2002 Notes, Kansas Silent Film Festival

Promo | Program | Notes | Recap

Introductions by Denise Morrison
Music provided by Dr. Marvin Faulwell
and by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

Friday, Feb. 22, 2002

Begins: 7:00 pm

--Overture by Dr. Marvin Faulwell
--Opening Titles
--Welcome and Intro by Denise Morrison

Features

THE KID (Chaplin / 1921) - Charlie Chaplin's first feature film (sort of) - a short, poignant gem befitting its' title. Chaplin's little tramp character adopts a street urchin and life changes for both. Jackie Coogan plays the tyke and became a major star because of this film. 1.jpg 2.jpg
60 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

--Break
--Intro by Denise Morrison

SHERLOCK JR. (Keaton / 1924) - A short, visual masterpiece from Kansas born Buster Keaton that moves and moves, like movies ought to do. An ode to the chaos and poetry of film, it is neither confusing or completely sublime, but it is almost impossible not to watch! It has never been remade or equaled, but is often imitated. 3.jpg
45 min. -- Music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

Saturday - Feb. 23, 2002

Morning - 10 am to Noon

--Overture by Dr. Marvin F. Faulwell
--Opening Titles
--Introductions by Denise Morrison

Shorts

Hollywood Looks at Hollywood
NEWMAN'S LAUGH-O-GRAMS (1920) Before he moved west to change his life and the world, Walt Disney worked as a cartoonist in Kansas City and made some of these early short commercial films. A long, long way from Mickey Mouse and PINOCCHIO.
-- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

A TRIP TO PARAMOUNTOWN (Documentary / 1922) In the early days of Hollywood, the film studios were looking for ways to increase revenue. One of these ways was by doing tours of the studios themselves. Long before Universal turned it into a theme park/business, several studios (including Metro, Paramount and Universal) did tours and made newsreels (like this one) to promote those tours. Most interesting in these self-promotion pieces are the scenes of films being produced - some of which may be long remembered classics and others which are now lost films. - 10 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

45 MINUTES FROM HOLLYWOOD (1924) - An early look at the real and the unreal Hollywood. Country hicks get a taste of the glitter capitol and some run-ins with gangsters and other colorful characters. Most prominent in the cast of this Hal Roach produced comedy are a young Oliver Hardy and a sleepy Stan Laurel in separate scenes, not together. - 30 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

--Break
--Intro by Denise Morrison

Feature

SHOW PEOPLE (1928) - Another look at early Hollywood. This time, it's a delightful feature film about the rise of a major star played by the winsome Marion Davies. After 1940, Davies would only be known as the prototype for the fictitious character, Susan Alexander Kane, the tinny voiced singer forced upon the public by the over-zealous Charles Foster Kane in Orson Welles' masterful film debut, CITIZEN KANE. Welles was later quoted as saying his only regret about KANE was how unfair it was to Marion Davies because Davies (unlike Susan Alexander) had real talent. The mistress of billionaire William Randolph Hearst who also molded her career, Davies was a charismatic, vivacious personality whose best movies were slick, satirical comedies this one is probably her very best. 4.jpg
80 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

--Lunch Break

Afternoon - 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm

--Opening Titles
--Welcome Back and Intros by Denise Morrison

Short

MUSKETEERS OF PIG ALLEY (Griffith / 1912) - Another early example of D.W. Griffith's storytelling techniques featuring the first gangsters ever put on film. With Lillian Gish
10 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

--Special Introduction by
Kevin Willmott (Black Filmmaker)

BODY & SOUL (Micheaux / 1925) - Oscar Micheaux was a unique American talent. He was a Black filmmaker working outside Hollywood making films featuring Black actors in stories about real people. Micheaux was concerned with truth and reality in his films and BODY & SOUL is one of his most controversial. Starring the legendary Paul Robeson in his screen debut, Micheaux's film chronicles the activities of a jackleg preacher who steals, drinks booze and rapes women. Harsh subjects for a film in the 1920's. Even more amazing since it came from a black filmmaker, who had trouble getting his films shown in movie theaters across the country. The film was heavily edited and "cleaned up" by outraged censors. This version is a reconstruction of what Micheaux originally wanted to present. 5.jpg
100 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

--Break
--Intros

Short

VALENTINO & HIS 88 AMERICAN BEAUTIES (1923) - In between contracts, popular film star Rudolph Valentino was forbidden to appear in any new feature films. But enterprising producer David O. Selznick (long before he produced GONE WITH THE WIND) managed to make this newsreel of Valentino judging an early beauty contest and it was a hit in theaters where audiences were begging for more new Valentino films. Watch closely. One of the contestants was from Wichita, Kansas!
10 min. -- Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

Feature

THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE (1921) - Gripping anti-war drama about brothers fighting on opposite sides during World War I. This film cemented the career of Rudolph Valentino, who turned audiences on with his legendary tango dance. A well made epic co-starring Alice Terry and Virginia Warwick. 6.jpg
114 min. -- Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

--Dinner Break

Evening - 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

--Overture by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
--Opening Titles
--Welcome Back and Intros by Denise Morrison

Shorts

EARLY TO BED (1928) - Laurel and Hardy as butler and wealthy gentleman respectively. Of course, Oliver is a mischievous rascal, who can't resist making Stan's life miserable until Stan turns the tables. Another slick comic gem from this great team. 7.jpg
20 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

FIDDLESTICKS (1927) - Another comedy gem from Harry Langdon,one of the clown princes of Hollywood. This film was co-written by Frank Capra, who worked frequently with Langdon until he became a big-time director with sound films like LOST HORIZON and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. 8.jpg
20 min. -- Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

--Break
--Intro by Denise Morrison

Feature

THE FRESHMAN (1925) - Voted one of the one hundred greatest comedies of all time by the American Film Institute, this is one of Harold Lloyd's greatest films and it's NOT on video. Harold is a college student who'll do anything to be popular. The football game finale is a real crowd pleaser! Easily, one of the best films Lloyd or any other comedian ever made. 9.jpg
70 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

About Denise Morrison:

Denise Morrison is a film historian from Kansas City, Missouri, with a special focus on silent film. She works as an archivist with Science City at the Union Station in Kansas City, and has been involved with the Kansas Silent Film Festival since the beginning. She was quite active with the Granada Theatre in Kansas City when they were showing a full schedule of silent movies. Denise will give an overview of the silent film era and also provide introductions to each film.

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About Marvin Faulwell:

Dr. Marvin Faulwell is a dentist from Kansas City who is a very accomplished theatre organist. He has played for all of the previous five Silent Film Festivals in Topeka. He has a large theatre organ in his home, and he also restores the instruments. He has appeared in concert or has accompanied silent film programs in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota, and also accompanied many silent films shown at the Granada Theatre in Kansas City.

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About the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra:

The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra comes from Boulder, Colorado and will be making their forth appearance at the Silent Film Festival. The orchestra consists of a piano, violin, cello, clarinet, and trumpet. They are quite active in their hometown, have appeared several times in California, at the Buster Keaton Festival, and have also made three CDs of salon and silent film music. Currently the Mont Alto can be heard supplying the music for the DVD releases of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920) and Blood and Sand (1922) for Kino Video.

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