Bert Williams: Lime Kiln Club Field Day (1913)

Headlined by Bert Williams, the first great black star on Broadway, the never-released Lime Kiln Club Field Day is thought to be the oldest surviving feature film with an African American cast. Discovered in MoMA’s Biograph Studio collection and finally restored 100 years after their production, the seven untitled reels of film presented here were intended for a romantic comedy that was never completed. Particularly compelling is the fact that the footage shows “offscreen” interactions between the actors and directors, as well as Williams having blackface applied, which he also wore in his live performances. The film was added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in December. MoMA Associate Curator of Film Ron Magliozzi, who oversaw the film’s restoration, discusses the project and its historical importance before tonight’s screening. (Program approx. 100 mins., 35mm)

Preserved by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, with support from the Lillian Gish Trust for Film Preservation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Celeste Bartos Fund for Film Preservation.