Tag: harold Lloyd

  • When a Whistle Isn’t a Whistle

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    Ben Model
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    I make mistakes during shows, and usually I’m the only one who notices. As an artist, often that’s all I come away with from a performance. On Tuesday I used the “toy counter” on the virtual Wurlitzer I often accompany silents with in a few spots, and one use undercut one of the gags, I’m…

  • A Mysterious Woman in Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman”

    A Mysterious Woman in Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman”

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    Ben Model
    in , ,

    Honoring the Gag Work in a Silent Comedy Sometimes Involves a Doing a Little Homework and Then Sharing Your Findings With An Audience The gag title seen above from Keaton’s The Scarecrow (1920) got a huge belly-laugh at one of my shows this weekend. Usually it gets a tepid response (if any). The difference? At…

  • Happy birthday Harold Lloyd – watch “Bliss” (1917)

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    Ben Model

    In honor of Harold Lloyd’s birthday, I’ve uploaded a fun, rarely seen early “glasses” one-reeler with Harold to my YouTube channel. I scored this in 2008 for the American Slapstick 2 DVD set from AllDay Entertainment. The set is still in print and you can order the whole 3-disc set from them by click on…

  • October wrap-up, and a look forward into Nov & Dec

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    Ben Model

    I’ve managed to post about every single one of my performances during October 2009. The calendar quarter of Oct-Nov-Dec finds me working full-time as an accompanist, with 18-22 shows each month. I decided at the beginning of October to try and chronicle all the shows, plus give Twitter updates, for those of you who read…

  • 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…

  • (Safety Last + shorts show) x 2; AllDay recording

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    Ben Model

    July 15 – yesterday I accompanied Safety Last (plus the Lloyd 1-reeler Luke’s Shattered Sleep) and a shorts program at MoMA on piano. I’ll repeat the shows tomorrow on theatre organ. Safety Last knocked the audience out, as usual, and I was pleased to see a number of kids and younger people in the audience.…

  • 2008 update

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    Ben Model

    Too much to go into, and am sorry I’ve not posted in a while. Lots of things going on and lots to catch up on…and not enough time to get it all in right now. I will try to update you in drips and drabs in the next couple of weeks as time pops up.…