Author: Ben Model

  • other accompanists: David Arner, Bernie Anderson

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    Ben Model

    Silent film accompanist and accomplished jazz pianist David Arner was at last Friday’s (Feb 6) showing of The Kid Brother. He came over and said ‘hi’ after the show and we chatted for a while. I couldn’t place where I’d known his name till he mentioned that he played for silents at Upstate Films in…

  • Silent Clowns on Facebook and MySpace

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    Ben Model

    The Silent Clowns Film Series now has a presence on FaceBook and on MySpace! If you spend online time at either of these sites, join the FB group or become a MySpace friend. Click on the images below to go to the Silent Clowns pages on those sites.

  • Silent Clowns winter/spring season announced

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    Ben Model

    For those of you who aren’t on our snail-mail list, here’s a peek at what you miss by just receiving our eBlasts. Our new brochure, designed masterfully by Marlene Weisman-Abadi, arrived from the printers a couple days ago. Seen at right is our front cover panel, and if you scroll down you’ll see the inside…

  • Variety, Loves of Carmen, Kid Brother & The Wanderer

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    Ben Model

    Well, I’d only seen the American-release version of Variety, up till Weds (Feb 4). I’d played for it a number of times, and was glad I finally got to see the film with its original first 2 reels and storyline intact. When Paramount released it they cut out the film’s prologue where Emil Jannings and…

  • Ben Model on NY1 – January 2000

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    Ben Model

    Just uploaded this video to YouTube. This was aired in January 2000, during MoMA’s six-month silent film series coinciding with their museum-wide “MoMA 2000” gallery exhibitions. I was playing for 5-8 shows a week. If my years at NYU as an accompanist was silent film accompaniment boot camp – as I often refer to it…

  • Stuart Oderman tribute at MoMA – Jan 29

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    Ben Model

    This week MoMA is presented a program in tribute to Stuart Oderman, who this year celebrates his 50th year as a silent film accompanist. On Thursday, Jan 29 at 6pm, Stuart accompanied Broken Blossoms, which was the first film he accompanied way back when. The show was in T1, and the place was pretty full.…

  • Lon Chaney in “The Unknown”

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    Ben Model

    Played a matinee of L’Inconnu – or The Unknown – at MoMA today. The print came from GEH and has French titles which looked like they were made in the ’40s(?), white helvetica-ish against black. There is a print with the original release titles around (available from Turner/WB); I played to it at the Cinema…

  • Silent but Deadly at MoMA – photo

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    Ben Model
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    01.06.09 Silent but Deadly: An Evening of Comedy ShortsOriginally uploaded by PopRally Here’s a photo of me at the Steinway in Titus I accompanying one of the slapstick silents during “Silent But Deadly”, from the event’s page on Flickr.com

  • Don Q, Son of Zorro; changes at AMMI

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    Ben Model

    Last night’s showing of Don Q, Son of Zorro went quite well. We had a nice crowd, and a few kids too. Audience members enjoyed spotting Donald Crisp, the original/first Charlie Chan, Warner Oland, and Jean Hersholt (seen a couple months ago at the CAC in Greed). Miditzer sounded great, as always. Next up in…

  • Silent cartoons @ Burns in the NY Times

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    Ben Model