This black & white film, one of the episodes of the pioneering documentary program “Biography”, is about the life of Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America’s greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. The film’s copyright is 1962.

Opening: February 11, 1931. A man turns 84-years-old. He speaks to another man. The man turning 84 is Thomas Edison. Title: Biography – Thomas Edison (:06-1:35). Mike Wallace is our host. Thomas Edison, inventor. Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven children of Samuel and Nancy Edison. Young photos of Thomas Edison. His mother Nancy. By the time he is 12-years-old he is fascinated with some things. He has a laboratory. He works on a train, as he conducts an experiment on a train, some of his vials fall, there is smoke and fire, a conductor beats him causing him to lose hearing. Thomas rescues a station master’s son and as a reward he is made an apprentice (1:36-4:20). Telegraph wires are set up. At 16, Edison leaves home and drifts from one station to another. Edison heads to New York City in 1869. Edison gets employed at a telegraph system. Newspaper article. Buildings of New York City. Western Union in NYC. Edison makes money off a patent to Western Union. Newark, NJ. A picture of him looking out of the window. Edison marries Mary Stilwell in 1871. Edison home (4:21-6:44). Edison takes Bell’s telephone and creates a newer model. December 6, 1877, Edison makes the first sound recording. Edison portrait (6:45-7:59). Phonograph. The Edison speaks for itself. Record ad. Early recording played from a Phonograph. Early versions of the Phonograph play (8:00-9:41). Edison picture. Edison’s notes. Edison at work. A lightbulb goes on. Edison in New York. A lightbulb. Factory (9:42-11:28). September 4, 1882. Lightbulbs work. Edison’s wife dies in 1884. Edison meets Mina Miller, they marry in 1886. A house in Florida. Edison’s notes. West Orange, NJ, Edison works here. Iron ore is where Edison goes next. He files patents. He shows pictures moving as his next project (11:29-13:51). Kinetoscope parlors where one can pay a nickel to see moving photographs. Images from movies, a couple kisses, a man flexes his muscles. Moving pictures are put on a screen for large audiences. His mining project is not going well. Edison’s ore plant is useless. Near bankruptcy, Edison has failed at his ore project (13:52-15:33). Edison’s Kinetoscope becomes very popular. Charlie Chaplin in a movie. Cowboys shoot. Edison meets Navy men. Edison still works full days at 70 (15:34-17:07). Edison sits at a desk. Edison enters an electrical plant. Women make light bulbs. Edison visits Charles Steinmetz. The two look over things. Edison visits Henry Ford. Edison walks around. he chops at a tree in the great outdoors with friends, they start a fire. He relaxes in a hammock (17:08-19:48). Edison searches for a domestic source of rubber. Edison speaks (19:49-20:50). Edison stands near cameras. People applaud. Mrs. Edison speaks for her husband as he gets older. In 1929, Henry Ford plays host to the Golden Jubilee of the Electric Light in Dearborn, MI. A replica of the train in which Edison served as a newsboy seventy years before. Edison speaks to the press via microphones

(20:51-22:53). Edison amongst people. Edison drives through Detroit, MI with President Herbert Hoover. Cars drive in the rain. A crowd waits. In 1931, Edison starts a journey to Florida for the winter on a train (22:54-24:22). Train goes down the tracks. Buildings lit by lightbulbs. Mike Wallace speaks (24:23-25:24). End credits (25:25-26:02).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com