Promotional photo for a booking of Kismet (Louis J. Gasnier, 1920, Waldorf Film Corp.) at Saxe’s Strand theatre in Milwaukee, WI. The photo depicts stage settings and characters from the film’s prologue, a live-action performance developed to precede the film and introduce characters, themes, and/or situations to the audience. William Paul’s When Movies Were Theater describes the use of prologues during the late 1910s and 1920s, so check there (in Chapter 5, specifically) for more.
Cinema Treasures has a pretty interesting write-up about the Strand. Apparently, the theater was by no means a picture palace; in fact, it didn’t even have a stage until 1920 or 1921, according to CT!
From the AFI Catalog: “In the course of a single day, Arabian beggar Hajj cheats and robs, tries to kill the Caliph, is imprisoned for his crimes, and escapes from the dungeon. Later, Hajj saves his daughter from becoming a member of the harem of a wazir, whom he then drowns. Finally, after being banished, Hajj decides to make a pilgrimage to Mecca and falls asleep on the steps of the same mosque where he awoke that morning.”
From Motion Picture News, 15 January 1921.