The Silent Film
Society of Chicago
4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 205-SFSC
The 2009 Silent Summer Film Festival
Returns to
the Portage Theatre
The Silent Film Society of Chicago is proud to present the silent summer film festival for six consecutive Fridays beginning
Friday, July 24, 2009. W. C. Fields,
Harold Lloyd, Douglas
Fairbanks and Anna May Wong are featured in a stellar
lineup of classic silent films presented in all their 35-mm magnificence. Each
film will be accompanied with live organ by distinguished photoplay organists
Dennis Scott, Jay Warren and Michael Jacklin.
All films begin at 8 p.m. at the Portage
Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.
Map of Portage
Theater. See the schedule below.
Ticket Info
Festival passes (all six films): Seniors
and students $43 advance sale; Adults advance sale $49.
Individual tickets: Seniors and students $9 each advance sale; Adults $10 each
advance sale.
All tickets are $12 day-of-show
Advance tickets are available at the Portage Theatre, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave.,
Chicago during regular box office hours (Ph: 773-736-4050). To request tickets
by mail, download the
festival flyer and order form and mail to the Silent Film Society of
Chicago, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60641.
Opening Night!
Friday, July 24, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Running Wild
(1927) with W. C. Fields
Plus Buster Keaton in 35 mm short My Wife's Relations
Live theatre organ accompaniment by Dennis Scott
Pre-show music with the West End Jazz Band
W. C. Fields plays the hen-pecked, browbeaten Elmer Finch, a pretty decent guy
who receives no respect from his second wife, her son and even the family dog.
At the office, he's a twenty-year lackey who is taken for granted by his boss
and employees. But when he accidentally becomes hypnotized into thinking he is a
lion, his attitude changes and the zany plot goes into high gear. Fields' own
off-screen family problems may have been the inspiration for this rambunctious
comedy.
Friday, July 31, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Underworld (1927) with
George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent
Live theater organ accompaniment by Jay Warren plus Jay Warren's fabulous
on-screen sing-along
Introduction by historian Ken Irwin
Josef von Sternberg's epic gangster saga is a masterpiece of the silent era and
is as exciting and engrossing as it was when it was released in 1927. George
Bancroft plays Bull Weed, king of the big-city underworld. After a spectacular
bank heist, he meets a low-life street-corner bum Rolls Royce, who works his way
up the ladder of the organization, eventually becoming a near-equal to Bull
Weed. The film's cinematography uses a good number of close-ups and soft focus,
and Ben Hecht's Academy Award winning story is outstanding.
Friday, August 7, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Girl
Shy (1924)
with Harold Lloyd
Live organ accompaniment by Jay Warren
Plus Harold Lloyd in Back Into the Woods
Harold Lloyd plays Harold Meadows, who is
woefully shy around women. Surprisingly, he is writing a book, "The Secret of
Love Making," and while on a train to the publisher's office, he meets an
incredibly pretty Mary Buckingham (Jobyna Ralston). Although she is engaged,
Mary can't forget Harold, and he in turn can't forget her. His affections for
her grow, and when he discovers that Mary's suitor is a bigamist, it's a race to
the rescue in one of the most breathtaking chase sequences in silent film.
Friday, August 14, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Piccadilly
(1927) with
Anna May Wong, Gilda Gray
Live theatre organ accompaniment by Michael Jacklin
The Piccadilly is a London nightclub where Shosho (Anna May Wong) has risen through the ranks, starting out as a dishwasher to one of the top dance performers. When Shosho's star continues to rise, rival dancer Mabel Greenfield (Gilda Gray) is jealous, and to complicate matters further, both women are romantically pursuing the club's owner Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas). The stunning and sometimes eratic plot twists and turns all the way to the climatic end. This film is a great showcase for the beautiful Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American film actress.
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 8 p.m.
The
Thief of Baghdad
(1924) featuring Douglas Fairbanks
Live theatre organ accompaniment by Dennis Scott
Plus The Portage Harem Dancers on stage, courtesy DeMaira Dance Studio
In another wonderful Douglas Fairbanks adventure epic, the world of the Arabian Nights springs alive before our eyes, with Fairbanks as all of his fantastic heroes rolled into one. His athleticism is perfectly at home in this realm of flying carpets, magic armies and undersea battles. The realm of domes and towers, turrets and great halls, bazaars and souks all make the perfect backdrop for Fairbanks and and the plot's sinuous action. Julanne Johnston as The Princess is Ahmed's (Fairbanks) love interest; 16-year old Anna May Wong effectively plays the Mongol slave.
Friday, August 28, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Seventh
Heaven
with Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell
Live theatre organ accompaniment Dennis Scott
Closing Night ceremonies Pre-show music with West End Jazz Band at 7 p.m.
In 1927, Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Seventh Heaven, teaming up with Charles Farrell in a magical on-screen pairing. Set in Paris during World War I, Gaynor plays Diane, a street waif sought by the police for petty crimes. Farrell is Chico, a common worker toiling in the city's sewers. The couple eventually marry and take residence in a seventh floor garret. But the call of war sends Chico to the battlefront to fight for France. The film also won Academy Wards for Best Writing and Best Director.
This project is
partially supported by a City arts I grant from the city of Chicago, dept. of
cultural affairs and the Illinois arts council, a state agency.
