Hi everyone! It's been a busy time in my other life as executive director of the Aviation Museum of N.H., so there hasn't been a lot of posting about silent film screenings.
I'm still out there. Recent screenings I've accompanied include Harold Lloyd's 'Speedy' (1928) at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H.; 'Forgotten Faces' (1928) at the Somerville Theatre in Somerville, Mass.; 'Underworld' (1927) at Brandon (Vt.) Town Hall; 'The Shakedown' (1929) at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.; and Buster Keaton's 'Go West' (1925) at both the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine and the
I just haven't had time to write about all this.
Apologies and hope to get back to a more regular cadence later in the summer when I hope the schedule clears up.
For now, it's all I can do to just mention my next two upcoming screenings: 'Don Q, Son of Zorro' (1925) on Tuesday, June 17 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Mass., and 'The Unholy Three' (1925) on Wednesday, June 18 at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.
A press release for 'The Unholy Three' is pasted in below. See you at the movies!
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THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more info, contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com
Lon Chaney stars as criminal ventriloquist in bizarre silent film thriller at Leavitt Theatre
Historic Ogunquit venue continues 100th anniversary season with screening of 'The Unholy Three', crime melodrama with live music
For more info, contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com
Lon Chaney stars as criminal ventriloquist in bizarre silent film thriller at Leavitt Theatre
Historic Ogunquit venue continues 100th anniversary season with screening of 'The Unholy Three', crime melodrama with live music
OGUNQUIT, Maine—Who else but Lon Chaney would star as a ventriloquist-turned-scam-
That's
the premise of 'The Unholy Three' (1925), a bizarre MGM film to be
shown with live music on Wednesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the historic
Leavitt Theatre.
Tickets are $15 general admission and available at the door.
The Leavitt, located at
259 Main St. Route 1 in Ogunquit, is celebrating its 100th anniversary, having served the community continuously since 1925.
To honor this long record, the Leavitt Theatre has planned a season of vintage silent movie classics from 1925 with live music.
The series gives area film fans a chance to see movies from the pioneering days of cinema as they were intended to be shown—on the big screen, with an audience, and accompanied by live music.
The series gives area film fans a chance to see movies from the pioneering days of cinema as they were intended to be shown—on the big screen, with an audience, and accompanied by live music.
'The Unholy Three' is a 1925 American silent crime melodrama involving a trio of circus conmen, directed by Tod Browning and starring iconic actor Lon Chaney.
The three criminals develop an elaborate criminal enterprise based on their circus skills, which include Chaney's skill at throwing his voice.
Chaney, then at the height of his career, was known as 'The Man of a Thousand Faces' for his ability to transform himself to tackle challenging roles in films such as 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1923) and 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925).
'The Unholy Three'
marked the establishment of the notable artistic alliance between
director Browning and actor Chaney that would deliver eight films to
MGM studios during the late silent film era.
The film enjoyed tremendous success in its original release, adding luster to Chaney's reputation and revealing Browning as a remarkable film stylist. 'The Unholy Three' was named as one of The New York Times 10 Best Films of 1925.
The Leavitt, a summer-only moviehouse, opened in 1925 at the height of the silent film era, and has been showing movies to summertime visitors ever since.
More
recently, the Leavitt has added restaurant and bar service, and has
expanded its entertainment schedule to include live music and special
events.
The silent film series honors the theater's long service
as a moviehouse that has entertained generations of Seacoast residents
and visitors, in good times and in bad.
"These movies were intended to be shown in this kind of environment, and with live music and with an audience," said Max Clayton, the Leavitt's manager. "Put it all together, it's great entertainment that still has a lot of power to move people."
Live music for each program will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer and composer who specializes in scoring silent films.
In accompanying silent films live, Rapsis uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra. He improvises the music in real time, as the movie is shown.
In scoring a movie, Rapsis creates music to help modern movie-goers accept silent film as a vital art form rather than something antiquated or obsolete.
"Silent film is a timeless art form that still has a unique emotional power," Rapsis said.
"These movies were intended to be shown in this kind of environment, and with live music and with an audience," said Max Clayton, the Leavitt's manager. "Put it all together, it's great entertainment that still has a lot of power to move people."
Live music for each program will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer and composer who specializes in scoring silent films.
In accompanying silent films live, Rapsis uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra. He improvises the music in real time, as the movie is shown.
In scoring a movie, Rapsis creates music to help modern movie-goers accept silent film as a vital art form rather than something antiquated or obsolete.
"Silent film is a timeless art form that still has a unique emotional power," Rapsis said.
After 'The Unholy Three' (1925) on Wednesday, June 11 at 7 p.m., other programs in this year's Leavitt silent film series include:
• Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 7 p.m.: "The Lost World" (1925) starring Wallace Beery. First-ever movie adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary tale of British explorers who discover pre-historic creatures still thriving atop a remote South American plateau. Great entertainment; ground-breaking special effects by the same team that later created 'King Kong' mesmerized early movie audiences and remain impressive today.
• Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, 7 p.m.: "The Freshman" (1925) starring Harold Lloyd. Welcome football season with Harold Lloyd's blockbuster silent-era hit about a college boy who dreams of success on the gridiron. One of Lloyd's all-time best!
• Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Risky Business" (1925) starring Vera Ralston, Zazu Pitts. No, not the 1986 film starring Tom Cruise. In this silent-era 'Risky Business,' Zasu Pitts stars with Vera Ralston in a tale of a society girl's love for a country doctor in a film that is by turns harrowing, hilarious, and heart-warming.
• Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925). Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber created the hit stage musical, this silent film adaptation starring Lon Chaney helped place 'Phantom' firmly in the pantheon of both horror and romance. See it if you dare!
The silent film series continues with 'The Unholy Three' (1925) on Wednesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Fine Arts Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; admission is $15 per person, general seating.
For more information, visit www.leavittheatre.com.
For more information, visit www.leavittheatre.com.
