General News
Buster Keaton in GO WEST with Music by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra April 10th
“Some people travel through life making friends wherever they go, while others – just travel through life.”
The 1921 short THE HIGH SIGN and the 1925 feature GO WEST, both starring Buster Keaton, will screen April 10th at 2pm at the Walt Theater in New Haven, Missouri. The films will be accompanied by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra.
There’s nothing better than silent films accompanied by the Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra. The group is a treasure and St. Louis is lucky to have them here. The group has actively redefined both the local music and film cultures of the area. The ensemble – equal parts indie/punk-stalwart and academically trained composer and musicians – provide life performance of new film scores to classic silent films. The Rats are hitting the road next Saturday, April 9th and will be playing at the Walt Theater in New Haven, Missouri (about 60 miles west of St. Louis). The show starts at 2pm.
Tickets are $10 in advance or at the door. Seating is limited. Concessions and Cash bar available.
Tickets can be purchased at this link
THE HIGH SIGN (20 minutes – 1921) begins with Buster being a crook. First, he steals a newspaper from a man riding a merry-go-round. It turns out to be the biggest newspaper you have ever seen! He sees a “help wanted” ad for a worker in a shooting gallery. You must be “crack shot.” Buster isn’t, of course, but he cheats again and gets the job, thanks to a little (and very clever) scheme with a little dog. (Buster is not an honest man in this movie, but he sure is resourceful!). The arcade is run by a giant of a man (Charles Dorety?) who is a member of the Blinking Buzzards, a brutal secret group of extortionists and hit men. One of the men on their hit list is the town tightwad: “August Nickelnurser.” The latter, knowing his days are numbered, walks by the arcade, sees Buster, and hires him as his bodyguard. The big villain-arcade owner (no name was ever given him) comes back, takes Buster to the Buzzards hideout, makes him a member and gives him his first assignment: kill Nickelnurser. Holy cow – Buster is both the bodyguard and the hired assassin for the same man!!! What to do?
In GO WEST (68 minutes – 1925), Keaton plays a character referred to as Friendless. The opening scenes of the film show him bouncing around from one unfortunate (and hilarious) situation to another. Yet rather than feel pity for him, the audience can root for this character and good-naturedly laugh at how Friendless reacts to and deals with his misfortunes. It’s difficult not to admire the way he overcomes all challenges. When he finds a friend in a cow named Brown Eyes, his loyalty to her and the rancher that employed him precipitates an amazing sequence of events, culminating in an unbelievable cattle stampede through the streets of LA. You’ll never forget the image of Buster Keaton running down a city street in a red devil’s outfit being pursued by a giant herd of cattle. It’s considered to be one of the most hilariously absurd scenes ever filmed. There are great gags from beginning to end and, as usual for Keaton, the final sequence is very satisfying.
About The Walt:
The Walt Theatre is a fully restored Art Deco movie theater offering first run movies and special screenings
Operated and owned by Walter Buchholtz, the grand opening of The Walt was on November 14, 1940 with three showings at 2:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m., with the western film “Wyoming” staring Wallace Beery. Admission was 10 cents for kids and 25 cents for adults.
The Walt Theater’s site can be found HERE
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