"Hollywood East": Keeping Ithaca's History Alive

Ithaca is known for having a long and intricate history, and its mountainous landscapes and numerous gorges continue to bring new residents and tourists alike.

According to the Wharton Studio Museum at the Tompkins Center for History and Culture, those same attributes are what turned Ithaca into a successful center for silent film production over a century ago. During this time, notable celebrities like Irene Castle and Lionel Barrymore would frequent the area to create films, producing the dynamic, old Hollywood atmosphere that people today can only imagine.

This intriguing facet of Ithaca’s past is being put in the limelight by the Wharton Studio Museum’s multimedia exhibit, titled “Biggest Little Movie City: Ithaca’s Theaters Then and Now.”

The film industry-focused exhibit uses multimedia aspects to highlight Ithaca's previous history as a hub of "Hollywood East."

The exhibit informs viewers about the early movie-going experience, such as ticket costs and silent films being accompanied by live music.

Featured facts and photos call attention to a time when seven different movie theaters occupied the downtown area. Many of these buildings are still here today and include the State Theatre of Ithaca and the Strand Theatre, which is now the Canopy by Hilton Ithaca Downtown.

The bustle of movie-making began to slow for many reasons. One was the influenza epidemic, an issue that mirrors the present with the COVID-19 pandemic.

A staged trolley crashing over the Stewart Avenue bridge in 1914 for silent film "The Prince of India." Courtesy of Wharton Studio Museum.

The museum’s co-founder and executive director Diana Riesman has experience working in the film industry, so it is no surprise that she found an interest in Ithaca’s cinematic past. “I just started… looking at newspaper articles and learning about it,” she said.

The focus of the exhibit is to not only celebrate Ithaca’s moment in the spotlight of "Hollywood East," but to also look back on what movie-going used to be like during the silent movie era.

Another offer is a guided walking tour hosted by Historic Ithaca. The tour stops at sites that were once occupied by grand, 20th-century theaters. According to Riesman, a guided tour around Ithaca is an important component because of the lack of knowledge surrounding the old theaters, mostly due to urban renewal.

“You wouldn’t know because there are no real markers or anything on the buildings now,” she said.

Featured at the exhibit are portraits of Hollywood figures who frequented Ithaca or were connected with the Wharton Studio.

Throughout her search, Riesman found a plethora of fun facts that are now included in the exhibit. Some of these facts include dogs being allowed in movie theaters.

“I was just… taken by the fact that [this] wasn’t that long ago,” said Riesman.

A more permanent exhibit will follow this temporary one and will be located at Stewart Park, which is where a prominent film studio was built by the Whartons in the early 1900s.

“We’re trying to turn [it] into an exhibit space and a cafe, and have exhibits on the building’s history,” said Riesman. “It will preserve and celebrate the building and make sure that anyone that comes into the park will learn that this was a… bustling movie studio 100 years ago.”

Riesman also emphasized the importance of remembering such an interesting time in Ithaca’s background, and while another swell in local movie theaters may not happen again, highlighting this period of time keeps its memory alive.

“[It is about] bringing to light… this history and also just making people aware that history disappears if it’s not… taken care of or preserved," she said.

“Biggest Little Movie City: Ithaca’s Theaters Then and Now” is available at the Wharton Studio Museum until May 9.