presents
Auditorium, APS Conference Center, Argonne National Laboratory
Friday February 29, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
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More on the program, artist, location, ordering tickets below.
This program is partially supported by the University of Chicago and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
The featured film for this evening's performance is The Night Club (1925), starring soft-spoken master pantomimist Raymond Griffith (1895-1957). Jilted on his wedding day, Griffith vows, Henry-Higgins-style, that he'll never again let a woman in his life. Badgered about marrying a wealthy heiress, he and his valet flee to a remote resort, where Griff manages to fall for the very woman he's tried so hard to avoid (Vera Reynolds). When his new lady-love rejects him, he seeks to end it all – which proves to be much easier said than done. Silent comedy veterans Louise Fazenda and Wallace Beery (who would go on to win an Oscar as Best Actor in the 1930s) contribute their own unique talents to this rollicking farce.
Also on the program are several short comedies from the Silent Era. Hearts and Flowers (1919) begins the evening with a melodramatic romance between hat-check gal Louise Fazenda and a gold-digging Ford Sterling, who's after her inheritance; the situation is complicated by former bathing beauty Phyllis Haver's masquerading as a rival suitor for Louise's affections. Then, in a nod to the year's political contests, we see American icon Will Rogers (1879-1939) playing homespun candidate Alfalfa Doolittle in Going to Congress (1924): “Folks, I'm as common as you are. Commoner, maybe!”
Rounding out the evening, we return to 1919 with From Hand to Mouth, featuring real-life couple Harold Lloyd (1893-1971) and Mildred Davis (1901-1969). Poor Harold, struggling just to find something to eat, finds himself enlisted in a scheme to swindle kind-hearted Mildred out of (what else?) her rightful inheritance. When the situation dawns on Harold, he scrambles to outwit the crooks (led by Australian funnyman Snub Pollard, hilarious as the whistling gangster) and save Mildred's bacon. The film includes a winning performance by young Peggy Cartwright, who lived to be the last survivor of Hal Roach's original “Our Gang” kids.
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| David Drazin |
Live piano accompaniment for the films is provided by Chicago musician David Drazin, official silent-film accompanist for the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute at Chicago.
Pianist/composer David Drazin's keyboard command and creative musical accompaniments enhance performances of film, theater, and dance. An adventurous improviser with a solid foundation in musical structure, he shifts easily from dramatic classical style to lively jazz. Mr. Drazin's repertoire includes modern and traditional jazz, boogie-woogie and blues, and original novelty compositions. He has a strong flair for Harlem stride piano style.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, David Drazin received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Ohio State University. He has played live improvised piano accompaniment for silent-film screenings at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Sacile, Italy; Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute, Chicago (where he has been staff accompanist since 1985); Silent Film Society of Chicago; Cinevent, Columbus, Ohio; Arts at Argonne, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio, Museum of Art and the Cleveland Cinematheque; and many universities, libraries, and churches.
Mr. Drazin is notable among contemporary film accompanists for his use of 1920s-era jazz and blues, rather than classic ragtime, to play for silent comedies. His dance-accompaniment improvisational skills serve him well in developing music for dramas. He has accompanied ballet classes for Evanston School of Ballet, Gus Giordano Dance Center, Northwestern University, Hubbard Street Dance, and the Lou Conte School.
Mr. Drazin's recordings include ballet improvisations, modern and traditional jazz, original comedy songs with vocals and piano accompaniment, and a live nightclub performance featuring Chicago blues guitar legend Floyd McDaniel.
The event is open to the public.
Photo ID is required to enter the laboratory site.
Visitors need to register prior to the event
by calling 630-252-3751 during regular working hours.
Don't know how to reach Argonne? Confused about the layout of the laboratory site? Here are some navigational aids:
Admission to the silent-film night is $5.
Order your tickets by phone (630-252-3751);
VISA and MasterCard accepted.
Remaining tickets will be sold in the lobby of the Argonne Cafeteria (Bldg. 213) between noon and 1:00 p.m. during the week immediately preceding the concert.
The Auditorium Box Office will open one-half hour before the performance.