Thursday, 8/23: 'The General' in Concord, N.H.; Harold Lloyd on Sunday 8/26 in Wilton, N.H., then screenings in Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo

Buster Keaton co-stars with his locomotive in 'The General' (1926), to be shown with live music on Thursday, Aug. 23 in Concord, N.H.

Very excited about a busy slate of screenings between now and Labor Day! The action includes a road trip that takes me to venues in Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo.

But first, we end the local summer season with a pair of spectacular silent comedy screenings close to home.

Here's a run-down on what's coming up.

A somewhat busy, jokey original poster for 'The General.'

• Thursday, Aug. 23: Buster Keaton's 'The General' (1926), 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres in Concord, N.H.

Lots of requests for this title, and promises to be a good turn-out due to some last-minute press we expect in the Concord Monitor, the local daily. (Thanks for the interview! You can read the story online here.

Also, some of my relatives from Georgia will be in the area, and plan to attend. So it'll add to the South vs. North atmosphere.

For more details, a press release for the screening is pasted in below.

But first, here's a heads-up about where I'll be doing music for other silent film programs between now and Labor Day.

Harold in 'Never Weaken' (1921), one of the comedies on Sunday's program.

• Sunday, Aug. 26: Harold Lloyd Laugh Therapy, 4:30 p.m.; at the Town Hall Theatre, 60 Main St., Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Free admission, donation of $5 per person suggested.

Take it from my personal experience: no one is better at inciting an audience to laugh than Harold Lloyd. There's a reason he was THE most popular performer (by ticket sales) in the 1920s, and it was how he made people laugh: out loud, big, and together.

And he still does, which is good, because these days we need laughter more than ever.

So as a public service, we present a selection of Harold Lloyd's best laugh-getting comedies from when he was establishing his popular "glasses" character.

Throw away that Tylenol, and cure yourself the natural way. As Reader's Digest has been telling us for years; Laughter is the Best Medicine.

A rather flowery lobby card for 'When Knighthood Was In Flower' (1922).

• Wednesday, Aug. 29: Marion Davies in 'When Knighthood Was In Flower' (1922), 7:30 p.m. at Cinema Detroit, 4126 3rd Ave., Detroit, Mich.; (313) 482-9028; www.cinemadetroit.com. Admission $12 per person.

Marion Davies stars in this big-budget historical costume drama produced and financed by William Randolph Hearst and recently resurrected for screening by silent film accompanist/historian Ben Model. Thanks, Ben! We'll plug the DVD at the show!)

This is the first time I've appeared at Cinema Detroit, billed as the city's independent movie theater and located downtown in a former furniture store! Many thanks to Paula Guthat and her staff for bringing me in and programming silent film with live music.

A is NOT for Apple: original artwork promoting 'The Scarlet Letter' (1926).

• Thursday, Aug. 30: 'The Scarlet Letter' (1926) at 7 p.m.; starring Lillian Gish, at the Cleveland Cinematheque at the Cleveland Institute of Art, 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio; (216) 421-7450. Online: https://www.cia.edu/cinematheque. Admission $15.

Splashy MGM adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic tale of old New England, with Lillian Gish in the leading role as Hester Prynne. After having a child out of wedlock, a young Puritan woman is pressured to reveal the name of her lover. Ah, the good old days!

Silent film with live music (plus a Charley Chase short, 'Mighty Like a Moose') at Cleveland's premier venue for great movies. Many thanks to John Ewing and his staff at the Cinematheque for inviting me back, and continuing to program silent film with live music.

A caricature of Eddie Cantor with alarming eye sockets on this promotional lobby card for 'Special Delivery' (1927), a spritely comedy I'll accompany at the Western N.Y. Film Expo.

• Friday, Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 2: 'The Western NY Film Expo,' Adams Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. Four-day successor to Cinefest, annual vintage film festival in Syracuse, N.Y. that ended in 2015.

Screenings include: Friday, Aug. 31: 'Sunshine Dad' (1916) starring DeWolf Hopper and Fay Tincher. Saturday, Sept. 1: 'Sadie Thompson' starring Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore; 'Special Delivery' (1927) starring Eddie Cantor; 'Braveheart' (1925) starring Rod LaRocque; 'Battling Butler' (1926) starring Buster Keaton; 'The Nickel Hopper' (1926) starring Mabel Normand. Sunday, Sept. 2: 'The Coming of Amos' (1925) starring Rod LaRocque; 'The Kid Brother' (1927) starring Harold Lloyd. Plus plenty of short comedies and curiosities!

For more information, admission charges, and a complete schedule, visit https://wnymovieexpo.wordpress.com.

Okay, now to circle back to the beginning (kinda like Buster's 'The General'), here's the press release for tomorrow night's screening at Red River Theatres in Concord, N.H. Hope to see you there!

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Keaton's insistence on period authenticity for 'The General' extended to growing his hair long, common in the Civil War era.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15, 2018 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton's 'The General' with live music at Red River on Thursday, Aug. 23

Civil War railroading adventure film lauded as comic moviemaker's masterpiece

CONCORD, N.H.—He never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname of "the Great Stone Face." But Buster Keaton's comedies rocked Hollywood's silent era with laughter throughout the 1920s.

Acclaimed for their originality and timeless visual humor, Keaton's films remain popular crowd-pleasers today.

See for yourself with a screening of 'The General' (1926), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, on Thursday, Aug. 23 at Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.

Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 per person, general admission.

The screening, the latest in Red River's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

'The General,' set during the U.S. Civil War, tells the story of a southern locomotive engineer (Keaton) whose engine (named 'The General') is hijacked by Northern spies with his girlfriend onboard.

Keaton, commandeering another train, races north in pursuit behind enemy lines. Can he rescue his girl? And can he recapture his locomotive and make it back to warn of a coming Northern attack?

Critics call 'The General' Keaton's masterpiece, praising its authentic period detail, ambitious action and battle sequences, and its overall integration of story, drama, and comedy.

It's also regarded as one of Hollywood's great railroad films, with much of the action occurring on or around moving steam locomotives.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will improvise an original musical score for 'The General' live as the film is shown.

"When the score gets made up on the spot, it creates a special energy that's an important part of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of a full orchestra for the accompaniment.

With Red River's screening of 'The General,' audiences will get a chance to experience silent film as it was meant to be seen—in a high quality print, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," Rapsis said. "Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early Hollywood leap back to life in ways that can still move audiences today."

Rapsis performs on a digital keyboard that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

Buster on location in Cottage Grove, Ore., during the summer of 1926.

Keaton, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, stands today as one of the silent screen's three great clowns. Some critics regard Keaton as the best of all; Roger Ebert wrote in 2002 that "in an extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, (Keaton) worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies."

As a performer, Keaton was uniquely suited to the demands of silent comedy. Born in 1895, he made his stage debut as a toddler, joining his family's knockabout vaudeville act and learning to take falls and do acrobatic stunts at an early age.

A remarkable pantomime artist, Keaton naturally used his whole body to communicate emotions from sadness to surprise. And in an era with no post-production special effects, Keaton's acrobatic talents enabled him to perform all his own stunts.

Critics review 'The General':

"The most insistently moving picture ever made, its climax is the most stunning visual event ever arranged for a film comedy."
—Walter Kerr

"An almost perfect entertainment!"
—Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

"What makes the film so special is the way the timing, audacity and elegant choreography of its sight gags, acrobatics, pratfalls and dramatic incidents is matched by Buster's directorial artistry, his acute observational skills working alongside the physical élan and sweet subtlety of his own performance."
—Time Out (London)

Upcoming titles in Red River's silent film series include:

• Wednesday, Nov. 7: 'Wings' (1927) starring Clara Bow, Buddy Rogers, Richard Arlen. Commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day with a screening of this epic picture about American pilots in World War I. Winner of 'Best Picture' at the first-ever Academy Awards, 'Wings' remains a stunning and timeless drama.

‘The General’ (1926) starring Buster Keaton will be shown with live music on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H. Tickets $12 adults, general admission. For more info, visit www.redrivertheatres.org. or call (603) 224-4600.

The problem with ice cream for dinner, plus 'Her Sister' tonight and again Saturday night

Constance Talmadge and Ronald Colman in 'Her Sister from Paris' (1925), which I'm accompanying tonight (Thursday, Aug. 16) at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington and on Saturday, Aug. 18 in Ludlow, Vt.

Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it's changing tastes. Maybe I did a lousy job with the music.

For whatever reason, a program last night of two-reelers from Chaplin's Mutual period failed produce what I would call an abundance of laughter.

People enjoyed it, I thought, and the applause seemed hearty enough after each film.

But while the comedies were running, little evidence of chortles or guffaws or belly laughs reached my ears.

That's unusual, as the Mutuals are when Chaplin really first hit his stride in a big way, I think. And they're proven laugh-getters.

Last night at the Leavitt Theatre, we ran four: 'Behind the Screen,' 'The Rink,' 'Easy Street' and 'The Cure.'

All are what I would consider crackerjack comedies. They're full of classic Chaplin gags and sequences that produce uproarious laughter.

Chaplin and company in 'The Rink.'

So what happened last night? Well, on top of the factors already mentioned, let me add these:

1. We had about 60 people in attendance. And weirdly, everyone sat way in the back of the theater. And the Leavitt now offers a bar and food service up in the "balcony" (actually an area even further back) and a lot of people were up there.

So it might have been the case that me, sitting way down under the stage, wasn't able to hear the laughter. Could be. But I heard enough to know I wasn't hearing enough, if that makes any sense.

2. The "Ice Cream for Dinner" factor. By that I mean it's one thing to watch one 20-minute comedy short. But it's a whole other ballgame when you string four of them together in a row, like cars in a freight train.

Like most short comedies of the period, Chaplin's two-reelers were intended to be just one part of a varied program that would include newsreels, dramas, travelogues, live vaudeville acts, and who-knows-what else.

As such, they functioned quite well, giving audiences a dose of high energy yucks to liven things up. It's a little like how dessert functions as part of a whole meal: a little sweet reward for all the other good stuff we've consumed.

But when you string four comedies together, it's too much. It's like having four ice cream sundaes in a row. After awhile, the appeal can't help but wear thin.

Look! I actually found a picture of four ice creams sundaes!

Yes, I've seen cases where comedies are strung together at film conventions, and they do quite well. But film conventions are often for the hard core, and that's a very different audience than the general public that's not familiar with the silent film idiom.

So last night's Great Laughter Draught of 2018 might be the cause of too much comedy all at once. Something to remember when people ask for a "night of Charlie Chaplin" or similar programs.

Well, onward we go. Tonight finds me accompanying the first of two screenings this week of 'Her Sister From Paris' (1925), a comedy starring Ronald Colman and Constance Talmadge.

On Thursday, Aug. 16, it's at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington, Mass. Showtime is 8 p.m. For information about the show, I've pasted in the press release for this screening below.

Then I'll be repeating it on Saturday, Aug. 18 up in Ludlow, Vt., at the Ludlow Auditorium, as this year's "silent film with live music" event, which is always a pleasure to be a part of.

Coming up: lots of news about screenings in Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Sioux City, Iowa. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, hope to see you at a screening near or far!

Constance Talmadge in 'Her Sister from Paris' (1925).

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'Her Sister From Paris' on Thursday, Aug. 16 at Arlington's Capitol Theatre

Uproarious 'battle of the sexes' silent comedy starring Constance Talmadge, Ronald Colman to be presented with live music

ARLINGTON, Mass.—The scene: Europe. The cast: Rich people. Get swept off your feet by not one but two privileged ladies, both played by amazing actress Constance Talmadge, in this effervescent battle-of-the-sexes comedy.

Silent film with live music returns to the Capitol Theatre, 204 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, Mass. with the comedy 'Her Sister from Paris' on Thursday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m.

The special program will be presented with live music by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis. Admission is $12 adults, $10 kids and seniors.

In 'Her Sister from Paris,' Ronald Colman and Constance Talmadge play a wealthy American society couple living in Vienna.

Due to an argument, she leaves to stay with her mother. At the railway station she meets her identical twin, a celebrated dancer in Paris (also played by Talmadge), who agrees to trick the husband to help rekindle her sister's marriage.

The fun starts when both the husband and his friend, an official at the British Embassy, fall in love with the sister, leading to a dizzying round of complications.

Among the most popular stars of the silent era, Constance Talmadge specialized in light "society" comedies. However, she had acting and pantomime skills that made her a versatile actress able to tackle any role.

In 'Her Sister From Paris,' Talmadge delivers a virtuoso performance playing both sisters. Although their appearance is identical, each woman is quite different from the other, which Talmadge conveys through body language and on-screen attitude.

Ronald Colman, whose career would go on to span radio and television, was already a popular leading man in films at the time 'Her Sister From Paris' was made. Colman more than holds his own as the two sisters conspire against him.

Ronald Colman and Constance Talmadge in 'Her Sister from Paris.'

The screening of 'Her Sister from Paris' provides local audiences the opportunity to experience silent film as it was intended to be shown: on the big screen, in restored prints, with live music, and with an audience.

"If you can put pieces of the experience back together again, it's surprising how these films snap back to life," said Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who creates music for silent film screenings at venues around the country.

"By showing the films as they were intended, you can really get a sense of why people first fell in love with the movies."

In creating music for silent films, Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

Upcoming titles in the Capitol's silent film series include:

• Thursday, Sept. 13, 8 p.m.: 'The Last Laugh' (1924). In this ground-breaking character study from director F. W. Murnau, Emil Jannings delivers a tour-de-force performance as a doorman in a swanky Berlin hotel.

• Thursday, Oct 18, 8 p.m.: 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1923). Just in time for Halloween: Lon Chaney stars as Quasimodo in this sprawling silent film adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic story.

'Her Sister From Paris' (1925) starring Constance Talmadge and Ronald Colman, will be screened with live music on Thursday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre, 204 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, Mass.

Admission is $12 adults, $10 kids and seniors. For more info, call (781) 648-6022 or visit www.capitoltheatreusa.com.

Coming up: 6 screenings, 5 days, 4 states... Back to reality with a silent film mini-marathon

A colorful vintage poster for a sound re-releaes of 'The Cure,' one of the Chaplin shorts we're running at the Leavitt Theatre on Wednedsay, Aug. 15.

Just recently back after nearly a month tramping around Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, with a little bit of China on the way out and back thanks to day-long layovers in Beijing.

It was a terrific trip, but it's great to be back and great to pick up again on an even longer journey: creating live music for silent film screenings.

I didn't waste time, jumping back on the accompanist bench one day after returning, jet lag notwithstanding. The occasion: one of my favorite gigs on the annual calendar, a vintage dance group that occasionally stages "movie nights" during their summertime get-togethers.

The films are chosen as much for their fashions as anything else; this year we ran 'Show People' (1928) with Marion Davies and William Haines, which I thought was a good match for the group.

Reaction was huge! The picture drew big laughs right from the start, and response never flagged. And for the first time in my experience, an audience actually cheered at the film's seltzer-spraying pie-throwing "come to your senses" climax. What a rush!

After the movie (and the popcorn) was over, there was dancing!

So my thanks to all the vintage dance folks for continuing to include silent film with live music in their activities. Looking forward to next time!

Things continued this past weekend with two programs of Laurel & Hardy short comedies: one from DVD in Brandon, Vt. on Saturday, Aug. 11, and another on Sunday, Aug. 12 at the Somerville (Mass.) Theatre using 35mm prints from the Library of Congress.

No surprise that Stan & Ollie killed in both shows, with each title producing big laughs at the boys' antics. It'll be interesting to see if the upcoming bio-pic about the team will generate any renewed interest—not that the films themselves need any help. They still work great!

Laurel & Hardy on the big marquee of the "SOMERVILL ATRE."

The highlight of both screenings was 'Big Business' (1929), and not just because it's a hilarious comedy. I think there's also something satisfying about seeing this film, with its tale of Christmas tree sales gone awry, in the middle of a hot and humid New England summer.

The Laurel & Hardy comedies, by the way, are great for instilling discipline in an accompanist. More than most comedies, I think the L & H shorts really demand a very simple "nursery rhyme" type approach, at least at the start, in order for them to work with an audience.

In any comedy, I feel if you start off with big energetic circus-type "this is FUNNY" music," you risk hampering the film for a simple reason: audience members can't hear each other laughing.

And if people can't hear each other reacting, then you don't get that spontaneous combustion in which laughter grows and spreads to everyone in the room. Eventually, everyone is laughing, even if it's just because of all the laughter. It becomes impossible to resist!

Once an audience gets going, it's one of the great glories of the silent film experience. And when you reach that point, the accompanist can go big, as long as it's in support of the comedy. But not before, I think.

The Laurel & Hardy silents are prime examples of films that benefit from this approach. They often start small, but then inexorably build to chaos and mayhem in a process that producer Hal Roach dubbed "reciprocal destruction."

Big Business: the "before" shot...

So in 'Big Business,' after a suitable "Dance of the Cuckoos" intro (the L & H theme song), I shifted to a simple two-note version of "O Christmas Tree" as the pair make their way hawking Christmas trees through sunny California. Sometimes fast, sometime slow, sometimes in a minor key, sometimes just silence—but never anything big.

It's only when they encounter arch-nemesis James Finlayson, and audience reaction begins to grow, that I felt it was appropriate to ramp up the music a notch—but even then, just a little.

And as the on-screen war escalates, the music can rise to match it, but always with a sense of something in reserve until it's the right moment to let loose.

In 'Big Business,' I like to keep things tightly controlled until the moment when Finlayson causes the car to explode. Once that happens, there's no turning back, and the music can morph into full-scale battle mode, with repeated notes up top and 'O Christmas Tree' snarling through modulations in the bass.

...and the "after" shot...

And then there's a moment when Ollie starts swinging a shovel at expensive vases hurled out a window by Stan. Usually I avoid quoting recognizable tunes, but in this case everything's so over the top that shifting in to 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' really works to sharpen the comic absurdity.

So just a few thoughts from this weekend's time on the bench.

Surprisingly, one short that got a very strong response was 'Do Detectives Think?' (1927), a title early in the series made when Laurel & Hardy still weren't officially a team.

In Brandon, I chose a church organ setting on my keyboard, and played up the "spooky" aspect of the film, which is full of graveyards and shadows and masks.

The laughter was nearly continuous, and I think I found myself a new Halloween short comedy! (I've been hoping for something other than Keaton's 'The Haunted House.')

All this was preparation for a mini-marathon this week: one that finds me accompanying six screenings over five days in four states!

I'll be spending more time on silent film than I will sleeping. I guess that's what they call "living the dream." :)

First up: the summer silent film series returns to the historic Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine with a program of Charlie Chaplin comedies on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m.

After that comes screenings in Arlington, Mass; then Townsend, Mass,; then Charlestown, N.H.; then Ludlow, Vt.; and then Somerville, Mass.

Details for the Chaplin program in Ogunquit are below in a press release I've pasted in. Hope to see you at a screening soon!

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Chaplin and his stock company of players getting tangled up in 'The Rink.'

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more info, contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Charlie Chaplin short comedies with live music on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at Leavitt Theatre

Program of classic silent films show why the 'Little Tramp' first rocketed to worldwide popularity

OGUNQUIT, Maine—More than a century after he first stepped in front of a movie camera, Charlie Chaplin remains one of the world's most recognizable cinematic icons. But what made him famous in the first place?

See for yourself when a selection of Chaplin's best short comedies are screened on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Fine Arts Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123.

Admission is $10 per person, general seating. The program will be accompanied by live music performed by New Hampshire composer Jeff Rapsis.

The program of Chaplin's short comedy films is the latest in this season's silent film series at the Leavitt.. The series aims to show the best silent films in the manner that caused people to first fall in love with the movies—on the big screen, in a theater, with live music, and with an audience.

A native of London, Chaplin was touring the U.S. in 1913 as a music hall performer when he agreed to join Mack Sennett's famous Keystone Studio, which specialized in producing fast-paced slapstick comedies. Chaplin first appeared on movie screens in early 1914, and quickly established himself as a distinctive performer.

Based on his growing popularity, in 1916 Chaplin signed a contract with the Mutual Film Corp. to produce 12 short 20-minute screen comedies for the then-astronomical salary of $10,000 per week. In the next 18 months, the dozen films Chaplin produced for Mutual are regarded as his first true masterpieces, and at the time helped cement his position as the king of movie comedy.

As a whole, the films show Chaplin's growing confidence both as a screen performer and film director. At the same time, each one forms a unique comic adventure involving highly different settings, no two alike: a department store, a skating rink, and even a movie studio.

"The Mutual comedies are where Chaplin really comes into his own," said Jeff Rapsis, who will provide live music for the screenings. "These are the films that people think of when they think of Chaplin and slapstick comedy, and they're still as laugh-out-loud funny today as they were when first released so long ago."

The Leavitt program includes four Mutual comedies, which show Chaplin at work during 1916 and 1917, a period that he recalled in his autobiography as "the happiest time of my life." Critics point to the Mutual comedies as a new high point for Chaplin, and audiences responded to the films with worldwide acclaim.

The films show Chaplin creating comedy in settings that vary widely. In 'Behind the Screen,' Chaplin plays a stagehand at a dysfunctional movie studio; 'The Rink' gives Chaplin a chance to display his talent on roller skates; 'Easy Street' finds Charlie taking a job as a policeman in the roughest part of town. In 'The Cure,' Chaplin wreaks havoc at a pretentious health spa.

All the Mutual comedies feature Chaplin's stock company of players, highlighted by female lead Edna Purviance and gargantuan actor Eric Campbell, who portrayed menacing bosses and bullies and was usually Charlie's rival for Edna's affection. Each film is about 20 minutes long, the standard length for a comedy at the time; they'll be shown in groups of three, with an intermission at the mid-point.

The Mutual comedies were so popular that they continued to be rereleased and replayed throughout the silent film era, even after Chaplin began making full-length feature films during the 1920s. They continued to be shown on television and today are popular staples with film collectors and movie buffs.

"The thrill in watching nearly all of the Mutuals comes in the Promethean moment when Chaplin’s inventiveness intersects with his genius and produces cinematic comedy sequences unlike any before," wrote Jeffrey Vance, author of "Chaplin, Genius of the Cinema." (2003) "The Mutuals are Chaplin’s laboratory, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of a great cinema pioneer."

The popularity of the Mutuals was so pervasive, some critics believe they helped shape the course of cinema.

"The Mutual films were so successful that many other comedians tried to copied them, thus expanding the motion picture medium," Vance wrote. "The popularity of the Chaplin films and the universal appeal of the Tramp character did much to legitimize the new medium in twentieth-century culture."

Other programs in this year's Leavitt silent film series include:

• Wednesday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m. 'Her Sister From Paris' (1925) starring Ronald Colman, Constance Talmadge. The scene: Europe. The cast: Rich people. Get swept off your feet by not one but two privileged ladies, both played by amazing actress Constance Talmadge, in this effervescent battle-of-the-sexes comedy.

• Saturday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.: 'Faust' (1926) directed by F.W. Murnau. Just in time for Halloween, our annual "Chiller Theatre" presentation! Oscar-winning actor Emil Jannings stars in F.W. Murnau's terrifying version of the classic tale. A visual tour de force, full of creepy characters and frightening images.

A program of Charlie Chaplin's best short comedies will be shown on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Fine Arts Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; admission is $10 per person, general seating. For more information, visit www.leavittheatre.com. For more info on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.

Elephants and Harold Lloyd: thoughts on visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and China

Promoting the Kansas Silent Film Festival at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Just back from roaming the back roads of Southeast Asia since mid-July.

The trip wasn't about silent film music. But I did get chances to promote the Kansas Silent Film Festival (every February in Topeka, Kansas!) via t-shirt, as seen above at the Bayon Temple of Angkor Tom.

These spectacular ruins are part of the sprawling Khmer-era complex in Cambodia known collectively as "Angkor Wat."

Another place I plugged the Kansas festival was in Tianenanman Square, with Chairman Mao himself looking over my shoulder.

Not sure what effect this will have. But I'll tell the folks in Topeka to keep an eye out for inquiries from China or Cambodia. You never know!

I did find one historical antecedent to a famous silent film image. Doesn't this 12th century temple carving of an elephant under attack remind you of the "guns pointing at Harold Lloyd" still from the Lloyd short 'An Eastern Westerner'?

Okay, I start right back up with shows this Thursday (a private screening for a vintage dance group in Nahant, Mass.) and then back-to-back Laurel & Hardy screenings this weekend.

On Saturday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m., it's Stan and Ollie in silent short subjects (and a few surprises!) at Brandon Town Hall in Brandon, Vt.

And then on Sunday, Aug. 12 at 2 p.m., it's an all-35mm silent Laurel & Hardy program at the Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

For more information, I've pasted in both press releases below. Hope to see you at a show real soon!

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Laurel & Hardy demonstrate salesmanship in 'Big Business' (1929).

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Laurel & Hardy silent comedies with live music in Brandon, Vt. on Saturday, Aug. 11

Program featuring 'Stan & Ollie' promises another fine mess, plus fun and laughter for the whole family

BRANDON, Vt.—Laughter for the whole family is on tap at Brandon Town Hall, where classic silent comedies starring Laurel & Hardy will be screened with live music on Saturday, Aug. 11. The show starts at 7 p.m.; admission is free, donations are encouraged.

The program, the latest in the Brandon Town Hall's summer silent film series, will feature short comedies made by the iconic comedy team prior to the advent talkies, where their popularity continued.

Music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in improvising live accompaniment for silent films.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were already successful comic actors when they were teamed in 1927 during the twilight years of the silent film era.

The pair, sporting derby hats and a unique gift for slapstick incompetence, began starring in a series of short comedies that quickly rocketed them to worldwide fame.

Four of the duo's best early films are on the Aug. 11 program in Brandon, which will be highlighted by 'Big Business' (1929), recognized as one of the best short comedies ever produced.

In 'Big Business', while selling Christmas trees door to door in sunny California, Stan and Ollie do battle with an irate customer, producing mayhem that's quite the opposite of 'Peace on Earth.'

"The Laurel and Hardy silent comedies are fun to revive because they're so simple and basic," said Rapsis, who will accompany the films. "Audiences still love them, and it's refreshing, because their style of comedy is so timeless, and also so different from what's on television and in today's movies."

The Aug. 11 comedy program is the latest in the Brandon Town Hall's Summer Silent Film Series, which features monthly screenings of classic silent films with live music. All proceeds of the series will be used to support the historic town hall's ongoing renovations.

"All of these films were designed to be seen in theaters by large audiences, not on a small television screen by people sitting at home," Rapsis said. "In showing silent films at Brandon Town Hall, we aim to recreate the lost magic of early cinema comedy by bringing together crucial elements for its success—the best available prints, projection on the big screen, a live audience, and, in the case of silent films, live music."

Laurel & Hardy short comedies will be shown on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. at Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt. Admission is free; donations are encouraged, with proceeds to support ongoing renovation of the town hall. For more information, visit www.brandontownhall.org.

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Would you buy a Christmas tree from these guys?

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Laurel & Hardy silent comedies with live music at Somerville Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 12

Program featuring misadventures of 'Stan & Ollie' in 35mm promises multiple fine messes, but also fun and laughter

SOMERVILLE, Mass.—Laughter for the whole family is on tap at the Somerville Theatre, where classic silent comedies starring Laurel & Hardy will be screened with live music on Sunday, Aug. 12 at 2 p.m.

Live music will be provided by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis. Admission is $15 per person, $12 students/seniors.

The program includes four of the iconic duo's classic silent comedies, made before the transition to talkies: 'Call of the Cuckoos' (1927), 'You're Darn Tootin' (1928), 'The Finishing Touch' (1928), and 'Big Business' (1929).

All titles will be shown using 35mm prints on loan from the U.S. Library of Congress.

It's the latest installment of the Somerville's 'Silents, Please!' series, which gives movie-goers a chance to experience great pictures of the silent era as originally presented.

"Seeing these great pictures on actual 35mm film and in a theater with live music is an opportunity that's increasingly rare," said Ian Judge, manager of the Somerville Theatre.

Music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in improvising live accompaniment for silent films.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were already successful comic actors when they were teamed in 1927 during the twilight years of the silent film era.

The pair, sporting derby hats and a unique gift for slapstick incompetence, began starring in a series of short comedies that quickly rocketed them to worldwide fame.

The Somerville program will be highlighted by 'Big Business' (1929), recognized as one of the best short comedies ever produced.

Selling Christmas trees door to door in sunny California, Stan and Ollie battle an irate customer, resulting in mayhem that's anything but 'Peace on Earth.'

"The Laurel and Hardy silent comedies are fun to revive because they're so simple and basic," said Rapsis, who will accompany the films. "Audiences still love them, and it's refreshing, because their style of comedy is so timeless, and also so different from what's on television and in today's movies."

Laurel & Hardy short comedies will be shown on Sunday, Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. Tickets are $15 adults, $12 students/seniors. For more information, visit www.somervilletheatre.com or call (617) 625-4088.