For years I have longed to go to the only movie theatre in the country dedicated to silent movies.  Now that I live in L.A., it was no longer such an out of the way trip to see a movie there.  In fact, it is only four blocks away.  As if just going to the theatre was not treat enough, there was the added bonus of seeing Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid” in honor of Father’s Day.  For once I can say that a classic movie was not over hyped.  It actually is that good.  Why it took me this long to actually see it would be a great mystery if I was not so sure that I missed it previously in order to see it yesterday.

            Pre-show:  I am not one of those people who shy away from going to the movies alone.  Well sometimes I do if there are zombies are involved.  And sometimes I insist on it if it is a really, really embarrassing choice.  Not that I am admitting anything.  But when it is the last showing of a Chaplin film, I would go by myself if a zombie was the usher and he was once Ralph Macchio.  Again, not admitting anything.  Fortunately, I had the pleasure of enjoying this wonderful evening with a new friend instead of alone.

            I am still adjusting to the L.A. movie prices, but for once I feel like I got $15 worth of entertainment.  In honor of the occasion, I bought a small popcorn.  It was heavenly.  We soon bought a second batch.  Like crack that popcorn is.  We “settled” into our hardbacked seats.  These seats are a lot like the uncomfortable ones at the Mary Pickford Theatre in D.C., only these have pillows for you to sit on.  It makes the seat a more bearable place to sit for a couple hours.  Trust me.  I have been to little league baseball games with more comfortable bleachers than the seats from classic movie theatres like these.  C’est la vie.  It is the price of staying true to the theatre’s roots.  (As is the one person bathroom servicing all the female patronage.)

            The owner of the theatre, a chatty little songwriter fellow by the name of Charlie.  Proprietor Charlie is very personable and charming, and his intro song is perhaps the best pre-show cell phone reminder in the world.  His intro was followed by the performance of Janet Klein, who performs old musical tunes on her ukulele.  The songs were a hoot, and a nice way to pass the time.

            Next up was what turned out to be the highlight of the night for me: a Felix the cat cartoon.  I love Felix.  I own Felix clothing.  I have odd toys of Felix.  But this cartoon was a brilliant little bit I had not seen before.  In honor of Father’s Day, the cartoon was Felix, proud poppa, taking his three kittens to the movies.  The levels of commentary and humor are numerous.  And hysterical.  I hate to even describe it for fear of ruining it for you all when you get to see it.  And you will.  Because I highly recommend you seek this cartoon out.  No, I require it.  Go now.  You can pick up on this review when you get back.

            Following the cartoon, we saw “coming attractions” for First National’s stable of stars.  A tad outdated, but it was neat to get a peek at the studio system of old trying to sell itself.  Anyone in the audience who edits trailers probably got a kick out of it.  It was long, stilted, and devoid of real showmanship.  It kind of played like a list of features on a car.  Or a SNL parody of an infomercial.  “But that’s not all!”  Regardless, it was still a hoot to take a look at.

            Next up was another treat I was not expecting.  It came in the form of a Buster Keaton two-reeler, “The Boat.”  Keaton, according to Proprietor Charlie, is the biggest draw at the theatre.  Anyone who has ever watched Keaton knows why.  It is like when people say, “What’s so great about Marilyn Monroe?” and then they actually see her in something.  You just get it.  Keaton is taking his family out in the new boat he has built for them.  Hijinx ensues, but in a good way, and was a real crowd pleaser.  Sufficiently warmed up, the crowd dispersed for an intermission, which included hot chocolate and cookies, as well as a free for all for the single women’s room bathroom stall.  Though the two things were not related.  The intermission concluded with trivia, while the rest of the audience struggled to get back to their seats. 

            Movie:  “The Kid” is one of those movies that you hear about from a young age.  Well, if you are around people who love movies you do.  I have seen several Chaplin films, but as I said before, had somehow managed to see more than a scant few clips of this one.

            Funny and heartbreaking, you tend to forgive anything over the top in either direction.  Some films employ contrivance, which causes nothing but bitterness from an invested audience.  But somehow, maybe it is because movies of that age were often contrived, it works.  You want that happy ending.  You want the impossible to happen.  You want everything to turn out all right.  When it does, there is only satisfaction.  Even the inclusion of an almost out of place dream sequence does not take away from the magic of the film.  Mostly because it is comic gold.

            I am not sure why movies like this are not made today.  In some ways, I doubt there is an audience for it.  We are jaded to happy endings, and I think many movie goers are turned off by happy endings because they often feel forced.  Often that is definitely true.  What “The Kid” has going for it is a strong, loving heart.  It tugs at the heartstrings just enough to garner a reaction, but not so much as to cause cynicism and eye rolling.  The subtlety of some of Chaplin’s gestures is amazing to watch.  He also does very broad things as well, but switches between the two so easily; I think it is easy to miss a lot of the nuances of his work.  Keaton may have bested Chaplin as a comedian, but Chaplin has an intriguing darkness to his work that always adds a sadness and depth to his films.  It is a true marvel to know that this was Chaplin’s first feature film, but I suppose one could and one does says the same about Welles’ “Citizen Kane.”  However, it is not often that a first time feature director knocks one out of the park and into the car window of a classic.  There are more examples of course, but when you witness these classics for the first time, and on a movie screen no less, well, it is a bit of a religious experience.  Well, except for one minor incident.

           As it is a small venue, crying babies tend to reverberate.  There was a 15 month old at the back who kept burbling and making noises.  Normally this with would be annoying, and even this time, I couldn't help but wonder why the parent would not just leave the room.  The funny thing was, I also kind of understood.  This was the last showing of "The Kid."  I wouldn't want to miss it either.  Not for any kid.  Even funnier, the baby was crying during the scenes where Chaplin is caring for a crying baby.  If anything, it was just an incredible and unexpected sound effect.  One the organ could not replicate.  So I was aware of the baby crying, but I wasn't upset for once.  However, others were and immediately piped up to voice their displeasure.  Loudly too.  "Why don't you leave the theatre?"  "You're ruining it for everyone."  Yipes.  AWK-WARD.  The parent eventually left.  Funny how people got up in arms about the baby that fit the soundtrack, but no one had anything to say about the guy who laughed louder and more obnoxiously than DeNiro in "Cape Fear."  Even better, the laugher was one of the people loudly voicing his displeasure of the baby.  Well, I found it amusing.  And it just solidified the whole experience in my brain as one that could never be replicated or improved upon.  It was an evening as special as the film.

            I for one will never forget the beauty of the film or the theatre.  Under new ownership, there will be a lot more movies and films playing there soon.  So if you are in L.A., do yourself a huge favor and check out the theatre.  You won’t regret it.  Especially if you get the big tub of popcorn.