take your girlie to the movies!

As the 1919 song advises, "Take Your Girlie To The Movies (If You Can't Make Love At Home)"! You know, because of tattling little brothers or cranky dads... what did you think it meant???
Try to remember that song hearkens back to a simpler time. "Make love" was synonymous with kissing and holding hands and speaking low for only your beloved's ear.
(smile)
Tonight's venture into the world was a trip back in time, courtesy of the Tybee Post Theatre and an aficionado who is single-handedly returning the silent movie experience to this area of the world.
That isn't to say that Dennis Hall didn't have some assistance in that endeavor this evening. Yessirreebob! You see, the "experience" entails more than simply a silver screen and a piano. Yes, indeed, quite a bit more!
To entice the working populace into spending their cash (no credit cards back then!), a true show was needed. Vaudeville was the name of the game, so the folks with the reels had to incorporate some live action into the mix.
Tonight, I was able to sample that amply!
While waiting for the show to begin, I enjoyed the still frames up on the screen. One advised me to "cheer for the hero and hiss at the villain" - so I did! Several times!
Then Dennis, in garb of the time, complete with hat, came on to share his dream with the audience. We were treated to the song above, sung as a charming duet by Jane Ogle (who once sang with my friends in Hear And Now) and Jared Hall. Not only were they dressed in period clothing from the early 1900's, they were also singing into one of those old-timey stage microphones!
We were then treated to a short film which served as an advisory to an audience new to the movie-going experience. (That was much of the same tone as appears in modern cinemas to admonish folks about cell phone usage.) The piece, from 1909, was "Those Awful Hats!" It was a hoot! Be sure to click the link!
A second duet from Jane Ogle and Jared Hall followed the film. That one was quite silly, about a tired couple who went to movies, but had to keep standing up to allow others to pass. Hahahha!
That was followed by more history from Dennis, this time about the film-maker Mack Sennett, the fellow who brought us the Keystone Kops. One of the films also featured a popular race car driver, Barney Oldfield, who was the first man to drive sixty miles per hour. Incredible, but true!
(smile)
The 1913 Barney Oldfield's "Race For A Life" short film can be viewed by the clicking the title link. It was the fourth film featuring the Keystone Kops, but the story was about the actual race car driver coming to the rescue of a damsel tied to the train tracks! By a mustachioed villain! No kidding!
A piano solo then ensued from Dennis Hall. That featured some of the popular jazz music which was typically used as accompaniment.
Then Jane and Jared had their final number. "Crossroads" was the song of two people who had to choose between a budding romance or the lucky break of their career. That was very much the theme song for tonight's feature, 1928's "Show People", starring Marion Davies and William Haines. She was a Georgia girl, popular in Savannah (!!!), brought to Hollywood by her daddy, in search of fame and fortune in serious film. He was a comedic actor, in the same vein as the Three Stooges, who saw her in the lunch room and knew he'd found a foil.
What a lovely little romantic comedy! With a running time of 83 minutes, it rivaled the lengths of many of the spoken films that were being made, too.
We had a little intermission, as they would have done back in the day, partway through the movie. Considering the entertainment that preceded the film, a break to stand up before sitting back down was a good idea!
(Get it? Just a little inside joke!)
All in all, a most delightful romp back in time!
And I'm sure you're wondering...
How did Dennis Hall decide which pieces to play during the three movies? By research and experimentation, my dear! He has been collecting period music from the first quarter century of the 1900's for a very long time. Truly, the man has made this his life's work. Bravo!
I look forward to a future foray right here into the world of silent film on February 16th. What a nice Valentine to receive!
How lovely that this event coincided with another in silent film!
And what another lovely coincidence to have featured a link to Savannah!
The right place at the right time, for me.
i thank You, God!