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The Finish of Bridget McKeen
(1901) United States of America
B&W : 75 feet
Directed by [?] Edwin S. Porter?
Cast: (unknown)
Edison Manufacturing Company production; distributed by Edison Manufacturing Company. / Cinematography by Edwin S. Porter. / © 1 March 1901 by Thomas A. Edison [H1493]. Released 2 March 1901. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [From Edison promotional materials] Shows Bridget McKeen entering the kitchen with a very chipper smile. She piles the wood and coal in the stove and applies the match, but the fire will not burn. Bridget becomes annoyed, kneels down and blows through the grate, but still the fire does not burn. Bridget’s patience becomes exhausted. She seizes the kerosene oil can and pours a generous quantity into the stove. A terrific explosion follows and Bridget goes up through the ceiling. In a few seconds her body comes down in piecemeal. First an arm, then a leg, then her head, then another arm and then the trunk. The scene then dissolves into a very picturesque graveyard, with Bridget’s tombstone in the immediate foreground, with the following epitaph: “Here lies the body of Bridget McKeen, who lighted the fire with kerosene.” A winner.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 27 December 2022.
References: Musser-Before p. 21; Musser-Emerge pp. 316, 602 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
Home video: Blu-ray Disc, DVD.
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