Norma Talmadge in 'Within the Law' on Sunday, July 24 at Town Hall Theatre, Wilton, N.H.

A lobby card for Norma Talmadge in 'Within the Law' (1923).

I'm not sure what kind of attendance we'll get due to today's excessive heat, but I have high hopes for 'Within the Law' (1923), a Norma Talmadge drama that I'm accompanying this afternoon.

Showtime is 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. Lots more details in the press release below. 

Like all titles in this summer's "Women of the Silent Screen" series, it's a film I've never accompanied before. 

But 'Within the Law' turns out to be what I would describe as a pre-feminist "revenge-against-the-paternity" drama, and darned interesting because of that.

I also read in the new Curtis biography of Buster Keaton that originally producer Joe Schenck (Norma's then-husband) planned to use English actress Margaret Leahy in 'Within the Law' after she won a publicity contest in Great Britain. 

But then director Frank Lloyd (who would go on to direct Charles Laughton in 1935's 'Mutiny on the Bounty') discovered the unfortunate fact that Leahy simply could not act. 

Schenck took Leahy off the picture and instead gave him to his brother-in-law, comedian Buster Keaton, then planning 'Three Ages' (1923), his first foray into features.

Buster, who was married to Norma's sister Natalie, was told to use Leahy, and he did. 

Although 'Three Ages' wasn't nearly as demanding as the Talmadge drama, Keaton found it nearly impossible to get a usable performance out of her.

In addition, 'Within the Law' contains a juicy part for Ward Crane (who plays 'English Eddie,' a police stool pigeon), familiar to Keaton fans as the villain in 'Sherlock Jr.,' made the next year.

It's remarkable the discover the close links between such different films and filmmakers. The big factor, of course, is Joe Schenck, who seems to have moved performers and technicians around his various productions like pieces on a chess board.

Hope to see you in Wilton this afternoon. I'm sure the big old window-unit air conditioners are already running...

*  *  * 

Norma Talmage (center) is 'Within the Law'...for now.

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2022 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Norma Talmadge stars in 'Within the Law' (1923) on Sunday, July 24 in Wilton, N.H.

Screening of vintage drama is latest in Town Hall Theatre's series of silent films presented with live music

WILTON, N.H.—An intense drama starring one of the most popular actresses of the era is next up the Town Hall Theatre's summer-long salute to female stars of the silent screen.

'Within the Law' (1923) starring Norma Talmadge will be screened with live music on Sunday, July 24 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses.

In 'Within the Law,' Talmadge plays Mary Turner, a shopgirl working for slave wages who winds up in prison for a theft she did not commit.

Mary is bitter over her ruined life and swears vengeance on her former employer, Edward Gilder (Joseph Kilgour).

When Mary is released from prison and cannot find work, she teams up with Aggie Lynch (Eileen Percy) to extort money out of elderly men.

The scheme takes an unexpected turn, prompting dire consequences.

'Within the Law' was partially filmed on location in New York City, providing glimpses of the Big Apple during the Roaring '20s.

Throughout the 1920s, the most famous sisters in the entertainment world were the Brooklyn-raised Talmadges: Norma, Natalie and Constance. 

Norma (at left), the eldest, was a dramatic actress of great talent and restraint. She was loved by a public that identified with the brave, tragic heroine she often played of melodramas and tragedies.

Appearing in movies with high production values and helmed by some of Hollywood's finest directors, Norma developed into one of the great screen actresses of the period.

By 1920, she had eclipsed Mary Pickford as the top worldwide female box-office attraction.

The screening of 'Within the Law' is the latest in a Town Hall Theatre summer series featuring female stars of the silent screen, all with live music by accompanist Jeff Rapsis.

Here's the line-up of upcoming screenings:

• Sunday, Aug. 14 at 2 p.m.: Marion Davies in 'Beverly of Graustark.' Gender-bending 1926 comedy in which Davies stars as an American cousin of a European prince—and with whom she must switch places to keep the kingdom from unraveling. Newly released title!

• Sunday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m.: Double feature with Gloria Swanson, Mae Marsh. Silent screen icon Gloria Swanson stars in 'Fine Manners' (1926), a comedy about a chorus girl trying to keep up with high society beau. In 'Daddies' (1924), Mae Marsh plays an unlikely orphan adopted by the head of the local Bachelor's Club. Hilarity ensues!

All titles in the series have never been shown as part of the Town Hall Theatre's long-running silent film programming.

"We specifically chose films that we haven't run before in Wilton, in part to explore the incredible range and surprising diversity of roles women played in Hollywood's silent era," said Jeff Rapsis, the Town Hall Theatre's silent film accompanist.

‘Within the Law’ (1923) starring Norma Talmadge will be shown with live music on Sunday, July 24 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses.

For more info, visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call (603) 654-3456.

Today's puzzler: What happens when you promote 'Smilin' Through' (1922) for St. Patrick's Day but then find out the film is not set in Ireland?

A poster for 'Smilin' Through,' a top box office attraction of 1922.

A few months ago, I scheduled the Norma Talmadge drama 'Smilin' Through' (1922) for this past Sunday in honor of St. Patrick's Day later this week. 

After all, what better way to mark the occasion, and honor my heritage (I'm one quarter Irish!) than a film set in the Emerald Isle?

And that was all great, except there was one little problem—it turned out the film wasn't set in Ireland!

To quote unsuccessful presidential candidate Rick Perry: Oops! 

Yes, a short flashback near the beginning of the film takes place in Ireland. But the bulk of the story happens in Dunstable, England, just north of London. 

I discovered this only after all the press releases had been out, and we'd gotten some nice exposure in the local media, promising everyone a fun and memorable way to mark St. Patrick's Day.

Faith and begorrah—I was off by only a couple of hundred miles!

What to do? Of course I fessed up to yesterday's audience, which was understanding and found the mix-up amusing. No pitchforks or lighted torches were evident. Whew!

But how to make up for this? The screening of 'Smilin' Through' was part of a series we're running celebrating the 100th anniversary of pictures released in 1922. ('Smilin' Through' was the No. 3 box office attraction that year.)

And for some programs, we liven things up with short films, newsreels, and other oddities from the same year.

So for Sunday's program, I took an "All in the Family" approach, inserting a short comedy starring Norma Talmadge's brother-in-law, Buster Keaton.

Lucky for me, one of Keaton's 1922 comedies was 'My Wife's Relations,' which contains a significant quotient of what I would call "Irish ethnic humor," which was fairly common at the time. 

So THAT was how we made good on the St. Patrick's Day crisis: Buster to the rescue!

'Smilin' Through,' although complete sentimental hogwash, proved to be very effective on the big screen. 

You can see why people bought tickets in such quantity in 1922: it's very well put together and has a great multi-hankie uplifting ending.

Ultimately, the film's message is quite dark: for many of us, the only real happiness we will ever experience is in the afterlife. Until then, we have to go "Smilin' Through" our earthly existence, knowing that a better time awaits in the great beyond.

Thinking about it, I'm not so sure I can buy into that whole idea.

Norma Talmadge, one of the silent era's most popular stars—and sister-in-law of Buster Keaton.

But to its credit, 'Smilin' Through' never really asks us to think. It's all about feeling. It's a 90-minute warm bath in emotion and sentiment—and a century after its release, maybe that's something we now need more than ever.

Alas, the film hasn't been reissued or ever been given a decent transfer. Of 1922's top five movies, 'Smilin' Through' proved to be the most difficult to source.

But because the film is public domain, leave it to low budget purveyor Alpha Video to have released the film on DVD as part of their "Lost Silent Classics" series. 

Surprisingly, Alpha's version looked pretty good on the big screen. In the print they used, two stretches showed evidence of serious decomposition, and whites were really blown out in some parts of the transfer. 

But way better than other Alphas I've seen, so we were fortunate it came out so well.

Next up in our 100th anniversary series: starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr., it's 1922 box office champ 'The Adventures of Robin Hood,' which will screen on Sunday, March 27 at the Town Hall Theatre.

Press release below. And with this one, I know it's set in England (mostly), so no geographic slip-ups expected.

*    *    *

Original poster art for 'The Adventures of Robin Hood,' the top-grossing film of 1922.

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2022 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'Robin Hood' leaps into action at Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, March 27

It's off to Sherwood Forest for the 100th anniversary of legendary silent blockbuster, screened with live music

WILTON, N.H.—He robbed from the rich, gave to the poor, and was the top box office attraction of 1922.

He was Douglas Fairbanks Sr. starring in 'Robin Hood,' the original movie adaptation of the legendary tale.

See it for yourself on the big screen on Sunday, March 27 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H., 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses.

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

Set in medieval England, 'Robin Hood' tells the tale of the Earl of Huntingdon (Fairbanks), a dashing nobleman who joins King Richard the Lion-Hearted (Wallace Beery) on a Crusade to the Holy Land.

Huntingdon later returns to England to find Richard's cruel brother, Prince John (Sam De Grasse), falsely claiming the throne, enriching his aristocratic cronies and tyrannizing the citizenry.

Huntingdon takes to the woods and becomes 'Robin Hood,' soon joined by a band of merry men who undermine Prince John's reign by robbing from the rich and giving to the poor.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in the title role as 'Robin Hood.'

Can Robin Hood and his men vanquish their enemy, the High Sheriff of Nottingham (William Lowery)? And can they rescue Lady Marian Fitzwalter (Enid Bennett), Huntingdon's betrothed, from the evil clutches of Prince John?

Along the way, Fairbanks has ample opportunity to demonstrate his skills in archery, fencing, and acrobatics.

Directed by Allan Dwan, 'Robin Hood' amazed audiences with its enormous sets that recreated in full scale the castles and villages of medieval England.

At a time when $200,000 was a hefty movie budget, 'Robin Hood' cost $1 million to produce.

Directing 'Robin Hood': a big megaphone for a big production.

But the film proved an enormous hit, becoming the top box office attraction of 1922 and earning $2.5 million in its initial release through United Artists, the distribution company Fairbanks formed with fellow stars Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, and his wife, Mary Pickford.

Fairbanks, among the most popular stars of the 1920s, was the inspiration for the character of George Valentin in the Oscar-winning Best Picture 'The Artist' (2011). Fairbanks was known for films that used the then-new medium of motion pictures to transport audiences to historical time periods for grand adventures and athletic stunts.

He's often referred to as "Douglas Fairbanks Sr." to avoid confusion with his son, the actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Also in the cast for 'Robin Hood' is Alan Hale Sr., who made such an impression at Little John that he was cast in the same role in the 1938 remake starring Errol Flynn. (Hale's son, Alan Hale Jr., played the role of the Skipper on the 1960s television series "Gilligan's Island.")

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

"Seeing a Fairbanks picture in a theater with live music and an audience is a classic movie experience," Rapsis said.

Rapsis emphasized the value 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.

The screening of 'Robin Hood' is part of the Town Hall Theatre's ongoing series honoring the 100th anniversary of significant motion pictures that debuted in 1922.

Programs will include 1922's five highest-grossing titles, each shown on the big screen with live music, as well as century-old oddities, short films, cartoons, and more.

Upcoming programs in the Town Hall's 100th anniversary series include:

• Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Chaney/Houdini Double Feature. In 'Flesh and Blood' (1922), escaped convict Lon Chaney hides out in Chinatown and plots revenge. In 'The Man From Beyond' (1922) illusionist Harry Houdini plays an Arctic adventurer frozen for 100 years!

• Sunday, April 17, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Emil Jannings in 'Othello' (1922). The Bard's immortal tragedy brought to the screen in this early German version. Silent Shakespeare in honor of the author's 458th birthday.

'Robin Hood' (1922) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr., will be screened with live music on Sunday, March 27 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H. Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to defray expenses.

For more info, visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call (603) 654-3456. 

Coming Sunday, March 13 for St. Paddy's Day: silent drama 'Smilin' Through' set in Ireland

An original release poster for 'Smilin' Through' (1922), the year's No. 3 box office attraction.

If you can't make it to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, consider visiting Wilton, N.H.

That's where we'll present 'Smilin' Through' (1922), a silent drama starring Norma Talmadge, at the Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m.

Set in the Emerald Isle, 'Smilin' Through' is a sentimental tale of love lost and then found across the generations. I'll provide live music.

Please join us to celebrate St. Patrick's Day just a little early by taking in one of the most popular movies of 1922 on the occasion of its 100th birthday. 

Sure'n we'll see you at the movies then!

*  *  *

Norma Talmadge in 'Smilin' Through' (1922).

MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Rarely screened silent drama set in Ireland returns to big screen for St. Paddy's Day

'Smilin' Through,' 1922 box office hit, to be shown with live music on Sunday, March 13 at Town Hall Theatre to celebrate film's 100th anniversary

WILTON, N.H.—Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, a classic film set in Ireland full of romance, drama, and the haunting atmosphere of the Emerald Isle.

It's 'Smilin' Through' (1922), starring legendary actress Norma Talmadge, whose legions of fans made the movie the No. 3 box office attraction of 1922. 

See what made 'Smilin' Through' so popular when the picture returns to the big screen to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its release.

'Smilin' Through' will be shown on Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10 per person to help support the theater's silent film series.

The classic drama, set in the years before and after World War I, will be shown with live music by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.

 

Norma Talmadge, then at the peak of her career, plays the dual role of Kathleen, a young Irish woman, and Moonyean, Kathleen's aunt who died many years ago under tragic circumstances.

Kathleen is in love with Kenneth Wayne, but is prevented from marrying him by her guardian John Carteret, who remains haunted by memories of his thwarted love for Mooneyan.

In a drama that combines romance with the world of spirits, can the tragic fate of Moonyean point the way for Kathleen to find true love at last?

The story, based on a 1919 stage play, was filmed twice more by MGM: in 1932 with Norma Shearer and 1941 with Jeanette MacDonald.

The film was strongly associated with the song 'Smilin' Through,' a sentimental 1919 ballad with lyrics and music by Arthur A. Penn.

The song, inspired by the stage play, remained popular for several decades, recorded by performers ranging from Judy Garland to Bing Crosby.

The screening of 'Smilin' Through' is part of the Town Hall Theatre's ongoing series honoring the 100th anniversary of significant motion pictures that debuted in 1922.

Programs will include all of 1922's five highest-grossing titles, each shown on the big screen with live music, as well as century-old oddities, short films, cartoons, and more.

"Putting these films back on the big screen is a great way to celebrate the 100th anniversaries of some terrific motion pictures," said Rapsis, the silent film accompanist who will create live music for all screenings.

"These are films that set the standard for Hollywood, and still retain their power to entertain, especially when shown in a theater with live music and an audience," Rapsis said.

Upcoming programs in the Town Hall's 100th anniversary series include:

• Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Douglas Fairbanks in 'Robin Hood' Celebrate the 100th anniversary of this blockbuster adaptation. Massive sets, great action, and Doug Fairbanks in the lead made this the top grossing film of 1922!

• Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Chaney/Houdini Double Feature. In 'Flesh and Blood' (1922), escaped convict Lon Chaney hides out in Chinatown and plots revenge. In 'The Man From Beyond' (1922) illusionist Harry Houdini plays an Arctic adventurer frozen for 100 years!

• Sunday, April 17, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Emil Jannings in 'Othello' The Bard's immortal tragedy brought to the screen in this early German version. Silent Shakespeare in honor of the author's 458th birthday.

‘Smilin' Through' (1922) will be shown live music on Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10 per person to help defray expenses. For more info, call (603) 654-3456 or visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com.

Report on 'Summer Romance' Sunday, Sept. 4

Very pleased at how the music turned out of 'Flirting with Fate' (1916) and 'Kiki' (1926), a double feature on Sunday, Sept. 4 that finished up our summer romance series at the Wilton (N.H.) Town Hall Theatre. (The show was postponed from Aug. 28 thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Irene.)

For 'Flirting with Fate,' an early Douglas Fairbanks romp, I had an all-purpose "aspirational theme" that contained the DNA, I thought, of something a lot more integrated. (Mahler, where are you?) But it worked fine for this Fairbanks film, which is slightly darker than most due to its emphasis on suicide. (Suicide? Romp?) There's Doug on the left overhearing his assassin-to-be.

I also came up with a "rump-te-dump" slow 6/8 theme for Doug in his non-crisis moments, and once again came away amazed at how Fairbanks seems to bring out that side of me without any prompting. The same thing happened in 'The Mark of Zorro' (1921) when it came time to illustrate the laid-back side of her Don Diego Whatever-His-Full-Name-Is.

Must be something in the contrast between Doug's dashing on-screen image and the need to express the opposite, sometimes, in terms of music. Used the harpsichord setting for this one, if only for contrast with 'Kiki' to come, and like a good accompanist, obeyed the instruction of the intertitles to play the Wedding March from Wagner's 'Lohengrin.'

'Kiki' was a blast to accompany. I love doing these kinds of films, where people try to outwit each other at close quarters. The musical potential for that alone is huge, especially if you have a memorable tune or two that you've already introduced, and keeping this kind of scene going seems to come naturally to me.

And I did have a good tune for 'Kiki,' I thought -- a bouncing 'Can Can'-like melody that could easily be transformed to take on pretty much any emotion needed. Rooted in the film's stage revue milieu, the music got featured play in the one big stage scene, but also served to keep the rest of the film fizzing along quite nicely, I thought.

When I first looked at this picture, I didn't get Norma Talmadge as the title character. She seemed completely unsympathetic to me: selfish, destructive, dishonest, and so on. But then I realized that I was probably taking it the wrong way. I had to think of her character as more like Barbara Streisand in 'What's Up, Doc?' -- a person who single-mindedly pursues the man she desires, not letting little things like an existing girlfriend get in the way.

In introducing the film, I said only that, and I think it helped audiences not familiar with 'Kiki' (and who is these days?) get her character. And the film got a nice reaction throughout from our moderately sized crowd -- more of a reaction that I expected. The theater scene, in which Talmadge wrecks a revue by dancing anywhere but in the chorus line of which she's a member, when off especially well, with the bouncing chorus theme getting more and more wound up as the chaos progressed.

It was great fun to do music to the conclusion of this scene, which consists of the cast trying to kill each other behind the curtain, but interrupted again and again by the curtain rising for yet more applause. Switching back and forth from smooth "exit" music to chaotic argument music helped it spring to life in a way that surprised me even as we were doing it.

And I loved the love music I came up with as the film progressed. Built on a simple rising series of chords, the melody could leap up and soar any time it was needed, as I discovered in the scene where Talmadge is kissed by Ronald Coleman for the first time. And there it was, ready to be pulled out anytime the sparks flew between the two leads. And it came in handy to punch up the rather languid ending; 'Kiki' is the only silent film I know of that concludes with a phone conversation!

Up next: music for Harry Langdon in 'Long Pants' (1927) tomorrow night at the Manchester (N.H.) Public Library, then screenings of 'Way Down East' (1920) next week in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Hurricane due? For now, silent films still on...

The U.S. East Coast may be bracing for a visit from Hurricane Irene this weekend, but we're still going ahead with our planned screening of two features on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 4:30 p.m.: Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in 'Flirting with Fate' (1916) and Norma Talmadge (that's her on the left in the photo above) and Ronald Coleman in 'Kiki' (1926). It's the final installment of our "Summer Romance" silent film series at the Wilton (N.H.) Town Hall Theatre, and with a hurricane possibly raging at showtime (Sunday afternoon), looks like we'll go out with some drama as well, at least in terms of the weather.

(Update Saturday morning: Irene still on her way, but Dennis M. of the Wilton Town Hall Theatre says he plans to be open on Sunday afternoon, so it's still a go as of now...)

Alas, there wasn't time to change the program to something more storm-related: Keaton's 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' (1928), perhaps, with its cyclone finale. Showing that during an actual hurricane would have been way cool, as the kids say.

But I've been prepping the two romances, and that's what we're sticking with. Neither are mainstream silent classics, but they both have a lot to offer. In the case of the Fairbanks film, it's a fast-moving early feature made before he turned to historic or exotic swashbuckling epics, and interesting for the glimpse it provides into daily life at the time. It also has a surprisingly dark edge to a romantic comedy, and I'm curious to see how an audience responds.

And then there's 'Kiki,' which I have been looking forward to doing for a long time, but then, when I recently screened it to start putting music together, it was completely different from the film I expected. I thought it told the story of a street urchin who was rescued from the streets of Paris by a ruthless promoter, but instead it was a lighter-than-air backstage romance! Oops! I had it confused with the life story of Edith Piaf, apparently.

With its chorus girl cast and stage setting, 'Kiki' is full of music, right from the beginning, where everyone working in the theater is shown bouncing his or her head in time to the music being rehearsed. Should be a fun one to score, but the challenge will be 'Kiki' herself. As a character, I found little about her to be sympathetic at all; rather, she came across as sort of Parisian chorus girl by way of Harpo Marx, a ruthless gnome from another world eager to disrupt the life of a man she may or may not really love. (That's her, charmingly busting through a guy's harp after falling off stage.) Or maybe kind of like Barbara Streisand in 'What's Up, Doc?' (1973), but without the accent. (Though I hear Norma did have a Brooklyn accent.)

I'm thinking that serious music of any kind is not going to help, and so I may get into Offenbach mode and stay there for this one. Will it hold together? See for yourself on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theater. Admission free, but donations sure appreciated!