Collision
A Railway Collision is a 1900 British short silent drama film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring an express train crashing into a goods train and plunging down an embankment...
(1900) pioneered the use of scale models. They reached the height of their collaboration in 1901; with simple trick films, such as Undressing Extraordinary
Undressing Extraordinary
Undressing Extraordinary is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a tired traveller struggling to undresse for bed...
, The Waif and the Wizard
The Waif and the Wizard
The Waif and the Wizard is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a magician using his magic to aid an ailing girl at the request of her brother. The film, "is rather less elaborate in terms of special effects than the other films that W.R. Booth and R.W...
and An Over-Incubated Baby
An Over-Incubated Baby
An Over-Incubated Baby is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a woman who gets an unpleasant surprise after placing her baby in Professor Bakem's baby incubator for 12 months growth in one hour. The film is, "one of the most original of the trick films...
which relied on jump-cuts, The Devil in the Studio and Artistic Creation
Artistic Creation
Artistic Creation is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a lightning sketch artist drawing a picture of a woman which comes to life piece by piece...
which integrated hand drawn elements, and Cheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London Restaurant
Cheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London Restaurant
Cheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London Restaurant is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a gentleman being entertained by the little people who emerge from the cheese at his table...
which experimented with superimposition; as well as more complex films, such as The Haunted Curiosity Shop
The Haunted Curiosity Shop
The Haunted Curiosity Shop is a 1901 British short silent horror film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring an elderly curio dealer alarmed by various apparitions that appear in his shop. The film, "was clearly devised purely as a showcase for Booth and Paul's bag of tricks," and according to...
, Scrooge; or, Marley's Ghost and The Magic Sword
The Magic Sword (1901 film)
The Magic Sword; or, A Medieval Mystery is a 1901 British short silent fantasy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a mediaeval knight battling to save a damsel from an ogre and a witch...
which has been compared to the work of Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
. Their collaborations continued for the next five years with such films as The Extraordinary Waiter
The Extraordinary Waiter
The Extraordinary Waiter is a 1902 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a brutish colonialist failing to destroy a blackfaced waiter...
(1902), Extraordinary Cab Accident and The Voyage of the Arctic (both 1903), befored culminating with Is Spiritualism A Fraud?
Is Spiritualism a Fraud?
Is Spiritualism a Fraud? is a 1906 British short silent drama film, directed by Walter R. Booth , featuring a medium exposed as a fake during a séance. The trick film is, "one of the last films made by R.W. Paul in collaboration with the trick-film specialist W.R...
and The '?' Motorist
The '?' Motorist
The '?' Motorist is a 1906 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a motorist driving around the rings of Saturn to escape the police. The trick film is, "one of the last films that W.R. Booth made for the producer-inventor R.W...
(both 1906).
In 1906 Booth went to work for Charles Urban
Charles Urban
Charles Urban was an Anglo-American film producer and distributor, and one of the most significant figures in British cinema before the First World War...
and constructed his own outdoor studio in the back garden of Neville Lodge, Woodlands, Isleworth, London, where, with F. Harold Bastick, he made The Hand of the Artist
The Hand of the Artist
The Hand of the Artist is a 1906 British short silent animated comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring the director's hand bringing to life photographic images of a young man and woman only for each sequence to end in them being crumpled up and discarded in the form of confetti...
(1906), which has been described as the first British animated film. He went on to produce at least 15 films a year for Urban including semi-animated trick films The Sorcerer's Scissors (1907), When the Devil Drives (1907), and proto-science fiction invasion fantasies The Airship Destroyer (1909) and The Aerial Submarine (1910), as well as The Automatic Motorist
The Automatic Motorist
The Automatic Motorist is a 1911 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a robot chauffeur taking an inventor and a young honeymooning couple on a wild ride around the planets and under the sea. The trick film is a, "virtual remake of The '?' Motorist ," according...
(1911), a partial remake of The '?' Motorist (1906), up until 1915.
He subsequently went on to produce advertising films, including A Cure for Cross Words for Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate and he invented an advertising method called Flashing Film Ads, described as unique colour effects in light and movement. Little is known of his subsequent career and he died in Birmingham in 1938.
for Robert W. Paul
- The Miser's Doom (1899)
- Upside Down; or, the Human FliesUpside Down; or, the Human FliesUpside Down; or, the Human Flies is an 1899 British short silent drama film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a conjuror sending his audience to the ceiling...
(1899) - Chinese Magic (1900)
- Hindoo Jugglers (1900)
- A Railway CollisionA Railway CollisionA Railway Collision is a 1900 British short silent drama film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring an express train crashing into a goods train and plunging down an embankment...
(1900) - Artistic CreationArtistic CreationArtistic Creation is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a lightning sketch artist drawing a picture of a woman which comes to life piece by piece...
(1901) - Cheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London RestaurantCheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London RestaurantCheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London Restaurant is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a gentleman being entertained by the little people who emerge from the cheese at his table...
(1901) - The Devil in the Studio (1901)
- The Haunted Curiosity ShopThe Haunted Curiosity ShopThe Haunted Curiosity Shop is a 1901 British short silent horror film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring an elderly curio dealer alarmed by various apparitions that appear in his shop. The film, "was clearly devised purely as a showcase for Booth and Paul's bag of tricks," and according to...
(1901) - The Magic SwordThe Magic Sword (1901 film)The Magic Sword; or, A Medieval Mystery is a 1901 British short silent fantasy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a mediaeval knight battling to save a damsel from an ogre and a witch...
(1901) - An Over-Incubated BabyAn Over-Incubated BabyAn Over-Incubated Baby is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a woman who gets an unpleasant surprise after placing her baby in Professor Bakem's baby incubator for 12 months growth in one hour. The film is, "one of the most original of the trick films...
(1901) - Scrooge, or, Marley's GhostScrooge, or, Marley's GhostScrooge, or, Marley's Ghost is a 1901 British short silent drama film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge confronted by Marley's ghost and given by visions of Christmas Past, Present and Future, which is the oldest known film adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843...
(1901) - Undressing ExtraordinaryUndressing ExtraordinaryUndressing Extraordinary is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a tired traveller struggling to undresse for bed...
(1901) - The Waif and the WizardThe Waif and the WizardThe Waif and the Wizard is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a magician using his magic to aid an ailing girl at the request of her brother. The film, "is rather less elaborate in terms of special effects than the other films that W.R. Booth and R.W...
(1901) - The Extraordinary WaiterThe Extraordinary WaiterThe Extraordinary Waiter is a 1902 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a brutish colonialist failing to destroy a blackfaced waiter...
(1902) - Extraordinary Cab Accident (1903)
- Political Favourites (1903)
- The Voyage of the Arctic (1903)
- The '?' MotoristThe '?' MotoristThe '?' Motorist is a 1906 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a motorist driving around the rings of Saturn to escape the police. The trick film is, "one of the last films that W.R. Booth made for the producer-inventor R.W...
(1906) - Is Spiritualism a Fraud?Is Spiritualism a Fraud?Is Spiritualism a Fraud? is a 1906 British short silent drama film, directed by Walter R. Booth , featuring a medium exposed as a fake during a séance. The trick film is, "one of the last films made by R.W. Paul in collaboration with the trick-film specialist W.R...
(1906)
for Charles Urban
- The Hand of the ArtistThe Hand of the ArtistThe Hand of the Artist is a 1906 British short silent animated comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring the director's hand bringing to life photographic images of a young man and woman only for each sequence to end in them being crumpled up and discarded in the form of confetti...
(1906) - The Sorcerer's Scissors (1907)
- When the Devil Drives (1907)
- Willie's Magic WandWillie's Magic WandWillie's Magic Wand is a 1907 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a young boy terrorising the household with his father's magic wand...
(1907) - The Airship Destroyer (1909)
- The Aerial Submarine (1910)
- Aerial AnarchistsAerial AnarchistsAerial Anarchists is a 1911 British silent science fiction film directed by Walter R. Booth.It is the third and final film in Booth's science fiction series seeking to present a picture of futuristic aerial warfare. It followed on from Aerial Torpedo and Aerial Submarine and is the first real...
(1911) - The Automatic MotoristThe Automatic MotoristThe Automatic Motorist is a 1911 British short silent comedy film, directed by Walter R. Booth, featuring a robot chauffeur taking an inventor and a young honeymooning couple on a wild ride around the planets and under the sea. The trick film is a, "virtual remake of The '?' Motorist ," according...
(1911)