'For Heaven's Sake' kicks off Leavitt Theatre silent film series

Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read

OGUNQUIT, Maine — Classics from the silent film era return to the big screen this season at the Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. in Ogunquit.

Harold Lloyd stars in the romantic comedy 'For Heaven's Sake' (1926), to be shown with live music on Wednesday, June 15 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine.
Harold Lloyd stars in the romantic comedy 'For Heaven's Sake' (1926), to be shown with live music on Wednesday, June 15 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine.

First up is Harold Lloyd in 'For Heaven's Sake' (1926), an uproarious romantic comedy which screens on Wednesday, June 15 at 7 p.m.

Admission is $12 per person. Live music for each silent film program will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer and composer who specializes in scoring and presenting silent films.

In 'For Heaven's Sake,' Lloyd plays a wealthy young man smitten with the daughter of an impoverished clergyman who ministers to the urban poor. On the day Lloyd and the girl plan to marry, Lloyd's wealthy country club friends kidnap him to prevent what they see as an embarrassing mistake. Can the urban mission's petty criminals and chronic alcoholics rescue Harold and get him to the church on time?

Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer and performer, will create live music accompaniment for the 2022 silent film series at the Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine.
Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer and performer, will create live music accompaniment for the 2022 silent film series at the Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine.

'For Heaven's Sake,' promoted with the tagline 'A Man With A Mansion, A Miss with a Mission,' became the 4th-highest grossing film of 1926, earning $2.6 million. Critic Leonard Maltin described 'For Heaven's Sake' as "...a screamingly funny silent comedy."

In accompanying films live, Rapsis uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra. He improvises the music in real time, as the movie is shown.

"It's a real treat to return to the Leavitt for another season of great early cinema," Rapsis said.

"If you've never seen one of these movies in a theater, check it out. These films were the pop culture of their day, and retain their ability to hold an audience and deliver a great time at the movies."

The Leavitt's silent film series runs through October, concluding with a Halloween screening of 'Der Golem' (1920) on Saturday, Oct. 29. A total of nine programs will be offered, including a 100th anniversary screening of 'Robin Hood' (1922) starring Douglas Fairbanks, and 'The Temptress (1926), a Greta Garbo drama with two very different endings. The Leavitt, a summer-only moviehouse, opened in 1923 at the height of the silent film era, and has been showing movies to summertime visitors for nearly a century. The silent film series honors the theater's long service as a moviehouse that has entertained generations of Seacoast residents and visitors, in good times and in bad.

For more info, call 207-646-3123 or visit www.leavittheatre.com. For more info on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 'For Heaven's Sake' kicks off Leavitt Theatre silent film series