The Watermelon Woman and Film History: An Exercise in Cultural Preservation
Introduction: The Phantom Stage Some time ago, I learned about Soundstage 28, the oldest Universal Studios sound stage where numerous Universal films were shot over eighty-nine years before it was demolished in 2014 (theStudioTour.com, 2014) as part of Universal's plans to build several new theme park attractions (Erik, 2014). I found it rather depressing to hear about the elimination of this site that was so major to film history for decidedly capitalistic reasons. It motivated me to seek out the silent film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera (Julian, 1925). In a sense, I thought of it as my way of helping keep the memory of this article of film history alive. Featuring it prominently on-screen, this film is arguably the poster child film for Soundstage 28, so much so that it is often colloquially referred to as "The Phantom Stage." Since its demolition, the image and memory of Soundstage 28 survive to a certain extent in this film and other images that documen...