Charles Kayser

Tuesday

Mar022010

Charles H. Kayser

1878-1966 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

Actor

When Edison desired an improved motion picture camera, he did not turn to his most prolific film inventor, William K.L. Dickson, but rather to one of his most trusted assistants, Charles H. Kayser. The development of the kintetograph, as a result, found itself a poster boy for the contemporary press, but also led to Dickson’s inevitable departure from the Edison Manufacturing Company.

It is difficult to assess to what degree Kayser was acting as an inventor rather than just a mechanic for the work on the kinetograph. The limited amount of information on his background raises even more questions. Particularly troublesome is his date of birth, as from the current records it would appear that he was merely a teenager when he was given one of the most important tasks in the history of cinema. Creating a motion picture camera that would give Edison Manufacturing Co. a competitive advantage in the market necessitated ingenuity and skill. With little information on either, Kayser’s real role appears quite limited in consequence.

For modern audiences, Kayser is mostly known for his role as one of the workers in Dickson’s Blacksmith Scene (1893). As one of the first individuals to act in front of the camera, Kayser proved that he had both agility and presence. In the few seconds of the film he manages to create a character that is mostly comedic in style, a character that gives the audience an immediate connection with the action on screen. The passing of the beer bottle becomes more than just necessitated movement; the actors transform it into film entertainment.

Blacksmith Scene is the only time Kayser appeared in front of the motion picture camera. Given the documentary nature of "Black Maria"’s projects throughout most of the 1890s, it is not surprising that employees were asked to become leading figures on the celluloid frame only in the experimental stage. It might be interesting to speculate though what the mechanic-actor would have done if given more chances. However, it is more realistic to assume that an acting career was hardly ever mused upon by one of the key technical people to work for Edison.