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This program is subject to change. More details will be added as they are confirmed.
Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022
LIVE EVENT. Cost is $10 per attendee this evening only.
@ Jayhawk Theatre,
720 SW Jackson St, Topeka, KS 66603
Jayhawk Theatre: IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
To get tickets in advance, mail ticket fees BY SUN., FEB. 20, to
KSFF, P.O. Box 2032, Topeka, KS 66601-2032.
Advance ticket sales for the Jayhawk event will end on February 20th.
If you sent in a check for tickets and have not received them yet, please check at the door and ask if your tickets are in 'Will Call'.
Evening: 7:00 p.m. start time
Join us for a night of silent film fun the way it was meant to be seen—in an old movie theater. The Jayhawk Theatre is in the heart of downtown Topeka and is in various stages of rehabilitation which you’ll be invited to tour. One thing it might not have a lot of is heat. So come prepared by wearing warm clothes and you might want to bring a blanket too. The interior might not be perfect but the program is.
Overture/Credits by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra & Welcome
1. Short: Her First Biscuits (1909) D.W. Griffith and Co. RESTORED VERSION
 One of the first in a series of comedies surrounding a married couple known simply as Mr. and Mrs. Jones. As the title suggests, Mrs. Jones’ cooking causes just a little bit of trouble. We’ll be showing a restored version of this short thanks to the work of the Film Preservation Society.
— 9 min.
Music by Bill Beningfield, organ
2. Short: Tangled Tangoists (1914) John Bunny & Flora Finch
 Our first “Bunnyfinch!” The popular John Bunny and Flora Finch prove why they were so beloved in this sweet comedy about two wallflowers who take up dancing and change their lives forever. Although purportedly not very fond of each other in real life, their company Vitagraph found ways to put them together so often everyone began calling their films "Bunnyfinches." Preserved by the EYE Filmmuseum / Desmet Collection-Netherlands.
— 10 min.
Music by Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
3. Short: A Pair of Tights (1929) Anita Garvin & Marion Byron
 Anita Garvin provided comedic support for so many Hal Roach comedies but here along with Marion Byron, she gets to bring the laughs in this very funny two-reeler about two girls trying to go out on a double date.
— 20 min.
Music by Marvin Faulwell, organ, and Bob Keckeisen, percussion
4. Feature: Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) Buster Keaton & Ernest Torrence
 A great finale to our evening at the Jayhawk, this Keaton classic has our young hero meeting his father for the first time, a river boat captain who isn’t happy to find out this son of his likes a girl whose father is his business rival. It all culminates in a major storm that threatens to destroy all Bill Jr. holds dear. This film has been requested for many years by our audience so here it is, one of Buster Keaton’s best!
— 70 min.
Music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
— Wrap-Up
Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 FREE EVENT
@ Grace Cathedral,
701 SW 8th Av., Topeka, KS 66603
--Our fabulous Halloween venue--
LIVE EVENT, with FREE ADMISSION
Afternoon: 1:00 p.m. start time
So we had an opportunity to begin our Friday programming in the afternoon so why not skip work and join us for a Lon Chaney double feature. This afternoon program is a first for the festival and what a way to open!
Overture/Credits by Marvin Faulwell & Welcome
5. Short: Scrambled Weddings (1928) Edward Everett Horton
 The title pretty much sums up this short as Horton and company try to figure out who’s marrying who. Ruth Dwyer and Lolita Lee are the potential brides. From the newly released DVD set on Edward Everett Horton produced by our accompanist Ben Model.
Courtesy: Undercrank Productions
— 20 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
6. Feature: Tell It to the Marines (1926) Lon Chaney, William Haines & Eleanor Boardman
 He's known the world over as the man of a thousand faces but Lon Chaney did many successful films without disguises. Here he is in one of his most successful films as a tough sergeant trying to turn William Haines into a Marine as well as competing with him for the affections of nurse Eleanor Boardman.
— 100 min.
Music by Marvin Faulwell, organ, and Bob Keckeisen, percussion
— Break
7. Feature: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Lon Chaney Sr. (Restored)
 For Universal’s “Super Jewel” production of 1923, the studio spared no expense on the making of this film, and it shows. Hugo’s tale of 15th century France centers around a plot to create revolt among the peasants, with various characters serving as either plotters or pawns.
— 101 min. with Intermission
Music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
— Break for Supper
Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 FREE EVENT
@ White Concert Hall,
Washburn U., 1700 SW Jewell St, Topeka, KS 66621
LIVE EVENT, with FREE ADMISSION
Evening: 7:30 p.m. start time
Our traditional Friday night program is a solid evening of comedy followed by an underrated film featuring a wonderful performance by the great Louise Dresser. The comedy includes performances by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy but not as a team and begins with the wonderful husband and wife team of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew.
Overture/Credits by Ben Model & Welcome
8. Short: Behind the Screen (1915) Universal Studio tour (Al Christie is seen)
 A film about making a film, with Al Christie and company at Universal Studio. It's part studio tour, part "making of" documentary. This is but one reel of a two reel short; the rest is missing. However it still offers a fascinating look into early filmmaking.
Courtesy: Michael Aus
— 15 min.
Music by Bill Beningfield
 9. Short: Boobley's Baby (1921) Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew
What do you do when you can never find a seat on the streetcar? You invent a baby and everyone gives you a seat. This being a Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew comedy, the complications start adding up from there.
— 13 min.
Music by Bill Beningfield, organ
10. Short: Frauds and Frenzies (1918) Larry Semon & Stan Laurel
 This short from popular comedian Larry Semon co-stars Stan Laurel as prisoners on a chain gang in this very funny escape story (such as it is). Laurel's early career included this unusual teaming.
— 20 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
11. Short: The Bakery (1921) Larry Semon & Oliver Hardy
 Accident-prone bakery employee causes lots of mishaps for his employer. Comedian Larry Semon stars with a solid cast including Oliver "Babe" Hardy who was in many of Semon's films in his early career.
— 20 min.
Music by Marvin Faulwell, organ
— Break
12. Feature: The Goose Woman (1925) Louise Dresser, Jack Pickford
 Louise Dresser is a woman who lives rough on a farm but spends most of her time drinking and remembering when she was a famous opera singer. She blames her son for her present situation but then she has a chance to make a comeback of sorts. She grabs it but it comes at a cost.
Suggested by Kevin Brownlow
— 85 min.
Music by Ben Model
— Wrap-Up
Saturday - Feb. 26, 2022
Morning - 9 a.m.
@ White Concert Hall,
Washburn U., 1700 SW Jewell St, Topeka, KS 66621
LIVE EVENT, with FREE ADMISSION
We start our all-day Saturday with an upbeat group of films that will appeal to the little kid in all of us.
Overture/Credits by Ben Model & Welcome
13. Special Documentary (Sound on film)
This is a continuation of a documentary series on silent film history.
— 55 min.
14. Short: The Champeen (1923) Our Gang
It's the old tale of two rivals for one girl's affections…and one young man's attempt to get them in the boxing ring to make some much needed cash. One of the early shorts in the long-running Hal Roach series featuring "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison.
— 20 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
Intro of short subject by J.B. Kaufman
15. Short: Ocean Hop (1927) Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Walt Disney)
A first for the festival, an animated short by a young Walt Disney, of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character Disney lost the rights to during his young career. Oswald enters an airplane race but has a hard time beating a cheating rival.
— 7 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
— Break
Intro of the feature by J.B. Kaufman
16. Feature: Peter Pan (1925) Betty Bronson & Ernest Torrence
 Lavishly and lovingly produced, this is the first filmed version of J. M. Barrie's famous play. In fact, Barrie himself picked Betty Bronson to play Pan. A wonderful cast and the great direction of Herbert Brenon make this one of the treasures of the silent screen.
— 87 min.
Music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
— Wrap-Up
--Lunch Break, Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Afternoon - 1:30 p.m.
@ White Concert Hall,
Washburn U., 1700 SW Jewell St, Topeka, KS 66621
LIVE EVENT, with FREE ADMISSION
Our afternoon program, in two parts, is an eclectic mix of comic films and an intense feature by an African American artist that is essential viewing for any student of silent film.
Overture/Credits by Bill Beningfield & Welcome
17. Short: A Film Johnnie (1914) with Charlie Chaplin
A comedy short from Chaplin's time at Keystone, the film has many of Keystone's players featured in it. Charlie falls for the heroine of the movies and heads to the studio to find her. Chaos ensues...
— 15 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
18. Short: The Whirlwind (1922) Joe Rock
Joe is a traveling salesman who literally blows into a small town on the heels of a cyclone. He's smitten by a local gal and has to fight a rival and a disapproving father to reach a happy ending. This is the first of Rock's films at our festival.
— 11 min.
Music by Marvin Faulwell, organ
19. Feature: Stage Struck (1925) Gloria Swanson
 A wonderful showcase for one of the top stars of the silent screen. Gloria is a lowly waitress who dreams of becoming an actress to attract the man she loves. Technicolor sequences begin and end the film, which has great support from Ford Sterling and Gertrude Astor.
— 85 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
— Break
20. Short: Robinet's White Suit (1911) Marcel Perez
 Spanish-born Marcel Perez was a film comedian who spent many years in the Italian cinema before coming to the US around 1916. He was often billed by his character's names so he went by Robinette, Tweedledum, or Tweed-Dan. His comedy was very physical; the situations he found himself in usually gave him ample opportunity for pratfalls. This Italian-made short finds him regretting his choice of clothing. This is the festival's first look at Marcel Perez.
Courtesy of EYE Filmmuseum, Desmet Collection-Netherlands
— 10 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
21. Feature: Within Our Gates (1920) Directed by Oscar Micheaux
 Written, directed, and produced by Micheaux, this is the story of a young teacher who hides a horrific past in order to help her school. The director pulled no punches with scenes  of a lynching and rape as part of her story. Some historians claim this to be Micheaux's answer to Griffith's The Birth of a Nation.
Parental Guidance Suggested
— 77 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
— Wrap-Up
5:15 p.m.: Dinner Break — Program resuming at 7:30 p.m.
--Dinner Break: Event is by Reservation only.
Contact us & reserve. Special guest will be announced.
Special Dinner Event, Our Thirteenth
CINEMA-DINNER,
Seating begins @
5:15 p.m.
Dinner: 5:15-7:00 p.m.
J.B. Kaufman will speak on "Silent Film: The Midwestern Connection."
— This event is by reservation only. Dinner is $40. —
Tickets to this not-to-be-missed event are available for purchase by mail. The non-refundable price for the Cinema-Dinner is $40 per ticket, payable to Kansas Silent Film Festival. Mail your ticket request to:
KSFF Cinema-Dinner
P.O. Box 2032
Topeka, Kansas 66604-2032.
— Event is by reservation only —
HEADS-UP...IMPORTANT CINEMA-DINNER MESSAGE:
Tickets for the Cinema-Dinner MAY be available for sale in the 'Will Call' area in the lobby of White Concert Hall on Friday night and part of Saturday. Advance ticket sales for the Cinema-Dinner will end on February 20th. Please check at 'Will Call' if you sent in a check and have not received your tickets for the dinner yet. |
Evening - 7:30 p.m.
@ White Concert Hall,
Washburn U., 1700 SW Jewell St, Topeka, KS 66621
LIVE EVENT, with FREE ADMISSION
Our festival concludes with some exciting Western action, featuring some old friends of the festival and some new. But not films from the “Old West;” these are modern westerns of the silent era, which made stars of actors and actresses alike.  Overture/Credits by Marvin Faulwell & Welcome
22. Short: Hazards of Helen Serial Chapter #33 in Danger's Path)
Originally 119 episodes (most presumed lost now), this was the longest running series/serial ever made. Run weekly in theaters from 1914-1917, Hazards did not end each week with a cliffhanger but were individual stories, new every week.
— 10 min.Music by Bill Beningfield, organ
23. Feature: His Regeneration (1915) Broncho Billy Anderson
A hardened criminal gets wounded in a fight and is helped by a young woman. Her kindness is life-changing. This film is notable for the cameo appearance of another Essanay star.
— 15 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
— Break
24. Short: Girl of the Rancho (1920) Texas Guinan
A unique silent star, Texas Guinan is mostly remembered today as the "Queen of the Nightclubs." But she had a successful film career in the teens and twenties playing mostly western heroines in her home state of Texas. Here she's made an enemy of a nasty villain who kidnaps her kid sister. Tex takes no prisoners to get her back. Courtesy of Guinan Family Archives
— 10 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
25. Feature: The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926) Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper & Vilma Banky
 A wonderful finale film for the festival, this is the story of an engineer who is hired to divert the Colorado River to irrigate a desert town. But he's distracted by the lovely Barbara Worth who already has a beau. Beautiful stars, great cinematography, and a big climactic ending make this one must-see viewing.
— 89 min.
Music by Marvin Faulwell, organ, and Bob Keckeisen, percussion
— Wrap-Up
Our Cast:
About J.B. Kaufman:
 J.B. Kaufman, a long-time Kansas resident, is an author and film historian who has published and lectured extensively on Disney animation, American silent film history, and related topics. His books include The Fairest One of All, South of the Border with Disney, and Pinocchio: The Making of the Disney Epic. His silent film scholarship has included a collaboration with Russell Merritt on the award-winning Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney, as well as long-term research on the career of silent era actress Blanche Sweet. The latter project has produced several articles on Miss Sweet’s films, and Kaufman is at work on a comprehensive book about her career. In the meantime, he has presented programs at festivals including the TCM Classic Film Festival, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, and Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy, where he contributed to “The Griffith Project” He received the festival’s Jean Mitry Award in 2020. Kaufman will be our special guest speaker at this year's KSFF Cinema-Dinner where his topic will be "Silent Film: The Midwestern Connection."
About The Mont
Alto Motion Picture Orchestra:
 The Mont
Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, lead by pianist Rodney Sauer, is based in Louisville, Colorado and has appeared at this festival many times since the third event, held in 1999. The orchestra consists of piano, violin, cello, clarinet, and trumpet. They are quite active in their hometown and nationally. Mont Alto has acquired one of the largest collections of historic "photoplay music" in current use, and has used it to score over 120 silent films. They have toured across America from California to New York, and have scored all of Buster Keaton's silent features for the Buster Keaton Celebration in Iola, Kansas since first appearing there in 1998. They have produced three CDs of salon music and silent film music, and have recorded scores to over thirty silent films for video release and screenings on Turner Classic Movies, including True Heart Susie (1919), Sherlock Jr. (1924), and The Thief of Bagdad (1924).
About Denise Morrison:
 Denise
Morrison is a film historian from Kansas City, Missouri, with a special focus on silent film. She is Director of Curatorial Affairs with the Kansas City Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, and has been involved with the Kansas Silent Film Festival since the beginning. She was quite active with the Granada Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas, 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 most films in the festival.
About Marvin Faulwell:
 Marvin Faulwell is a very accomplished theatre organist. He has played for all previous Kansas Silent Film Festivals and our "sister project," Silents in the Cathedral, held at Grace Cathedral in Topeka. He has appeared in concert and accompanied silent film programs in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Minnesota. He also accompanied many silent films shown at the Granada Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas.
About Jeff Rapsis:
 Jeff Rapsis is a New Hampshire-based composer and musician who accompanies silent film programs. He appears regularly at venues including the Harvard Film Archive, the Library of Congress, and the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. Jeff is associate publisher and co-owner of HippoPress, New Hampshire's largest newspaper, and teaches communications at the University of New Hampshire. He has attended every Kansas Silent Film Festival since 2000! Visit www.jeffrapsis.com.
About Bob Keckeisen:
 Bob Keckeisen has been principal percussionist for the Topeka Symphony Orchestra since 1989. He delights audiences at the Kansas Silent Film Festival and Silents at the Cathedral by adding remarkable percussive music and sound effects to films. Bob grew up in Wichita and studied percussion under J.C. Combs at Wichita State University. He obtained both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from WSU and moved to Topeka in 1982. Bob recently retired as director of the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka, but remains assistant director of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and frequently volunteers for KTWU Channel 11.
About Ben Model:
 Ben Model is one of the nation's leading silent film accompanists, performing on both piano and theatre organ. Over the past 35 years, he has created and performed hundreds of live scores for silent films, working at his craftt full-time—a rare happened since 1930.
Ben is a resident film accompanist at the Museum of Modern Art (NY) and at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus Theatre. His recorded scores can be heard on numerous DVD/Blu-Ray releases from Kino/Lorber, Milestone Films, and his own label www.undercrankproductions.com, as well as on TCM and his YouTube channel.
Ben has composed orchestral scores for films by Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel & Hardy and has performed around the U.S. every year. He has co-curated several silent film series for MoMA and is also the archivist for the Ernie Kovacs collection. He has programmed three DVD box sets of Ernie Kovacs television shows for Shout Factory and is also a Visiting Professor of Film at Wesleyan University.
Ben Model's appearance at the KSFF is underwritten by Paul Post.
About Dr. Bill Beningfield:
 Dr. Bill Beningfield is a retired engineering director who spent his working career designing and supporting radio and radar products for commercial aircraft. After engineering during the daytime, he moonlighted as a flight instructor, aviation ground instructor, and professor of economics. He started playing the piano over 70 years ago and has been playing the organ for nearly 50 years. In 2006, he won first place in the American Theater Organ Society's competition for non-professional organists.
Kansas Silent Film Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. This event is funded by generous donations, and welcomes your support. Your tax deductible gift will be gratefully acknowledged.
Kansas Silent Film Festival, Inc.
P.O. Box 2032
Topeka, Kansas 66601-2032
E-mail contact - bill.shaffer@washburn.edu
All donations are appreciated.
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