Mirthquake Aug. 19 to 21!

Time for Mirthquake, New England's largest film festival! Running from Thursday, Aug. 19 through Saturday, Aug. 21, we have a great line-up of screenings, most of which are free and open to the public. Please join us! Below is the basic schedule; for more complete info, visit www.themirthquake.com.

• Thursday, Aug. 19, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: "Mirthquake" Day One of three-day festival of early silent and sound comedy films. Daytime screenings in auditorium of Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; www.manchester.lib.nh.us. Free admission, donations encouraged. (Note break for lunch from noon to 2 p.m.)

• Thursday, Aug. 19, 7 p.m.: "Kid Boots" (1926), starring Eddie Cantor and Clara Bow; UNH-Manchester, third floor auditorium, 400 Commercial St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 641-4101; http://www.unhm.unh.edu/. Eddie Cantor stars in this rare feature comedy, a marital farce that marked the film debut of Clara Bow. Plus short subjects. Admission free, donations encouraged. Part of the 2010 "Mirthquake" festival.

• Friday, Aug. 20, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: "Mirthquake" Day Two of three-day festival of early silent and sound comedy films. Daytime screenings in auditorium of Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; www.manchester.lib.nh.us. Free admission, donations encouraged. (Note break for lunch from noon to 2 p.m.)

• Friday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m.: "Three Ages" (1923), starring Buster Keaton; Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; www.redrivertheatres.org. See Buster Keaton make the leap from short subjects into feature-length films in this uproarious comedy. Plus short subjects. Part of the 2010 "Mirthquake" festival. Admission $10.

• Saturday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: "Mirthquake" Day Three of three-day festival of early silent and sound comedy films. Daytime screenings at Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Feature films include Larry Semon in 'Spuds' (1927) at 10 a.m. and W.C. Fields in 'So's Your Old Man' (1926) at 2 p.m. Admission free, donations encouraged. (Saturday evening banquet details TBA.)

AND if that's not enough vintage cinema, I'm also doing a screening on Sunday, Aug. 22 at an historic old summertime moviehouse in the seaside resort village of Ogunquit, Maine:

• Sunday, Aug. 22, 2 p.m.: "The Kid" (1921) starring Charlie Chaplin, and other short comedies; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com/. Chaplin's classic tale with "a smile, and perhaps a tear," screened in a completely intact 1923 summer moviehouse (636 seats) in a seaside Maine resort town. Original seats still have wire racks underneath for gentlemen to store their hats! Admission $5 per person.