J. Gordon Edwards, (Grandfather to Blake Edwards, director of the Pink Panther series of films and husband to Julie Andrews) directed Theda Bara in front of this camera. John W. Boyle was the DP for Mr. Edwards and they had a working relationship that lasted until "The Queen of Sheba", 1921, which J. Gordon Edwards wrote and directed. It seems all of J. Gordon Edwards films are lost except "Dag Harlan" (1920), run time 64 minutes. A VHS comes with the camera. Theda Bara and J. Gordon Edwards careers were mutually beneficial and as Bara's career declined Edwards went on to direct most of Fox's mega budget, epic pictures until his death from pneumonia 31 December 1925.
During the few short years after the purchase of this camera Theda Bara made more than 40 pictures at Fox. J. Gordon Edwards directed more than half of them. Ms. Bara called him "the nicest director I ever worked with."
The tag on the side of the camera says, "Property of 20th Century Pictures, INC". This camera is from before the merger of 20th Century Pictures and Fox Studios in 1926. I believe there are only two cameras left in the world that have "Property of 20th Century Pictures, INC" tags.
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