'Annie Laurie' (1927) will be screened as scheduled on Sunday, Jan. 25 just a'fore the snow

An original lobby card promoting MGM's  'Annie Laurie' (1927) starring Lillian Gish.

The show must go on! 

That's the story for our screening of 'Annie Laurie' (1927), the MGM historical adventure epic that I'm scheduled to accompany on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

Yes, a big slow-moving snowstorm is supposed to roll through our area starting that afternoon. The key word there is starting. It's not really going to kick in until Sunday evening, so Dennis Markaverich of the Town Hall Theater and I are choosing to go with the matinee as scheduled.

One factor in this decision: the high visibility Lions Club sign on Route 101 has been promoting the screening since just after the New Year. That's prime exposure and so we felt obligated to follow through. 

And if no one shows, we can always screen the film again next Sunday—although the long-range forecast calls for a similar storm at that time. So it's going to be one of those Februarys. Well, spring is only 54 days away, but who's counting. (All right, I am.)

So be brave (like Lillian Gish) and journey to the Town Hall Theatre for tomorrow's screening of 'Annie Laurie' (1927) at 2 p.m. Here's the press release with more details about the film:

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Lillian Gish stars in 'Annie Laurie' (1927)

MONDAY, JAN. 19, 2026 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

New restoration of MGM blockbuster 'Annie Laurie' to screen at Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 25 

Lilian Gish stars in title role as Scottish clans do battle in epic historical drama; accompanied by live music

WILTON, N.H.— Return to the days of warring Scottish clans when 'Annie Laurie,' a rarely screened MGM epic featuring silent-era megastar Lillian Gish, inaugurates the 2026 silent film series at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

A newly restored and remastered version of 'Annie Laurie' will be screened on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

The program is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film programming.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who performs regularly at screenings around the nation.

In 'Annie Laurie,' Lillian Gish plays a diplomat's daughter caught in the violent 17th-century feud between the Scottish Campbell and MacDonald clans. 

Gish, a Campbell, falls in love with rival clan chief Ian MacDonald (Norman Kerry) complicating peace efforts between the two warring sides.

As the clans prepare for battle, the romance forces Gish to choose between loyalty to her family or to warn the rival MacDonalds in advance of the infamous Massacre of Glencoe. 

The film's spectacular climax features Gish in a dramatic "race to the rescue" sequence filmed in an early version of Technicolor.

 

'Annie Laurie,' a major 1927 release for top studio MGM, has not been available for public viewing since its original release. In 2024, the U.S. Library of Congress transferred a pristine 35mm print in their collection to digital media, doing restoration work when needed.

The story of 'Annie Laurie' takes place in the late 1690s amid a backdrop of clans battling fiercely for supremacy in the years before Scotland joined England to form the United Kingdom.

To tell the tale on an epic scale on screen, MGM director John S. Robertson pulled out all the stops, staging enormous battle scenes set among the craggy Scottish landscape.

Sumptuous period costumes (yes, including men in kilts!) are a highlight of the 'Annie Laurie,' which was released at the peak of silent film artistry, just prior to the introduction of talking pictures.

At the time, Gish was among MGM's biggest stars, having arrived at the studio after playing iconic leading roles in early D.W. Griffith features including 'The Birth of a Nation' (1915), 'Way Down East' (1920), and 'Orphans of the Storm' (1921).

Leading man Norman Kerry was a popular silent-era performer who often played the heroic dashing swashbuckler or the seductive lothario. He was extremely popular with female fans and was at the peak of his career in 'Annie Laurie.'

Among those in the large cast of supporting players was a very young John Wayne in one of his earliest roles as an extra.

'Annie Laurie' marks the first 2026 screening of the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series. Each month, a classic motion picture from Hollywood's silent film era is screened with live music at the venue, where movies were first presented in 1912.

"It's a great way for audiences to experience the magic of silent film in the way it was intended: on the big screen, in restored editions, with live music, and with an audience," said Jeff Rapsis, who provides live musical accompaniment for each program.

"Early movie-making was a shared experience that took place in a theater," Rapsis said. "Filmmakers at the time created motion pictures with that in mind—and when you can present them the way they were intended, their impact remains uniquely powerful."

Upcoming programs in the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series include:

• Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Girl Shy" (1924) starring Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston. Celebrate Valentine's Day with the original rom-com, a Harold Lloyd gem starring one of the masters of silent comedy and featuring an unforgettable race-to-the-church finish. 

• Sunday, March 8, 2026, 2 p.m.: "A Doggie Double Feature." Two vintage films featuring silent canine stars! In 'His Master's Voice' (1925), cowardly Bob Henley is drafted into the army during World War II while his faithful dog Thunder joins the Red Cross. In 'The Law's Lash' (1928), Klondike the Dog works with the Northwest Mounted Police to track down smugglers.

• Sunday, April 5, 2026, 2 p.m.: "The Ten Commandments" (1923) directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The original silent film version of 'The Ten Commandments' has all the big scenes, but differs greatly from the later version starring Charlton Heston. See for yourself as we screen this ground-breaking (and Red Sea-parting) Biblical epic. 

• Sunday, May 3, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Steamboat Bill, Jr." (1928) starring Buster Keaton. As the pampered son of a gruff steamboat captain, Buster tries to make the grade even as storm clouds gather—and romance brews with the daughter of a rival ship owner. Film climaxes with legendary cyclone sequence, one of Buster's best. 

• Sunday, June 7, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Beau Geste" (1926) starring Ronald Colman. One of the top films of 1926, newly restored for its 100th anniversary. Michael "Beau" Geste leaves England in disgrace and joins the infamous French Foreign Legion. He is reunited with his two brothers in North Africa, where they face greater danger from their own sadistic commander than from the rebellious Arabs.

'Annie Laurie' (1927) starring Lillian Gish and Norman Kerry will be shown with live music on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H. 

The program is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested. For more information, call (603) 654-3456.