Walter R. Booth and the Early Trick Film

ABSTRACT:For many years there has been disagreement about the innovative trick films issued by Robert Paul during the late 1890s and early 1900s. Some historians have maintained that Paul was largely responsible for their creation, while others argue that they were the work of stage magician Walter Robert Booth. Although Paul's life and career has been fully documented by Dr. John Barnes and Professor Ian Christie, little has previously been known about Booth. New research strongly suggest that Booth was responsible for many of the films and that his influence can be detected in numerous aspects of their production.