Prepare for St. Patrick's Day with 'Hangman's House' (1928), drama set in Ireland, screening 3/15 at Flying Monkey in Plymouth, N.H.

The dogs are big in John Ford's 'Hangman's House' (1928).

St. Patrick's Day is nearly upon us! Movie lovers, let's celebrate with a vintage drama set in Ireland and directed by John Ford, and with John Wayne in it.

It's 'The Quiet Man' (1952), right? 

Wrong!

It's 'Hangman's House' (1928), a much earlier movie directed by Ford released near the end of the silent era. I'll be accompanying the picture tonight (Wednesday, March 15) at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H.

Showtime is 6:30 p.m. More details in the press release pasted in below.

Although John Wayne appears in it, he's not the star. Instead, Victor McLaglen leads an ensemble cast.

But 'Hangman's House' is the first film in which Wayne can be spotted in a prominent cameo—in a scene where he gets so excited watching a horse race, he leads a group of villages in tearing down a fence.

Quite a contrast to the character that movie-goers would see a quarter-century later in 'The Quiet Man'!

Hope you're done shoveling in time to head to Plymouth to take in this rarely screened John Ford silent set in the Emerald Isle.

Sure'n it'll put you in the mood for all the green beer to come later this week!

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A vintage poster promoting 'Hangman's House' (1928).

MONDAY, FEB. 20, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more info, contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent drama 'Hangman's House' with live music at Flying Monkey on Wednesday, 3/15

Early John Ford horse-racing story set in Ireland; features prominent cameo by very young John Wayne

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—The silent film era returns to the big screen at the Flying Monkey with a showing of 'Hangman's House' (1928), a classic John Ford-directed silent drama accompanied by live music.

Showtime is Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H. Admission is $10 per person.

The screening, the latest in the Flying Monkey's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating scores for silent films.

Set in Ireland, 'Hangman's House' follows wanted man Denis Hogan (Victor McLaglen) who returns in disguise to his Irish homeland to seek revenge.

Once back, he becomes embroiled in an intense romantic drama involving a local judge (Hobart Bosworth), his daughter (June Collyer), a forced marriage and surprising revelations about his own sister.

A vintage lobby card from 'Hangman's House' (1928).

The film is highlighted by a high-stakes horse race. Among the spectators is a very young John Wayne, clearly visible as an extra who gets so excited he single-handedly destroys a fence.

The story culminates in a spectacular fire sequence that mesmerized the film's original audiences and still maintains its power today.

'Hangman's House' is praised for taut story-telling and evocative camerawork. Ford returned to Ireland as a setting in his later film 'The Quiet Man' (1952), this time starring John Wayne.

Later in his career, Ford would win a total of four Academy Awards for 'Best Director,' a record that stands to this day.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will improvise an original musical score for 'Hangman's House' live as the film is shown.

"When the score gets made up on the spot, it creates a special energy that's an important part of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of a full orchestra for the accompaniment.

Upcoming titles in the Flying Monkey's silent film series include:

• Wednesday, April 12, 6:30 p.m.: 'The Ten Commandments' (1923). Long before Charlton Heston played Moses in Technicolor, director Cecil B. DeMille filmed this silent blockbuster on a grand scale.

• Wednesday, May 10, 6:30 p.m.: 'Girl Shy' (1924) starring Harold Lloyd. Join us for the original rom-com featuring an unforgettable race-to-the-church finish.

• Wednesday, June 7, 6:30 p.m.: '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916). Early version of the classic Jules Verne tale, with a few other stories mixed in. Feature film that pioneered underwater photography techniques.

• Wednesday, July 19, 6:30 p.m.: 'The General' (1927) Buster Keaton's Civil War-era masterpiece tells the story of a Confederate railroad engineer whose train is hijacked by Northern spies. One of the great films of any era!

• Wednesday, Aug. 30, 6:30 p.m.: 'My Best Girl' (1927) starring Mary Pickford. In a big city department store, what happens when romance blossoms between a humble clerk and the store owner's son?

• Wednesday, Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m.: 'Scaramouche' (1923). When a nobleman murders his best friend, a lawyer becomes a revolutionary with his heart set on vengeance. Swashbuckler based on best-selling novel by Rafael Sabatini.

• Wednesday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m.: Lon Chaney creepy double feature. Just in time for Halloween. In 'The Unknown' (1927), Chaney plays "Alonzo the Armless," a circus knife thrower who uses his feet; in 'West of Zanzibar' (1928), Chaney plays a vaudeville magician who loses use of his legs in an accident and journeys to Africa to seek revenge.

• Wednesday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m.: 'The Three Musketeers' (1921) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Original screen adaptation that set the bar for future versions of the famous story, as well as the swashbuckler genre itself.

‘Hangman's House’ (1928), a classic silent drama directed by John Ford, will be shown with live music on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H. Admission is $10 per person. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

 P.S. Is it just me, but isn't the artwork style of the above poster eerily similar to the style of the old Wacky Packages product parody stickers of my youth?

A few words about films I've never accompanied before, including 'My Best Girl,' today at 2 p.m.

Beneath the marquee this week of the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H.

The above photo marks probably the first time the William Haines film 'The Smart Set' has been on a marquee since its 1928 release.

And that's kinda too bad, because it turns out 'The Smart Set' is a really fun picture—a slickly made late MGM silent set in the rarefied world of competitive polo.

Yes, polo—the sport where the players ride horses and use oversized mallets to knock balls around. 

Last Wednesday's audience of about 50 people thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted romp, with star William Haines winning special plaudits for his energetic performance as a conceited-but-redeemable polo player. 

So put that one in the "win" column!

In selecting films to accompany, I make it a point to seek out titles that sound promising but which never get screened. It's worth giving them a chance. You can never tell if a silent film works until you run it in its natural environment: in front of an audience.

Some are duds. But more often than not (such as with 'The Smart Set'), the pictures come to life in a way that continues to surprise me. 

Looking at a film at home by myself, I'll think, "There's no way an audience will buy this." But shown on the big screen with live music and in front of an audience, the movie snaps back to life.

They knew what they were doing. And by and large, these are the films that caused people to first fall in love with the movies. And people wouldn't fall in love with junk.

And this searching-out-rarely-screened titles helps stretch my instincts as a silent film accompanist. I've been doing this for more than 15 years now, and it wouldn't be nearly as interesting if there weren't "new" films to continue to discover. 

I actually keep track of how many different feature films I've scored on this blog. Check it out. I'm getting close to 400, and there's no end in sight of old movies that are new to me—and most of you, too.

Well, there's another first-timer (for me, anyway) coming up this afternoon: Mary Pickford's 'My Best Girl' (1927), a romantic comedy that co-stars Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, who would later become Mr. Mary Pickford after her marriage with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. broke up.

(I can't explain why, but I have always been captivated by Pickford's nickname for Doug: "Duber.")

I have high hopes for this one, of course, as Mary Pickford was pretty much the gold standard for successful film production throughout the silent era. 

We'll see. I encourage you to join in the fun, which starts today at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St. in Wilton, N.H. Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses.

I don't have a press release for this one. Instead, how about this quote from Pickford biographer Jeffrey Vance?

"What makes My Best Girl special is that it captures the miracle of two people falling in love with each other as their characters do. It is challenging to capture genuine emotion on a cold piece of celluloid, but falling in love is beautifully immortalized in My Best Girl."

So that makes it two Jeffs in a row urging you to check out "My Best Girl." So see you this afternoon in a darkened theater!

Charles 'Buddy' Rogers and Mary Pickford in 'My Best Girl' (1927).

Once-lost swashbuckler 'Bardelys' this week in Plymouth; report on 'The Kid' in Newport, R.I.

Portrait of the artist taking a photo of the poster for 'The Kid.' I'm visible as a reflection at left. 

This week it's off to Plymouth, N.H., where I'll accompany a screening of the lost-but-rediscovered MGM swashbuckler 'Bardelys the Magnificent' (1926) on Wednesday, May 11.

Show time is 6:30 p.m. I'd forgotten how much fun this film was, as I hadn't seen it since it was re-issued about 10 years ago after a nearly complete print was discovered in France. 

Lots more info in the press release below. For now, a few thoughts about a screening of 'The Kid' (1921) in Newport, R.I. and the excitement of performing for an audience where silent films aren't a regular part of the programming.

In Newport, the screening of Chaplin's 'The Kid' at the historic Jane Pickens Theatre (a single screen downtown moviehouse 100 years old this year!) was a direct outgrowth of a screening of 'The General' last February.

The venue ran Keaton's Civil War epic in partnership with a local bookstore, which had brought in author Dana Stevens to speak about her new book 'Camera Man.' I came down to do live music, and so made my first-ever visit to Newport, despite being a life-long New Englander. (I'm more of a "North of the Mass. Pike" kind of guy, but that's another story.)

Although the "JPT" (as it's called) runs all kinds of film (first-run, classics, foreign, independent), it seems silents with live music haven't been on the menu, despite the console of the venue's original theater organ still in place. (The pipes are still there as well, mummified in the walls.)

But 'The General' was so well-received, manager Alex Whitney was open to the idea of running other silent-era titles. He readily programmed a screening of 'Nosferatu' next October, right before Halloween, which I can't wait to accompany and which I'm sure will fill the house. 

So we talked about perhaps other silents in between, with me making the case that such programming was in keeping with the theater's roots as a silent movie house, but also an experience that can't be duplicated at home or via streaming. I also advocated for some kind of regular series as a way to build an audience over time.

My fellow silent film accompanist Ben Model often speaks of "audience preservation," a big part of keeping the silent film experience going. In the case of Newport, it's "audience development"—trying to create and sustain enough interest in the form so that it's worth it for a theater to program.

The marquee showing eclectic programming typical of the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport, R.I.

Alex wasn't ready to commit to a regular slate of silents, but he was intrigued enough to program 'The Kid,' with everyone crossing their fingers that an audience would materialize, even without the added attraction of a book-signing. 

And I'm pleased to report that it did: about 60 paid admissions. The result was an audience that responded strongly throughout Chaplin's comedy/drama, and was full of questions before and after the show. Most had never experienced a silent film with live music. 

And the questions were really basic, ground-level inquiries (Where do you get these films? Are you playing the original score?) that reminded me that many attendees were right at the beginning of a wonderful journey of discovery, if they chose to pursue it.

Comedies such as 'The Kid' were the "gateway drug," I said, to a world of cinema that is of course not new anymore, but is new to us. It's a different kind of cinema that at its best is a very different movie-going experience that what you're used to—with stories told visually (by necessity) that tend to be more abstract and universal and more about the big emotions such as Love (with a capital L) or Fear or Joy or Jealously, and with no dialogue to get in the way, and with music helping stir your own reactions to the story as it unfolds on-screen, and with not just comedies, but dramas, thrillers, adventures, and more, and all with the added bonus today of showing us (in many films) what life was life for ordinary people just living their day-to-day life, but in narratives underpinned by stories driven by universal elements of the human experience that speak to us even today, because we're still human beings. And so on.

Wow! Didn't mean to go all William Faulkner there, but that's what happens when I get excited. And how exciting to think that the Newport film-going community was on the threshold of experiencing a world of movies—silent ones—but which can still speak to us today.

And it helped that the Jane Pickens has excellent acoustics for what I do and how I do it. The sound from my two ancient Roland speakers bounces right off the wooden stage floor and really fills the house. Nice!

You could tell by the questions that people were into it. The back-and-forth continued in the theater long after the public Q & A finished. One gentleman (another Jeff) came up with greetings from film accompanist Donald Sosin, an old school chum of his with whom he keeps in touch, and who was on the other coast at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. I considered that a good omen for Newport.

So what's next? Other than 'Nosferatu' in October, nothing specific right now. But we've managed to build regular silent film series in locations as disparate as Brandon, Vt. (our 11th season starts this weekend!) Ogunquit, Maine (another seaside community with a vintage theater) and Plymouth, N.H., where I'm accompanying 'Bardelys the Magnificent' tomorrow night.

So I'm hoping Newport can be a good home for silent cinema, too. Time will tell.

And now it's time for info about 'Bardelys the Magnificent'—the press release is below, and hope to see you at the Flying Monkey in Plymouth, N.H.

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John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman, and executioner in 'Bardelys the Magnificent' (1926).

MONDAY, MAY 2, 2022 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Rediscovered silent film swashbuckler to 're-premier' in Plymouth, N.H. on Wednesday, May 11

'Bardelys the Magnificent' (1926), long thought lost until a copy was found in Europe, to be screened with live music

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—A major Hollywood feature—considered lost for decades until a copy surfaced in France in 2006—will soon return to the big screen.

'Bardelys the Magnificent' (1926), a big-budget MGM release starring John Gilbert and Eleanor Boardman, will be screened on Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

Live music for the movie will be provided by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis. Admission to the screening is $10 per person.

Based on a novel by prolific Italian/English author Rafael Sabatini, 'Bardelys the Magnificent' is a tale of romance, honor, and derring-do set during the reign of King Louis XIII of France.

The story follows the adventures of French nobleman Bardelys, who assumes the identity of a dead man to be close to the woman he loves.

The ruse backfires, however, when it turns out the dead man is wanted for treason against the King. This propels Bardelys into a series of swashbuckling adventures as he must avoid being caught and executed, all the while pursuing his beloved.

The title role is played by legendary leading man John Gilbert, then at the height of his 1920s stardom and popular for his good looks, magnetic personality, and athletic stunts.

Actress Eleanor Boardman plays Roxalanne, his love interest; the huge cast includes many silent film-era stars and supporting players.

'Bardelys the Magnificent' was directed by King Vidor, who was responsible for several well-known silent-era classics, including 'The Big Parade' (1925), 'The Crowd' (1928), and 'Show People' (1928).

The picture was a solid hit in its original release, making money and enhancing the reputations of everyone involved.

Later, MGM's rights to the Sabatini novel expired in 1936, and the studio destroyed all copies per the licensing agreement. It was only later that archivists realized that no other copies of the film were known to have survived anywhere.

 
For seven decades, the only footage of 'Bardelys the Magnificent' known to exist was in the form of a brief clip included in a movie theater scene in 'Show People,' another Vidor picture. 'Bardelys' was regarded as a major lost feature film from the silent era.

Then, in 2006, researchers in France discovered an almost complete copy of 'Bardelys the Magnificent' in a private collection. The print was missing about 10 minutes of footage, but was otherwise intact and in excellent condition. 

The missing footage is replaced with still photos taken on the set, written descriptions, and by footage recovered from a 'Coming attractions' trailer for the film.

Restoration was completed in 2008; the film was subsequently released on DVD, and has since been screened at several festivals around the country.

Silent films were produced until 1929, when talkies arrived. About 80 percent of all movies made during the silent era are now lost due to decomposition, carelessness, fire, or neglect.

But copies of "missing" films still occasionally turn up in archives and collections around the world, so researchers and archivists continue to make discoveries.

Jailhouse love scene from 'Bardelys the Magnificent' (1926).

For 'Bardelys the Magnificent,' Rapsis will improvise a score using original musical material that he creates beforehand. For a movie score to support 'Bardelys,' Rapsis will use a digital synthesizer to recreate the sound and texture of a full orchestra.

"What I try to do," Rapsis said, "is create music that bridges the gap between a film that might be 90 or 100 years old, and the musical expectations of today's audiences."

The screening of 'Bardelys the Magnificent' is the latest in the Flying Monkey's series celebrating films that recently entered the public domain.

Copyright protection for all U.S. films released in 1926 expired on Jan. 1, 2022.

To mark the occasion, the Flying Monkey is showcasing vintage 1926 comedies, dramas, and adventure films, all with live music, and all now in the public domain.

Upcoming screenings in the Flying Monkey's "Public Domain Extravaganza" series include:

• Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 6:30 p.m.: "The Black Pirate" (1926) starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. The original pirate swashbuckler, with Fairbanks sword-fighting his way through a period adventure tale set during the age of sailing ships.

"By 1926, the movies had matured enough to offer a wide range of great entertainment that still holds up today," Rapsis said. "Come see for yourself as we screen some of the year's best flicks, all of which recently entered the public domain and now belong to us all."

'Bardelys the Magnificent' will be shown on Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

Admission is $10 per person. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

Need a laugh? Silent film screenings return to Flying Monkey with Keaton's 'Three Ages'

Buster practices pre-historic self-sanitization in 'Three Ages' (1923), to be screened on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at the Flying Monkey.

In these times of trouble, how about some timeless comedy?

To provide just that, we're running Buster Keaton's 'Three Ages' (1923) to restart silent film screenings next week at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H.

Think of it as a public service: an attempt to alleviate the Great Levity Shortage of 2020.

'Three Ages,' Buster's send-up of D.W. Griffith's epic drama 'Intolerance' (1916), will be shown on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. General admission is $10 per person.

The Keaton screening ends an intermission of more than four months at the Flying Monkey, where the last film I accompanied was a Western, 'Wild Horse Mesa' (1925), in mid-March.

But we're back in business, with a varied program of silents all with live music, and all scheduled to run (well, mostly) on the last Wednesday of each month.

One necessary nod to today's reality: the Flying Monkey is following all local public health and CDC guidelines to keep patrons safe. Masks, limited capacity, social distancing, hand sanitizing: they're all part of the show.

With Buster, only the laughter should be contagious. And boy, could we ever use a big dose of that.

Hope to see you there! For more about 'Three Ages,' and a preview of other films scheduled for later months, check out the press release below.

And let me note here that if 'Three Ages' isn't enough to cure your Keaton withdrawal, we have 'The General' (1926) and 'Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) running next month as part of Silent Film Comedy Week at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

More on that later, but check out this story posted on the web site of Box Office Pro.

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Classic comedy in classical times: Buster Keaton in 'Three Ages' (1923)>

TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2020 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent film with live music returns to Flying Monkey on Wednesday, Aug. 5

Monthly series to open with 'Three Ages,' classic 1923 comedy starring Buster Keaton

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—It's a comeback worth making some noise about.

After a four-month hiatus due to Covid-19, the long-running silent film series at the Flying Monkey will resume in August.

First up is Buster Keaton's classic 1923 comedy 'Three Ages,' to be shown on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission is $10 per person.

At the reopened Flying Monkey, accommodations will be made to keep patrons safe in the Covid-19 era.

Face-coverings are required to enter the theater, and should remain on at all times until movie-goers take their seats. Capacity will be limited to 50 percent; audience members are asked to observe social distancing in choosing seats.

The screening will be accompanied with live music by Jeff Rapsis.

"In these times, we need laughter more than ever," Rapsis said. "So it was only natural to restart our silent film series with one of the era's legendary comedians, Buster Keaton."

Keaton himself never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname of "the Great Stone Face." But his comedies rocked Hollywood's silent era with laughter throughout the 1920s.

'Three Ages,' a send-up of the then-famous drama 'Intolerance' (1916), weaves together similar love stories told in three different epochs: the Stone Age, the Roman Age, and "Modern" (1920s) times.

The three-stories-in-one approach was Keaton's first attempt at a feature-length comedy. If 'Three Ages' ran into box office trouble, Keaton planned to split it up into three shorter films to be released separately.

But the picture was a hit, due to inspired comic touches that still shine through today. 'Three Ages' launched Keaton's spectacular run of classic comic features that lasted until the industry's transition to sound pictures in 1929.

Although 'Three Ages' spans three historical eras, Keaton performs jaw-dropping physical comedy in each of them.

The "caveman" sequences feature knockabout comedy with Buster in a bearskin outfit; the Roman scenes include a wild chariot race held during a snowstorm; and the modern era scenes include one of the great silent film chases.

A smitten Keaton counts flower petals.

Live music for 'Three Ages' will be provided by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to create a traditional full orchestra "movie score" sound.

"If you've never seen a silent comedy in a theater with an audience and live music, you're missing one of the cinema's great experiences," said Rapsis, who accompanies more than 100 silent film programs each year.

Rapsis emphasized the unique experience of seeing early cinema as it was originally presented.

"These films were designed for the big screen, live music, and large audiences. Put it all together again, and you get a sense of why people first fell in love with the movies," Rapsis said.

'Three Ages' opens a monthly series of silent film programs at the Flying Monkey that include more comedy, plus drama, horror, and an unusual Russian documentary. On the schedule:

• Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m.: 'Why Worry?' (1923) starring Harold Lloyd. Wealthy hypochondriac Harold gets caught up in a south-of-the-border uprising, finding romance along the way. One of Lloyd's wackiest outings; he co-stars with an actual giant. Perfect escapist fun for these worrisome times!

• Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m.: 'Man With A Movie Camera' (1928). Russian director Dziga Vertov's celebration of daily life in the Soviet Union. Experimental documentary with no story and no actors, but filled with eye-popping visuals that anticipate later music/image films such as 'Koyaanisqatsi.'

• Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m.: The original 'Nosferatu' (1922). Celebrate Halloween by experiencing the original silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous 'Dracula' story. Still scary after all these years—in fact, some critics believe this version is the best ever done, and has become creepier with the passage of time.

• Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m.: 'Broken Blossoms' (1919). Can two outcasts in Edwardian London find peace and happiness in a cruel world? Will Lillian Gish overcome her abusive father? Can Richard Barthelmess find love in a forbidden relationship? Great D.W. Griffith drama, with stellar performance from iconic silent actress Gish.

• Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 6:30 p.m.: Planes, Trains and Monty Banks. Rediscover forgotten silent comedian Monty Banks, born "Mario Bianchi" in Italy. In 'Flying Luck,' (1927), hapless aviator joins the U.S. Army Air Corps, with hilarious results. Preceded by an excerpt from 'Play Safe' (1927), a hair-raising chase sequence set aboard an out-of-control freight train.

'Three Ages' (1923) starring Buster Keaton will be screened with live music on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, N.H. General admission $10 per person. For more info, visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com or call (603) 536-2551.

Warmer weather, a busier silent film schedule: four days, three screenings, three states

Tonight! 'Sherlock Holmes' (1916) starring William Gillette at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H.

April showers bring May flowers, and also a fresh bouquet of silent film screenings here in my home area of northern New England.

Consider: after a quiet month, suddenly the calendar is blooming with three separate shows in three states over the next four days.

First up: it's the original (and recently rediscovered) 'Sherlock Holmes' (1916) starring stage actor William Gillette, which I'm accompanying tonight (Thursday, May 9) at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H.

More details about this screening is found in the press release, which I've pasted in at the bottom of this post.

But then Saturday, May 11 is opening night of another season of silent film screenings in Brandon, Vt.

We'll run Harold Lloyd's great thrill comedy 'Safety Last' (1923) to launch the monthly series, which runs through October. All screenings are at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center. Showtime is 7 p.m.

Then on Sunday, May 12, it's another big silent comedy, but this time in Massachusetts: Buster Keaton's 'The General' (1926) at the Natick Center of the Arts in Natick, Mass.

Showtime is 4 p.m., and I'm hoping for inclement weather to make a comedy about the Civil War more of an appealing 'Mother's Day' draw. We'll see.

With this weekend, the pace of silent film screenings picks up as we head into summer. I'll keep hopping through Halloween, mostly in my home turf, but with upcoming adventures in San Francisco, Cleveland, Buffalo, and possibly other places.

As the title cards on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show' used to say: More to come!

But for now, here's the press release with details about tonight's 'Sherlock Holmes' screening. Hope you'll deduce that it's worth seeing!

* * *

Stage actor William Gillette in the original 'Sherlock Holmes' (1916).

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

It's elementary! Rediscovered 'Sherlock Holmes' movie at Flying Monkey on Thursday, May 9

Original film adaptation, missing for nearly a century, on the big screen with live musical accompaniment

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—The first-ever movie adaptation of 'Sherlock Holmes,' a silent film released in 1916 and recently rediscovered, will screen this month at the Flying Monkey in Plymouth.

The original 'Sherlock Holmes' will be shown with live music on Thursday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission is $10 per person.

Like many films from the silent era, the 'Sherlock Holmes' movie was long considered lost until a nearly complete copy was discovered in 2014 at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris.

The film has since been restored, allowing movie-goers to again see the only screen appearance of stage actor William Gillette.

Gillette originated the role of Sherlock Holmes in a popular stage adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of the legendary British detective.

Stage actor William Gillette in 'Sherlock Holmes.'

Gillette performed as the brilliant Holmes more than 1,300 times over three decades, touring the nation and popularizing Conan Doyle's sleuth.

A popular stage actor, Gillette made no other known movie appearances. But his interpretation of the Holmes character laid the groundwork for all actors who would later play the role, including Basil Rathbone and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Set in Victorian-era London, the original 'Sherlock Holmes' is an episodic crime drama that incorporates the plots of several Conan Doyle tales.

Running about 90 minutes, it features all major characters of the Holmes stories, including companion Dr. Watson and nemesis/rival Prof. Moriarty.

It was filmed in 1915 in the Chicago studios of the Essanay Film Co., with exterior shots of the Windy City doubling for Victorian London.

The restoration was premiered several years ago at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

A scene from 'Sherlock Holmes' (1916).

The film will be shown with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer regarded as one of the nation's leading silent film musicians.

Rapsis improvises live scores for silent films using a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra.

"It's kind of a high wire act," Rapsis said. "But for me, the energy of live performance is an essential part of the silent film experience."

Upcoming titles in the Flying Monkey's silent film series include:

• Thursday, June 20, 6:30 p.m.: 'Safety Last' (1923) starring Harold Lloyd. The iconic image of comedian Harold Lloyd dangling from the hands of a downtown clock is only one small piece of a remarkable thrill comedy that has lost none of its power over audiences. See it for yourself on the big screen and with an audience.

The original ‘Sherlock Holmes' (1916), starring William Gillette in the title role, will be shown with live music on Thursday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H. General admission is $10; for more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

A Western double feature, plus: 'What would Lewis & Clark think of frequent flier points?'

An original poster for 'The Great K & A Train Robbery' (1926).

Yessiree Bob, I'm no rancher or gunfighter or cowpoke.

But there's something about sitting in a darkened theater and losing one's self in a silent western with live music.

What is that something? I can't describe it. And neither can Bob, whoever he is.

But you can experience it yourself tonight (Thursday, May 24) with a double feature at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H.

The two silent Westerns on the bill: William S. Hart's 'Hell's Hinges' (1918) and Tom Mix in 'The Great K & A Train Robbery' (1926).

Showtime is 6:30 p.m., pardner. Admission $10 per person.

And you know, it's curious: I've never quite responded to Westerns as a genre. 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre,' anyone? No thanks—I'll take the Marx Brothers, thank you.

As a native of New Hampshire, I guess it's just not my thing, ayup.

To me, the West is Sullivan County and the Connecticut River Valley. (Which is where D.W. Griffith filmed Lillian Gish on the ice in 'Way Down East,' by the way.)

But I find I really get into silent Westerns. No matter the quality of the film, the story, or the performances, they're absorbing and entertaining and somehow it all works for me.

I've sensed this all along. But I've really come to know it by going out twice a year to do accompaniment at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in the San Francisco area.

The museum schedules screenings in two-month blocks, and they always start out with a silent western feature: usually something I've never heard of.

And I always seem to be out there right at the opening of a new schedule, which means I'm usually in the saddle, so to speak, for Hoot Gibson or William S. Hart or more obscure performers.

Maybe it's because I've just flown across the country, having just gazed down at the desolate landscapes that formed the setting for so much Western lore.

By the way: how amazing that we can zip from coast to coast before lunchtime when it took early settlers months of hardship! I wonder what Lewis & Clark would make of frequent flier points.

But about Westerns: maybe seeing them in "silent film" form, where everything runs a little faster, is more in step with my own internal clock.

And perhaps the simplicity of many of the Western stories and the characters that inhabit them—maybe that's more suited to the silent film medium.

After all, there's something very primal about seeing people as characters who we know are good, and who will triumph, and characters who are irredeemably bad, and will get punished.

And often the punishment is physical and real, and meted out by the fists of the good and virtuous. What could be more satisfying?

Real life doesn't work that way, of course. Just read the news!

But I think people crave this in a story, as it so rarely happens in life as slog through it. And silent westerns seem uniquely suited to deliver it in a way that I respond to.

And you? Join us tonight and find out!

The Flying Monkey Theatre is at 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H. More info online at www.flyingmonkeynh.com or call (603) 536-2551.

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And let me wish all a good Memorial Day weekend—one in which we take time to remember the many, many people who sacrificed their lives for a cause greater than themselves.