"Petticoat Camp" (1912) Florence LaBadie

"Petticoat Camp" (1912) is a silent short comedy film starring Florence LaBadie and William Garwood. Produced by the pioneering Thanhouser Company of New Rochelle, New York, this film is a very early battle of the sexes comedy. The story portrays several married couples vacationing on an island. Two intertitles set up the story: "It's lots of fun camping for the husbands" followed by "It's not so jolly for the wives." The husbands are seen sitting back while the wives cook the meals, wait on them, and clean up afterward. After a day of this, the women are mad and take some of the boats to a neighboring island leaving a note to their husbands that they are on strike. At this point, the husbands come to the island to put a stop to the strike. The husbands scheme to show how necessary they are as protectors, but the plan backfires. Only 14 minutes in duration, "Petticoat Camp" is an amusing early women's liberation film and an interesting look at pre-Hollywood American film.

An enormously popular star, Florence LaBadie was one of the most beautiful and talented actresses of her era. Born in Manhattan on April 27, 1888, Florence grew to become the ideal Gibson Girl: healthy, sporty, and cheerful. In 1908, when Florence and her parents were living in New York's Upper West Side, she began her acting career touring in stock. Florence worked also as an artist's model and magazine cover girl. Fellow actress Mary Pickford introduced Florence to Biograph's D.W. Griffith in the summer of 1909, where she picked up several bit parts. By the summer of 1911, Florence decided it was time to look around at more nurturing studios. After spotting Florence in one of her bit parts at Biograph, Edwin Thanhouser got in touch with her and asked her to join the three-year-old Thanhouser Film Corporation in New Rochelle, New York. Thanhouser was known for filmed versions of classics as well as popular fare. Its stars included James Cruze, Mignon Anderson, and Irving Cummings. They even had their own dog star, Shep. Charles Hite, acting on behalf of an investment group, bought the studio from Edwin Thanhouser in 1912, and its fortunes continued to skyrocket. Florence appeared in an impressive 45 films in 1912 and another 38 in 1913. Early in 1914, Florence was given the role in the twenty-two-part "The Million Dollar Mystery," cementing her position as her studio's top female star. Although no stars did their own stunts, Florence did as many as Charles Hite would allow her. Florence jumped once from a speedboat while crowds cheered and was also side-swiped by a car while filming a chase scene. Florence made another 22 films in 1915. She continued to be a risk taker and daredevil. She occasionally rode a motorcycle to the studio, and she took aviation lessons on Long Island. Anything with an element of danger appealed to Florence. On August 22, 1914, Charles Hite, only 39 years old, died in a car accident, shattering Florence LaBadie and the other Thanhouserites. Edwin Thanhouser resumed ownership of the studio. Hite's death put the studio on a slow decline, and it began releasing films via Pathe. Many stars left the studio, but Florence stayed put. In April 1916, Florence signed a new star contract and Edwin Thanhouser rewarded her loyalty by presenting her with a new car. Florence picked out an ivory Pullman coupe with brocade interior and rose-colored silk curtains. Florence made only 13 films in 1916 and 1917, as Thanhouser began to wind down its operations. On August 28, 1917, Florence and her boyfriend, Daniel Carson Goodman, were injured in a car accident outside Ossining (about 30 miles north of Manhattan). Goodman survived the wreck while Florence lingered painfully in the hospital for two months before succumbing to internal injuries on October 13, 1917. Another victim was Thanhouser. Less than a year after Florence LaBadie's death, Edwin Thanhouser sold the studio, and it ceased production.


*It is interesting to note that by the time United Artists was formed in 1919, the smaller companies that had pioneered the film industry's first twenty years, Biograph, Edison, Lubin, Triangle, Essanay, and Thanhouser, were no more.