Looking back at Charlie and Buster, looking forward to 'Peter Pan' in Connecticut

A handmade sign promoting the evening's entertainment at the Tuscan Opera House in Dixfield, Maine.

Two unusual one-off screenings this past weekend as things wind down to the holiday season lull.

Last Friday night (Dec. 6), I had the pleasure of accompanying a screening of Chaplin's 'The Kid' (1921) for the Media and Design Club of Southern New Hampshire University. It was a pleasure despite lugging my gear in a light snow and the late hour: a 9:30 p.m. start!

But it was the club's sole activity this semester, and I was delighted that they'd decided a silent film with live music was the way to go. The venue: a small lecture hall with rows of bench desks, but it worked well enough.

Thanks to Bill Millios (on the SNHU faculty) for recommending me to the club, and organizer Jennifer Lampro for all her efforts. Lots of good questions afterwards, and also fun with a couple of students fascinated by my aging digital synthesizer. ("Wow, this is damaged and beat up like a road guitar.")

But real adventure was Saturday, where I put in 370 miles up and back to Dixfield, Maine, where high school students staged a silent film show at the town's opera house to benefit the town's historical society.

This part of Maine is unfamiliar to me, so I left home around noon to allow for plenty of time for some Christmas shopping on the way in Littleton, N.H. I then got on Route 2, the great east-west highway of northern New England, and even though I made good time (no lumbering lumber trucks), I just barely made it to Dixfield for the appointed 5:30 p.m. arrival.

One reason was Rumford, Maine, the town just before Dixfield. Route 2 runs right through the middle of this compact community, which is dominated by a truly enormous paper mill. The sun had gone down, and somehow I'd lost the scent of Route 2 through town, instead getting trapped in a small area of narrow one-way streets in Rumford's vintage downtown.

I finally found Route 2 after driving right through a portion of the paper mill, among piles of logs several stories high that awaited their fate. I later discovered that the Rumford Mill is the nation's largest producer of "coated paper" used in magazine publishing. So next time you pick up your copy of "Field & Stream," I may have already seen it in raw form.

The auditorium of the Tuscan Opera House, seen from the front. About a third of the floor space (at right) is taken up by a kitchen that was installed when the place functioned as a restaurant.

Dixfield's "Tuscan Opera House" turned out to be a sprawling multi-floor wood frame relic from another era. Built by the International Order of Odd Fellows in 1905 (on the foundations of a former opera house that burned to the ground), the structure hosted dances, movies, and school graduation ceremonies for generations of town residents.

In more recent years, the place has functioned as an antique shop and a restaurant, with long stretches of inactivity. Changes to the building have resulted in a really unusual layout for the auditorium, which now has about a third of its floor space taken up by a walled-off kitchen. But the stage is intact, and so it's still a good (if slightly lop-sided) place for a show.

A view of the proscenium in the opera house, with handmade movie screen front and center, restaurant kitchen to the left.

These days, building owner Nancy Carpenter is looking for ways to reconnect the Opera House to town life. So when Kurt Rowley, a teacher at the local high school, suggested that his students organize a silent film program to benefit the town's historical society, she was glad to say yes.

So I got the call a few months ago. And the next thing I knew, it was Saturday, Dec. 7, and I was face to face with a large wooden Indian of the "cigar store" type, guarding the main door of the opera house. Inside, the place is an evocative mixture of vintage bric-a-brac, including a massive mechanical cash register that students were using to ring up ticket and concession sales. (That's them "raiding the till" in the photo below.)

Although I had to concentrate on setting up my gear and preparing for the performance, I loved the quirky surroundings and wished I could have spent more time just poking around. (Mrs. Carpenter offered to give me a tour afterwards, but the three-hour drive home beckoned and I had to hit the road.)

One problem with movies at the Tuscan Opera House: it lacks any kind of screen. So, for our program, Mr. Rowley commissioned a homespun version made out of what seemed to be wide strips of cotton crafting fabric sewn together horizontally. It worked brilliantly!

The film program was preceded by music from this excellent student violinist, who made use of an incredible improvised music stand, and whose name I have misplaced. Someone help me!

The program was Buster Keaton's two "junior" films: first 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924) to warm things up, and then 'Steamboat Bill Jr.' (1928) as the main attraction. We got about 60 people and reaction was what I would call "steady." People really seemed to enjoy both films, but this just wasn't a crowd given to explosive laughter. Maybe interior Maine is just like that, I guess. Ayup. People had some very nice things to say afterwards, however, and I felt I'd hit the mark mostly.

So: a small town I'd never been to, a quirky old auditorium with good acoustics, friendly and polite high school students eager to volunteer, a live audience, and Buster Keaton. What more could a silent film accompanist want?

And that leaves just one more gig before I shut things down for the holiday season: a screening of 'Peter Pan' (1924) at the library down in Stratford, Conn. (A three-hour drive in the other direction.) The fun starts on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. at Stratford Library, 2203 Main St., Stratford, Conn. The screening is free and open to all! That's Betty Bronson, below, in the title role.

I'm looking forward to this, in part because I've done music for 'Peter Pan' twice in the past month, and so I feel like I'm in good shape to help the film come to life. The movie is "in my head," and I have the right musical ideas to go with it, I think. The most problematic part of the exercise will be just getting down there and setting up my gear (disc player, projector, synthesizer, speakers) prior to the show, which always has me worried until everything is hooked up and working.

So I guess that's what a silent film accompanist could want: a tech assistant!

Up next: 'Peter Pan' (1924) in 35mm Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Somerville Theater

Whenever I do music for the silent film version of 'Peter Pan' (1924), I try to conjure up my own reaction to the film when I first saw it.

This happened in 2000 at the Kansas Silent Film Festival in Topeka, Kansas. It was the first time I'd ever gone out there, primarily to hear the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra live. And one of the films they were playing for was the silent version of 'Peter Pan' in 16mm.

I was unfamiliar with the film, but was just beginning to grasp the scale and scope of what silent cinema encompassed. And I remember being beguiled right from the start by the family dog Nana, played by a guy in a cleverly designed dog suit. To me, it perfectly set the tone of fantasy in all that was to follow.

And on that, the film really delivered. It was just one visual surprise after another. Not even the mistaken reverse threading of a reel during the performance (rendering the titles into something that looked like Czech) was enough to break the spell. It really opened my eyes to how rich the silent era was with treasures that were yet unknown to me.

In the past few years, I've done my own music for 'Peter Pan' many times, and for each performance I try to remind myself of that sense of wonder I had when I first encountered it. I think the key to replicating that feeling is to keep things very simple at first—on the level of a nursery rhyme. After all, author J.M. Barrie urges us to think back to when we were children, and music can really help in that regard.

Ususally my accompaniment is heavy on improv. But with 'Peter Pan,' I've developed some music that I think works well, so the score will be a little more structured than usual. Still there's always room for surprises and in any case it's never quite the same way twice no matter how much I plan ahead.

We'll see how things evolve, as I have no less than three separate screenings of 'Peter Pan' to accompany in the next month. There's the 35mm screening at the Somerville (Mass.) Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m.; then a showing during Thanksgiving Day weekend at Red River Theatres in Concord, N.H. on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.; and then a screening at the Statford (Conn.) Library on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 4:30 p.m.

More info on the Somerville screening is below in the form of the press release that was sent out to Boston area media. Hope to see you there, as this is a definitely a film where a big audience makes a big difference.

* * *

Hold the peanut butter: Long before the image was used for commercial purposes, Betty Bronson's portrayal of Peter Pan created an enduring image for a world of movie-goers.

SATURDAY, NOV. 9, 2013 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more info, contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent film version of 'Peter Pan'
at Somerville Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 17

Matinee of timeless family movie classic in 35mm will feature live musical accompaniment

SOMERVILLE, Mass.—It was the film that introduced movie-goers to visions of flying children, magical fairies, human-like animals and menacing pirates. It was the original silent film adaptation of 'Peter Pan,' a picture personally supervised by author J.M. Barrie. The film became a major hit when released in 1924, with audiences eager to get their first big-screen look at the wonders of Neverland.

Boston-area movie fans can see for themselves when the first 'Peter Pan' (1924) is screened with live music on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

'Peter Pan' will be screened in the Somerville's main theater using a 35mm film print. The program will be accompanied live by silent film musician Jeff Rapsis. General admission is $15 per person, with discounts for seniors and children.

'Peter Pan' is the latest in a monthly series of silent film screenings in 35mm with live music at the Somerville Theatre. The series aims to show the best silent films in the way that caused people to first fall in love with the movies—on the big screen, in a theater, with live music, and with an audience.

"We're thrilled to be presenting this great movie in our main theatre, where familes can come together and experience it in a way that's impossible to duplicate in a home entertainment center," said Ian Judge, manager of the Somerville Theatre. "The original 'Peter Pan' contains enough timeless magic to get everyone in the mood for the coming holidays."

Thought lost for many years, and overshadowed by more recent adaptations, the original silent 'Peter Pan' maintains its freshness and charm more than 80 years after its original release.

In the story, first presented as a stage play in 1904, three children in London are visited one night by Peter Pan, a youth in search of his shadow. Pan shows his new friends how to fly, and then convinces them to join him in a journey to Neverland.

There they encounter Indians, mermaids, and a band of pirates whose leader, Captain Hook, is Pan's sworn enemy. The children are captured by Hook and taken prisoner aboard his pirate ship, setting the stage for an epic battle, the outcome of which will determine if the children may ever return home.

Though the Peter Pan story is well-known today due to subsequent adaptations (and also merchandising that includes a ubiquitous brand of peanut butter), the tale was virtually new when Hollywood first brought it to film in the early 1920s. In England, author Barrie gave his blessing to the adaptation, though he retained control over casting and insisted that any written titles in the film be taken directly from his own text.

After a major talent search, Barrie settled on unknown 18-year-old actress Betty Bronson for the title role, and filming began in 1924. The role of Captain Hook was played by noted character actor Ernest Torrance, who invented the now-iconic villainous priate persona that would become a Hollywood legend.

The film's highlights include special effects that maintain their ability to dazzle even today. The film's memorable images include a group of mermaids entering the sea, a miniature Tinkerbell interacting with full-sized children and adults, and a pirate ship lifting out of the water and taking flight.

'Peter Pan' also includes a cast of animal characters played by humans in costume, including the family dog Nana and an alligator who serves as Hook's nemesis, lending the film a magical quality.

After the film's release, no copies of the original 'Peter Pan' were known to exist, and for many years the film was regarded as lost. However, in the 1950s a single surviving print turned up in the George Eastman Archives in Rochester, N.Y., from which all copies today have descended.

'Peter Pan' will be accompanied by local musician and composer Jeff Rapsis, who has prepared new material to go with the picture. "Silent film was intended to be screened with live music that not only supported the action, but clued in the audience to changing moods and scenes," said Rapsis, a New Hampshire resident. "I hope this new music will help bring to life the film's special qualities of fantasy and child-like wonder."

‘Peter Pan’ will be shown in 35mm and with live music on Sunday, Nov. 17 at at 1 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. Admission is $15 per person. For more information, call (617) 625-5700 or visit http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com. For more information about the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com

Flying down to Stratford, Conn. for a screening of 'Wings' (1927) this weekend

Well, actually driving, not flying. Especially because the last part of my route is on Interstate 95. (That could be more like crawling.)

Destination: the Stratford Theatre in Stratford, Conn., where I'm doing music for a screening of 'Wings' (1927) on Saturday, June 8 to benefit the William A. Barry Scholarship.

Basics: The theater is at 2422 Main St., the screening starts at 4 p.m., and tickets start at $15.

I didn't do press materials for this one, but a nice write-up by journalist Joe Meyers appeared last week in a group of weekly papers in the region. It has all the details. Thanks, Joe!

And here's a link to a radio interview I did with a gentleman named Richard Pheneger, who hosts a program called "State of the Arts" on a local station, and also manages the theater. Thanks, Richard!

For anyone in Connecticut new to 'Wings' or silent film in general, welcome to this little corner of the Internet, where I prattle on about my adventures creating live music for silent film screenings around New England and sometimes further afield. (In September, I have the honor of being accompanist at the prestigious annual Buster Keaton Festival out in Iola, Kansas, close to Keaton's birthplace.)

What I do is part show biz and part traveling carnival and part history lecture and part technological geekery, and something I completely enjoy doing for a whole host of reasons. I get to meet nice people, make music, and help bring to life some of the great films that caused people to first fall in love with the movies. (I tell my wife that I've finally found my artistic niche: collaborating with dead people!) Plus, there's a benefit to society, because if this wasn't my creative outlet, I'd probably be spray-painting bridge abutments or something like that.

And in this case, one of the nice people was (and is) Hinda Wolf, whom I met last October at a screening of 'Wings' in Ludlow, Vt. Hinda happened to be in the audience, and enjoyed the experience enough to inquire about me doing something similar at a local theater back home in Stratford. I said of course, and here we are! Let's hear it for total serendipity! But many thanks to Hinda to organizing all the details of this screening and giving me a chance to do my thing in the Nutmeg State.

About 'Wings': the film itself, from the silent era's peak, is one that still makes a strong impact on an audience, and I love doing music for it. Like all the big silent films, it has a little bit (or actually a lot) of everything: drama, adventure, comedy, and an intensity of emotion that's the hallmark of all great silents, I think.

Also, I have a soft spot for this one because my dad was a pilot of the World War II generation, and was 11 years old when this movie hit the screens in his hometown of Nashua, N.H. It was just the right age for him to be swept away by the movie and say, "Wow, that's what I want to do when I grow up!"

Or so I imagine. We lost Dad way back in 1968, when I was just four years old. So there's no way to really know until I someday meet him in heaven, or wherever we go when we're all done here. But something about him seeing 'Wings' at that impressionable pre-teen time feels right to me, and thus I cling to this idea, and it somehow adds a personal layer to this cultural artifact that had such a big impact when it was released.

The film speaks for itself, even if it is silent. But I've found that a few bits of context help today's audiences understand a little about what all the excitement was about.

Remember that in 1927, aviation was brand new. Very few people had even seen an airplane, never mind gone up in one. Back then, a plane flying over a community or (gasp!) landing in someone's field was still big news.

Today, when we think of aviation, what comes to mind are things like crowded airliners and flight delays and endless security lines and baggage fees and lousy food and so on. Air travel has become so familiar (and so unpleasant) that it's lost all the magic that it once had.

Think of it! For eons, mankind dreamt of flying. Now, in just a couple of generations, we've turned it into a mundane experience devoid of wonder. It's now something that must be endured.

 So, to understand how exciting 'Wings' must have been, you have to remember that flight was still brand new, just like the movies. So it must have been amazing to see scenes of mid-air dogfights and scenes shot right from the cockpit of planes swooping and diving over active battlefields. It still is, even to our jaded eyes, but how much more so it must have been to Aunt Matilda in 1927!

And then there's the "World War I" angle. This global conflict (then called 'The Great War' as we weren't expecting another) was the 9/11 of its time. So to its original audiences, 'Wings' had a certain immediacy and urgency that's important to remember. I'm guessing that the feeling must have been close to what we would feel today watching a movie like 'Flight 93,' which dramatized events on one of the hijacked planes.

And then, remember that the motion picture camera could suddenly bring people to places they'd never seen before, and that included the battlefield. For all of human history, the only people who truly knew the horrors of war were those who fought in it. Suddenly, the motion picture could bring anyone (even Aunt Matilda) into the trenches and provide a vivid sense of combat on the front lines—the heroism, yes, but also the wasteful slaughter.

All this was big news to anyone in a movie theater in 1927, and contributed to the immense popularity of 'Wings.'

Even without this context, I've found 'Wings' still holds an audience today, which is a credit to its makers. It does not require the equivalent of the notes that you sometimes need to truly understand something like, say, a play by Shakespeare. (It's coming to that, though: very few of us really know what World War I was about.) However, understanding a little about the era really does help understand a little about why this film was such an event when it was first released, so thanks for bearing with me.

Well, anyway: Keep 'em flying!

Ooops! Anachronism alert! That's a phrase from World War II.