Essays

Genevieve Harris

Abel, Richard

Genevieve Harris was rather unique among women newspaper writers. In early 1916, she became a film reviewer for Motography (published in Chicago), a position she held until July 1918, just before the trade journal merged with Exhibitors Herald. Although several men also wrote reviews, Harris was the most constant, regular film critic. Her weekly reviews covered not only features but also serial episodes and short comedies, westerns, and other genres. She also conducted a few interviews with stars such as Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, and her last columns were notable for unusual interviews with local theater managers. This experience and her knowledge of the industry proved invaluable when, in August 1918, she took over reviewing films from Oma Moody Lawrence for the Chicago Post and, in November, began editing the weekly “Photoplay News and Comment” page. Nothing is known about her life prior, but she likely was no more than twenty-five years old at the time.

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More About This Work

Academic Units
Film
Libraries
Series
Women Film Pioneers Project
Published Here
January 5, 2021

Notes

The author made minor updates to the first and last paragraphs and the bibliography of this essay in November 2023.