The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog

Contrary to one reviewer's opinion on The Dam Family Edison Studio short film, this movie was allegedly based on a popular series of postcards depicting the Dam Family, a novel twist on a profane word that drops the letter N.

Edwin Porter, creative genius of 1903's The Great Train Robbery, puts his idea of transferring pop art onto film when he introduces each member in a "breaking the fourth wall" format. This is the first time cinema has taken a pop art phenomenon and created a movie of it, something that is so popular today in films like the Marvel Studio's action heroes.

What's novel of Porter's singular portrayal of each member is the text masked on the bottom of the screen describing the name of the individual Dam family. Porter seemingly anticipated the Chiron title effect we are so familiar with on today's TV news shows.

As mentioned elsewhere, there is stop-motion animation in the titles within the movie's framework. This is one of the earliest examples of film animation, this time manipulating both letters and a figure of a dog to create titles going in and out of frame.

The final third of the film is rather static with a held-down camera wide shot showing the family in action at the dinner table. This is the portion where the Dam Dog is seen disrupting the otherwise dysfunctional Dam Family's placid food feast. From a historical perspective the Edison movie breaks new ground. Otherwise, don't expect this to be a blockbuster if it is reissued to be shown at your local cinema.

Many folks today assume that back in the old days, folks never swore and films were 100% squeaky clean. Well, if that was true, then the Edison Company would never have brought out a film called "The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog"! Obviously they were trying to get the folks' attention to draw them into theaters!

The film itself is a bit of a disappointment, as it's basically the same Dam joke again and again and it lacks the narrative or jokes to make it memorable...just the title. The film starts with an over-long introduction where you meet all of this Dam family. Then in the story itself, the family is eating dinner and nothing happens until the very end. Overall, I was just Dam disappointed.

Yes, it's just one joke, and not a very funny one at that, but you have to admit that the Dam Dog, when we finally see him, is cute. He has a happy face and looks overjoyed to have made it in the movies. While I am unlikely to place this squib of a film in my top 10,000, I hope the Dam Dog is resting peacefully in his grave, wherever it is.

Like the title says. Like snickering fourth-graders, the movie makes jokes about the family's name. The wife's name is Mrs. Hellen Dam, etc. They pose for us behind a platform with their name written on it. Notable as a surviving early silent rather than for any cinematic value.

A mildly entertaining short that expands on a popular postcard of 1905. It presents a complete family with the last name of Dam. They each mug for the camera as they are introduced. Then they all sit together as if for a postcard. Then, following a brief interlude of animation that presents the name of short, the family sits down for a meal. After fighting with the Dam dog, the Father Dam yells at Jimmy Dam for smoking at the table. All is interrupted though when the dog returns and proceeds to pull the tablecloth off of the table.

The characterizations are okay but, do the time constraints, only hit one note. The dog steals the picture of his obvious joy of fighting with the father and barking at the family. The chaos he provides livens up the mundane picture.

Overall, I give 4 out of a 10.