My original version of this post dates back to 2012. Here’s a refreshed version with working links.
Animations of Muybridge people-in-motion images:
Note: Many of these contain some nudity.
Click on image for video. Will need to authenticate for age.Edison Kinetoscopes:
Edison’s Boxing Cats – Yes there were cat videos as early as 1893!
Sandow the Strong Man
Serpentine Dances
Other Silents:
Lumiere Brothers – Babies Quarrel
An early film from the French Lumiere Brothers. Edison got a lot of his ideas for his movie camera and projector from the work these two brothers did.
Edwin Porter’s The Great Train Robbery
Often considered to be the first multi-scene movie shot on location to tell a complete story. This 1903 silent really set the stage for all modern action movies with special effects (well, not so special…), a dance sequence, and a fairly significant body count.
Singin’ In The Rain – 1952
Although a fictional musical comedy, 1952’s Singin’ In The Rain gives a pretty good portrayal of what it was like working during the initial conversion from silent films to talking films.