The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company founded in 1896 by William Selig. The Selig Polyscope Company was the first permanent movie studio established in southern California and the first studio to bring the gothic tale Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to the silver screen in 1908. This 16 minute one reeler was based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1885 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The screenplay was written by George F. Fish and Luella Forepaugh which was adapted from Act 4 of their stage play by the same name. Directed by Otis Turner the film starred Hobart Bosworth. Due to his role in developing the early film industry in California, Bosworth often was referred to as the "Dean of Hollywood”. The film also starred Betty Harte, who appeared in over 100 films between 1908 and 1916. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1908) received rave reviews from the critics. Although this was the first known film adaptation of the Stevenson classic it was by no means the last by 1920 there would be at least 6 more films produced under the same title as well as several unauthorized versions under various names, thus making The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde one of the most popular horror tales during the silent era. This film like so many other Films from that era, is considered lost.
Hobart Bosworth the "Dean of Hollywwod
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