After travelling most of this month for work, I’m happy to be back home, and I celebrated my return by attending a special event. The town I live in, Rio Vista, has been a draw for Hollywood filmmakers, particularly those of the silent era. Saturday afternoon a program of seasonal silent comedy shorts brought the audience back to that time. RioVision, a local non-profit, organized the screening as a benefit for their organization.
The event took place in Hunter Hall. The venue was formerly a Masonic hall that Jan and Bill Hunter eventually bought, and they networked with other theatre organ enthusiasts to install a Wurlitzer organ. One, Geoff Hansen, displays his automatic instrument and movie palace lighting collections in the space. An outer hallway serves as a museum to movie theatre memorabilia. As my husband and I wandered around the place, we wished we had known about it earlier, but we felt fortunate to have moved somewhere it and its events are available to us.
The master of ceremonies Matias Bombal and organist Dave Moreno often appear as a duo on bills, and they have a friendly-but-teasing comedic rapport. Bombal enjoys a long career in film and musical entertainment, and he’s a historian in both fields. While the program was meant to entertain and did, Bombal included educational information about the films, for example sharing biographical bits about Harold Lloyd. Moreno’s approach to accompanying silents is to create scores reminiscent of what their original audiences of the day would hear. That includes incorporating popular tunes yesteryear’s accompanists would have known and played.
The program mixed Christmas-themed shorts with others chosen for their popular appeal. The first film was the earliest, 1898’s SANTA CLAUS. I heard chatter when an image of Santa Claus on the roof appeared over the fireplace in a home. I bet those audience members weren’t aware that in-camera special effects like double exposure were done back then. Edwin S. Porter‘s THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1905) charmed me with a model of Santa’s sleigh and reindeer that moved through the sky, over the land, and onto a roof top by the magic of trompe l’oeil scenery painting. Laurel and Hardy appeared on the bill twice, and of course BIG BUSINESS (1929) was one of the films. Moreno used a clever trick to tie JUST NEIGHBORS (1919) into the show’s Christmas theme. When Harold Lloyd practiced his trumpet, a bad rendition of SILENT NIGHT squeaked out.
I was surprised and flattered when Bombal drew the audience’s attention to my presence during one talking segment. I’ve gotten used to being the town’s “TCM lady” because of being in the network’s TCM Backlot advertisements for the last two years. I get recognized by a new-to-me townsperson every so often, and those who know me through volunteering at RioVision are aware of the commercials. In a new twist, Bombal helped me promote the Sacramento chapter of TCM Backlot. I recently became president of the chapter, and I much appreciated promotion of it. I wish I had brought flyers to give potential new members!
Adding to the day’s fun were a large selection of cookies and a popcorn cart. Snacks and beverages could be purchased by donation, and all the baked goods looked and tasted homemade. Even though the hall was about two-thirds full, there were plenty of treats left at the end of the event, and attendees were encouraged to take a plate home. Sharing laughter with a big group, making friends, and leaving with a sugar buzz definitely put me in the Christmas spirit!
