Michael's Movie Grade: A+
Okay this is my second time doing this and I think I am going to keep it up. The Old Town Music Hall is a movie theater in El Segundo, California that shows old films and live music. If you are a fan of old movies like I am, and you are ever in Southern California, this is a place you must go to.
The show started with Bill Field on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, a pipe organ dating back to 1925. While you usually never got to see the whole organ, this place let's you see the entire thing clearly. So many parts that were normally hid behind a curtain are shown and lit up, and it is incredible to watch. To make all this better Bill Field is a very talented organist and a delight to listen to. After going through some old songs, the screen came down. There were now song lyrics and everybody sang along while Bill played. Again so much fun before a film even started.
Every sound feature is accompanied by a silent short, while every silent feature is accompanied by a sound short. Since this was a sound feature we watched a silent short. This was a forgotten 1923 Hal Roach comedy directed by George Jesske and staring James Parrott (the brother of comedian Charlie Chase, and also a director of various Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang shorts). This comedy was an utter delight. It was expertly done down and dirty slapstick humor, with a very funny ending. This short being silent was accompanied by Bill Field on The Mighty Wurlitzer and if you have only seen silent films on TV, it is a whole different experience seeing them with live music. It really makes these films come alive in a way you wouldn't know they could watching these films at home. Seeing a silent film this way is more than watching a movie and is just a whole experience and something every film fan should do in their life.
After an intermission, we got our feature film, and what a great film it was. The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers musical directed by Mark Sandrich. The plot itself is rather silly, but fun. However the real treat of this film is the humor and of course the musical numbers. Nearly every joke in this movie works and many are laugh out loud funny. The Continental is an incredible song and dance number that has to be seen to be believed. The whole number is pure movie magic at its best and just incredibly fun. However this isn't the only great song number here. We get a lovely Cole Porter song called Night and Day and Betty Grable and Edward Evert Horton perform a delightful song and dance number called Let's Knock Knees. As well as all this the characters are likable and the whole movie just has a great charm to it.
If you are a fan of old movies and you are ever in Southern California, go to the Old Town Music Hall, you will thank me.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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