Laurel and Hardy Silent? Hardly!
The silent film family is a strong institution made up of people with a passion for watching silent movies in theaters. If you’ve never experienced a black & white Laurel and Hardy comedy with the accompaniment of a Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ, you’ll quickly discover there’s nothing silent about the audience laughter, the bold and sometimes thunderous sounds of the organ, and the enthusiasm families share as they end the show with a huge applause for the organist. There are a few opportunities to see silent movies with (and without) the organ music in California. This year’s opportunities include popular selections of Laurel & Hardy comedy films and shorts, Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera, and a spectacular unveiling of the recently discovered Sherlock Holmes (1916) starring William Gillette. The original Sherlock film has been digitally restored by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (silentfilm.org) and the Cinémathèque Française, which found the lost film.
Places to experience the classics of Hollywood:
1. MURPHYS – Ironstone Vineyard has a silent film series with an organist performing on a Mighty Wurlitzer
2. AVALON – Annual Silent Film Festival in May
3. EL SEGUNDO – Old Town Music Hall has silent films with Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ
4. PALO ALTO – Stanford Theatre has a pipe organ used during movie screenings
5. FREMONT – Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum has movies with organ accompaniment
