In this episode: Ben accompanies a bunch of shows of silent serials during June, and talks about the musical challenges of accompanying serials and in scoring an entire program of them; Kerr and Ben continue their conversation about Ernie Kovacs’s… Read More »ep. 50: Serial Queens, Kovacs Music Videos, and the Charming Raymond Griffith
Episode 50 Show Notes: Serial Queens, Kovacs Music Videos, and the Charming Raymond Griffith Live shows continue Women And The Silent Screen Conference XI at MOMA and at Columbia University June 2022 Few complete pre-1917 serials survive with all chapters… Read More »Episode 50 show notes: The Silent Film Music Podcast
In this episode: Ben plays with holding back musically to help an audience of art deco fans connect with Valentino and Nazimova during a show of “Camille” (1921); he and Kerr Lockhart dig in to details about “Oriental Blues”, the… Read More »ep. 49: Rudolph Valentino, Ernie Kovacs, Buster Keaton, and the Craft of Supporting Subtleties
Episode 49 Show Notes: Rudolph Valentino, Ernie Kovacs, Buster Keaton, and the Craft of Supporting Subtleties Summer exhibitions of silent films with Ben accompanying are picking up Camille starring Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino at AFI Silver co-sponsored by the… Read More »Episode 49 show notes: The Silent Film Music Podcast
From Tom Mix’s entry into motion pictures in 1910 for the Selig Company and his quick rise to starring roles, then into feature-length in 1918 for the rest of the silent era, he was never off the silver screen. Movie… Read More »Tom Mix: From Ubiquitous to (Somewhat) Unknown
One of the great things about living in NYC is that by taking walks, rather than getting everywhere by car, you run into people you haven’t seen in a long time. A teacher from film school told me once that… Read More »Getting the High Sign
This punny title was applied to a number of LPs of theatre organ music in the 1970s, and was often used as the headline for a news item about a silent film screening that featured the mighty Wurlitzer. It’s still… Read More »“The Sound of the Silents”
Although there have been several comedians from TV and radio who were associated with a particular song or theme song, Ernie Kovacs’ association with his theme runs through his entire television career as well as for every series he had.… Read More »Ernie Kovacs’ Enduring Theme Song
In April 2022, I accompanied a screening of The Patsy (1928) starring Marion Davies. I hadn’t seen or played for the film in about a decade, and didn’t preview the film ahead of time. I had an unusual experience during… Read More »Lawrence Gray: Plate Manipulator
In this bonus episode, podcast co-host Kerr Lockhart talks with Rick Benjamin, musical director of The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, about mood cues and photoplay music from the silent era.