Arthur Melbourne Cooper was born in St. Albans, England, in 1874. He
was one of the founders of the British film industry and the creator of
the world's first animation films (or "trick" films, as he called
them).
Matches: An Appeal (1899) was
made for a government advertising campaign to invite public donations
of matches for soldiers fighting in the Boer War. Prior to 1900,
Melbourne Cooper worked with pioneer cinematographer
Birt Acres. Although specializing in
animation (Dolly's Toys (1902), he
also produced fiction and live action movies.
He established Alpha Trading Company in St. Albans in 1904, and wrote
and directed films under contract for other organizations. From
1904-1909 he co-directed with
Robert W. Paul, experimenting with movies
that combined live-action footage with model animation and fantasy
story lines. These included
The Enchanted Toymaker (1904),
The Fairy Godmother (1906),
Dreams of Toyland (1908) and
Tale of the Ark (1909). After
Paul's retirement in 1910, Melbourne Cooper continued to produce and
direct, such as
Cinderella (1912),
Wooden Athletes (1912)
The Toymaker's Dream (1910).
Alpha was a surprisingly early example of a vertically integrated
production, distribution and exhibition company. The company's office
were adjacent to the studio site which, which covered nearly two acres
and included a restaurant, hairdressing salon, shops, public baths and
a single-screen theater, a forerunner of the concept popularized by
recent multiplex operators. Renamed the Poly, and still under the
management of Cooper, it was re-opened as the Regent with a Palais de
Dance in the basement in 1926. Unfortunately, the site was destroyed by
fire in 1927.
Arthur Melbourne Cooper died in Barnet, Hertfordshire, in 1961.
