Up next: Harold Lloyd heads east in 'Speedy,' then reversing direction with Keaton's 'Go West'

An original poster promoting Harold Lloyd's 'Speedy' (1928).

Memorial Day weekend may be upon us, but there's no holiday in the silent film schedule.

Coming up, I'm doing music for three screenings in three different states, all of them comedies. (The films, not the states.)

On Thursday, May 22, it's Harold Lloyd's 'Speedy' (1928), which I'll accompany at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H.

More details about the film and the screening are in a press release pasted in below.

Then it's two screenings of Buster Keaton's comedy 'Go West' (1925).

The first is on Sunday, May 25, when I'll accompany it at the Center for the Arts in Natick, Mass.

Then, on Wednesday, May 28, the same film will serve as the opening night attraction of this year's silent film series at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.

The Leavitt is celebrating its 100th anniversary this season, so the silent film series will feature all films from 1925, the year it opened.

Lots more about that, and my theory on how 'Go West' is a parody of Chaplin's epic comedy 'The Gold Rush' (also from 1925), in a future post.

For now, I invite you to attend our screening of 'Speedy' (1928) at the Flying Monkey. Check out the press release below, and see you at the theater!

*     *     *

Harold Lloyd takes the subway to Coney Island in 'Speedy' (1928).

TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Classic Harold Lloyd comedy 'Speedy' on Thursday, May 22 in Plymouth, N.H.

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

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—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 screened on Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission is $15 per person.

The screening will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music 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.

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.

 

Harold Lloyd on location in Coney Island in 'Speedy' (1928).

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 Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H. 

General admission is $15 per person. For more info, visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com or call (603) 536-2551. 

 

Up next: Douglas Fairbanks in 'Zorro' on Tuesday, May 13 then 'The Gaucho' on Sunday, May 18

An original lobby card for Douglas Fairbanks in 'The Gaucho' (1927).

The silent film programming gods are smiling on Douglas Fairbanks Sr. of late.

This week, I'll accompany a screening of 'The Mark of Zorro' (1920) on Tuesday, May 13 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Mass. (It's part of a package in which I'll accompany the sequel, 'Don Q: Son of Zorro' (1925) on Tuesday, June 17.)

Then, on Sunday, May 18, I'll do music for 'The Gaucho' (1927), another Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckler that's less frequently screened but regarded by some critics as his best film of all. 

Come see for yourself—the screening is at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. For more info, check out the press release below, and see you at the movies!

*     *     *

Lupe Velez and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. dance the tango in 'The Gaucho' (1927).

MONDAY, MAY 12, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'The Gaucho' (1927) to screen with live music on Sunday, May 18 at Town Hall Theatre

Set in Argentina: Douglas Fairbanks Sr. stars as legendary outlaw and ladies man in classic silent adventure film

WILTON, N.H. — He was the Harrison Ford of his time—an action hero who entertained movie audiences with thrilling on-screen adventures.

He was silent screen idol Douglas Fairbanks Sr., whose best work includes 'The Gaucho' (1927), a timeless adventure film with a great story, spectacular settings, and memorable performances.

'The Gaucho' will be shown with live music on Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to defray expenses and support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series.

The screening will feature live music by Jeff Rapsis, the Town Hall Theatre's silent film accompanist.

'The Gaucho' opens in dramatic fashion, with a young girl saved by a miracle after falling from a high cliff in the Argentine Andes. She is blessed with healing powers, causing a shrine to be built on the site. A city grows around it, rich with gold from grateful worshipers.

The wealth eventually catches the eye of bandits, including the Gaucho (Fairbanks), charismatic leader of a legendary band of mountain outlaws. The Gaucho, who spurns religion, makes plans to plunder the treasure.

But then the city is overtaken by Ruiz, an evil and sadistic general, who closes the shrine, confiscates the gold, and brings oppression to the pilgrims.

Can the Gaucho and his band ride to the rescue? And can the love of a woman help the Gaucho find meaning and inspiration in good deeds as well as the spirituality he once spurned?

Written by Fairbanks and directed by F. Richard Jones, 'The Gaucho' set new standards for visual design in the movies, with action scenes taking place in stylized mountain passes that looked spectacular on screen.

'The Gaucho' also marked a departure for Fairbanks, who until then had played characters with virtue on their side throughout each film. 

In 'The Gaucho,' however, Fairbanks portrayed a genuine outlaw who, as the story progresses, must grapple with serious moral questions about his life and his beliefs.

'The Gaucho' is "one of the best, most mature and most interesting films in his career," wrote critic Sean Axmaker following a screening at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in 2009.

Fairbanks took the role in part because as he entered middle age, he needed to broaden and deepen the complexity of the characters he portrayed.

The film is also highlighted by the screen debut of actress Lupe Velez, playing a mountain girl whom the Gaucho romances.  

Their spats are "amazing, she all tempestuous, hot-blooded, impulsive, a star-struck fan turned jealous sex-kitten, he the smiling bandit king with a playful spirit and a patronizing attitude that tolerates and even appreciates her tantrums," wrote Axmaker.

Rounding out the cast is actress Eve Southern as the Girl of the Shrine.

Live music for 'The Gaucho' will be provided by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the sound and texture of the full orchestra.

"'The Gaucho' is a terrific film for music," said Rapsis, who improvises accompaniment using themes or melodies he composes beforehand. "The dramatic settings, especially the scenes in the South American Andes, lend themselves to some evocative scoring to heighten the drama and tension."

'The Gaucho' is appropriate for family audiences, although it includes intense scenes that may frighten very small children.

The screening of 'The Gaucho' is part of the Town Hall Theatre's monthly silent film series, which gives today's audiences a chance to experience the great films of Hollywood's early years as they were intended: in restored prints, in a theater on the big screen, and with live music and an audience.

"If you've never seen a silent film in a theater with live music and an audience, this is a great way to experience the medium at its best," Rapsis said. "When you put all the elements together, silent film still has an ability to stir up an audience in a way that no other medium can."

'The Gaucho' (1927) will be screened with live music on Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to defray expenses.

For more info, visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call (603) 654-3456.

Back from California, next to Brandon, Vt. to open the 2025 season with 'The Strong Man'

Me outside the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Niles, Calif., doing my best to capture the Expressionist spirit of 'Algol' (1920), at least in the promotional art below.

A quick trip to the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend found me at the keyboard to do music for a screening of the German sci-fi film 'Algol' (1920) at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. 

I scored this formerly-lost-but-recently-rediscovered movie for the Boston Sci-Fi Marathon this past February, which led to the chance to accompany it in Niles this weekend. 

All went well, although I was without the Korg LE 88 digital synthesizer I used for the Boston screening. Instead, I used the trusty Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum upright piano, which worked out fine. Sometimes less really is more.

Thanks to all my friends at the Niles Essanay museum for bringing me out there for Saturday night's program, and for all they do to present regular programs of silent film with live music to the public—and in a genuine Edison theater to boot!

Next up: I travel up to Brandon, Vt. on Saturday, May 10 to kick off the 2025 Silent Film Series at Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, where I've accompanied silents since 2010.

First up: Harry Langdon in 'The Strong Man' (1926), directed by a very young Frank Capra.

More about the screening, as well as the other films we have planned for Brandon Town Hall this season, is in the press release below. 

*     *     *

Harry Langdon at the top of his game in 'The Strong Man' (1926).

TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Classic comedy 'The Strong Man' with live music on Saturday, May 10 in Brandon, Vt.

Brandon Town Hall's 2025 silent film series kicks off with classic comedy starring Harry Langdon—and the first movie directed by a very young Frank Capra

BRANDON, Vt.—Classics from the silent film era will return to the big screen at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, which will host another season of vintage cinema with live music.

First up is Harry Langdon in 'The Strong Man' (1926), a comedy that marked Frank Capra's directorial debut. The film screens on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt.

Admission is free; donations are welcome to help defray expenses.

Live music for each silent film program will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer and composer who specializes in scoring and presenting silent films.

'The Strong Man' tells the story of a World War I soldier (Langdon) who, following his discharge, finds work as assistant to a circus strong man. As the act travels the country, Langdon continually searches for a girl he corresponded with while stationed overseas in the military.

The search leads to a town controlled by Prohibition-era gangsters, which forces Harry to test the limits of his own inner strength even as he looks for his dream girl. Can Harry triumph over the bad guys? And is love more powerful than brute strength?

The feature-length film showcases the unique child-like personality of Langdon, who is largely forgotten today. For a brief time in the 1920s, however, he rivaled Charlie Chaplin as Hollywood's top movie clown.

Langdon's popularity, which grew quickly in the last years of the silent era, fizzled as the movie business abruptly switched to talkies starting in 1929.

'The Strong Man' was selected in 2007 for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

In recent years, 'The Strong Man' has been recognized as a major achievement of the silent film era—a satisfying and timeless balance of emotion and comedy.

"A little tragedy and a lot of laughs can be seen in 1926's The Strong Man," wrote critic Richard von Busack in 2007. "Director Frank Capra's energy and sturdy plot sense counterpoint Langdon's wonderful strangeness."

Harry Langdon tries flirting with a gangster's moll in 'The Strong Man' (1926).

'The Strong Man' will be accompanied by live music by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who performs at venues across the region and beyond.

"These films were created to be shown on the big screen as a communal experience," Rapsis said. "With an audience and live music, they still come to life in the way their makers intended them to.

"The silent film screenings at Brandon Town Hall are a great chance for people to experience films that first caused people to first fall in love with the movies," he said.

Rapsis achieves a traditional movie score sound for silent film screenings by using a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra.

It's the 14th year of the Brandon Town Hall silent film series, which gives residents and visitors a chance to see great movies from the pioneering days of cinema as they were meant to be shown—on the big screen, with an audience, and accompanied by live music.

Screenings are held once a month, generally on Saturday nights starting in May and running through November. Admission is free; donations are encouraged to defray expenses.

Over the years, silent film donations have helped support projects including handicapped access to the 19th century building; renovating the bathrooms; and restoring the structure's original slate roof.

Other films in this year's Brandon Town Hall silent film series include:

• Saturday, June 7, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Underworld" (1927) starring George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent. Director Josef von Sternberg's groundbreaking tale of big city mobsters, widely considered the father of all gangster pictures. Tale follows crime boss "Bull" Weed as he battles rival 1920s gangsters. Incredible black-and-white photography; winner of first-ever Oscar for original story by Ben Hecht.

• Saturday, July 19, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Grandma's Boy" (1922) starring Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis.  A cowardly young man must learn to conquer his fears before dealing with a larger menace to his community. Riotous small town comedy that helped propel Harold Lloyd into the most popular movie comedian of the 1920s.

• Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Manhandled" (1924) starring Gloria Swanson. Uproarious comedy from silent screen legend Swanson tells the story of a down-on-her-luck salesgirl who climbs the social ladder by pretending to be a Russian countess.

• Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Spies" (1928) directed by Fritz Lang. Director Fritz Lang's tale of espionage was the forerunner of all movie spy sagas, packed with double agents, hi-tech gadgets, beautiful (and dangerous) women, and an evil genius with a plan to take over the world, mwah-ha-ha-ha!

• Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, 7 p.m.: "The Magician" (1926) starring Paul Wegener, Alice Terry, directed by Rex Ingram. Just in time for Halloween: a scientist uses an ancient spell to reanimate a dead body. The secret missing ingredient is, of course, the blood of a virgin, making it a good bet for all kinds of creepy goings-on.

• Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Seven Chances" (1925) starring Buster Keaton. Buster is about to be saved from bankruptcy by an unexpected inheritance of $7 million—but only if he gets married by 7 p.m. that very day. Can Buster somehow find the girl of his dreams while being pursued by an army of women eager to marry a soon-to-be millionaire?

See Harry Langdon in the 'The Strong Man' (1926) with live music on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt. All are welcome to this family-friendly event. Admission is free, with free will donations accepted to defray expenses.

 

To California to accompany 'Algol' (1920), then a new summer season of silent film in Brandon, Vt.

Outside the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport, R.I. on Saturday, April 19.

April was a busy month for silent film accompaniment, but I didn't post much about it due to an overcrowded schedule. 

But now it's May, and with summer series of silent screenings starting soon (how sibilant!), here's an update.

Later today, I'll head out west to accompany the early German sci-fi tale 'Algol' (1920) at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont, Calif. 

Then back home, May brings the start of two silent film series that I accompany: one up in Brandon, Vt., and another at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.

First to get going is Brandon, where we'll kick things off with Harry Langdon's 'The Strong Man' (1926) on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m.

More info about the screening as well as the rest of this year's films is in the press release pasted in below. I'll preview the Leavitt Theatre series in Ogunquit in a later post.

See you at the movies!

*     *     *

 

A gangster's moll flirts with Harry Langdon in 'The Strong Man' (1926).

TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Classic comedy 'The Strong Man' with live music on Saturday, May 10 in Brandon, Vt.

Brandon Town Hall's 2025 silent film series kicks off with classic comedy starring Harry Langdon—and the first movie directed by a very young Frank Capra

BRANDON, Vt.—Classics from the silent film era will return to the big screen at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, which will host another season of vintage cinema with live music.

First up is Harry Langdon in 'The Strong Man' (1926), a comedy that marked Frank Capra's directorial debut. The film screens on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt.

Admission is free; donations are welcome to help defray expenses.

Live music for each silent film program will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer and composer who specializes in scoring and presenting silent films.

'The Strong Man' tells the story of a World War I soldier (Langdon) who, following his discharge, finds work as assistant to a circus strong man. As the act travels the country, Langdon continually searches for a girl he corresponded with while stationed overseas in the military.

The search leads to a town controlled by Prohibition-era gangsters, which forces Harry to test the limits of his own inner strength even as he looks for his dream girl. Can Harry triumph over the bad guys? And is love more powerful than brute strength?

The feature-length film showcases the unique child-like personality of Langdon, who is largely forgotten today. For a brief time in the 1920s, however, he rivaled Charlie Chaplin as Hollywood's top movie clown.

Langdon's popularity, which grew quickly in the last years of the silent era, fizzled as the movie business abruptly switched to talkies starting in 1929.

'The Strong Man' was selected in 2007 for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

In recent years, 'The Strong Man' has been recognized as a major achievement of the silent film era—a satisfying and timeless balance of emotion and comedy.

"A little tragedy and a lot of laughs can be seen in 1926's The Strong Man," wrote critic Richard von Busack in 2007. "Director Frank Capra's energy and sturdy plot sense counterpoint Langdon's wonderful strangeness."

Harry Langdon stars in 'The Strong Man' (1926).

'The Strong Man' will be accompanied by live music by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who performs at venues across the region and beyond.

"These films were created to be shown on the big screen as a communal experience," Rapsis said. "With an audience and live music, they still come to life in the way their makers intended them to.

"The silent film screenings at Brandon Town Hall are a great chance for people to experience films that first caused people to first fall in love with the movies," he said.

Rapsis achieves a traditional movie score sound for silent film screenings by using a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra.

It's the 14th year of the Brandon Town Hall silent film series, which gives residents and visitors a chance to see great movies from the pioneering days of cinema as they were meant to be shown—on the big screen, with an audience, and accompanied by live music.

Screenings are held once a month, generally on Saturday nights starting in May and running through November. Admission is free; donations are encouraged to defray expenses.

Over the years, silent film donations have helped support projects including handicapped access to the 19th century building; renovating the bathrooms; and restoring the structure's original slate roof.

Other films in this year's Brandon Town Hall silent film series include:

• Saturday, June 7, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Underworld" (1927) starring George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent. Director Josef von Sternberg's groundbreaking tale of big city mobsters, widely considered the father of all gangster pictures. Tale follows crime boss "Bull" Weed as he battles rival 1920s gangsters. Incredible black-and-white photography; winner of first-ever Oscar for original story by Ben Hecht.

• Saturday, July 19, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Grandma's Boy" (1922) starring Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis.  A cowardly young man must learn to conquer his fears before dealing with a larger menace to his community. Riotous small town comedy that helped propel Harold Lloyd into the most popular movie comedian of the 1920s.

• Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Manhandled" (1924) starring Gloria Swanson. Uproarious comedy from silent screen legend Swanson tells the story of a down-on-her-luck salesgirl who climbs the social ladder by pretending to be a Russian countess.

• Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Spies" (1928) directed by Fritz Lang. Director Fritz Lang's tale of espionage was the forerunner of all movie spy sagas, packed with double agents, hi-tech gadgets, beautiful (and dangerous) women, and an evil genius with a plan to take over the world, mwah-ha-ha-ha!

• Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, 7 p.m.: "The Magician" (1926) starring Paul Wegener, Alice Terry, directed by Rex Ingram. Just in time for Halloween: a scientist uses an ancient spell to reanimate a dead body. The secret missing ingredient is, of course, the blood of a virgin, making it a good bet for all kinds of creepy goings-on.

• Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Seven Chances" (1925) starring Buster Keaton. Buster is about to be saved from bankruptcy by an unexpected inheritance of $7 million—but only if he gets married by 7 p.m. that very day. Can Buster somehow find the girl of his dreams while being pursued by an army of women eager to marry a soon-to-be millionaire?

See Harry Langdon in the 'The Strong Man' (1926) with live music on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt. All are welcome to this family-friendly event. Admission is free, with free will donations accepted to defray expenses.