Silent Classic Movies at the Strand

Schroon’s Strand Theatre will host three silent comedy shorts starring Buster Keaton, with live piano scoring by Ben Model on July 29th.

Ben is the resident film accompanist at the Library of Congress and New York City's Museum of Modern Art. The films — One Week, The Scarecrow and The Blacksmith — were recently restored by Lobster Films and have been handpicked by Model, who will introduce each short and lead a discussion with the audience following the screenings.

One Week is a story involving two newlyweds, Keaton and Seely, who receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift. The house can be built, supposedly, in "one week". A rejected suitor secretly re-numbers packing crates. The movie recounts Keaton's struggle to assemble the house according to this new "arrangement". The end result is depicted in the picture. As if this were not enough, Keaton finds he has built his house on the wrong site and has to move it. The movie reaches its tense climax when the house becomes stuck on railroad tracks. Keaton and Seely try to move it out the way of an oncoming train, which eventually passes on the neighboring track. As the couple look relieved, the house is immediately struck and demolished by another train coming the other way. Keaton stares at the scene, places a 'For Sale' sign with the heap (attaching the building instructions) and walks off with Seely.

On August 12 Casablanca takes centre stage. The program will be hosted by film historian Jeremy Arnold, a TCM contributor and author.

Tickets to each 8 p.m. program are $10 and will be available at the door (cash only). The historic Strand Theater is located at 1102 Main St. (Route 9), Schroon Lake. For more information, call 518-532-9077.