Ben Model’s blog
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Throughout the various iterations of Ernie Kovacs’ television shows over different networks, time slots and formats from 1951-1962 there was one thing that remained constant — his theme song. And like much of Kovacs’ humor, there was an element of Dada to it. “Oriental Blues” by Jack Newlon is neither…
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Silent Era Movie Theater Music Libraries Covered All the Bases…Except One
About eleven years ago I was hired to compile a book of vintage silent film mood music. To make my selections, I went through inventories of a handful of collections of music published and used during the silent film era — some that were in special collections at libraries around…
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Knuckles O’Toole Can Sit This One Out
I don’t know how it got started that 12th Street Rag became the custard pie stereotype of silent comedy music, and I’ll bet it goes back before Joe Franklin’s TV show. The tune has now been replaced by Yakkety Sax for TV clip compilers for running silly-looking footage, often over-sped,…
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Is a Spinning Flat Plastic Disc Preservation?
I’ve been complimented on my work by fans, show attendees, people who’ve supported my Kickstarter’s and/or bought my DVDs. It’s gratifying, although my reason for doing what I do has nothing to do with the “has the ‘Thank-you-masked-man Man been here today?”** aspect of it. One such thank-you I receive…
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The Ninety-Seven-Percent Solution
What “Window-Boxing” Is, and Why I Do This For All My DVDs When I produced my first DVD release, Accidentally Preserved: Volume 1 in 2012, I was concerned about fans being able to see the whole image. I was, after all, showcasing films that only survived in 16mm prints from…
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Trading Up: Kovacs Goes Hollywood
Ernie Kovacs: Movie Star? Ernie Kovacs is not necessarily remembered for his movie career, and it’s understandable. He was a unique voice in TV comedy, from its toddler days through his early death in January 1962. His presence on the small screen was non-stop, and his face was uniquely qualified…
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Faster Than the Speed of Sound
An Important Figure in Talkies Leaves Us an Intriguing Clue About Projection Speeds in the Silent Film Era As much as one may look at silent film the 1920s and feel like they are being run too fast, it’s important to be aware of what was actually happening in theaters…
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Matching Music: Dramatic Boost or Overkill
In selecting “appropriate music” for a scene in silent film accompaniment, there’s a fine line between support and simply mirroring what’s onscreen. It’s something I learned and developed during the first few years I was accompanying silents at NYU. It’s a question I still grapple with today. What do I…
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“The Best of Ernie Kovacs” – EEFMS, the Next Generation
My parents were Ernie Kovacs fans, and when they learned that Channel Thirteen, our PBS station, was going to air a series called “The Best of Ernie Kovacs”, they made sure I knew. My interest in visual comedy, almost an obsession, had started when I discovered Chaplin comedies on TV…
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“Let’s Go In to a Picture Show” – popular songs about silent movies
I first heard about this CD project during the Arbuckle retrospective I co-curated for MoMA in 2006 with Ron Magliozzi, Curator in MoMA’s Department of Film and with Steve Massa. Ron had spent a number of years acquiring dozens and dozens (hundreds, maybe?) of pieces of sheet music from the…