One of the great things about living in NYC is that by taking walks, rather than getting everywhere by car, you run into people you haven’t seen in a long time. A teacher from film school told me once that… Read More »Getting the High Sign
This punny title was applied to a number of LPs of theatre organ music in the 1970s, and was often used as the headline for a news item about a silent film screening that featured the mighty Wurlitzer. It’s still… Read More »“The Sound of the Silents”
Although there have been several comedians from TV and radio who were associated with a particular song or theme song, Ernie Kovacs’ association with his theme runs through his entire television career as well as for every series he had.… Read More »Ernie Kovacs’ Enduring Theme Song
In April 2022, I accompanied a screening of The Patsy (1928) starring Marion Davies. I hadn’t seen or played for the film in about a decade, and didn’t preview the film ahead of time. I had an unusual experience during… Read More »Lawrence Gray: Plate Manipulator
In this bonus episode, podcast co-host Kerr Lockhart talks with Rick Benjamin, musical director of The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, about mood cues and photoplay music from the silent era.
In this episode: Ben trusts his instincts and has a little magic happen during a show of “The Patsy”; makes a decision and tries something new when it comes to using a “characteristic” musical mode in scoring Keaton’s “The Cameraman”… Read More »ep. 47: accompanying The Patsy, The Cameraman, and Gilbert Gottfried
Episode 47 Show Notes: accompanying The Patsy, The Cameraman and Gilbert Gottfried Live performances are slowly returning The Patsy with Marion Davies “The Patsy”, which was originally a stage play, recently returned to New York as a one-man show. How… Read More »Episode 47 show notes: The Silent Film Music Podcast
Last week, I played my first in-person show at the Cinema Arts Centre since February 2020. Before the show, CAC regulars whom cinema co-director Dylan Skolnick and I hadn’t seen in 2+ years stopped to say hello and to chat.… Read More »“The Language of Silent Film”, Beyond the Blog
Ernie Kovacs’ ”Albert Gridley” sketch is one of the better-known ones. Its simple premise, a talk-show guest who can’t remember details of the very story he’s being interviewed for, is coupled with Kovacs’ unique, dryly sarcastic prompting. It’s deeply funny,… Read More »Etched Into My Memory Forever
Virtual Cinema, for most art-houses and film viewers, was a stop-gap measure during the pandemic. It was a way to keep going while everyone waited for it to be safe to re-open and to return to movie theaters. It also… Read More »Whither the Virtual Silent Movie Theater