Edison's films and incorporated a phonograph for sound effects. Howe continued to show films, most of which were newsreels, local movies, and travelogues. There was a time when he used both the phonograph and his movies during his shows, but he eventually concentrated mostly on movies. He was creating his own travelogues and newsreels by 1901. He was also the first person to incorporate backstage sound effects in his movies. Howe's movies were well received by the public. Venues were often filled when he showed his movie. By 1903, he controlled six traveling movie companies based in Wilkes-Barre. Although most of his competitors went out of business with the rise of nickelodeons around 1905, Howe's film company continued to operate, primarily focusing on large cities. Howe, along with Burton Holmes and Fred Niblo, was invited to participate in the Motion Picture Patents Company in October 1909. From 1912 to 1919, he was active in the United States and Canada. In the 1910s, Howe made films about the industry, and made war films during World War I. Howe was involved in making films from a flying airplane as early as 1911. One of Howe's films was Lyman H. Howe's Famous Ride on a Runaway Train, which was made in 1921. It was filmed from a moving train on a steep slope, producing a vertiginous affect, which influenced This Is Cinerama. From 1922 to 1929, Howe produced a cartoon series called Hodge Podge. Howe's circuit has been described as "quasi-Chautauqua". Howe termed his films "high class" films. Specific examples of topics of his movies included the Olympic Games and the wedding of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. He also filmed the United States President Theodore Roosevelt's visit to Wilkes-Barre in 1905. Other work Howe trained the showman Edwin J. Hadley. Death and legacy Howe died on January 30, 1923, at the age of 66. His company continued to operate as a film laboratory after his death and into the 1930s, during which time it produced short films about the Great Depression. A Pennsylvania state historical marker in Howe's honor was dedicated on September 18, 2000 in Wilkes=Barre, where he was born and spent most of his life. In the 2010s, Howe's 1921 film Lyman H. Howe's Famous Ride on a Runaway Train turned up in the New Zealand Film Archive. See also Burton Holmes References External links 1856 births 1923 deaths American