Sierra Madre Playhouse Marks Milestone Centennial In Grand Style With Glittering Silent Film Festival Honoring Its Roots

The historic Sierra Madre Playhouse, which opened as a silent movie theater in 1924, celebrates its milestone 100th Anniversary in grand style, returning to the golden age of cinema, when silent pictures reigned supreme and the elegance, glitz, and mystique of the Roaring 20s captivated the nation, with a two-day film festival, on February 3 and 4, 2024, noon – 8 pm.

The multifaceted event, which launches with a free community event, includes five iconic silent films featuring live accompaniment by celebrated pianist Frederick Hodges, and “The Bees Knees,” a Roaring 20s-inspired gala centennial celebration with a Harold Lloyd double bill, champagne dinner and speakeasy, honoring Suzanne Lloyd, Harold Lloyd's granddaughter and trustee of his extensive film library.

 

Evolving over the decades from its movie house origins, today Sierra Madre Playhouse is a historical landmark, featuring its original distinctive façade and instantly-recognizable neon marquee, that presents a wide array of bold and distinctive programming, including theater, music, film, comedy, and family-friendly offerings.

 

The wide-ranging weekend-long anniversary celebration launches with an admission-free screening of silent comedy shorts by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. The community event is presented in recognition of and gratitude for the tremendous support Sierra Madre Playhouse has received from Southern California audiences over the past century. (February 3, noon; free, reservations required).

 

The festival's feature film line-up showcases five iconic silent movies, among them three Harold Lloyd comedies directed by Frank Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, Safety Last! (80 minutes), Hot Water (59 minutes), and Girl Shy (89 minutes), as well as Helen's Babies (85 minutes), directed by William Seiter, and Buster Keaton's Sherlock, Jr. (45 minutes). Virtuosic pianist Frederick Hodges will provide live accompaniment for each cinematic gem and noted film historian Lara Gabrielle, the festival's curator, will introduce them. (February 3, 4 pm, 8 pm, and February 4, noon, 4 pm, 8 pm.)

 

Adding flair and glamour to the festivities is “The Bees Knees,” a roaring 20s-themed gala centennial celebration embracing the venue's roots as a fabled silent movie house and honoring Suzanne Lloyd, a film preservationist who serves as trustee of her grandfather Harold Lloyd's film library and extensive 3D library of more than 200,000 photographs. The event includes admission to a Harold Lloyd double bill of Safety Last! and Hot Water, plus a round-table discussion with Suzanne Lloyd. Between films, guests, encouraged to dress in festive 1920s attire, such as flapper dresses, sequin headbands, pearl necklaces, feather boas, fedoras and bowler hats, will parade across the street to the restaurant Roe Fusion to enjoy a gala champagne dinner and speakeasy with themed cocktails and menu harkening back to the Roaring 20s. (February 3, 4 pm.)  

 

Sierra Madre Playhouse Board Chair David Gordon, who is also chairing “The Bees Knees” gala celebration, says, “We invite the entire community to the silent film festival to celebrate Sierra Madre Playhouse's milestone 100th anniversary! With the wide range of events featured, there's something for everyone. We are thrilled to honor the deep and lasting roots, colorful history and important cultural role of this magnificent venue that has evolved into the award-winning Sierra Madre Playhouse. It is one of Southern California's enduring cultural treasures, and today its expansive array of live performances and film programs continue to delight audiences of all ages. The silent film festival is truly a fitting tribute to the ‘Grande Dame' of Sierra Madre.”

 

Tickets to Sierra Madre Playhouse's silent film festival are $19.24 per screening, in honor of the year the theatre opened, or $77 for all five feature films, and $100 for “The Bees Knees” gala celebration.

 

For information and tickets on the silent film festival and “The Bees Knees” gala centennial celebration, please call 626.355.4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org. Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

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