Director D.W. Griffith, comics Buster Keaton and Larry Semon, and Marion Nixon and Raymond Griffith

About the Program

Those Awful Hats (Biograph, 1909) Directed by D.W. Griffith (1875-1948). “Ladies, please remove your hats,” reads the sign. In this one-reel short, filmed in 1908, an early moviehouse boasts a handy device for dealing with those who ignore the management's warning.

The Sawmill (Vitagraph, 1921) Directed by Larry Semon (1889-1928). Players: Larry Semon, Oliver Hardy. Every possible mishap associated with reducing the mighty monarchs of the forest to toothpicks and sawdust provides an opportunity for Semon's usual frantic round of sight gags. When the mill owner fires his foreman, it's up to Larry to foil Ollie's quest for vengeance. Lots of “cutting up” involving trees and dynamite.

A Corner in Wheat (Biograph, 1909) Directed by D.W. Griffith. Today, D.W. Griffith is known largely for his pioneering work in developing film techniques. His controversial feature film, The Birth of a Nation (1915), helped drive the transformation of “the flickers” into one of the world's most popular art forms. Griffith also created social commentaries about such ills as alcoholism and drug addiction, focusing on the plight of the poor and helpless in turn-of-the-century America. A Corner in Wheat contrasts hardworking farmers with an investor who exploits their labor for his profit.

The Goat (Comique/Metro, 1921) Directed by Buster Keaton (1895-1966) and Mal St. Clair. Players: Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox, Joe Roberts. Mistakenly identified as a murderer in newspapers and wanted posters, Buster frantically dodges the police. A young lady he's befriended takes him in, but when her poppa gets home surprise, he's a cop! As with Keaton's other “independent” films, The Goat showcases its star's acrobatic ability and inventiveness.

Hands Up! (Famous Players-Lasky, 1926) Directed by Clarence Badger. Players: Raymond Griffith (1890-1957), Mack Swain, Marion Nixon, Virginia Lee Corbin. A Confederate spy bent on thwarting Union plans to exploit a major gold strike that would help finance the war, the ever-resourceful “high-hat comedian” displays his inimitable style. When he's not throwing his Yankee foes off the scent, Griff is suavely courting the mine owner's two daughters both at once!

About the Artist

David Drazin
(Photo credit: Carol Kyros Walker, with permission)

Live piano accompaniment for the films will be provided by Chicago musician David Drazin, the official silent film accompanist for the School of the Art Institute's Film Center.

Mr. Drazin, who is also a composer, film maker, and motion-picture historian, has numerous achievements to his credit in the areas of sound recording, live theater, and radio and television, both as a performer and as director. He has accompanied various ballet and jazz ensemble groups, including the Ballet Metropolitan of Columbus, Ohio; the Out of Bounds Performance Ensemble of the Chicago Cultural Center; and the Evanston School of Ballet. Mr. Drazin also serves as the pianist in Van Kelly's Trio, performing at the Como Inn in Chicago. He has produced a number of recordings, including “Dave Drazin and Friends -- Fifteen Years of Jazz, 1981-1996,” released in 1997.

Location

Don't know how to reach Argonne? Confused about the layout of the laboratory site? Here are some navigational aides:

• Area map, gif

• Area map, postscript

• Site map, gif (Building 402 is at the APS site).

Tickets

Remaining tickets will be sold in the lobby of the Argonne Cafeteria (Bldg. 213) during the weeks of February 19 and 26 between noon and 1:00 p.m. The Auditorium Box Office will be open on the day of the performance at 1:30 p.m.

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