The long journey of 'The Old Homestead' from stage to screen; world 're-premiere' of silent film versions on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H.

An original release poster for the 1922 version of 'The Old Homestead.'

I've been a spectator to 'The Old Homestead' since high school.

The stage play, a phenomenal success as a touring production in the decades around 1900, is based on characters that author Denman Thompson remembered while growing up in Swanzey, N.H.

Thompson, playing the lead role of Uncle Josh, made a fortune from 'The Old Homestead,' eventually return to Swanzey to retire. He died in 1911, with the stage play eventually fading from the national consciousness as the Roaring '20s kicked into high gear.

I wasn't around for any of that, of course. But I was around to attend an annual revival of 'The Old Homestead' in Swanzey, staged by town residents every summer from 1939 all the way up to 2016.  

Swanzey's 'Old Homestead' revival in its early days. Photo courtesy the Historical Society of Cheshire County. 

I first attended the revival as a high school student in the early 1980s with a strong interest in theater. As a kid, I had actually spent summers in a nearby town, but had never heard of 'The Old Homestead.' 

It was my friend Jed Holland's mother who took us there—she'd grown up in the area and still attended the revival as a kind of annual ritual similar in spirit to what drives the many 'Old Home Day' celebrations in this part of the country.

The play's old-fashioned nature, plus the community theater "let's put on a show!" atmosphere, was like catnip to me. 

I responded to it for the same reason I gravitated toward silent films: for the big emotions, the melodrama, the sheer authenticity of the experience. It was so different from, say, 'Dallas' or 'Battle of the Network Stars' or whatever else was on the three channels of network TV back then.

A packed Potash Bowl for Swanzey's annual revival of 'The Old Homestead.' Photo courtesy the Historical Society of Cheshire County.  

At the time, the Potash Bowl—an outdoor amphitheater and the revival's longtime home—would be packed with hundreds of residents and visitors for each performance. 

Like some of the characters in 'The Old Homestead,' I went off to the big city for a time. But after returning to New Hampshire, I resumed attending the revival, bringing new friends (including my future wife) to share in the ritualistic experience. 

For some reason (probably to make time to change the scenery), between acts there was a tradition of singing the Joyce Kilmer's 'Trees' poem as set to music by Oscar Rasch way back in 1922, the Internet tells me.

 "I think that I shall never see..
A poem lovely as a tree..."

Well, in recent years, I thought I'd never see 'The Old Homestead' again. After a 75-year run (take that, 'The Mousetrap' in London!), the revival stopped being revived in 2016.

From what I can tell, the hometown version of 'The Old Homestead' finally succumbed to changing times and tastes. Here's a link to a story in the Keene (N.H.) Sentinel, the local daily paper, about the final performances.

And you'd think that would be it for 'The Old Homestead.' But no. 

Enter Larry Benaquist, a longtime film professor at Keene State College with a knack for rediscovering films from the silent era.

In 2006, Benaquist was instrumental in saving and preserving a collection of 35mm nitrate film prints found in an abandoned barn in a former summer camp in the woods north of Keene.

The movies included the first billed screen appearance by future megastar Mary Pickford, 'The Wishing Seat' (1911), a film that had been thought missing until Benaquist's discovery. 

The world "re-premiere" of 'The Wishing Seat' in 2013 made national headlines, including this report from CBS News. 

The films also included a print of 'When Lincoln Paid' (1913), a half-hour Civil War drama directed by Francis Ford (brother of legendary director John Ford), in which Ford also played Lincoln on scriteen.

The Lincoln film's rescue and restoration made international headlines, such as in this story published in Canada.

But Benaquist, now retired from teaching, wasn't done. 

Aware of the significance of 'The Old Homestead' in local history, he was curious about any early film adaptions. Putting a well-known stage play on screen was a common practice in cinema's early days—it was usually good box office.

A newspaper ad promoting the 1915 version of 'The Old Homestead' released by Paramount Pictures.

It turned out that not one but two versions of 'The Old Homestead' were produced in the silent era, both by Paramount Pictures: the first in 1915, and another in 1922.

But neither were readily available. Since their original release, the films had never been reissued or preserved. No copies had ever circulated, either commercially or in the collector's market. No U.S. archive had copies. 

And, despite Benaquist's earlier good fortune, prints were unlikely to turn up in abandoned area barns.

So Benaquist began looking elsewhere. 

From the earliest days of film, U.S. studios were shipping negatives to Europe, where prints were made in quantity to feed the growing appetite for cinema throughout the silent era.

As will happen, a few prints wound up in collections or repositories—often in state archives, where they were preserved and held as artifacts of cinema's early years.

So a person searching for missing Hollywood films can sometimes find them in foreign archives. That's what Benaquist tried to do, making inquiries—and he hit paydirt, locating not one but both film adaptations of 'The Old Homestead' in Europe.

That was six years ago. It's taken that much time (slowed by the pandemic) to negotiate the repatriation of the films, and to restore them so they can once again be seen as intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

And that's what will happen on Saturday, Feb. 7, when both versions will be screened for the first time in more than a century—at the Showroom in Keene, N.H., not far from Denman Thompson's hometown of Swanzey, N.H. 

I have the great honor of creating live music for both adaptations: the 1915 version at 3 p.m., and the 1922 version at 7 p.m. 

Larry has been a generous supporter of my work in film music, giving me the opportunity to accompany his earlier restorations at their first screenings, and then elsewhere.  

So I'm thrilled to be working with him again to provide live music for these "world re-premiere" screenings. 

After being an 'Old Homestead' fan and spectator for all these years, it's a great privilege to get to play a small role in the long history of this American classic.

I hope you'll join us: lots more info about 'The Old Homestead' and the Feb. 7 screenings is in the press release below:

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Sheet music published to go along with a silent film release of 'The Old Homestead' (1922).

MONDAY, JAN. 26, 2026 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H.

Unseen for more than a century, two early Hollywood adaptations of N.H. author's famous play to screen with live music at Colonial's Showroom venue

KEENE, N.H.— It was once one of the most popular stage plays in America. But a pair of early film versions of it haven't been seen for more than a century.

That will change when two recently rediscovered adaptations of 'The Old Homestead' are screened with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Showroom, 20 Commercial St., Keene, N.H.

An adaptation from 1915 will be screened on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m., along with a new documentary by Slate Roof Films about 'The Old Homestead' and its author, Denman Thompson, a native of Swanzey, N.H.

Historians Larry Benaquist and Howard Mansfield will lead a discussion following the screening. 

In a separate program at 7 p.m., a longer 1922 version of 'The Homestead' will be screened. 

Live music for both screenings will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in accompanying silent films.

Both programs are free and open to the public, but separate advance tickets are required for each screening. For tickets, visit www.showroomkeene.org, click on 'Tickets,' then go to Saturday, Feb. 7 on the online calendar.

Both films were produced by Paramount Pictures; following their initial run, the films were never re-released or reissued. 

Like much of early cinema, copies simply were not available after the silent era ended in the late 1920s; an estimated 75 percent of films made during this time are lost and no longer exist.

But prints of each version of 'The Old Homestead' survived in foreign archives, which led to a six-year effort to have them repatriated to the U.S., restored, and shown once again on the big screen.

"The survival of one of these films would have been unlikely; the survival of both is near-miraculous," said Benaquist, retired Professor of Film Studies at Keene State College, who spearheaded the project.

'The Old Homestead' play was written in 1886 by Denman Thompson (1833-1911), a farmer-turned-actor-turned-playwright who grew up Swanzey, N.H.  

In writing 'The Old Homestead,' Thompson combined the lives of several people that he knew in Swanzey, taking the characteristics of each to make the unique character presented.

The play toured around the country for decades, seen by an estimated 20 million people, and helped to shape the image of the Yankee farmer for an entire nation.  

Thompson himself played the lead character, Uncle Josh, who must search for his son who has fled to New York City after being accused of a crime he did not commit. 

'The Old Homestead,' full of wit, song, and rural humor and pathos, came to the American stage at a time when young people were fleeing the rural life for work in the big cities.

The rural values featured in the play and subsequent filmed versions held a great appeal for the American audiences of the late 19^th century. 

Following a fabulously successful career, Thompson returned to Swanzey, N.H. to live in retirement, a beloved native son, where he died in 1911.

Although Thomson's play eventually faded from the nation's conscience, an annual summertime revival of 'The Old Homestead' ran in Swanzey from 1939 to 2016.

The recently rediscovered silent films were both produced by Paramount Pictures—the 1915 version having been found in Paris and the 1922 version in Belgium.  

The 1922 adaptation was directed by James Cruze, who had worked with silent film comic Fatty Arbuckle just prior to 'The Old Homestead.' 

The next year, Cruze would direct Paramount's 'The Covered Wagon' (1923), a large scale Western and one of the defining epics of the silent era.

In collaboration with the Historical Society of Cheshire County, Benaquist raised the funds needed to return 'The Old Homestead' films to the United States and have them restored.

The restoration of the two versions of 'The Old Homestead' was accomplished in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Royal Film Archive of Belgium, and the Library of Congress. 

The world "re-premiere" of two film adaptations of Denman Thompson's play 'The Old Homestead' will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Showroom, 20 Commercial St., Keene, N.H.

• At 3 p.m., the 1915 version of 'The Old Homestead' will be screened, along with a documentary by Slate Roof Films and a discussion about the project with historians Larry Benaquist and Howard Mansfield.

  

• At 7 p.m., the longer 1922 version of 'The Old Homestead' will be screened.

Live music for both presentations will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

Both programs are free and open to the public, but separate advance tickets are required for each screening. For tickets, visit www.showroomkeene.org, click on 'Tickets,' then go to Saturday, Feb. 7 on the online calendar.

Organized in collaboration with the Historical Society of Cheshire County, this event is generously sponsored by New Hampshire Humanities, Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, NH Charitable Foundation, Kingsbury Fund, Madelaine Von Weber, and the Steadmans. 

 

Let's try that again! 'Annie Laurie' rescheduled to Sunday, Feb. 1, but first 'Metropolis on Thursday, Jan. 29 plus a few others as well

'Annie Laurie' (1927) will be screened on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

It really doesn't work without an audience.  

So today's snowstorm blew in earlier than expected, which led to not a single person showing up for our planned matinee screening of 'Annie Laurie' (1927) on Sunday, Jan. 25, with live music by me.

Although the show must go on, when no one shows due to snow, there's no show to show. 

So we've rescheduled 'Annie Laurie' for exactly one week later, on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.  

Join us then for a full dose of Lillian Gish surrounded by men in kilts!

With 'Annie Laurie' moved to next Sunday, I now have a block of four shows in a row to close out January.

• On Thursday, Jan. 29, a mid-winter screening of 'Metropolis' (1927) I'm accompanying at the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport, R.I. is already selling a lot of tickets. 

• On Friday, Jan. 30, it's Buster Keaton's 'The General' (1926) in a 100th anniversary screening at the Epsilon Spires venue in Brattleboro, Vt. (I get to play their Estey organ to accompany.)

• On Saturday, Jan. 31, it's the annual 'Pot Luck Supper and Silent Movie Night' at the Campton Historical Society up in Campton, N.H., where this year's entertainment is the original silent film version of 'Peter Pan' (1924.)

• And then on Sunday, Feb. 1, we'll try our luck with 'Annie Laurie' again at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H., and hope that this time Mother Nature approves.

For 'Metropolis,' the press release below has lot more info about the film and the screening. Hope you'll be able to join us in Newport on Thursday. And if I get there early enough, I invite me in the Boru Noodle House just down the street.

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Industrialist Joh Frederson (Alfred Abel) looks on as scientist Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) outlines his vision for a human-like robot in 'Metropolis' (1927).

MONDAY, JAN. 12, 2026 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Restored classic sci-fi epic 'Metropolis' to screen in Newport, R. I. on Thursday, Jan. 29

Landmark early futuristic fantasy, with half-hour of rediscovered footage, to be shown with live music at Jane Pickens Theatre

NEWPORT, R.I.— A silent film hailed as the grandfather of all science fiction fantasy movies will soon return to the big screen at the Jane Pickens Theatre.

'Metropolis' (1927), an epic adventure set in a futuristic world, will be shown with live music on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theatre, 49 Touro St. in historic downtown Newport.

The screening will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Admission is $18 per person. Tickets available online at https://janepickens.com or at the door.

'Metropolis' (1927), regarded as German director Fritz Lang's masterpiece, is set in a society where a privileged elite pursue lives of leisure while the masses toil on vast machines and live in poverty.

The film, with its visions of futuristic factories and underground cities, set new standards for visual design and inspired generations of dystopian fantasies from Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' to Terry Gilliam's 'Brazil.'

An original poster for the German release of 'Metropolis' (1927).
 

In 'Metropolis,' the story centers on an upper class young man who falls in love with a woman who works with the poor. The tale encompasses mad scientists, human-like robots, underground spiritual movements, and industrial espionage, all set in a society divided between haves and have-nots.

The version of 'Metropolis' to be screened at the Jane Pickens Theatre is a newly restored edition that includes nearly a half-hour of missing footage cut following the film's premiere in 1927. The lost footage, discovered in 2008 in an archive in Argentina, has since been added to the existing 'Metropolis,' allowing plot threads and characters to be developed more fully.

When first screened in Berlin, Germany on Jan. 10, 1927, the sci-fi epic ran an estimated 153 minutes. After its premiere, the film's distributors (including Paramount in the U.S.) drastically shortened 'Metropolis' to maximize the film's commercial potential. By the time it debuted in the U.S. later that year, the film was only about 90 minutes long.

Even in its shortened form, 'Metropolis' became a cornerstone of science fiction cinema. Due to its enduring popularity, the film has undergone numerous restorations in the intervening decades in attempts to recover Lang's original vision.

Restoration work continues to this day. In 2008, the curator of the Buenos Aires Museo del Cine discovered a 16mm dupe negative of 'Metropolis' that was considerably longer than any existing print.

It  contained 25 minutes of "lost" footage, about a fifth of the film, that had not been seen since its Berlin debut.

The discovery of such a significant amount of material called for yet another restoration, a 2½-hour version that debuted in 2010 to widespread acclaim. It's this fully restored edition that will be screened at the Jane Pickens Theatre.

 

Wealthy heir Freder Frederson (Gustav Fröhlich) aids a collapsed worker in a scene from 'Metropolis' (1927).

" 'Metropolis' stands as an stunning example of the power of silent film to tell a compelling story without words, and reach across the generations to touch movie-goers from the real future, which means us," said accompanist Jeff Rapsis, who provides live music for silent film screenings throughout New England and beyond.

To accompany a silent film, Rapsis uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra. The score is created live in real time as the movie is screened. Rather than focus exclusively on authentic music of the period, Rapsis creates new music for silent films that draws from movie scoring techniques that today's audiences expect from the cinema.

The restored 'Metropolis' will be shown with live music on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theatre, 49 Touro St. in historic downtown Newport. 

Admission is $18 per person. Tickets available online at https://janepickens.com or at the door.

For more information on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.

CRITIC'S COMMENTS on ‘METROPOLIS’

“'Metropolis' does what many great films do, creating a time, place and characters so striking that they become part of our arsenal of images for imagining the world.”
—Roger Ebert, 2010, The Chicago Sun-Times

“If it comes anywhere near your town, go see it and thank the movie Gods that it even exists. There’s no star rating high enough.”
—Brian Tallerico, Movieretriever.com

 

 

'Annie Laurie' (1927) will be screened as scheduled on Sunday, Jan. 25 just a'fore the snow

An original lobby card promoting MGM's  'Annie Laurie' (1927) starring Lillian Gish.

The show must go on! 

That's the story for our screening of 'Annie Laurie' (1927), the MGM historical adventure epic that I'm scheduled to accompany on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

Yes, a big slow-moving snowstorm is supposed to roll through our area starting that afternoon. The key word there is starting. It's not really going to kick in until Sunday evening, so Dennis Markaverich of the Town Hall Theater and I are choosing to go with the matinee as scheduled.

One factor in this decision: the high visibility Lions Club sign on Route 101 has been promoting the screening since just after the New Year. That's prime exposure and so we felt obligated to follow through. 

And if no one shows, we can always screen the film again next Sunday—although the long-range forecast calls for a similar storm at that time. So it's going to be one of those Februarys. Well, spring is only 54 days away, but who's counting. (All right, I am.)

So be brave (like Lillian Gish) and journey to the Town Hall Theatre for tomorrow's screening of 'Annie Laurie' (1927) at 2 p.m. Here's the press release with more details about the film:

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Lillian Gish stars in 'Annie Laurie' (1927)

MONDAY, JAN. 19, 2026 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

New restoration of MGM blockbuster 'Annie Laurie' to screen at Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 25 

Lilian Gish stars in title role as Scottish clans do battle in epic historical drama; accompanied by live music

WILTON, N.H.— Return to the days of warring Scottish clans when 'Annie Laurie,' a rarely screened MGM epic featuring silent-era megastar Lillian Gish, inaugurates the 2026 silent film series at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

A newly restored and remastered version of 'Annie Laurie' will be screened on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

The program is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film programming.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who performs regularly at screenings around the nation.

In 'Annie Laurie,' Lillian Gish plays a diplomat's daughter caught in the violent 17th-century feud between the Scottish Campbell and MacDonald clans. 

Gish, a Campbell, falls in love with rival clan chief Ian MacDonald (Norman Kerry) complicating peace efforts between the two warring sides.

As the clans prepare for battle, the romance forces Gish to choose between loyalty to her family or to warn the rival MacDonalds in advance of the infamous Massacre of Glencoe. 

The film's spectacular climax features Gish in a dramatic "race to the rescue" sequence filmed in an early version of Technicolor.

 

'Annie Laurie,' a major 1927 release for top studio MGM, has not been available for public viewing since its original release. In 2024, the U.S. Library of Congress transferred a pristine 35mm print in their collection to digital media, doing restoration work when needed.

The story of 'Annie Laurie' takes place in the late 1690s amid a backdrop of clans battling fiercely for supremacy in the years before Scotland joined England to form the United Kingdom.

To tell the tale on an epic scale on screen, MGM director John S. Robertson pulled out all the stops, staging enormous battle scenes set among the craggy Scottish landscape.

Sumptuous period costumes (yes, including men in kilts!) are a highlight of the 'Annie Laurie,' which was released at the peak of silent film artistry, just prior to the introduction of talking pictures.

At the time, Gish was among MGM's biggest stars, having arrived at the studio after playing iconic leading roles in early D.W. Griffith features including 'The Birth of a Nation' (1915), 'Way Down East' (1920), and 'Orphans of the Storm' (1921).

Leading man Norman Kerry was a popular silent-era performer who often played the heroic dashing swashbuckler or the seductive lothario. He was extremely popular with female fans and was at the peak of his career in 'Annie Laurie.'

Among those in the large cast of supporting players was a very young John Wayne in one of his earliest roles as an extra.

'Annie Laurie' marks the first 2026 screening of the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series. Each month, a classic motion picture from Hollywood's silent film era is screened with live music at the venue, where movies were first presented in 1912.

"It's a great way for audiences to experience the magic of silent film in the way it was intended: on the big screen, in restored editions, with live music, and with an audience," said Jeff Rapsis, who provides live musical accompaniment for each program.

"Early movie-making was a shared experience that took place in a theater," Rapsis said. "Filmmakers at the time created motion pictures with that in mind—and when you can present them the way they were intended, their impact remains uniquely powerful."

Upcoming programs in the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series include:

• Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Girl Shy" (1924) starring Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston. Celebrate Valentine's Day with the original rom-com, a Harold Lloyd gem starring one of the masters of silent comedy and featuring an unforgettable race-to-the-church finish. 

• Sunday, March 8, 2026, 2 p.m.: "A Doggie Double Feature." Two vintage films featuring silent canine stars! In 'His Master's Voice' (1925), cowardly Bob Henley is drafted into the army during World War II while his faithful dog Thunder joins the Red Cross. In 'The Law's Lash' (1928), Klondike the Dog works with the Northwest Mounted Police to track down smugglers.

• Sunday, April 5, 2026, 2 p.m.: "The Ten Commandments" (1923) directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The original silent film version of 'The Ten Commandments' has all the big scenes, but differs greatly from the later version starring Charlton Heston. See for yourself as we screen this ground-breaking (and Red Sea-parting) Biblical epic. 

• Sunday, May 3, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Steamboat Bill, Jr." (1928) starring Buster Keaton. As the pampered son of a gruff steamboat captain, Buster tries to make the grade even as storm clouds gather—and romance brews with the daughter of a rival ship owner. Film climaxes with legendary cyclone sequence, one of Buster's best. 

• Sunday, June 7, 2026, 2 p.m.: "Beau Geste" (1926) starring Ronald Colman. One of the top films of 1926, newly restored for its 100th anniversary. Michael "Beau" Geste leaves England in disgrace and joins the infamous French Foreign Legion. He is reunited with his two brothers in North Africa, where they face greater danger from their own sadistic commander than from the rebellious Arabs.

'Annie Laurie' (1927) starring Lillian Gish and Norman Kerry will be shown with live music on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H. 

The program is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested. For more information, call (603) 654-3456. 

 

 

Welcome to 2026 in silent film screenings: being Charlie Chaplin ain't what it used to be

Posing in front of the display wall in the "Charlie Chaplin Room" upstairs at the Bear Pub on Charing Cross Road, London.

Welcome to 2026 and another year of bringing silent films to life with live music.

Right now I'm in London, but not for silent film purposes. The wife and I are on our quasi-annual mid-winter "pig out on theater" trip across the pond. Seven shows in four days.

But you can't get away from silent film that easily, as I discovered when we stopped for a quick dinner last night at "The Bear" a pub on Charing Cross Road.

Turns out the upstairs dining room was named in honor of native Londoner Charlies Chaplin, who it seems was a frequent patron there when performing at a nearby theater before he started his motion picture career.

In honor of that, the proprietors have installed a small display with the requisite bowler hat, cane, and other Chaplin mementos.

Sorry to report that most patrons seemed unconcerned with the Chaplin connection. It was apparent that no one had noticed it until I went over to get a photograph. Once attention was brought to the display, the only interest seemed to be in a vintage martini recipe that was part of it.

I guess being Charlie Chaplin ain't what it used to be. 

But no matter! There's a full calendar of silent film screenings ahead in 2026, and I hope you'll take time to experience this storytelling art form the way it was intended: in a theater with a lot of people, and with live music.

Upcoming highlights include traveling to Cleveland for screenings this month; heading out to the Kansas Silent Film Festival to accompany films in Topeka next month; and a quick trip to Florida for a screening in March.

Closer to home, I'll do music for the world "re-premiere" of two silent film versions of 'The Old Homestead,' an enormously popular play that toured everywhere in the decades around 1900.

 'The Old Homestead' was by Denman Thompson, a native of Swanzey, N.H. who put many of his memories of the town into the play. Two silent versions, one in 1915 and another in 1922, were made, but neither has been available for more than a century.

That is, until Larry Benaquist, a retired film professor at Keene State College in Keene, N.H., was able to track down nearly complete copies of both in European archives. 

Both will be screened for the first time since their original release on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Colonial Theatre in Keene, N.H. Stay tuned for more details! But it's a real honor to be entrusted with the scoring of these two long-unseen films. 

Looking further ahead: the year brings a plethora of 100th anniversaries of silent films that I'll try to program, and August marks the 100th anniversary of the untimely death of silent screen icon Rudolph Valentino. (And Halloween is the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's unexpected death, too!) 

Other screenings include shows at big Boston theaters such as the Somerville or the Coolidge, plus a parade of local theaters, libraries, and community centers around New England. Check the listings (using the 'Upcoming Silent Film Screenings' link at upper right) to see what fits your schedule, and see you at the movies in 2026!

A 10-minute 'Christmas Carol'? Early holiday silent films with live music on Sunday, Dec. 14 at Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

A scene from Thomas Edison's early version of 'A Christmas Carol' (1910), which runs all of 10 minutes.

Alas, there's no silent film equivalent of 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946), the Christmastime classic starring Jimmy Stewart and directed by Frank Capra.

But there are some films from a century ago that make use of the holiday setting to good effect. 

For comedy, there's Charley Chase in 'There Ain't No Santa Claus' (1926), or Laurel & Hardy trying to sell Christmas trees door to door in 'Big Business' (1929).

For drama, there's Tod Browning's 'The Unholy Three' (1925), an extremely twisted Lon Chaney crime thriller made all the more twisted by taking place at Christmas.

On Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H., we'll take a peek at a selection of holiday-themed films from the silent era to see what people were watching before 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' mesmerized us all starting in 1964.

Call it a program of "B.R." cinema. (That's "Before Rudolph.") And yes, it includes such oddities as early short versions of 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' as well as a Mary Pickford drama with a heart-warming holiday ending.

It's a great way to take a break from the hectic holiday season and look at things a little differently. More info in the press release below. In the meantime, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all, and to all a good silent night!

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Mary Pickford stars in 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922).

MONDAY, DEC. 1, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'Christmas Past' silent film program at Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 14

Celebrate the season with family-friendly holiday classics from a century ago, brought to life with live musical accompaniment

WILTON, N.H.—What did people watch before special holiday TV programs such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" made their debut in the 1960s?

See for yourself with a special program of holiday classics from way back during the silent film era, all accompanied by live music.

Included will be the first-ever film versions of such popular tales as 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' the poem by Clement C. Moore; each are more than a century old and less than 10 minutes long.

The family-friendly program will be presented on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

The program is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film programming.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who performs regularly at screenings around the nation.

The program will be highlighted by a screening of 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922), a full-length drama starring Mary Pickford that features a special Christmas-oriented ending.

 

Mary Pickford in a lighter moment from 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922).

"Even in the early days of cinema, the movies helped popularize classic holiday stories," Rapsis said. "So it's a real treat for us to turn back the clock and see where the tradition of holiday movies and TV specials first began."

The program will include the first known movie versions of 'A Christmas Carol' (1910) and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' (1905).

The films each run less than 10 minutes long and were both produced as novelties by Thomas Edison, the inventor credited with pioneering the motion picture.

'Tess of the Storm County' (1922), a full-length feature, has been hailed as among Mary Pickford's best pictures.

The film tells a story of conflict between residents of a poor fishing village who live near the estate of a wealthy family.

As the feisty daughter of a village leader who is unjustly put in jail, Pickford plays a key role in a melodramatic plot that takes many surprising turns.

Pickford, a pioneering film superstar, was a major force in early Hollywood, helping establish the United Artists studio and serving as a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the annual Oscar awards.

However, Pickford's films receive comparatively little attention today, in part due to the myth that Pickford often played wholesome and traditional female characters that conformed with society's expectations at the time.

In truth, Pickford's best movies often featured her in roles that required her to take action, challenge authority, and play strong roles uncommon for a woman of the era.

The "Christmas Past" Program at the Town Hall Theatre will give local audiences a chance to experience silent film as it was meant to be seen—on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who improvises a movie's musical score live as it screens. "Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early Hollywood leap back to life in ways that can still move audiences today."

Rapsis performs on a digital keyboard that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

Critics review 'Tess of the Storm Country':

"The most insistently moving picture ever made, its climax is the most stunning visual event ever arranged for a film comedy."
—The New York Times

"The reason to watch is Pickford's elfin grace; she is at her criminally cutest here. Tess boasts rapturous pictorialism and an all-stops-out-climax."
—Richard Corliss, Film Comment

A 'Christmas Past' silent film program featuring Mary Pickford in 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922) will be shown at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H. on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. 

The program is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested. For more information, call (603) 654-3456. 

 

An ambitious two-page trade journal spread promoting 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922). Right-click to enlarge the image to see more detail.
 

 

Coming up: a slate of pre-holiday silent film screenings, then a road trip to Cleveland

A lobby card for 'So's Your Old Man' (1926), which I'll accompany on Sunday, Jan. 18 at the Cleveland Cinematheque.

Welcome to the holiday preview edition of this blog, in which I try to catch up after several weeks of being just too busy to update it.

First, the big news is that the glamorous showbiz life of a silent film accompanist will take me to Cleveland, Ohio for a pair of screenings in January.

That's right! On Saturday, Jan. 17, I'll accompany the recently restored 'Algol: A Tragedy of Power' (1920) at the 51st Annual Sci-Fi Marathon, staged each year by the Case Western Reserve University Film Society.

Then, on Sunday, Jan. 18, I'll do music at the Cleveland Cinematheque, where they're screening a 35mm print of 'So's Your Old Man' (1926) starring a silent W.C. Fields. 

I encourage my fans in the area to check out both these events. I'm sure we can accommodate all two or three of you. More details of the "Cleveland Mid-Winter Lake Effect Silent Film Victory Tour" (get your T-shirts now!) can be found on my Upcoming Silent Film Screenings page. 

Also, while I'm in Cleveland, I encourage everyone to join me on Saturday, Jan. 17 for an early dinner at 'L'Albatros Brasserie,' my favorite restaurant in the entire Great Lakes basin. It's the not-so-secret reason I'm really making the trip to Cleveland in the dead of winter. 

Not sure of the time but seriously, if anyone would like to join in, email me at jeffrapsis@gmail.com and we'll make it happen.

But before any of that, December brings a bouquet (can you tell I'm already thinking of spring?) of silent film screenings closer to home:

• On Sunday, Dec. 7 (hey, that's today!) at 4 p.m., I'll accompany 'The Man Who Laughs' (1928) at the Natick Center for the Arts in Natick, Mass. More details about that screening are in the press release pasted in below.  

• On Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m., I'll do music for a screening of Buster Keaton's great comedy/drama 'Our Hospitality' (1923) at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Mass.

• And on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. it's a holiday-themed program featuring Mary Pickford's 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922) at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

Hope you'll be able to make a silent film screening with live music part of your holiday season.

Okay, details of 'The Man Who Laughs' (1928) below. Happy holidays, and to all a 'Silent Night'!

*      *      *

An original lobby card promoting 'The Man Who Laughs' (1928).

MONDAY, DEC. 1, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'The Man Who Laughs' (1928) to screen with live music on Sunday, Dec. 7 in Natick, Mass.

Creepy silent film thriller anticipated 'Frankenstein' and 'Dracula,' inspired the look of Batman's nemesis 'The Joker'

NATICK, Mass. — Based on a Victor Hugo novel, it paved the way for early horror classics such as 'Dracula' (1931) and 'Frankenstein' (1931).

It was 'The Man Who Laughs' (1928), a silent film thriller that inspired the look of Batman's nemesis 'The Joker.'

The rarely screened film will be shown with live music on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. at TCAN Center for the Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick, Mass.

The screening, the latest in the Center for the Art's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Admission is $12 per person for members; $14 for non-members. Tickets are available online at www.natickarts.org or at the door.

'The Man Who Laughs,' directed by Paul Leni and starring Conrad Veidt, is a silent thriller about a disfigured man forced to wear an insane grin all his life.

The movie was a popular and ground-breaking silent film adaptation of a sprawling Victor Hugo novel set in 17th century England. 

Veidt stars as Gwynplaine, a child born of English nobility. After his father is executed, a cruel King James II orders a royal surgeon to hideously disfigure young Gwynplaine's face into a permanent smile, so that he may always laugh at his father's foolishness.

Abandoned and shunned, young Gwynplaine is left to make his way on his own. He learns to conceal his face from strangers, befriending Dea, a blind girl who is not aware of his disfigurement.

The pair are then adopted and put to work by a traveling impresario, who makes use of Gwynplaine's startling face in his theatrical productions.

Gwynplaine and Dea grow to adulthood and eventually fall in love, but complications arise when Gwynplaine's noble lineage is revealed, entitling him to his father's estate—provided he marry another woman of noble birth.

 

Conrad Veidt and Olga Baclanova in a scene from 'The Man Who Laughs' (1928).

Veidt, who starred earlier in the German expressionist horror classic 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' (1919), played the role of Gwynplaine by using a prosthetic device inside his mouth to force his face into a hideous grin and display outsized teeth.

This striking look was later adapted by Batman creator Bob Kane as a model for the physical appearance of iconic villain 'The Joker.'

Critics have praised 'The Man Who Laughs' for its dark visual style and daring story content.

"'The Man Who Laughs' is a melodrama, at times even a swashbuckler, but so steeped in Expressionist gloom that it plays like a horror film," wrote Roger Ebert in 2004. "The film is more disturbing than it might have been because of Leni's mastery of visual style."

Director Leni, originally trained as an artist, made ample use of shadows and darkness in 'The Man Who Laughs,' which set the stage for many legendary Universal horror classics soon to follow, including 'Dracula' (1931) and 'Frankenstein' (1931).

'The Man Who Laughs' (1928) will be screened with live music on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. at TCAN Center for the Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick, Mass.

Admission is $12 per person for members; $14 for non-members. Tickets available online at www.natickarts.org or at the door. For more info, call (508) 647-0097.

Up next: Buster Keaton in 'Seven Chances' (1925) on Saturday, Nov. 15 in Brandon, Vt.

A Swedish poster for Buster Keaton's 'Seven Chances' (1925).

Up next it's Buster Keaton's great comedy 'Seven Chances' (1925), which I'll accompany on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Brandon (Vt.) Town Hall.

It's the final screening of this year's silent film series in Brandon. We'll return in May with another schedule of great early cinema with live music. 

So be sure to get your fix this Friday to hold you over the long winter. More details on the screening and the film are in the press release pasted in below.

*    *    * 

Buster surrounded by would-be brides in 'Seven Chances' (1925).

MONDAY, NOV. 10, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton comedy 'Seven Chances' to screen on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Brandon Town Hall

Silent film with live music; Keaton must get married by 7 p.m. to inherit fortune; movie features uproarious chase climax

BRANDON, Vt.—He never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname of "the Great Stone Face." But Buster Keaton's comedies rocked Hollywood's silent era with laughter.

See for yourself with a screening of 'Seven Chances' (1925), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, Brandon, Vt. 

Admission is free; donations are welcome to help defray expenses.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Adapted from a stage play, 'Seven Chances' finds Buster learning that he'll inherit $7 million if he's married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday—that very day!

Buster's hurried attempts to tie the knot on his own go awry. But then a newspaper story changes the game, creating an avalanche of would-be brides who relentlessly pursue Buster as he searches for his one true love before the deadline.

A still of a scene that's not in the picture: Buster checks a sundial in 'Seven Chances' (1925).

 'Seven Chances' was the first screen adaptation of the now-familiar story, since used in movies ranging from the Three Stooges in 'Brideless Groom' (1947) to Gary Sinyor's 'The Bachelor' (1999), a romantic comedy starring Chris O'Donnell and Renee Zellwinger.

Keaton, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, stands today as one of the silent screen's three great clowns. Some critics regard Keaton as the best of all; Roger Ebert wrote in 2002 that "in an extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, (Keaton) worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies."

A remarkable pantomime artist, Keaton naturally used his whole body to communicate emotions from sadness to surprise. And in an era with no post-production special effects, Keaton's acrobatic talents enabled him to perform all his own stunts, including some spectacular examples in 'Seven Chances.'

In reviving Keaton's 'Seven Chances,' organizers aim to show silent film as it was meant to be seen—in restored prints, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who will accompany the film. "Recreate those conditions, and classics of early Hollywood such as 'Seven Chances' leap back to life in ways that audiences still find entertaining."

Similar to theatre organists from the silent film era, Rapsis improvises the complete score in real time during the screening.

"Creating a movie score on the fly is kind of a high-wire act, but it can often make for more excitement than if everything is planned out in advance," Rapsis said.

Buster Keaton's 'Seven Chances' (1925) will be screened with live music on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt. Admission is free; donations are welcome to help defray expenses. 

 

A posted still from the production of 'Seven Chances' (1925).