100 years ago in Spokane: Spokane movie studio announces plans for hyperlocal newsreels

The Playter Photoplayers, a Spokane movie studio, planned to release a regular series of local newsreels showing important events in Spokane and environs.

The first release would include footage of the city’s Washington’s Birthday military parade, a trapshooting tournament, a “fashion review” and the funeral of Maj.Gerhard L. Luhn, a prominent Civil War veteran in Spokane.

Wellington Playter said it would be similar to the national newsreels but be devoted strictly to local events.

Playter said he also planned to start making comedies in about a month, and was heading to Los Angeles to line up some “players of reputation.”

From the music beat: Sophia Braslau, “one of the greatest contraltos in America,” thrilled a crowd at the Auditorium Theater with a program featuring works in five languages, including English.

The others were Russian, French, Italian and Hebrew.

A reviewer said she captivated the crowd from her first note to the final encore.