SILENT BLACK & WHITE MOVIES
Majestic Theatre
Pomona, Qld
Dot sitting outside Majestic Theatre, Pomona, Sunshine Coast
Dot with Ron West, organist at Majestic Theatre, Pomona in front of Compton Theatre Organ
Interior of Majestic Theatre, Pomona on Sunshine Coast with Compton Theatre Organ
Clip from "Steamboat Bill" starring Buster Keaton at the Majestic Theatre, Pomona
This outing was chosen for many reasons:
Dot grew up with Silent Black and White Movies
The movie "Steamboat Bill" starring Buster Keaton was made in 1928 just before she was born.
The Majestic Theatre at Pomona recreates a by-gone era with it's authentic ticketing window and lavish interior complete with plush covered seats. The architectural features inside the theatre represent a time when theatres were grand .. not streamlined.
Ron West is a passionate, dedicated organist who plays background music on his Compton Theatre Organ for the whole movie.
The town of Pomona itself has its own charm and being in the Sunshine Coast hinterland has many surrounding attractions.
When the movie started and the organist began playing, Dot became so animated.
She kKept looking over with a pure look of joy on her face.
Almost as if she couldn't believe her luck being there. Her attention never wavered. She kept looking from the screen to the organist enjoying every moment.
As someone who didn't grow up in that era, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the slapstick humour, seeing what was common in those days, the talent of Buster Keaton, the incredible stunts and the fun naievety of the production in comparison to the blockbusters of present day.
It was totally entertaining, so much so that we went to see another movie another time.
The Majestic Theatre deserves to be patronised to keep it going.
Every Thursday, they have a black and white movie with meal special for $25
In October 2009, there is a Rocky Horror night celebrating Halloween.
The venue can be booked for functions and often old time dances are held there.
Different black and white movies are screened and the programme is available online.
http://www.themajestictheatre.com.au/
From Wikipedia - "Steamboat Bill" .. Buster Keaton
The finest moments in Steamboat Bill Jr. come during its cyclone sequence, which was shot in Sacramento, California. Original plans called for the film to end with a flood sequence, but the devastating 1927 Mississippi River Flood caused the ending to be rewritten on short notice. The production built $135,000 worth of breakaway street sets on a riverbank and filmed their systematic destruction with six powerful Liberty-motor wind machines and a 120-foot crane. Keaton himself, who calculated and performed his own stunts, was suspended on a cable from the crane which hurled him from place to place, as if airborne. The resulting sequence on film is astonishing.
The sequence is punctuated by Keaton's single most famous stunt. Keaton stands in the street, making his way through the destruction, when an entire building facade collapses onto him. The attic window fits neatly around Keaton's body as it falls, coming within inches of flattening him. (Keaton performed a similar, though smaller scale stunt, eight years earlier, in the short film One Week). Keaton did the stunt himself with a real building section and no trickery. It has been claimed that if he had stood just inches off the correct spot Keaton would have been seriously injured or killed. Keaton's third wife Eleanor suggested that he took such risks due to despair over financial problems, his failing first marriage, and the imminent loss of his filmaking independence. Evidence that Keaton was suicidal, however, is scant.
The stunt has been re-created several times on film and television, though usually with facades made from lighter materials. One example is the MacGyver episode Deadly Silents from 1991. Legendary Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan has often cited Keaton's acrobatics—and this stunt in particular—as one of his primary influences.