Melanie and Bruce Calvert

That's me with my wife Melanie.

About the Webmaster

I am Bruce Calvert.  I currently live in Plano, Texas, USA, which is a suburb of Dallas.

I graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in 1982 with a B.S. in Radio-TV-Film.  My film career has been brief.  I worked as a painter on the film Silkwood (1982).  I worked as an extra in Problem Child (1988) with John Ritter and also in the film My All American (2015) with Aaron Eckhardt.

I have worked in the Telecommunications industry since 1988 and as a computer programmer since 1982.  I currently work for NetScout Systems.

I married my wife Melanie in 1995.  We have two sons:  Harrison (born in 1997) and Jackson (born in 1999).

I started collecting Super 8mm films at about the age of 12.  I soon discovered Blackhawk films, and began collecting silent and early sound short films.   In high school, I assisted with the local reparatory movie series at the University of Texas at Dallas.  By my college years I had quite a few Super 8mm and 16mm films. The dormitory where I lived, Jester Center, ran free films at least once a month.  I ran the projectors, and I would always include a short or cartoon before the feature.  During the 1990's I have worked as a volunteer for the USA Film Festival and their events.

Now that I am a father, I spend most of my free time with my family.  Still, I am a moderator at Nitrateville and discuss classic films there as often as possible.  I also get together with some other classic film fans every month or so and watch some 16mm films.  I am a member of the "Night Owls" tent of The Sons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy fan club.

I have collected silent film memorabilia for several years, but I only started collecting silent stills in 1998.  Photos are much more affordable than movie posters.  Original photos of Rudolph Valentino, Theda Bara, Mabel Normand, Charlie Chaplin, and Roscoe Arbuckle are much more expensive than others, so it is unlikely that I will have many posted on this site soon.  The stills featured on this site were purchased from antique stores in Texas, or from vendors selling them on eBay.

I have written a review of Raymond Griffith's Paths to Paradise (1925) for now-defunct The Silents Majority web site.  I also wrote an article on Raymond Griffith for Classic Images magazine, which is reprinted here.

While I lived in Brady, TX for three years, I was a member of the McCullough County Historical Theater Board, showing films and raising money to restore the Palace Theater in Brady.  I also have assisted the North Texas Theater Organ society with silent film showings at the McKinney, Texas Performing Arts Center.  I also worked on the staff of the McKinney (Texas) Classic Film Festival for a couple of years.  I assist with the (Topeka) Kansas Silent Film Festival every year.

Last Modified March 27, 2018