The Silent Movie Theatre over on Fairfax was an important part of my childhood. As I explained here, I spent many a Friday evening in its hard seats watching Laurel and Hardy or Chaplin or Douglas Fairbanks or some other star of legendary status, and I developed a casual friendship with the man who ran the place.
Recently, I was interviewed for a forthcoming documentary on the Silent Movie Theatre. A gentleman named Iain Kennedy just sent me the following brief summary of his project…
The documentary will look at the history of the theater through the personal recollections of those people who have worked there or who went there as members of the audience. Particular focus will be given to the owners of theater who made it an L.A. landmark and kept silent films running for audiences to re-discover and enjoy. We're very interested in hearing from people who went to the theater during the John and Dorothy Hampton "era" (approximately 1942 to 1979) and Lawrence Austin's tenure (1991 to 1997), as well as more recent years (Charlie Lustman's revival of the theater, 1999-2006).
If you are such a person, drop me a note and I'll forward it to Iain.