
BOX OFFICE: (315) 337-6453
The
Capitol Theatre
220 W. Dominick St., Rome, NY, 13440
About
Capitolfest:
Capitolfest
is Central New York's premier summer Cinephile film festival—a
place to see rarely-shown and newly-discovered films of the
silent and early talkie era, held at the historic 1,788-seat movie
palace, the Capitol Theatre, in Rome, New York, which opened in
December, 1928 as a movie house. To date, Capitol remains the
only building in Rome (population c. 35,000) constructed for the
specific purpose of exhibiting motion pictures. Although the
theatre received an Modernistic face-lift in 1939, the auditorium is
configured exactly as it was in 1928, and much of the original
décor remains.
Included as part of Capitolfest's
silent film line-up is live organ accompaniment for each film, played
on our original installation, 3-manual, 10-rank Möller Grand
Theatre Organ. Restoration work on the organ was started in 2002,
and since then it has been used on a regular basis to accompany silent
movies. Each of the silent films will be accompanied by some of
the world’s
foremost exponents of authentic silent movie accompaniment.
Eminent
musicians such as Avery Tunningley, Bernie Anderson,
Dr. Phillip C. Carli, and Dennis James have performed for films on the
Capitol's Moller in the past. Additionally, ensembles such as the
Mont
Alto Motion Picture Orchestra have graced the Capitol's orchestra pit
in accompaniment of films.
The goal of the Capitol Theatre is to not only
showcase vintage
films, but to re-create the experience of seeing movies as when they
were new. All of the films at the Capitol are shown in 35 mm
prints on the theatre’s carbon-arc, variable-speed
projectors. Capitolfest
prints are provided by such archives as the Library of Congress, the
UCLA Film & Television Archive, Universal Pictures, the George
Eastman House, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Sony Pictures, as well as
rarer prints from private collections. The festival's line-up
focuses on obscure films that received critical praise in their time,
but are now near-impossible to see. Capitolfest 10:
Capitolfest
10 will be held on August 10, 11, & 12 2012.The first titles will
be announced in January 2012, and the schedule will be complete in
mid-March! Our Tribute Star at Capitolfest 10:
 The tribute star of Capitolfest 10 is character actor Warner Oland will be the tribute star.
Oland was born Johan Verner Olund in the village of Nyby, Sweden
on October 3, 1879. His family emigrated to the United States in
1902. Educated in Boston, Massachusetts, he spoke English and his
native Swedish, and eventually translated some of the plays of August
Strindberg. As a young man he pursued a career in theater, at
first working on set design while developing his acting skills. Trained
as a dramatic actor, in 1906, he was signed to tour the country with
the troupe led by actress Alla Nazimova. The following year he met and
married the playwright and portrait painter Edith Gardener Shearn. The
brilliant woman made an ideal partner for Oland and she mastered the
Swedish language, helping him with the translation of Strindberg's
works that they jointly had published in book form in 1912.
After several years in theater, including appearances on Broadway as
Warner Oland, in 1912 he made his silent film debut in Pilgrim's Progress, a film based on the John Bunyan novel. It would be another three years before he returned to film work with a role in The Romance of Elaine,
an adventure film starring the extremely popular Pearl White. As a
result of his training as a Shakespearean actor and his easy adaptation
to a sinister look, he was much in demand as a villain and in ethnic
roles. He made several more films with Pearl White including his first
portrayal of an oriental character in her 1919 film, The Lightning Raider. Over the next 15 years Oland appeared in more than 30 films, including a major role in 1927's The Jazz Singer,
the first successful talking feature from a studio. Oland's
facial features allowed him to easily play the part of Asian
characters; Keye Luke reported that he needed no makeup except a
"little goatee on his chin." Oland portrayed a variety of Asian
characters in several movies before being offered the leading role in
the 1929 film, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
as the first onscreen portrayal of the title character. A box office
success, the film made Oland a star and during the next two years, he
portrayed the evil Dr. Fu Manchu in three more films. Firmly locked into such roles, he was cast as Charlie Chan in the 1931 international detective mystery film Charlie Chan Carries On and then in director Josef von Sternberg's 1932 classic film Shanghai Express
opposite Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong. Although Oland acted
in other films, the enormous worldwide box office success of his
Charlie Chan film led to a Charlie Chan industry, with Oland starring
in 16 films in total; the series kept the Fox studios financially
stable during the 1930s. Oland—who received $40,000 for each
movie—took his role seriously, studying the Chinese language and
calligraphy. Oland was also the first actor to play a werewolf in
a major Hollywood film, in Werewolf of London
(1935) as the werewolf who bites the protagonist, played by Henry
Hull. Despite his wealth and success, Oland suffered from
alcoholism that severely affected his health and his thirty-year
marriage. In January 1937 he started filming Charlie Chan at the Ringside.
However, a week into shooting his erratic behavior led to his walking
off the set and shooting was abandoned. After a spell in hospital, he
signed a new three picture deal with Fox to continue playing Chan. At
the same time he was involved in a bitter divorce from his wife and his
finances were restricted. So too was his ability to go overseas as a
legal order prevented him from travelling and moving his assets abroad.
About this time he was involved in an incident when, after ordering his
chauffeur to drive him to Mexico, he was observed during a rest stop to
be sitting on the running board of his car and throwing his shoes at
onlookers. The divorce settlement (favouring his wife) was announced to
the media on April 2, 1938 and the same day he embarked on a ship out
of the country. Oland turned up in southern
Europe, before returning to his native Sweden where he stayed with an
architect friend. In Sweden, Oland contracted bronchial
pneumonia, worsened by the apparent onset of emphysema from years of
heavy cigarette smoking and he died in a hospital in Stockholm. Oland's
last film was the unfinished Charlie Chan at the Ringside. Fox reshot Oland's scenes with Peter Lorre and released the finished picture as Mr. Moto's Gamble
(1938). Warner Oland and his wife had made their primary residence in
an historic farmhouse near the town of Southborough, Massachusetts, a
suburb of Boston. Following cremation in Sweden, his ashes were brought
back to the United States by his wife for interment in the Southborough
Rural Cemetery. Hotel Rates for Capitolfest 10:Adirondack 13 Pine Motel
$50
(single or double) 7353 River Rd. (driving
time, 8 minutes)
(315)
337-4930
Angel’s Nest Bed &
Breakfast
$70
single, $80-$110 double 404 S. George St. (driving time, 1 minute)
(315)
334-4618 *Beeches Paul Revere Motor Lodge
$85
single or double 7900 North Turin Rd. (Rt. 26 North) (driving time, 6 minutes)
(315) 336-1775
Budget Inn
$79
single or double 5920 Airport Road, Oriskany (driving time, 12 minutes)
(315)
736-0100
Carriage Motor Inn
$55 single or
double, (1 bed), Rt. 233,Westmoreland (at I-90 exit 32) (driving time, 13 minutes)
$60
(2 beds) (315) 853-3561
*Econo Lodge
$90
single or double 145 E. Whitesboro St. (cr. Erie & Black
River Blvds.) (driving time, 1 minute) (315)
337-9400
*Hotel Utica
$79
single or double 102 Lafayette St., Utica (driving time, 21 minutes)
(877)
906-1912
Microtel Verona
$119
single, $129 double 5118
NY State Route
365 (I-90 & Exit 33), Verona (14 min)
(315)
363-1850
Oak & Ivy Bed and
Breakfast
$75-$110
single or double 600 N.
George St. (driving
time, 1 minute)
(315)
337-3065
*Quality Inn
$90
single or double 200 S. James St. (driving time, 1 minute)
(315)
336-4300
Red Carpet Inn
$60 single or
double (1 bed), 799 Lawrence St. (driving time, 3 minutes)
$70
(2 beds) (315) 339-3610
The Rome Motel
SOLD
OUT 8257 N. Turin Rd. (Rt. 26 North) (driving time, 8 minutes) (315)
336-4200
Wingate Hotel
$179 single or double 90 Dart Circle (driving time, 8
minutes)
(315)
334-4244 *Denotes Capitolfest discount. “Capitolfest” must be mentioned at time of
room booking.
Ticket Rates for Capitolfest 10:Capitolfest registration rates through July 31: - Entire show Registration: All three days Adult $55/Capitol Friend $49/Child (12 & under) $33 (Post Aug. 1: $60/$54/$38)
- Sat.
& Sun. Registration: Weekend pass (Sat-Sun/All 5 Sessions) Adult
$45/Capitol Friend $39/Child (12 & under) $23 (Post Aug. 1:
$50/$44/$28)
- One-day Registration: All-day Fri., Sat., OR Sun.
(2 or 3 sessions) Adult $26/Capitol Friend $22/Child (12 & under)
$14 (Post Aug. 1: $30/$26/$18)
- Single session Registration: Any
ONE session (either Fri., Sat., or Sun.) Adult $14/Capitol Friend
$12/Child (12 & under) $8 (Post. Aug. 1: $17/$14/$11)
Tickets available online through Ticket Derby: Friday: Saturday: Sunday:  Note: All sessions will start on time promptly. Individual film start times are approximate.Programs subject to change at any time.
| Friday, August 10 | Session #1 Silent movie accompaniment by Avery Tunningley |  | 1:00 pm Hawaiian Nights (Vitaphone #422 ) (Warner Bros., 1927) 9 minutes.
with “Native Hawaiian Band & Dancers” |  | 1:20 pm Intimate Interview: Lois Wilson (Frank Wilson, 1932) with Dorothy West 8 minutes.
Lois
Wilson had a long-running career that stretched from one-reelers during
the 'teens, followed by a successful career as a Paramount Pictures
leading lady, and ultimately ending as a successful leading woman and
character actress in the sound era. This one-reel interview, part
of the "Intimate Interviews" series with Dorothy West, was shot
around the time of the release of The Rider of Death Valley, and features a candid discussion with the actress. |  | 1:30 pm The Rider of Death Valley (Universal, 1932) Directed by Albert S. Rogell with Tom Mix and Tony the Horse, Lois Wilson, Fred Kohler, Forrest Stanley, Edith Fellows, Mae Busch, and Francis Ford. 78 minutes. The second of silent western legend Tom Mix's talking features for Universal Pictures, The Rider of Death Valley
finds Mix defending Lois Wilson, the owner of a recently discovered
gold mine for which her father has been murdered. Mix has one
third of a map of the claim, sought after by the villain who will stop
at no means to retrieve it.
"A good western; it holds one's interest to the very end." —Harrison's Reports | | 2:50 pm Intermission (20 minutes) |  | 3:10 pm The Marriage Clause (Universal, 1926) (Accompanied by Avery Tunningley at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Lois Weber With
Francis X. Bushman, Billie Dove, Warner Oland, Henri La Garde, Grace
Darmond, Carolynne Snowden, Oscar Smith, Andre Cheron, Robert Dudley,
Charles Meakin. Approximately 20 minutes.
A rare later directorial effort by Universal staple Lois Weber, The Marriage Clause
was one of Universal Pictures' "Jewels" of 1926. In this
backstage drama, Francis X. Bushman plays Barry Townsend, a stage
director who falls in love with and boosts the career of Sylvia Jordan
(Billie Dove). Unfortunately, Sylvia is unable to marry Townsend
because of a contract clause she has signed with manager Max Ravenal
(Warner Oland).
Note: This
print from the Library of Congress is an abridged version of the
film, running twenty minutes. It will be presented in 16mm.
"The real acting in this production is Warner Oland's splendid portrayal of Ravenal." —New York Times |  | 3:30 pm A Queen For a Day (Vitagraph, 1911) (Accompanied by Avery Tunningley at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) with John Bunny. 13 minutes.
An early Vitagraph one-reeler featuring John Bunny dressed as a woman.
|  | 4:00 pm Bare Knees (Gotham, 1928) (Accompanied by Avery Tunningley at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Erle C. Kenton with Virginia Lee Corbin, Donald Keith, Jane Winton, Johnnie Walker, Forrest Stanley, Maude Fulton. 61 minutes.
When
Billie Durey (Virginia Lee Corbin) visits her sister, Jane Longworth
(Jane Winton), she causes a stir in Jane's small town; Billie is a
flapper, in contrast to Jane's buckled-down, married lifestyle.
Things take a turn for the worse when Jane decides to leave her
husband (Forrest Stanley).
"Despite many improbabilities and
absurdities, "Bare Knees" is a first rate Gotham release, with breeze
and sex." —Moving Picture World | | 5:10 pm Dinner Break |
Session #2 Silent movie accompaniment by Avery Tunningley |  | 7:00 pm Excerpt from The Faker (Columbia, 1929) (Accompanied by Avery Tunningley at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Phil Rosen With Jacqueline Logan, Warner Oland, Charles Delaney, Gaston Glass. 5 minutes.
The Faker
is the story of Frank Clayton (Gaston Glass), a man disinherited in
favor of his stepbrother. Clayton hires medium Hardian (Warner
Oland) and his assistant Rita (Jacqueline Logan) to provide a seance
that will frighten his father into reinstating Frank back into his will.
This is a five-minute fragment of the film; the only preserved print available in the U.S.
"Well done expose of spiritualistic charlatans, with Warner Oland fine as the phony spook-chaser." —Photoplay Magazine |  | 7:10 pm The Night Flyer (Pathe, 1928) (Accompanied by Avery Tunningley at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Walter Lang with William Boyd, Jobyna Ralston, Philo McCullough, Ann Schaefer, DeWitt Jennings, John Millerta, Robert Dudley. 5,954 ft. (approx. 66 minutes.) A
melodrama of the days of the railroad after the Civil War. A
railroad fireman, Jimmy (William Boyd) is engaged to Kate Murphy
(Jobyna Ralston), but the marriage is called off because of Jimmy's
reckless behavior. Jimmy finds competition with Kate in Bat Mullins
(Philo McCullough), a mail train engineer and Jimmy's longtime rival.
"A pretty good program picture." —Harrison's Reports, 3/24/1928
| | 8:10 pm Intermission (15 minutes) |  | 8:30 pm Beniamino Gigli: Tenor of the Metropolitan Opera (Warner Bros., 1927) (Vitaphone #517) 9 minutes.
Recreating the original New York program of Old San Francisco. Gigli sings selections from Act II of "La Gioconda." |  | 8:40 pm Blossom Seeley & Benny Fields (Warner Bros., 1927) (Vitaphone #548) 9 minutes.
Recreating the original New York program of Old San Francisco.
A musical act, featuring songs "Hello Mr. Bluebird," Irving Berlin's
"The Call of the South," and "(A Pretty Spanish Town) On a Night Like
This." |  | 8:55 pm Old San Francisco (Warner Bros., 1927) Directed by Alan Crosland with
Dolores Costello, Warner Oland, Charles Emmett Mack, Josef Swickard,
Anders Randolf, Angelo Rossitto, Anna May Wong, Lawson Butt, Walter
McGrail, Otto Matieson, Martha Mattox, Tom Santschi. 88 minutes. Presented with the original Vitaphone Soundtrack with sound effects and Music by Hugo Riesenfeld.
Chris
Buckwell (Warner Oland), cruel and greedy czar of San Francisco's
tenderloin, is hearless in his persecution of the Chinese, though he
himself is secretly a half-caste. Buckwell, eager to possess the
land of Don Hernandez Visquez (Josef Swickard), sends Michael Brandon
(Anders Randolf), an unscrupulous attorney, to make an offer.
Brandon's nephew, Terrence (Charles emmett Mack), meets the
grandee's beautiful daughter, Dolores (Dolores Costello), while Vasquez
refuses the offer. Terry tries to save the Vasquez land grands,
but when Chris causes the grandee's death, Dolores takes an oath to
avenge her father. |
| Saturday, August 11 | Session #3
|  | 9:30 am Wildflowers (Wilding,
1930) Directed by Alf Goulding with Florence Lawrence, Ted Pearson, Bill Moyer, and the Studebaker Champions Orchestra. 9 minutes.
A
promotional film for the 1931 model 80 Studebaker Four Season Roadster.
The movie's opening scenes show a young couple riding through the
country on a beautiful spring day in their new President roadster.
Seeing a field of flowers, the young lady (Florence Lawrence) requests
of her companion (Ted Pearson) to stop while she gathers a bouquet.
While waiting for her to return, the young man turns on the car radio
and falls asleep. In his reverie, he sees a monstrous car identical to
his own but loaded with peppy musicians who regale him with popular
tunes, "Lovely Lady," "Blue Skies," "I Love You Truly," and
"Falling In Love With You" |  |
9:45 am Young Eagles (Paramount,
1930) Directed by William A. Wellman with Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Jean Arthur, Paul
Lukas, Stuart Erwin, Virginia Bruce, James Finlayson. 70 minutes.
A sort of follow-up to 1927’s Wings,
which was also starred Buddy Rogers and was directed by Wellman, this WWI
aviation picture focuses on the love affair between American flyer Rogers and a
mysterious fellow-American played by Jean Arthur, and the enmity between him and
German ace Paul Lukas. Stu Erwin and James Finlayson provide the comic relief.
The movie reportedly features some spectacular aerial photography. "Young Eagles
should entertain very well those that will see it; there are
several thrills in it, some human interest, considerable comedy,
and the
spectator is often held in tense suspense." —Harrison's Reports, 3/29/30
| | 11:10 am Intermission (15 minutes) |  | 11:30 am His Marriage Mix-Up (Columbia, 1935) Directed by Preston Black (Jack White) With Langdon, Dorothy Granger, Vernon Dent; Bobby Burns 18 minutes.
Harry's
brother-in-law (Vernon Dent), informs him that the girl he is about to
marry (Dorothy Granger) is the maniac hatchet killer that the cops are
searching for. He tries to help Harry avoid the marriage
ceremony, but into the house comes the actual escaped lunatic hatchet
woman with her axe. The fun consists in Harry mistaking her for his
fiance, for they are doubles. The nut takes Harry for a wild ride in
his car that furnishes a very hilarious chase sequence for the windup.
"A very good laugh vehicle that moves fast and with plenty of original gags." —Film Daily, 11/4/1935
|  | 11:50 am Ex-Bad Boy (Universal, 1931) Directed by Vin Moore With Robert Armstrong, Jean Arthur, Jason Robards, Spencer Charles, Grayce Hampton, Lola Lane, George Brent, Mary Doran. 76 minutes.
Robert Armstrong plays Chester Binney, a simpleton whose
partner makes the town believe that Armstrong, who is timid, has had an affair
with a movie star. The object is to
break up an affair between the partner’s daughter, Jean Arthur, and an out of
town man. The plan is working nicely, when Letta Lardo (Lola
Lane) shows up in town on a location shoot . She
gets wind of the local gossip and comes to make a sap out of Armstrong and at
the same time to make her own man jealous.
Hilarity ensues. "If you like gag-farce, you'll get a kick out of this....Fine comedy acting." —Photoplay, 8/31
"A very good comedy of the farcical sort." —Harrison's Reports, 8/1/31 | | 1:15 pm Dinner Break |
Session #4 Silent movie accompaniment by Avery Tunningley |  | 2:30 pm Surprise, Surprise (Columbia/Pillsbury, 1937) With The Three Stooges 3 minutes.
A
rare promotional film for a tie-in with Pillsbury foods finds the Three
Stooges showing how you can send away for the Pillsbury Farina Moving
Picture Machine.
The Pillsbury Farina Moving Picture Machine. Image courtesy of Stoogeworld.com. |  | 2:35 pm Somewhere in Somewhere (Roach/Pathe, 1925) (Accompanied by Avery Tunningley at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by James V. Horne With Charles Murray, Lucien Littlefield, Noah Young. 20 minutes.
Charlie
Murray and Lucien Littlefield star in this two-reeler that finds them
in the trenches of the Great War, and comedic variations on that theme. |  |
2:55 pm Heart to Heart (First
National, 1928) (Accompanied by Avery Tunningley at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by William Beaudine With Mary Astor, Lloyd Hughes, Louise
Fazenda, Lucien Littlefield, Thelma Todd, Raymond McKee, Virginia Grey. 6,071
ft. (approx. 67 minutes @ 24fps).
A reportedly charming comedy in
which Mary Astor is a widowed princess of a European country who decides to
visit her hometown in Ohio.
Though a grand reception is planned, the princess arrives a day early and,
unrecognized in her simple attire, is mistaken for a seamstress. The
organ score that will be performed by Avery Tunningley will be based on
the James Bradford Thematic Musical Cue Sheet that was distributed upon
the film's initial release. “Psychology may not be the strong
point in Heart to Heart, the current screen attraction at the Paramount
Theatre, but this production yesterday afternoon elicited many a wave of
merriment from the packed house. Some of the characters are called upon to be
both myopic and dense when the occasion arises, and never a thought is given
regarding their hearing. William Beaudine, however, has taken some simple gags
and turned them into nice bits of fun.” —Mordaunt Hall,
New York Times, 9/10/28
| | 4:20 pm Intermission (15 minutes) |  | 4:40 pm Paramount on Parade Excerpt (Paramount, 1939) 7 minutes Those
who were at Capitolfest 8 may recall that we ran UCLA's reconstructed
PARAMOUNT ON PARADE and that sound was missing from some sequences
including the "Isadore the Toreador" number with Harry Green (and Kay
Francis). They may also recall that our projectionist, Bob Hodge, had
the disc for that scene. This is the restored Technicolor excerpt
as preserved and restored by UCLA. |  | 4:50 pm How to Break 90: No. 3 Hip Action (Warner Bros., 1933) Directed by George Marshall With Bobby Jones, Warner Oland, W. C. Fields, William B. Davidson and O. B. Keeler. 9 minutes. Another
entertaining one-reeler in Bobby Jones "How to Break 90" series of golfing
shorts for Warner Bros. In this entry, Jones explains the
importance of the movement of the hip in shots while exchanging
off-the-cuff (and truly improvised) comments with Warner Oland, W. C.
Fields, Bill Davidson and O. B. Keeler on the green. |  | 5:05 pm Heads Up (Paramount,
1930) Directed by Victor Schertzinger with Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Helen Kane, Victor Moore, Helen Carrington. 76 minutes.
Based on a play by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart, Heads Up
takes place Annapolis and on board a private yacht after Rogers is
graduated and assigned to active duty in the coast guard. His first
assignment is on board a yacht, the captain
of which has been running booze, unknown to the owners. Helen
Kane and Margaret Breen are the daughters of the owner of the boat.
Victor
Moore recreates his role from the Broadway show. Featuring songs
such as "Ship Without a Sail" and "My Man is on the Make." "Charles
Rogers, Helen Kane and Victor Moore with a splendid supporting cast,
romp through this film with enough pep, humor, music, thrills and
well-handled love interest to please the crowd." — Film Daily, Oct. 27, 1930 | | 6:25 pm Dinner Break |
Session #5 Silent movie accompaniment by Dr. Philip C. Carli |  | 8:20 pm The Lightning Raider (Pathe, 1919) Chapter 11: "The Bars of Death" (Accompanied by Dr. Philip C. Carli at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by George B. Seitz with Pearl White, Warner Oland, Henry G. Sell. 16 minutes.
An episode of Pathe's wildly popular Pearl White series of movie serials. Warner Oland co-stars as the villain. |  | 8:40 pm Good Time Charley (Warner
Bros., 1927) (Accompanied by Dr. Philip C. Carli at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Michael Curtiz with Warner Oland, Helene Costello, Clyde
Cook, Montagu Love, Hugh Allan, Julanne Johnston. 6,302
ft. (approx. 70 minutes @ 24fps).
A tearjerker story of a
vaudeville trooper (Warner Oland) who suffers a series of tragedies and
disappointments while helping his estranged daughter (Helene Costello) achieve
success on the stage.
“Warner Oland gives a splendid
interpretation...” —New York
Times, 11/21/27
“A human interest story of stage
life….Warner Oland makes an excellent father. In view of
the fact that he has taken mostly villainous parts, his ability to win one’s
sympathy in a non-villainous part speaks well for his acting….It should appeal
well everywhere.” —Harrison’s Reports,
11/26/27. "The
story has a rather wide appeal and the heart interest bits that are
found throughout are certain to find favor with the women folks who
enjoy nothing better than a good cry along with their pictures. They'll
have plenty of opportunity to pull out the old hankie at this one. —Film Daily 11/20/27 | | 10:00 pm Intermission (15 minutes) |  | 10:20 pm The Burglar to the Rescue
(Universal, 1931) Directed by George Cochrane With Thuston Hall, Charlotte Wynters, Frank Shannon, Arthur Aylesworth. 18 minutes. The
first in Universal's series of two-reel short subjects based on THE
SHADOW, the character made famous by Street & Smith's weekly
"Detective Story Hour" radio program and "The Shadow" pulp magazine
stories.
In this inaugeral short, a bank president who has embezzled his bank's funds tries to lay the blame on an unexpected visitor. |  |
10:40 pm The Night of June 13th (Paramount, 1932) Directed by Stephen Roberts with Clive Brook, Frances Dee,
Charles Ruggles, Gene Raymond, Mary Boland, Lila Lee, Charley Grapewin,
Adrianne Allen. 76 minutes.
Based on a story by Vera Caspary,
The Night of June 13th follows several subplots in households on
one street in the suburbs, the unifying element of which is the suicide of an
unbalanced young woman (Adrienne Allen) and her husband’s (Clive Brook)
subsequent trial for her murder. "Good entertainment! The story is
simple but somewhat different and effective; it has human interest and comedy.
In addition, several of the situations hold the audience in tense suspense
caused by the fact that the hero is in danger of being convicted of a murder he
had not committed.” –Harrison’s Reports,
9/24/32.
“The Night of June 13th
shapes up as grand entertainment.” –Marquis Busby, Movie Mirror, 12/32.
|
| Sunday, August 12 | Session #5 Silent movie accompaniment by Bernie Anderson, Jr. |  | 9:30 am His Wedding Scare (Columbia, 1943) Directed by Del Lord with
El Brendel, Monty Collins, Louise Currie, Vernon Dent, Dudley
Dickerson, Lloyd Bridges, Stanley Blystone, Eddie Laughton, Chester
Conklin, 'Snub' Pollard, Heinie Conklin, Stanley Brown. 17 minutes.
When El Brendel gets married, hilarity ensues in one situation after another. |  |
9:50 am A Passport to Hell (Fox,
1932) Directed by Frank Lloyd with Elissa Landi, Paul Lukas, Warner Oland, Alexander
Kirkland, Donald Crisp, Earle Foxe, Yola d’Avril. 76 minutes.
Racy pre-code melodrama starring
Elissa Landi is an English woman who, after becoming innocently involved in a
scandal, leaves London. She finds,
however, that she is unable to shake her reputation as a “loose woman” and is
deported from one port in Africa only to find herself a
virtual prisoner on ship after she arrives in war-torn German West Africa. The plot involves her in marriage to one man
(Alexander Kirkland), an affair with another (Paul Lukas), and various sordid
happenings. Warner Oland is the chief of the military police, father of the
heroine’s husband.
Condemning the film because of its frank
dialogue and risqué situations, Harrison’s Reports warned that A
Passport to Hell is “not suitable for children, or for Sunday showings.”
| | 11:10 pm Intermission (15 minutes) |  | 11:25 am Lightnin' Wins (Teaneck, 1926) (Accompanied by Bernie
Anderson, Jr. at the Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Alan James with Eileen Sedgwick, Lightning the Dog, Gary Cooper, Frank Lackteen.. 20 minutes.
An
entry in the rarely-seen "Lightnin' the Police Dog" series of films.
In this particular episode, a young Gary Cooper has a supporting
role.
|  | 11:45 am The Brown Derby
(First National, 1926) (Accompanied by Bernie
Anderson, Jr. at the Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Charles Hines with Johnnie Hines, Diana Kane, Ruth
Dwyer, Flora Finch, Edmund Breese. 6,500 ft. (approx. 74 minutes). UCLA RESTORATION WITH HAND-COLORED SCENES and SCENES IN TECHNICOLOR A cheerful farce comedy, the plot
of which is set in motion when plumber Johnnie Hines is mistaken for an
Australian millionaire. The fast-moving action that follows involves a
kangaroo, multiple chases, and a mad-cap hunt for the illusive title object.
“Johnnie
Hines’ latest comedy made by First National release has everything in it
except the kitchen sink to get laughs. That is exactly what the picture does
do….It is a corking exhibitor picture, for it does give the audience laughs and
it runs only a little more than an hour. There is an abundance of comedy in
action and titles; a little romance, some sex stuff handled in a farcical
manner, a couple of thrills in a motor car and motor boat race, and an
abundance of gags….The action is fast all the way, punctuated with gags that
roll up.” “”Fred.,” —Variety, 5/26/26. | | 1:15 pm Lunch Break |
Session #6 Silent movie accompaniment by Dr. Philip C. Carli |  | 2:15 pm Wall Street (Columbia, 1929) Directed by Roy William Neill with Ralph Ince, Aileen Pringle, Sam De Grasse, Philip Strange, and Freddie Burke Frederick. 68 minutes. This
early and topical look at the tycoons and swindlers of Wall Street was
released just two months after the great Crash of 1929, with Ralph Ince
starring as the ruthless steel mogul Roller McCray, who drives his
rival to commit suicide. Things become more complicated when his
victim's widow Aileen Pringle teams up with Sam De Grasse to get
revenge and ruin Ince.
"A surprisingly interesting and appealing
picture, even though the title is trite....Mr. Neil's directorial work
is excellent." —Harrison's Reports, 11/30/1929
"Picture has
plenty of Wall Street color to satisfy the average patron. A
point in its favor is that it moves. No bad dull spots and it has
good dialog and some comedy." —"Char.," Variety, 12/4/1929
| | 3:50 pm Jack Theakston's Short Subject Follies 40 minutes.
In its eighth installment, Jack Theakston presents more odds and ends from his personal collection.
| | 4:25 pm Intermission (15 minutes) |  | 4:45 pm Bowled Over (Roach/Pathe, 1923) (Accompanied by Dr. Philip C. Carli at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by George Jeske with Paul (James) Parrott, Jobyna Ralston, Roy Brooks 10 minutes.
A
Paul Parrot (James, brother of Charley Chase) comedy in which Paul is
playing a bowling championship game and his rival does everything
possible to prevent him from winning—pouring glue into the balls, etc.
There is a grand mix-up at the finish and everybody slams everybody
else with pins, including a couple of cops who come in to see the game.
"If Parrott's stuff finds favor with your folk, they will like this one." —Film Daily 4/18/1923 |  | 5:00 pm The Night Cry (WB, 1926) (Accompanied by Dr. Philip C. Carli at the
Capitol Grand Organ.) Directed by Herman Raymaker with Rin-Tin-Tin, John Harron, June Marlowe, Gayne Whitman, Heinie Conklin, Don Alvarado, Marie Louise Miller. 6,300 ft. (approx. 72 minutes)
Rin-Tin-Tin
is suspected of killing sheep, but the true culprit is a gigantic
eagle. When the bird carries off the infant of the hero and heroine,
it’s up to the heroic police dog to risk life and limb to save the
youngster. Harrison’s Reports (3/20/26) remarks, “It seems as if The Night Cry
is going to prove the king of all pictures that have so far been
released with Rin-Tin-Tin. To begin with, it is different; this makes
the picture refreshing. Following this feature, the plot has been so
well weaved, that the action holds one in constant suspense. The
spectator is at times made breathless….Rin-Tin-Tin is marvelous, as
always; some of his expressions are nothing short of human.” Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times (4/7/26) calles The Night Cry, “one of the best dog stories produced for the screen...” |
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