Some 400 movies were produced in North Carolina in the silent era, 1900-1929, a fact that seems to be almost unknown today. North Carolina films were made by major motion picture companies, local producers and itinerant filmmakers. Film historian Frank Thompson gives this overview at Saluda Train Tales of that forgotten cinematic legacy, concentrating on films made in Western North Carolina, particularly in Asheville and, in one case, right here in Saluda and Tryon. Thompson's presentation is illustrated with clips from two surviving features produced in Asheville in 1918 and 1921 as well as by extremely rare images of other films made in our section of the state. Frank Thompson is a film historian and writer, the author of more than forty books and hundreds of articles, interviews and reviews in newspapers and magazines. Since moving to Asheville in 2015, he has devoted himself to researching the silent film era in North Carolina. This has, so far, resulted in one book, "Asheville Movies Volume I: The Silent Era" (2017). His most recent book was 35 years in the making and issued only as an edition limited to 198 copies: "Nothing Sacred: The Cinema of William Wellman" (2018), co-written with John Andrew Gallagher. Thompson has served as writer and producer on many television shows and has produced, written and/or directed several documentaries. As an authority on film history, Thompson has provided audio commentary for many classic films on DVDs and Blu-Rays and has appeared onscreen in numerous documentaries and television specials. He lives in Asheville, N. C.