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Monday, August 12, 2024

Up next: Harold Lloyd in 'Speedy' (1928) on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at Leavitt Theatre

A poster promoting the original release of 'Speedy' (1928).

If you're anywhere near Ogunquit, Maine this week, I invite you to join us for a screening of Harold Lloyd's great silent comedy 'Speedy' (1928) at the historic Leavitt Theatre.

I'm doing live music for this one-time-only screening, which is on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. Lots more info about the film is in the press released pasted in below.

'Speedy' takes place in the Big Apple, and much of the film was shot on location in New York City in the summer of 1927. 

So in addition to being an entertaining movie, the film is filled with visions of what New York looked like nearly 100 years ago, at the height of the Roaring '20s.

It's not just Manhattan, either—scenes were films in The Bronx and in Brooklyn, including a sequence in Coney Island that shows Harold and co-star Barbara Kent riding amusement rides that would send chills up the spine of an insurance adjuster. 

See it for yourself! Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. for Harold Lloyd in 'Speedy' (1928) at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit!

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A vintage lobby card promoting Harold Lloyd's comedy 'Speedy' (1928).

MONDAY, JULY 29, 2024 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Classic Harold Lloyd comedy 'Speedy' on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at Leavitt Theatre

Screening features live music; 1920s rom-com filmed on location in NYC with cameo featuring Babe Ruth

OGUNQUIT, Maine—He was the bespectacled boy next door whose road to success was often paved with perilous detours.

He was Harold Lloyd, whose fast-paced comedies made him the most popular movie star of Hollywood's silent film era.

See for yourself why Lloyd was the top box office attraction of the 1920s in a revival of 'Speedy' (1928), one of his most popular comedies.

The film, shot on location in New York City, will be shown on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. at the historic Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine.

All are welcome to this family-friendly event; admission is $15 per person general admission.

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

'Speedy,' Lloyd's final silent feature before the transition to talkies, finds Harold as a baseball-crazed youth who must rescue the city's last horse-drawn streetcar from gangsters bent on running it out of business.

Filmed almost entirely on location in New York, 'Speedy' features remarkable glimpses of the city at the end of the 1920s, including footage of Coney Island and the original Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Harold Lloyd with baseball legend Babe Ruth on location during 'Speedy' (1928).

The latter scenes include an extended appearance by Babe Ruth, then at the height of his career during the team's storied 1927 season.

"In 'Speedy,' New York City is practically a part of the cast," Rapsis said. "In filming it on location, Lloyd knew scenes of New York would give the picture added interest to audiences across the nation and around the world.

"But what he didn't anticipate was that today, the location shots now provide a fascinating record of how life was lived in the Big Apple in the 1920s," Rapsis said.

Rapsis will improvise a musical score for 'Speedy' as the film is screened. In creating accompaniment for vintage classics, Rapsis tries to bridge the gap between silent film and modern audiences.

"Creating the music on the spot is a bit of a high-wire act, but it contributes a level of energy that's really crucial to the silent film experience," Rapsis said.

'Speedy' (1928) will be screened with live music on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at the historic Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine. All are welcome to this family-friendly event.

Admission is $15 per person; the Leavitt's full dinner menu and bar service will be available during the program. For more info, call (207) 646-3123 or visit www.leavittheatre.com. 

Harold Lloyd rides the subway in 'Speedy' (1928).


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