2024 THEME: FILMS ON THE NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY
This year’s festival celebrates the National Film Registry with a collection
of films selected for reservation based on their historical, cultural, and aesthetic contributions since the National Film Preservation Board’s inception in 1988.
The KSFF is underwritten by donations.
Please consider helping with your donation.
This program is subject to change. More details will be added as they are confirmed.
Friday, Feb. 23, 2024
@ White Concert Hall,
Jewell @ 17th St., Washburn University, Topeka, KS
FREE EVENT
Afternoon: 1:30 - 5:40 PM
Overture by Ben Model, piano
Welcome & Introductions by Denise Morrison, Film Historian
Introduction to the National Film Registry: Short Presentation by Katherine Pratt. To get us started film preservationist Pratt will give us some background on how the Registry took shape.
Early Short Films on the National Film Registry.
Featuring some of the earliest films on the Registry, from men hammering in a blacksmith’s shop to the animation of Winsor McCay, and the really bizarre Princess Nicotine. Also featured is one of D. W. Griffith’s earliest films for Biograph, and a recently discovered snippet of film advertising a musical starring African American actors.
Introduction by Denise Morrison, Music by Ben Model, piano
* Blacksmith Scene (1893) Edison — 45 seconds
* Something Good...Negro Kiss (1896) Selig — 1 min. + 15 seconds
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Feature: The Flying Ace (1928)
Norman Studios
A WWI veteran, a flying ace, returns home to his jobs as a railroad detective and immediately is on the case of stolen payroll. A great example of a silent film with an all-African American cast, made for an African-American audience.
— 65 min.
Music by Donald Sosin, piano
— Break
Introduction by Denise Morrison, Music by Ben Model, piano
* San Francisco Earthquake and Fire (1906) — 13 min.
* Princess Nicotine/The Smoke Fairy (1906) Blackton — 5 min.
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Feature: Lilac Time (1928)
First National, starring Colleen Moore and Gary Cooper
A repeat showing of one of our favorites that is still NOT on the National Film Registry, this WWI tale of young love between a flyer and a French girl was a huge hit for its star Moore and made a big star out of Cooper.
— 110 min.
Music by Bill Beningfield, organ, & Erin Wood, harp
— Dinner Break
Evening: 7:00 - 10:00 PM
Comedy Double Feature!
Overture by Muscian to be Named
Welcome & Introductions by Denise Morrison, Film Historian
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Short Subject: Lady Helen's Escapade (1909) Biograph — 11 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Short: Duck Soup (1927) Hal Roach Studio, starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
A lost film for nearly 50 years, this film shows the beginnings of the teaming between Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Two tramps, running from the law, hide in a seemingly deserted mansion. They try making some easy money by renting it out—and then the fun begins.
— 20 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
Introduction by
Denise Morrison
Feature: The Navigator (1924) with Buster Keaton
* 100th Anniversary * It’s the sailor’s life for Buster after being rejected by Kathryn McGuire but they both somehow end up on a deserted ship.
— 59 min.
Music by Marvin Faulwell, organ & Bob Keckeisen, percussion
— Break
Introduction & Music by Ben Model, piano
Feature: Paths to Paradise (1925) Paramount starring Raymond Griffith
The always dapper Raymond Griffith finishes out our comedy double feature in a film that is all about con artists and jewel heists and chases. The film always suffered because of a lost last reel but now thanks to Undercrank Productions we have a satisfying ending. Ben Model will tell us all about it.
— 67 min.
Saturday - Feb. 24, 2024
Morning: 9:00 - 11:40 AM
@ White Concert Hall,
Jewell @ 17th St., Washburn University, Topeka, KS
FREE EVENT
Overture by Ben Model, piano
Welcome & Introduction of Documentary by Bill Shaffer, President of KSFF, Inc.
Special KSFF Documentary — (Sound)
If you’d like to start your morning with a documentary about the silent era, then join us. — 60 min.
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Short: Mabel's Blunder (1914) Keystone, starring and directed by Mabel Normand
A comedy of mistaken identity and cross-dressing, the film has lots of fun co-stars in “before they were famous” roles such as Charley Chase and Al St. John. A National Film Registry title.
— 13 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Short: Captain January, 
(1924)
starring Baby Peggy & Hobart Bosworth
* 100th Anniversary *
A lighthouse keeper finds a child who was lost at sea in a shipwreck. Their close bond is threatened when she might be taken away from him.
— 54 min.
Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
— Lunch Break. 11:35 AM - 1:30 PM
Afternoon - 1:30 - 5:15 PM
@ White Concert Hall,
Jewell @ 17th St., Washburn University, Topeka, KS
FREE EVENT
Overture by Bill Beningfield, organ
Welcome & Introductions by Denise Morrison, Film Historian
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Little Nemo (1911) McCay — 12 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Feature: The Bargain (1914) Paramount starring William S. Hart
Hart essays his bad man turned good character in his first feature-length film, co-starring Clara Williams and of course Fritz the horse. A National Film Registry entry. — 80 min.
Music by Marvin Faulwell, organ, and Bob Keckeisen, percussion
— Break
Introduction by Staff from the Martin and Osa Martin Safari Museum in Chanute, KS
Shorts: Music by Jeff Rapsis, piano
Domesticating Wild Men (1920)
— 9 min.
Head Hunters (1922) — 11 min.
by Martin and Osa Johnson
This Kansas couple captured public attention through their films and books on adventures to Africa, the South Seas and Borneo.
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Feature: Nanook of the North (1922) by Robert Flaherty
A quasi-documentary by Flaherty follows an Inuit family for a year in their life. It was only after the film premiered that the native stars were professional actors. It takes nothing away from the power of the story. This film is on the National Film Registry..
— 79 min.
Music by Ben Model, piano
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 is Katherine Pratt. She will speak about Working With the National Film Registry.
Special Dinner Event—
Our Fifteenth Annual
CINEMA-DINNER, 5:15-7:15 p.m.
Price is $40/per ticket. Meal is buffet-style. Menu TBA
Those interested in attending can make reservations by mail:
KSFF Cinema-Dinner
P.O. Box 2032
Topeka, Kansas 66601-2032
Special Dinner Event, Our Fifteenth Annual
CINEMA-DINNER,
Seating begins @
5:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:15-7:15 p.m.
Special Guest Katherine Pratt , a media preservationist, will speak on her specialization, Digital Film Restoration
— 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 — |
Evening - 7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
@ White Concert Hall,
Jewell @ 17th St., Washburn University, Topeka, KS
FREE EVENT
Overture by Muscian to be Named
Welcome & Introductions by Denise Morrison, Film Historian
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Short: Jewish Prudence (1927) Hal Roach Studio, with Max Davidson
A star of Roach comedies, Davidson specialized in Jewish humor that is stereotypical—but never offensively so—and very American. Here he must contend with three children he feels will come to no good—and manages to come to no good himself.
— 20 min.
Music by Donald Sosin, piano
Introduction by Denise Morrison
Feature: The Ancient Law (1923) A German production by E.A. Dupont
This film’s one claim to fame in the US is its relationship with The Jazz Singer, that seminal work that began the sound era. But it is so much more than that; a beautiful story of worlds colliding, everywhere our hero Baruch goes pursuing his dream of becoming a great actor. Our musicians are here thanks to a grant from the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts.
— 135 min.
Music by Donald Sosin, piano, and Alicia Svigals, violin
About Katherine Pratt:
Katherine “Katie” Pratt, our speaker and special guest for KSFF 2024, is a 2017 graduate of the Selznick School of Film Preservation and currently a video editor and media preservationist who specializes in digital film restoration.
Her recent accomplishments include new restorations of Our Town (1940), two Tom Mix features—Sky High (1922) and The Big Diamond ROBBERY (1929) for Ben Model’s Undercrank Productions—as well as a collection of Max Fleischer’s earliest cartoons. Her work on Bessie Mae Kelley's pioneering animation shorts was well received at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in 2023. Katie was also involved with the Biograph/D. W. Griffith project where paper prints from the Library of Congress were used to create NEW film prints of Griffith’s earliest films.
Audiences have enjoyed screenings of her restorations on Turner Classic Movies, where she started her career in post-production in 2010. Now, over a decade later, Katie continues to contribute to TCM on a contract basis from her home in Toluca Lake, California. She is one of those persistent souls, who is working very hard ‘in the trenches’ to save priceless movies from the last century. She has been to the Kansas Silent Film Festival on numerous occasions. We hope you will enjoy Katie’s presentations during the KSFF event and during the Cinema-Dinner.
About Donald Sosin:
Donald Sosin, pianist, has created and performed silent film music for fifty years, playing for major festivals, archives, and DVD recordings. He has been resident accompanist at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center, the Museum of the Moving Image, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. His scores are heard regularly on Turner Classic Movies and accompanies films on more than fifty DVD releases. Donald has performed at SFSFF since 2007.
About Alicia Svigals:
Alicia Svigals, violinist, composer and vocalist, was born in The Bronx and studied ethnomusicology at Brown University. Her performance speciality is klezmer violin music, of which few recorded examples remain. Her music style is "a combination of old fiddle style, clarinet technique, and this sort of Greek-Turkish timbre, half reconstructed-half invented."
About Denise Morrison:
Denise
Morrison is a film historian from Kansas City, Missouri, with a special focus on silent film. She is Director of Collections & Curatorial Services 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 each film.
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 Ben Model:
Ben Modelis one of the nation's leading silent film accompanists, performing on both piano and theatre organ. Over the past 40 years, he has created and performed thousands of live scores for silent films at universities, museums, and historic theaters, and is one of the few exponents of this craft who is working at it full-time. Ben is a resident film accompanist at the Museum of Modern Art (NY) and at the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus Theatre, and he accompanies silents at classic film festivals around the USA and internationally.
Ben’s Blu-ray/DVD label Undercrank Productions works with archives and collectors to bring undiscovered gems of silent cinema to fans. Ben is a Visiting Professor of Film at Wesleyan University.
www.silentfilmmusic.com/ @silentfilmmusic
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 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.
About Erin Wood:
Erin Wood is an active and versatile musician, performing regularly with orchestras, choirs, and chamber ensembles throughout the Midwest. She teaches at the University of Kansas and maintains a private studio. Erin is in demand as a teacher and clinician and has taught at the CIVEBRA Festival in Brazil, Midwest Music Camp, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and masterclasses in Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, and Kansas City. She has won prizes in multiple competitions including Prix Renié and the National Society of Arts and Letters. Erin studied with Susann McDonald at Indiana University, earning both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Harp Performance. She is a past American Harp Society Board Member, Midwest Regional Director, and currently serves as President of the Kansas City Lyra Chapter..
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.
