Many long years ago, out in the Pacific NW, there was a pizza chain which had silent films going all the time for customers. It was a very popular theme. There also was a TV channel which had them scheduled every week, I believe it was Saturday afternoons. We got to see Harold Lloyd, Keystone Cops, Charlie Chaplin and much more.
I wouldn't expect a serious history lesson from Mr. Keaton. However, the real guys didn't make bowties either, they didn't have time. They planned to burn some bridges, but that didn't work either. Fuller and his fireman were good ole boys and could run like a marathon runner of today. Between the pole cart and commandeered locomotives they really gained ground. And once they boarded the Texas, that was pretty much all she wrote. Hard to believe Andrews and his men nearly got away though. If they had waited for their pursuers at the top of a grade and let go a boxcar and destroyed The Texas, they just might've. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Fatty Arbuckle, for example. I've also read a couple of books about Chaplin. If they are even close to true, some of the goings on of the day were even worse than the kind of stuff you hear about now. Charlie
Laurel & Hardy. I cannot think of it's name, but they did one I always remember, about building a house. With all of the pratfalls and accidents, everything which could go wrong.
I believe the pizza chain was Shakey's. I seem to remember the silent films when I ate there during business trips to LA 50 years ago. Gave you something to watch while your pizza was being made and eaten.
Everything...? If their house didn't have a close encounter with the Southern Pacific, then Laurel and Hardy left something out.
Our local Shakey's (San Jose, CA) had a tall, thin elderly gentleman dressed in a Keystone Kops outfit. Used to stand out front of the place and play a baritone, and visit with everyone inside as they ate. I was tickled to find a couple of Shakey's here in Northern Virginia and Maryland when we moved into the area in the early 90's. Long gone now.
There was a Shakey's right at the end of our street when I was a kid. I don't remember them showing silent movies, but then we moved away from there when I was four. Mostly I remember the piano. It had red and blue keys, neon lights, and was the first player piano I ever saw.
I have a 45 minute old-regular-8mm condensed print of "The General" with no sound. I have several times run the movie while playing piano, "Hearts and Flowers" in the schmaltzy romantic scenes, "villain" music during the dastardly train theft, dramatic chord, "Battle Hymn" when the D--Yankees seem to be winning and "Dixie" when the rebs are rebbing.
