I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! I'm away from the keyboard for a short stretch, but will be back doing music for silent film screenings starting in mid-July.
Here's a round-up of upcoming programs of silent film with live music by me. Hope to see you soon at a silent film screening!
• Saturday, July 18, 2026, 7 p.m.: "The Black Pirate" (1926) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr.; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt. The granddaddy of all pirate films, with Fairbanks as an athletic young aristocrat who seeks revenge by joining the pirate band responsible for his father's death. Filmed in color! Join us for a series of silent films and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted with proceeds to help support the silent film series.
• Sunday, July 19, 2026, 2 p.m.: "The Johnstown Flood" (1926) starring George O'Brien, Florence Gilbert, and Janet Gaynor; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. A dramatization of the infamous 1889 disaster, centering on a love triangle between engineer Tom O'Day and two women: the working-class Anna Burger (played by Janet Gaynor) and the wealthy Gloria Hamilton. As a greedy mill owner ignores warnings about the South Fork Dam, a flood is triggered, and Anna attempts to race through the town to warn residents. The film is notable for its pioneering special effects. Join us for a summer mini-series of 1926 blockbusters celebrating their 100th birthdays! Silent film with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912. Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Sunday, July 26, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Chang" (1927); Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.; Somerville Theatre. Early semi-documentary that takes viewers deep into the unspoiled jungles of rural Siam (now Thailand) in southeast Asia. Story follows families forced to band together to battle fearsome and lethal enemies, chief among them the dreaded 'Chang.' Made by the team that would go on to film 'King Kong' several years later. Join us for silent film on the big screen at the Somerville Theatre, a 1914 moviehouse and theater. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.
• Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Son of the Sheik" (1926) starring Rudolph Valentino; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. The screen's original Latin lover in his most famous role, that of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassad, ruler of a vast desert empire and conqueror of many a woman's heart. Prepare to swoon! Exotic adventure film that captured the imagination of early movie audiences. Shown in honor of the 100th anniversary of Valentino's untimely death in August 1926 at age 31. Part of a summer mini-series of 1926 blockbusters celebrating their 100th birthdays! Silent film with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912. Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, 7 p.m.: "Steamboat Bill, Jr." (1928); The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551. As the 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. Silent film series at a restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Tickets $15 per person.
• Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, 7 p.m.: "Son of the Sheik" (1926) starring Rudolph Valentino; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt. We mark the 100th anniversary of Valentino's untimely death with his final picture: a rip-roaring sequel to 'The Sheik,' full of romance, adventure, and thrills! Join us for a series of silent films and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted with proceeds to help support the silent film series.
• Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Son of the Sheik" (1926) starring Rudolph Valentino; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.; Somerville Theatre. We mark the 100th anniversary of Valentino's untimely death with his final picture: a rip-roaring sequel to 'The Sheik,' full of romance, adventure, and thrills! Join us for 100th anniversary presentation on the big screen at the Somerville Theatre, a 1914 moviehouse and theater. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.
• Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, 7 p.m.: "Safety Last" (1923) starring Harold Lloyd. Heald Auditorium in Ludlow Town Hall, 37 Depot St., Ludlow, Vt. Admission free, donations welcome. The iconic image of Harold Lloyd dangling from the hands of a downtown clock is only one piece of a remarkable thrill comedy that has lost none of its power over audiences more than a century after its release. See it for yourself on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience. Silent film with live music presented by the Friends of the Ludlow Auditorium in the lovingly restored upstairs space in Ludlow Town Hall in Ludlow, Vt. For more info, call (802) 228-3238.
• Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, 4 p.m.: "Seven Chances" (1925) starring Buster Keaton; The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick, Mass.; (508) 647-0097. 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? One of Buster's best comedies, climaxed by one of the great chase scenes in all silent film comedy. Silent film with live music in a renovated firehouse that's now a terrific arts center. Tickets $14, Center for the Arts members $12.
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