Coming up: New silent film series in Fairlee, Vt., plus thoughts on gender roles and coinage inspired by Harold Lloyd's 'For Heaven's Sake'

An original lobby card for 'Our Hospitality' (1923) starring Buster Keaton.

Next up: a new series of silent films with live music in Fairlee, Vt.

It's my privilege to serve as accompanist for a monthly series of screenings in Fairlee Town Hall Auditorium.

First up is Buster Keaton's family feud comedy 'Our Hospitality' (1923), which I'll accompany on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m.

Many thanks to everyone at Fairlee Community Arts for the opportunity to do music for this and two other films this fall.

The line-up includes an evening screening of 'The Cat and the Canary' (1927) on Friday, Oct. 16; and then a matinee screening of Harold Lloyd's romantic comedy 'Girl Shy' on Sunday, Nov. 15.

More about the series, and the upcoming screening of 'Our Hospitality,' in the press release pasted in below. 

For silent film fans in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire, I hope you'll join us for these upcoming screenings and support this new series.

But now, here's a report on today's screening of Harold Lloyd's 'For Heaven's Sake' (1926) at the Somerville Theatre in Somerville, Mass. 

Today's matinee benefited by rainy weather A rainy day is usually good for movie attendance, and today's matinee drew a nice-sized crowd of about 75 individuals.

I can't complain about visibility on the Somerville's big marquee:

I wish to thank Harold's granddaughter, Sue Lloyd, who arranged for the Somerville Theatre to get a 35mm print shipped out in time for the screening. (By the way, the print looked fabulous.)

Her own 35mm print is on its way to this year's Pordenone silent film festivalooza in Italy, but Sue was able to find another for us to use.

'For Heaven's Sake' is often regarded as "lesser" Harold, although all of his features from the 1920s still make for great entertainment. A century after the film's release, our audience laughed throughout the picture.

However, one sequence in 'For Heaven's Sake' fell flat: when Harold must cope with unwanted odors and then inedible pastries. It's partly a retread from a similar scene from 'Grandma's Boy' (1921).

In the earlier film, the unpleasant odor comes from mothballs (from Harold's old suit), which then get dumped into a candy dish, which is how Harold winds up eating them. Much hilarity ensues. The scene always gets a big laugh.

In 'For Heaven's Sake,' the smell comes from a broken bottle of perfume that Harold unknowingly has in his pocket. 

Harold is sitting next to a tough guy, so assumes the flowery fragrance is coming from his neighbor. In a long take, Harold's facial expression evolves to the point where he registers scorn that a man can be so—well, unmanly. 

Then the tough guys catches the scent, and casts his own prolonged and disapproving glance Harold's way for the same reason. 

This scene might have produced uproarious and knowing laughter 100 years ago. But this afternoon, nothing.  

I think it's a case where attitudes about homosexuality, sexual preference, and gender identity have changed so completely over the years that the scene today is drained of any humor it once carried.

I can live with that. Part of the value of a movie from 100 years ago is that it's an accidental time capsule. In the same way that antiquated views of Los Angeles may be of interest, so are the at-times antiquated attitudes on display.

Does this mean the film should be edited to reflect modern sensibilities, or not shown at all? Of course not. Rather than judge yesterday's attitudes by today's standards, I think the thoughtful approach is to ask this question: 

I wonder what we're doing right now that people will find utterly baffling and even offensive 100 years in the future?

Our use internal combustion engines? Our consumption of processed food? Our addiction to our hand-held devices? (Heck, that's already becoming offensive.)

One other observation from 'For Heaven's Sake' about a brief shot that was missing from the 35mm print.

Early in the film, there's one moment I always enjoy, and which is present in the 2005 New Line release for home video. 

Harold at a bar in a pool hall and can't a $100 bill. Conveniently, another patron is paying with a coin. Harold intercepts the coin, puts it into a nearby slot machine, pulls the lever, and wins! 

The version I'm familiar with includes a close-up of the payout: two silver quarters: one of the current 'Standing Liberty ' design, and another a well-worn Barber quarter, last minted in 1915 but still in circulation. 

As a coin collector in childhood, and having never really grown up, such a scene excites my numismatist. In the world of silent film, seeing the coins people used in everyday transactions always brings me a thrill.

However, at today's screening of 'For Heaven's Sake,' the brief close-up was missing from the 35mm print. The scene was otherwise completely intact. It was just the one-second close-up of the coins that didn't appear!

I can't imagine why. But to make up for the loss, here's a screen capture of the missing coins:

Ka-ching! 

See you in Fairlee, Vt. this coming Sunday for 'Our Hospitality!' More details about the film and the series in the press release below.

*     *     * 

Buster Keaton with four-legged friend in 'Our Hospitality' (1923).

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15, 2026 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton stars in 'Our Hospitality' on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Fairlee Town Hall

Classic feature-length silent comedy about feuding families inaugurates series of silent films with live music

FAIRLEE, Vt.—He never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname of "the Great Stone Face."

But Buster Keaton's comedies rocked Hollywood's silent era with laughter throughout the 1920s, and remain popular crowd-pleasers today.

See for yourself with a screening of 'Our Hospitality' (1923), one of Keaton's landmark features, on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. at Fairlee Town Hall Auditorium, 75 Town Common Road, Fairlee, Vt.

This screening, the first in a series of silent films at Fairlee Town Hall, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Admission is free, with donations accepted to help defray costs. 

The screening is organized by Fairlee Community Arts, and is intended to bring people together for shared experiences that can't be duplicated on a home entertainment center.

A vintage trade publication ad promoting 'Our Hospitality' (1923) to exhibitors.

Set in the 1830s, 'Our Hospitality,' tells the tale of a young man (Keaton) raised in New York City but unknowingly at the center of a long-running backwoods family feud.

Resolving to return and claim his family homestead, he sets in motion a perilous cat-and-mouse game in which every move could be his last.

Highlights of the picture include Keaton's extended journey on a vintage train of the era, as well as a climatic river rescue scene.

The film stars Keaton's then-wife, Natalie Talmadge, as his on-screen love interest; their first child, newborn James Talmadge Keaton, makes a cameo appearance, playing Buster as an infant. Keaton's father also plays a role in the film.

Keaton entered films in 1917 and was quickly fascinated with the then-new medium. After apprenticing with popular comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Keaton set up his own studio in 1920, making short comedies that established him as one of the era's leading talents.

A remarkable pantomime artist, Keaton naturally used his entire body to communicate emotions from sadness to surprise. And in an era without special effects, Keaton's acrobatic talents enabled him to perform all his own stunts.

 

Buster Keaton with dog and period-authentic traveling bag in 'Our Hospitality' (1923).

In 1923, Keaton made the leap into full-length films with 'Our Hospitality,' which proved popular enough for him to continue making features for the rest of the silent era.

Critics later expressed astonishment at the sudden leap Keaton made from short comedies to the complex story and technical demands required for full-length features.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create a musical score for the film live during its screening, in the manner of theater organists during silent cinema's peak years in the 1920s.

"For most silent films, there was never any sheet music and no official score," Rapsis said. "So creating original music on the spot to help the film's impact is all part of the experience."

"That's one of the special qualities of silent cinema," Rapsis said. "Although the films themselves are often over a century old, each screening is a unique experience—a combination of the movie, the music, and the audience reaction."

The screening of 'Our Hospitality' is the first in a series of silent film screenings planned for this fall at the Fairlee Town Hall Auditorium.

Upcoming screenings include:

• Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, 7 p.m.: "The Cat and the Canary" (1927). Just in time for Halloween! Can a group of distant relatives survive the night in a haunted house to learn the secret of a madman's will? Find out in a movie filled with deep shadows, dark secrets, and a surprisingly timeless mix of humor and horror that keeps audiences guessing,

• Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Girl Shy" (1924) Join us for 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. See Harold's best work as he intended it: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience. 

The silent film series opens with ‘Our Hospitality’ (1923) starring Buster Keaton, to be shown with live music on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. at Fairlee Town Hall Auditorium, 75 Town Common Road, Fairlee, Vt.

Admission is free, with donations accepted to help defray costs. The screening is organized by Fairlee Community Arts; for more info, visit www.fairleearts.org

 

Husband and wife: Buster Keaton and Natalie Talmadge in 'Our Hospitality' (1923).