Trader Joe's Silent Movie Mondays Held At The Paramount Theatre

Trader Joe's Silent Movie Mondays held At The Paramount Theatre in April

FILM SUMMARIES:

April 4 - It
Clarence G. Badger, USA, 1927, 72 min.

The 1927 masterpiece, It, stars Clara Bow as Betty Lou Spence, a poor sales girl at a large department store. In this straight-forward Cinderella-esk story, Betty sets her sights on winning the love of the rich owner's son, Cyrus Walthm Jr. (Antonio Moreno). Her smoldering glances grab the attention of Cyrus and she convinces him to take her on a date. Betty introduces him to the proletarian pleasures of life, taking him to early day Coney Island for rollercoasters, hot dogs and a grand old time. Then, drama strikes with lies, assumptions, wedding proposals and near-death-experiences. Will love conquer early New York social class barriers, or will both leave heartbroken?

This spring's silent film series, I Love New York, is accompanied by live music from the historic Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, one of the last three remaining organs of its kind to reside in its original environment, played by critically acclaimed organist Jim Riggs.

Other films in the series include:

April 11 - Speedy
Harold Lloyd, USA, 1928, 86 min.

Speedy was both Harold Lloyd's last silent film as well as his only film to get an Oscar nomination. A fine example of why Lloyd was even more popular than Chaplain or Keaton at the end of the silent era. This fast paced dramatic comedy explores the theme of modernization, pitting the last horse drawn trolley in the city against the evil forces of the transit monopoly. Filmed on location in New York, the film features the most extensive shots of Manhattan of its time. Many of the historically interesting sites include Coney Island's Luna Park, Columbus Circle and Wall Street. Baseball legend Babe Ruth has a cameo role as a very harassed fare when Speedy is working as a cabbie. Their wild ride ends at the old Yankee Stadium, and the film captures one of the Bambino's record-setting 60 home runs from the 1927 campaign.

April 18 - The Crowd
King Vidor, USA, 1928, 100 min.

This realistic, bittersweet drama of the day-to-day existence of an ordinary American is as relevant today as it was in 1928, just before the great stock market crash. In director King Vidor's Academy Award nominated timeless silent masterpiece we see James Murray, an everyman white-collar worker, trying to make it with his wife in the big city of New York. Here Murray copes with cramped living conditions, a boring job, and a limited life of regret. Released on the eve of the Great Depression, Vidor's sharp social commentary raises questions about both the dominance of industrialization and the rise of the modern metropolis. Although strongly influenced by the German Expressionist works of Murnau and Lang, The Crowd is notable for its extensive location shooting in New York City and its naturalistic visual style, both of which produce a vivid portrait of the city and its social stratification.

April 25 - The Cameraman
Edward Sedgwick, Buster Keaton, USA, 1928, 67 Min.

The first film he made after moving to MGM, The Cameraman is arguably Buster Keaton's last truly great work before the studio system stifled him. Here "The Great Stone Face" is cast as an aspiring, but lousy, newsreel cameraman in quest of the perfect shot, and, of course, the requisite pretty but oblivious Keaton ingénue. Buster keeps missing the great shot, but we never do - the Tong War, the Yankee Stadium solitary baseball routine, the Coney Island sequence - these are all vintage Keaton and vintage New York.
About The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ: The Paramount Theatre is home to the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, one of the last three remaining organs of its kind to reside in its original environment. Installed March 1, 1928 as part of the theatre's grand opening, The Paramount's Mighty Wurlitzer is one of the most ornate organ consoles ever produced. True to the Silent Film presentation of the day, each film is accompanied by Jim Riggs on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ to present the series as part of our rich cultural identity. STG remains committed to showcasing these rare treasures in the way they were originally shown.

About Jim Riggs: Jim Riggs is in his twentieth year as house organist at The Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California. He has previously appeared at the Grand Lake Theatre (in Oakland), Castro Theatre in San Francisco and at Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto. Having regularly appeared at every major Bay Area movie house equipped with a Mighty Wurlitzer, Riggs has entertained well over one million toe-tapping patrons and is know as the "Wizard of the Wurlitzer".

Though over one million movie patrons have been entertained by Riggs melodies on the organ, few realize he is in global demand as a silent film accompanist. From the Stanford Theater in California to the wilds of northwestern Pennsylvania to Manchester, England to Perth, Australia, Riggs has brought musical life into the silent shadows of the silver screen. He has composed and performed original scores for the films of such screen giants as Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Greta Garbo, Harold Lloyd, Lon Chaney, Buster Keaton, Gloria Swanson, Joan Crawford, Laurel & Hardy and many others.

Although Riggs appreciates the use of existing original music or light classics to provide scoring material, he prefers "...a much more creative and, for me, musically satisfying approach. I call my scores 'highly prepared improvisations.'" The key, he says, is to "...know the film very, very well. By that I mean everything from the general pacing and flow of the cinematic narrative to the length of the intertitles to where the dramatic action points are---you know, gunshots, pratfalls, quick cuts and so on." He then composes a short theme, or motif, for each major character, crafting it to reflect that character's film personality. Additionally, he says, "...there are often major---sometimes climactic---scenes which warrant their own special music. I'll compose suitable treatments for those, with an ear towards leaving room to slip in a character motif here and there." It all comes together during the performance. In his words: "There I am, sitting at the organ. My eyes are seeing images unfold on the screen, my brain's processing them, and my hands and feet are weaving together all that previously prepared material. I'm thinking about the action on screen plus I'm anticipating the action to come. And on top of it all, I'm manipulating the resources and dynamics of the organ itself. All of this happens simultaneously. The result, I think, is a completely fresh and dramatic blending of moving image and music. It's a very in-the-moment creative thing for me, almost Zen-like in nature. And it's my absolute favorite thing to do on the theatre organ."

About Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society: The Theatre Pipe Organ and its music are a truly unique American art form.Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society (PSTOS) is a non-profit organization furthering the appreciation, preservation and use of the Theatre Pipe Organs of yesteryear. Our members include musicians, technicians, and enthusiastic listeners - all devoted to the preservation and continued enjoyment of what we believe to be a National Treasure.

As movies changed to "talkies" in 1929, the organs soon became unnecessary. Many were lost to fire, flood, vandalism, and neglect. Just a very few today remain in their original homes-the Seattle Paramount Wurlitzer is one of those, and as such, has genuine historical significance. For the past 45 years, it has been lovingly maintained by members of the PSTOS.

About STG: STG is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at both historic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

Based off Pollstar 2010 Mid-Year Worldwide Ticket Sales, STG was ranked #43 of the Top 100 promoters and The Paramount (ranked #12) and The Moore (ranked #44) were placed very well among the Top 100 Theatre Venues.

Details:
Monday, April 4
Movie: It (1927)

Monday, April 11
Movie: Speedy (1928)

Monday, April 18
Movie: The Crowd (1928)

Monday, April 25
Movie: The Camera Man (1928)

Doors: 6pm / Show: 7pm
Location: The Paramount Theatre
911 Pine Street ~ Downtown Seattle

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