If you only get to one Fridays on the Square for the entire year, this is the event to attend.
The silent film has become a tradition of the annual summer film/concert series. What makes the event special is the live piano accompaniment by Adair McConnell, pianist for St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church. Adair’s mother was an honest-to-goodness ragtime piano player, and he has obviously inherited her talent. Throughout the movie Adair will supply the piano music to accompany the action – entirely by improvisation. Matching the mood of each character’s emotion and the cadence of the plot’s lighthearted and melodramatic moments (melodramatic – this is a silent film after all), it’s easy to forget that you’re listening to a live musician. This is communal movie watching at its best.
Tonight’s film: Grandma’s Boy. Comedian Harold Lloyd is a timid wallflower pining for a lovely Mildred Davis. Threatened by the town bully, Lloyd musters up courage from stories of his ancestor’s heroic acts to go forth and win the affections of his beloved.
Sponsored by the Darrin-McHone Charitable Foundation and Lucas Roasting Company, LLC
