Ben Model’s blog
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This past summer I got to spend a delightful chat over coffee with William Perry. When I started playing for silents back in 1981 while at NYU film school, Bill was the first person I sought out for advice. I’d been hearing his scores on the PBS series “The Silent…
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Tony Sarg: Macy’s Parade Balloons and sillhouette silents
Tony Sarg designed the first balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. He also made a series of silhouette-animated cartoons in the 1920s. Here’s one. Transferred from a rare, home-use 16mm print from the 1930s.
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Film of Charles Lindbergh’s May 20, 1927 transatlantic flight – new DVD
40 minutes of rarely-seen vintage newsreels documenting Charles Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight on May 20, 1927 were recently released on a new DVD from Undcercrank Productions. Available on Amazon, the DVD also features a rare Monty Banks aviation silent comedy feature “Flying Luck” (1927), inspired by Lindbergh’s flight and co-starring…
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“MUSTY SUFFER” SILENT FILMS UNSEEN SINCE 1916 COME TO DVD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UNAVAILABLE TO GENERAL PUBLIC FOR 97 YEARS, THE POPULAR SILENT COMEDY FILM SERIES “THE MISHAPS OF MUSTY SUFFER” COMES TO DVD Renowned Silent Film Accompanist/Historian Ben Model Collaborates with Library of Congress to bring outrageous1916-17 films featuring Ringling/Ziegfeld star to home video NEW YORK, N.Y. (Tuesday,…
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Hal Roach silent comedy shorts on Sun March 23 **FREE**
On Sunday, March 23rd at 7:15pm, the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church (NYC) is hosting a FREE evening of silent comedies! Wind down your week – or kick off the one that’s starting – with two solid hours of belly-laugh-inducing classic comedies. These 1920s films will be presented with live musical scores…
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Doin’ it wrong…on purpose
Working even harder this year on improving my playing/accompaniment. Last night, as an exercise, I hauled out the DVD of something I’m playing for later this month and ran it on my laptop (mute) and played for it… as wrong as possible. Song title puns, a waltz when people were…
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Harold Lloyd in “For Heaven’s Sake” Sun 10/20 *FREE*
On Sunday, October 20th at 7:00, the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church (NYC) is hosting a free evening of silent comedies! Wind down your week – or kick off the one that’s starting – with two solid hours of belly-laugh-inducing classic comedies. These 1920s films will be presented with live musical scores…
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Undercranking’s “smoking gun” courtesy of Milton Sills
I knew it. I just knew it. I’ve been looking for years for written evidence that silent film actors had to adjust the way they moved to compensate for the speed-up of silent film. It has always appeared to have been the case to me when I’ve slowed down silent…
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Ready to see a silent film no audience has seen since 1928?
Tomorrow is the premiere of my new web-series, a bi-weekly YouTube release of a rare or lost silent film from my 16mm collection, newly transferred and scored. For now, these will only be available on YouTube (no DVDs). My first release is a lost 1-reel comedy that was unidentified when…
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Newsday: “Silent Films Amass a Quiet Following”
From today’s Newsday: Silent films amass a quiet following January 3, 2012 by JIM MERRITT. Special to Newsday Tonight’s Keaton film is getting a warm reception from about 60 people sitting in a screening room at the Cinema Arts Centre. But, it’s not Michael Keaton or even Diane Keaton scoring…