World of Lighthouses

General Category => Lighthouse identification => Topic started by: jharvat on June 28, 2021, 02:39:00 PM

Title: Identify lighthouse from 1919 silent film
Post by: jharvat on June 28, 2021, 02:39:00 PM
Hi everyone -

I am in the process of restoring a silent film from 1919 that features a lighthouse.  Details of the film's production are somewhat sketchy - only that it was shot on location somewhere on the US East Coast (perhaps New England).  I assume that the lighthouse was not just a set piece and that it was an actual facility.  I am hoping to discover the identity of the lighthouse shown in the film and whether or not it still exists. 

I have attached a screen capture from the film to this post.  Thanks in advance for any assistance!  :)
Title: Re: Identify lighthouse from 1919 silent film
Post by: mitko on June 28, 2021, 07:17:15 PM
A bit unusual shape for US lighthouses. What film was this?
Title: Re: Identify lighthouse from 1919 silent film
Post by: jharvat on June 28, 2021, 07:30:58 PM
The name of the film is Out Yonder.
Title: Re: Identify lighthouse from 1919 silent film
Post by: nelights on June 30, 2021, 02:44:18 PM
It's definitely not a New England lighthouse. The shape of the lantern dome is unlike anything I can remember seeing on a New England lighthouse. It's so unusual that it makes me wonder if it might have been a mockup created for the film. Also, the keeper's house looks very rustic, not like something you'd expect to see around 1919.
Title: Re: Identify lighthouse from 1919 silent film
Post by: nelights on June 30, 2021, 02:47:25 PM
Another odd thing is that there's no ventilator ball on the top of the lantern, which would be very unusual for an American lighthouse - and how would the smoke have escaped from the lantern room without some kind of ventilation? I looked closer at the keeper's house and it looks sort of beat up -- again, not something you would have seen at an American lighthouse around 1919.
Title: Re: Identify lighthouse from 1919 silent film
Post by: mitko on June 30, 2021, 02:50:47 PM
I had similar thoughts - maybe this is mockup...
Title: Re: Identify lighthouse from 1919 silent film
Post by: jharvat on June 30, 2021, 04:37:10 PM
Thanks to everyone for their responses.  I think you are correct that this was likely a prop building constructed for the film.  Other scenes in the film show a yacht that is obviously a model boat in a pool, so there is certainly precedent for a little Hollywood sleight-of-hand.