Public Domain Movies

"The Taming of the Shrew" is a short comedy based on the play of Shakespeare, featuring Florence Lawrence and cinematographer Billy Bitzer, stars of Silent Hall of Fame.

The first thing we want to do is set the record straight about the name of the actor playing Petruchio.  All major movie sites, including IMDB and Silent Era, as well as Wikipedia, cite the name of Arthur V. Johnson, but this is wrong.  We cannot see Arthur V. Johnson in this film. We will appreciate your tips about the identity of this actor.  In the meantime we will call him Petruchio.

Florence Lawrence delivers an inspired and truly stellar performance as the ill-tempered Katherina. 

Directed by                       D.W. Griffith
Cinematography by         Billy Bitzer, Arthur Marvin
Starring                             Florence Lawrence, Linda Arvidson, Harry Solter, George Gebhardt
Distributed by                   Biograph Company
Release date                      November 10, 1908
Country                             United States
Running time                    11 m.

You can see a slideshow of stills from this film and other interesting stuff on our website silent-hall-of-fame.org.

Silent Hall of Fame is the only place where we actively work to bring back from oblivion the names and legacy of formerly illustrious silent movie stars, which have made a major contribution to the industry and the world but do not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

We also fight for your right, the right of the public, to see silent masterpieces that have been kept in hidden vaults for far too long. Our website streams for free one such masterpiece that has not been seen in 85 years and is not available anywhere else.

Please visit our website to watch quality silent films absolutely free and to support the legacy of silent movie stars with your tax deductible contribution.

Silent Hall of Fame has started an online campaign to begin raising funds for the nomination of our first star for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. All contributions are tax deductible.
 Here is the web page:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/support-a-silent-movie-star-for-the-w...
Please spread the word about the campaign and Silent Hall of Fame and help your favorite silent star receive belated recognition and glory.

Silent Hall of Fame, a nonprofit organization
Preserving the legacy of silent movie stars
http://silent-hall-of-fame.org/