At the Moving Picture Ball (1920)

A time capsule in the form of a song – with music by Joseph H. Santly and words by Howard Johnson, At the Moving Picture Ball names some of the great silent era actors of the time. The song, sung here by Maurice Burkhart in 1920, describes a party where all the actors mingle and dance together, with familiar names such as Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks counted among the celebrities. Others include Wallace Reid, a silent era film star who was noted for his good looks, and Theda Bara, who was nicknamed The Vamp and was one of the early sex symbols of cinema.