By Mary O’KEEFE
Laughter and music filled the night at Two Strike Park on Saturday as people gathered for the annual Silent Movie Night. The event is a tradition sponsored by the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley and Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
Joe Rinaudo once again brought his 1909 hand-cranked projector and films of the silent era featuring artists like Laurel and Hardy. It is difficult to believe that once there were films in which the audience did not hear car crashes, explosions or even voices. To compensate, the actors had to exaggerate their emotions and actions in some scenes while the audience had to suspend reality as they watched these actors work. These films were technically silent; technology was not yet available to synchronize sound to moving pictures. But for audiences films weren’t exactly silent.
Near the screen would sit an organ or piano, sometimes even a full orchestra, with musicians ready to play to help set the stage for each film. They would compose music that made people laugh during a comedic scene and music that would tear at the hearts of audiences when the actor on screen would face tragedy. These musicians played a role as important as the actors, writers and directors.
Although “talkies” became the norm for the film industry in 1929, silent films live on today and are still a treat for audiences. To keep them musically alive on Saturday night was Cliff Retallick who brought his portable piano.
Retallick is a Los Angeles musician who has accompanied silent films screened throughout Southern California. He attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He had always loved silent films and when he arrived in LA years ago he went to the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax Avenue. There he met legendary organist Bob Mitchell, who played at the Silent Movie Theater. Within three weeks of arriving in LA, Retallick began filling in for Mitchell, who died in 2009 at age 96.
Since then it was non-stop for this musician and composer who served as the resident accompanist with UCLA and its Festival of Preservation. He also performed with Retroformat at monthly screenings at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Retroformat Silent Films is a non-profit organization that promotes education and excitement about the art of silent film.
What may surprise those who attend silent film events like the one at Two Strike Park is that Retallick does not get a composition to play. Silent films basically depended on the musicians to bring their own talent for music.
“There were scores but they were more of a suggestion,” Retallick said.
Some films, like the “Ten Commandments,” required a full orchestra and were scored but most musicians were tasked with “making it up” as they went along.
“People are shocked,” he said when they find out there is no score to follow.
At one film he accompanied, Keith Emerson from the band Emerson, Lake and Palmer was in the audience. At the end of the film Emerson approached Retallick and asked if he wrote the score, and asked if there were music sheets. He was very surprised when Retallick said it was not scored – it was just him playing.
Many times Retallick doesn’t even preview the film before it is played in front of the audience. On Saturday, for example, he had not seen the films prior to playing.
It highlights the talent of a musician and composer like Retallick when he can just see a film and then play. The fact that he is a composer helps him musically translate the film.
Saturday was the first time Retallick had performed at a silent film event since the pandemic, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t busy during the past two years.
“I have been busy,” he said. “Retroformat had an online series. People were so happy to see the films. Our audience grew. I think people were just anxious for entertainment and hungered for intellectual stimulation.”
Although many virtual events were a success, the smiles and applause from Saturday night’s silent movie at Two Strike Park demonstrated that in person art is still appreciated as well.