Trailer of The Church with an Overshot Wheel. The premier took place at the La Grua Center as part of the Mystic Film Festival in Stonington, CT.

Overview of how the 1920 silent film was discovered and restored by the Academy Film Archive. Ninety-four O. Henry shorts were produced by Vitagraph. Only two are known to have survived. 

Excerpt from a Video Librarian essay written by Radujko:

"Silent film or cinema muto used by the world-renowned Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy, has an allure which, by 21st century standards, is an anomalous one with its focus on “what’s missing”. That would be its trademark wordlessness which came to an end in 1927 when Al Jolson spoke the first words in the film “The Jazz Singer.” Furthermore, The Church with an Overshot Wheel adds a “who’s missing” plot, creating the “twist” which America’s most famous short story writer is known for. “I always tell them that the unusual is the ordinary rather than the unexpected,” said O. Henry in an undated interview."

The full essay can be viewed here.

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An article, which appeared in The Day, a local newspaper in southeastern CT, tells the birth story of the film's restoration.

(Correction in article: Radujko is the correct spelling of the co-producer's surname.)

More Information on this project:

Video Librarian review of The Church With An Overshot Wheel by Ellen Levitt can be viewed here.