It’s Silent-ology’s 9th Anniversary!

Well look at that. It sure doesn’t feel like it’s been nine whole years, and I could’ve sworn I wrote the 8th anniversary post just a couple months ago. And yet here we are, another year has passed and another Silent-ology anniversary has arrived!

It’s nice of Buck Jones to provide the cake for our celebration–thanks, Buck!

As always, I want to extend a sincere THANK YOU to all my readers. Maybe you pop in pretty often, or maybe you just browsed the site once or twice and aren’t even aware of what I’m typing right now. Whatever the case, I am always thankful. This labor of love continues because of you!

Let’s take a look back, eh? 2022 was definitely a more normal year than 2021 or, Lord forbid, 2020. I allowed myself to write fewer posts per month than I had before, because I’ve been going pretty strong for a long time and I knew there was a good library of content. (Back in 2014-15 I was trying to write 2-3 detailed essay-style posts a week! Ha, obsessed much?) I also have my Classic Movie Hub column now and other extra projects–huzzah!–so writing time needed to be divvied up accordingly. Happily, my stream of visitors has stayed pretty steady, and I was excited to get a good amount of comments too.

Me, reading your comments.

By the way, Silent-ology now has a proud count of 564 posts! Not bad, my friends.

Silent-ology Is 8 Years Old Today!

Before kicking off REALLY Old Films Month, I wanted to announce that Silent-ology has been “live” for eight straight years! That decade mark is inching closer and closer…!

8 years–and over 500 posts! And many of them run over 1,000 words, with the longest being around 3,000 (can’t get too long!). Fun fact: Silent-ology is sharing this anniversary with the publication centenary of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Right now, Silent-ology’s post word count is roughly the length of two copies of Ulysses. I think Joyce would agree that’s pretty awesome!

Throughout the past year–which, like 2020, was a strange time of ups and too many downs–Silent-ology has not only had a steady readership but I’m proud to say that the numbers have actually been increasing. Lots of interesting mini-discussions have been cropping up in the comments sections lately too, and comments in general have been coming in steadily. You can imagine how psyched I am about all that!

It’s Silent-ology’s Seventh Anniversary!

While it sometimes seems like only yesterday when I started Silent-ology, today marks seven whole years since I first hit “Publish”! Seven years–and 460 posts exactly! Add that to the few dozen articles I’ve written for Classic Movie Hub, articles for the likes of Silent Film Quarterly and The Keaton Chronicle and other such works, and we’re looking at over 500 pieces of silent film love. Half a thousand, if you will (it sounds cool) averaging around 1250 words. Not too bad of an archive!

Why thank you Elaine Hammerstein in Picture-Play Magazine!

But I never would’ve built this archive in the first place if it wasn’t for–you! Yes you, fellow silent film lover, who is kind enough stop by and read my pieces and maybe leave a comment or two. Whether you’re a long-time reader or someone popping in for the first time today, I couldn’t be more grateful for you!

Here, have some champagne:

Maybe not from a slipper.

So like always, let’s do a review of the past year! It was a challenging 365 days, to put it lightly, and I gotta say it’s sure nice to have a project like Silent-ology to rely on for a bit of purposeful distraction. Here are my Top Five Most-Read Posts Published in 2020:

Well Look At That, Silent-ology Turns 6 Today!

As I finish up post #1 for Soviet Silents Month (I wanted to publish it yesterday but I’m not satisfied with it yet), I of course had to share that today’s Silent-ology’s SIXTH birthday!

Why yes, Clara, you may cut the cake.

Good lord, that’s over half a decade. That’s getting us closer to a decade, my friends. And this is all thanks to your support and mutual love of this fascinating, game changing era of film. A project like Silent-ology isn’t undertaken lightly–to call it “time-consuming” is a understatement–and knowing you guys appreciate what I write makes me feel…well, like a dancing Louise Brooks!

So now, let’s review how Silent-ology did in the past 365 days!

It’s Silent-ology’s FIFTH Anniversary!!

Well, whaddaya know? Today, Silent-ology turns five years old!

Norma’s happy to help me cut the cake.

We’ve been celebrating the unique, beautiful, quirky, inspirational silent era together for half a decade! This is all thanks to your continued visits, comments and support, which makes this huge, multi-year project such a fulfilling labor of love. I couldn’t ask for a more good-natured, appreciative audience, and that’s a fact.

And now, a respectable selection of 1924 silent film stars will join me in saying a very sincere:

to all!

By the way, I’m extra excited this year because…well…five is my favorite number. 😀 SO LET’S PARTY!!!

Whew, getting tired from all that partying? Let’s take a break and recap some of this blog’s highlights from 2018.

Silent-ology Turns Four Today!

Four years? Have I really been blogging about silent films for four whole years? 

The Indianapolis Circle Theater circa the 1920s sends its regards.

It sure doesn’t feel like it, my friends. Why, I haven’t even started covering the Hairbreadth Harry silent comedy series, and I haven’t even come close to researching the dramatic career of Eugenie Besserer, so you might say I’ve been slacking. Nevertheless, to all of you who been keeping up with Silent-ology these last few years and to all of you who are just starting to drop by, I offer a big, hearty, Art Deco:

Silent-ology Is Three Years Old Today!

Three years ago to the day I hesitantly hit “publish” on an article about Chaplin (and man what a nervewracking moment that was), and “Silent-ology” was on its way. And now, three full, busy years later……….we’re finally starting to scratch the surface of silent film topics write about!!! (I’m kind of serious. There’s just so much.)

Thanks, guys!

It’s Silent-ology’s 2nd Anniversary!

Well! Another year has whizzed by with the speed of a well-thrown cream pie, and Silent-ology is now two years old!

Nazimova cutting Silent-ology’s birthday cake. Being Nazimova, she added 26 extra candles for dramatic effect.