Was Theda Bara’s Film Debut Shot in Petit Trianon in Lake Ronkonkoma?
Silent film star and stage actress Theda Bara (1885-1955) made her film debut at the age of 29 in The Stain in 1914 as an extra. The film was shot in New Jersey and at Petit Trianon, located at the eastern terminus of the Motor Parkway in Lake Ronkonkoma.
Theda's look and amazing eyes caught the attention of director Frank Powell who cast her as the lead in his next film A Fool There Was, which became a major hit.
There are only two known existing prints of The Stain, one in Australia and one in the George Eastman Museum in Rochester. The Film Study Center of the museum has examined The Stain for me in hopes of seeing scenes of Petit Trianon. No exterior shots were discovered. However, the interior of Petit Trianon may have been captured in the one or more of the following scenes.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
The Stain
Source: Nitraville.com
Theda Bara in her film debut in The Stain
Was this scene shot in the Petit Trianon?
Is that Theda Bara on the far right?
Other Interior Scenes from "The Stain". All images courtesy of the Film Study Center of the George Eastman Museum.
Comments
Amazing ! What next, Howard?
Your curiosity keeps us all well-
Fortified with new discoveries.
I don’t recall any interior doors with frosted glass or the exposed stud like trim on the walls.
That interior is high Victorian; exceedingly unlikely to be Pope’s 1910-11 work. Just compare the pix to those on your own blogs on the Petit Trianon - vastly different style. Pope’s was Deco-cum-Moderne. Sam III
Pretty Cool about The Petit Trianon. It would be nice if one of the shots with the fireplace is the Petit. Never saw the Petit, But did see the Annex fireplace but its not the same.