Silent Society Harkens Back to Hollywood’s Heyday

The historic Paramount Ranch set the scene for the twenty-third annual Silents Under The Stars series, presented by Hollywood Heritage on Sunday evening. Live piano accompaniment and the steady clicking of a film projector had the crowd harkening back to 1925 during the screening of the silent film, "The Lucky Devil."  

A mix of young and old soaked up the scenery and western sets dating as far back as 1927. The main attraction, though, was the 60-mm film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Old Hollywood stars Richard Dix and Esther Ralston. The film had action, romance, and comedy, and concluded with a climactic car racing scene.

"Silent film is like performance art and can be interpreted like ballet or poetry," said Randy Haberkamp, board member of Hollywood Heritage and Silent Society Committee Director. "Now there's all kinds of stuff and entire collections on DVD, but it's still never the same as seeing it with an audience on a larger screen and live music."

Hollywood Heritage concentrates on preservation of the historic built environment in Hollywood and provides education about the early film industry. The nonprofit organization and its smaller subcommittee, the Silent Society, preserves and restores silent films and holds screenings at the Paramount Ranch twice a year.

"The Lucky Devil" was exhibited on the anniversary of Richard Dix's birthday, who would be 117. His son Robert Dix introduced the film and discussed the infancy of the silver screen after a surprise screening of short subject 1924's "Big Moments of Little Pictures."

"He [Richard Dix] came out here as a pioneer, like a lot of those first actors and actresses were," said Dix. "They were learning how to make a movie and how to move a camera and all the various aspects of putting things on film."

Laughter and applause burst from the crowd when the underdog won the race and got his kiss at the end of the film. After the lights came up, audience members complimented live accompanist, Michael Mortilla, who has performed for Silents Under The Stars events since 1988.

"The piano is its own language, and the goal is that it's complementary and the audience forgets that it's there," said Mortilla, adding that his music is improvised while he watches the film.

Locals and visitors alike attended Silents Under The Stars on Sunday night. Troy James drove over from Santa Monica.

"I just stumbled upon this last year while visiting Paramount Ranch and I've been coming to the screenings since then," said James, while chatting with the accompanist. "I just love classic film."

Paramount Ranch will hold the next screening of Silents Under the Stars on Sunday, August 15 and starts at sundown, approximately 7:30 p.m. Beggars of Life (1928) stars Louise Brooks and Richard Arlen and finds Brooks disguised as a man on the run from an abusive father. Guests are encouraged to come early and bring along a picnic.