To celebrate the 108th anniversary of the opening of The Strand Theatre, here is some information about the very first film to run in Delaware, Ohio’s Home for First-Run Movies.

Showing 108 years ago at The Strand Theatre was "Pennington's Choice".
The day was Monday, April 10, 1916.

This was the opening night of Delaware Ohio’s largest theater at that time.

Read all about the history of your Stand Theater here: https://StrandTheatreOH.org/history
Read the newspaper ad here: https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll56/id/779

Pennington's Choice is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by William Bowman and starring Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne a popular film acting team of the era. It was distributed by Metro Pictures.[1][2]

Pennington's Choice

1915

50 minutes

In this fast-paced silent comedy, the heart of a handsome Yankee socialite is stolen by a comely Canadian lass. The trouble is, he cannot marry her until he earns her father’s respect and approval. As he lives up in the Canadian wilderness, the enthusiastic suitor immediately boards a northbound train. It is a long-trek, but eventually he knocks upon her father’s cabin door and finds her “twin” sister there to greet him. Athletic and daring, she shows the city slicker up at every turn. At one point she even tries to seduce the young fellow, but though she is attractive, he is not swayed (it’s a good thing too as the “twin” is really his true-love in disguise). One day real trouble comes in the form of two burly, bullying loggers who beat the sawdust out of the hero. To get revenge, he calls his best friend, the ex-world heavyweight champion, to come for a visit. With his help, the hero teaches the loggers a lesson, wins his lady’s heart and finally the approval of her father.

https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v105851
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/P/PenningtonsChoice1915.html
https://catalog.afi.com/Film/13833-PENNINGTONS-CHOICE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington%27s_Choice