Top of page

Film, Video Arabian gun twirler

Digital viewing copy

About this Item

Title

  • Arabian gun twirler

Summary

  • A bearded man performs a rifle twirling act on a stage with a painted backdrop of a city street corner. He wears a white turban and a dark two-piece costume of tunic and baggy pants that narrow at the knees; perhaps the costume of an Arab infantryman. The tricks he performs include throwing the spinning rifle in the air and catching it; twirling the gun in front of him, above his head, behind his back, to the side of his torso, and under his leg; and twirling the rifle as he switches hands.
  • "An interesting exhibit by Hadji Cheriff, of the original Midway Plaisance. Twirls his rifle over shoulder, behind back, under leg, both hands and one hand. 50 feet"--Edison films catalog.

Names

  • Cheriff, Hadji, performer
  • Thomas A. Edison, Inc
  • Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)
  • Niver (Kemp) Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • United States : Edison Manufacturing Co., 1899.

Headings

  • -  Military exhibition drill
  • -  Arabs--United States

Genre

  • Peep shows (Motion pictures)
  • Silent films
  • Short films
  • Nonfiction films

Notes

  • -  20770 U.S. Copyright Office
  • -  Copyright: Thomas A. Edison; 20Mar1899; 20770.
  • -  Original main title lacking.
  • -  Duration: 0:40 at 18 fps.
  • -  The Midway Plaisance was originally the center of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
  • -  Paper print shelf number (LC 1301) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
  • -  Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
  • -  Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 11; Edison films catalog, no. 105, July 1901, p. 49; AFI cat.: film beginnings, 1893-1910; Edison motion pictures, 1890-1900, p. 494.
  • -  Performer: Hadji Cheriff.
  • -  Photographed March, 1899 at Edison's Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey.
  • -  Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.
  • -  35 mm viewing print renumbered: FEC 2487 to FYA 1242.

Medium

  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (26 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (26 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • master pos pic 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 25 ft.) : b&w ; 16 mm.
  • paper pos 1 roll of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • FLA 4315 (viewing print)
  • FYA 1242 (viewing print)
  • FRA 0082 (dupe neg pic)
  • FPE 8484 (dupe neg pic)
  • FRB 1244 (master pos pic)
  • Box 0478B (paper pos)

Repository

  • Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 96515758

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright or other restrictions in the vast majority of motion pictures in these collections. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse.

In rare cases, copyrighted motion pictures are made available by special permission to the Library and may be used only for educational purposes. For example, the Gershwin home movies fall within this category. Rights assessment is your responsibility. No registration information exists for some titles, and reproduction of some titles may be restricted by privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Additionally, some works may still be protected by copyright in the United States or some foreign countries. The written permission of the copyright owners in materials not in the public domain is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions.

Whenever possible, we provide information that we have about copyright owners and related matters in the catalog records, finding aids and other texts that accompany collections. You should consult the catalog information that accompanies each item for specific information. This catalog data provides the details known to the Library of Congress regarding the corresponding item and may assist you in making independent assessments of the legal status of these items for their desired uses. You should also consult restrictions associated with donations to the Library.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Thomas A. Edison, Inc, Paper Print Collection, and Niver. Arabian Gun Twirler. performeds by Cheriff, Hadji United States: Edison Manufacturing Co, 1899. Video. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/96515758/.

APA citation style:

Thomas A. Edison, I., Paper Print Collection & Niver. (1899) Arabian Gun Twirler. Cheriff, H., performer United States: Edison Manufacturing Co. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/96515758/.

MLA citation style:

Thomas A. Edison, Inc, Paper Print Collection, and Niver. Arabian Gun Twirler. performer by Cheriff, Hadji United States: Edison Manufacturing Co, 1899. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/96515758/>.