Man Discovers Lost Piece of Cinematic History in His Great-Grandfather's Belongings That Was Almost Destroyed: 'Ticking Time Bomb'
Man Discovers Lost Piece of Cinematic History in His Great-Grandfather's Belongings That Was Almost Destroyed: 'Ticking Time Bomb'
Gabrielle RocksonTue, April 21, 2026 at 4:39 PM UTC
0
Footage from of Georges Melies 1897 French short silent film Gugusse et l'AutomateCredit: Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty -
Bill McFarland discovered his great-grandfather’s nitrate film collection in a deteriorating trunk in Grand Rapids, Mich.
One reel was a lost 1897 film by Georges Méliès featuring cinema’s first depiction of a robot
McFarland’s great-grandfather was a traveling showman who screened early films and magic lantern slides in small towns
A family has found a lost 1897 film in an old trunk owned by their ancestor.
In September, retired educator Bill McFarland, 76, from Grand Rapids, Mich., handed over a collection of his great-grandfather's nitrate film rolls to the Library of Congress’ National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Virginia, according to The Kansas City Star.
McFarland found the items inside a degenerating family trunk. The collection consisted of around 10 reels of film that were in bad condition.
“It was just this trunk of films that seemed too good to throw away,” McFarland told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “But I had no idea what they were or how to show them.”
Footage from of Georges Melies 1897 French short silent film Gugusse et lAutomateCredit: Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty
After presenting the film to specialists, they transported it to a refrigerated vault to preserve and digitize it.
"It finally really registered that I had been... carrying a ticking time bomb," McFarland said.
Meanwhile, within 24 hours, officials identified one of the films as production from cinema pioneer Georges Méliès, per The Kansas City Star and Miami Herald.
Advertisement
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“The 45-second film, made around 1897, was the first appearance on film of what might be called a robot, which had endeared it to generations of science fiction fans, even if they knew it only by reputation,” the Library of Congress said of the film in a press release, published Feb. 26.
Footage from of Georges Melies 1897 French short silent film Gugusse et lAutomateCredit: Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty
“It had not been seen by anyone in likely more than a century,” the statement continued. “The find, made last September but now being announced publicly, is a small but important addition to the legacy of world cinema and one of its founders.”
According to the release, McFarland’s great-grandfather, William Delisle Frisbee, was a potato farmer and schoolteacher in western Pennsylvania, as well as a traveling showman.
Bill McFarlandCredit: JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP via Getty
“He drove his horse and buggy from town to town to dazzle the locals with a projector and some of the world’s first moving pictures,” the release read. “He set up shop in a local schoolroom, church, lodge or civic auditorium and showed magic lantern slides and short films with music from a newfangled phonograph. It was shocking.
Meanwhile, McFarland said in a statement, “They must have been thrilled. They must have been out of their minds to see this motion picture and to hear the Edison phonograph.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
