Directed by: William K. L. Dickson, William Heise
More than a hundred years prior to cat videos exploding online, this film starring two boxing cats was recorded in Edison’s Black Maria Studio. The cats featured were part of Professor Welton’s vaudeville show which, reportedly, also included acts such as cats jumping through flaming hoops and riding on bicycles. It is possible that the film was used to promote the show.
The man in the background is Professor Henry Welton himself. To achieve the effects in the film, the cats wore shoulder harnesses that were manipulated by Welton to help them stand upright.
Bibliography
IMDb contributors (n.d.). ‘The Boxing Cats (Prof. Welton’s) (1894)’, IMDb. Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219560/ [Accessed: 1 December 2021].
Kay, L. (2014). ‘The Boxing Cats (Prof. Welton’s) (1894)’, Cinema Cats, 28 February. Available at: http://www.cinemacats.com/?p=1042 [Accessed: 1 December 2021].
Tschorn, A. (2015). ‘Thomas Edison, inventor of…the cat video?’, Los Angeles Times, 20 June. Available at: http://www.latimes.com/style/pets/la-hm-pets-cat-video-side-20150620-story.html [Accessed: 1 December 2021].
Reel Lessons 