Duck Soup Cinema featuring
The Kid Brother starring Harold Lloyd
WRITTEN BY
DIRECTED BY
John Grey, Ted Wilde & Tom Ctizer
Ted Wilde & J.A. Howe CAST (1927)
Harold Lloyd ............. Harold Hickory Jobyna Ralston.............. Mary Powers Waiter James................... Jim Hickory Leo Willis..........................Leo Hickory Olin Francis.....................Olin Hickory
Constantine Romanoff .........Sandoni Eddie Boland.................. “Flash” Farrell Frank Lanning..................Sam Hooper Ralph Yearsley................ Hank Hooper
GRAND BARTON ORGAN
HOSTED BY
Dennis James
Joe Thompson
VAUDEVILLE ACTS
Ace Willie and Doc the Rube in the lobby Trinity Irish Dance Mike Schneider The MadHatters The Stellanovas SAT, MAR 17, 2012 | Capitol Theater SPONSORED BY
Additional funding provided by Madison Stagehands and Projectionists Union, I.A.T.S.E Local 251, contributions to Overture Center for the Arts and by members of the Duck Soup Club. Learn how you can support Duck Soup by becoming a member at overturecenter.com/contribute. This program is part of Overture’s Community Ticket Program. Funding for the Community Ticket Program is provided by American Girl’s Fund for Children, a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts, and by contributions to Overture Center for the Arts. Learn how you can help make arts experiences real for hundreds of thousands of people in the greater Madison area at overturecenter.com/contribute.
Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 1
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PROGRAM Vaudeville Acts INTERMISSION Door Prizes The Kid Brother
HAROLD LLOYD “The King of Daredevil Comedy,” Harold Lloyd is best remembered today as the young man dangling desperately from a clock tower in the 1923 classic Safety Last. At the height of his career, Lloyd was one of the most popular and highest-paid stars of his time. While his achievements have been overshadowed by the work of contemporaries Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, he made more films than the two of them combined. With hits like his 1922 film Grandma’s Boy, Lloyd became a strong force in bringing about the advent of the “feature-length” film. Born in Nebraska in 1894, Lloyd’s stage career began at the age of 12. Although he had none of Chaplin’s or Keaton’s childhood Vaudeville training, Lloyd had a natural talent that led him to make the most dangerous tumbles and falls seem effortless. In 1913 Lloyd moved with his father to Los Angeles, where the motion picture industry was still in its infancy. There he tried desperately to break into show business, taking any small part he could get. He soon made friends with another extra, Hal Roach, who was putting together his own production company. In a short while the company had taken off and was making movies featuring Lloyd as “Lonesome Luke,” a Chaplin-inspired bumbler. While “Lonesome Luke” was popular, Lloyd knew his mimicry of Chaplin was an inevitable dead end.
In 1917, Lloyd began work on a new character, one that was to remain a signature through out his career. With round glasses, a straw hat, and an unkempt suit, this new invention still had many of the qualities associated with Chaplin’s Little Tramp, but something was different. He seemed both the fool and the fox, able to outsmart the bad guy, but only by a hair. In 1919, at the height of his acclaim, a tragedy struck. While posing for a photograph he grabbed what he imagined to be a fake bomb and lit it with his cigarette. The bomb went off in his hand, costing him a thumb and a forefinger. The story was front-page news and it seemed the end of this daredevil’s career. Never the quitter, Lloyd bounced back and made dozens of more films, among them his best and most highly acclaimed, including Safety Last (1923) and Speedy (1928). Even into the time of the talkies, Lloyd persisted while many other silent movie stars threw in the towel. In 1971, twenty-three years after his last feature film, he died in his Hollywood mansion. From his early black-and-white shorts to his full-length talkies, Lloyd recognized that humor was nothing without a sense of play. Athletic and rigorous, he could fall from a window as well as he could scale a wall. It was said that Lloyd was not a natural comedian, rather, that he was a great actor playing comedic roles. His ability Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 3
DON’T STAY
SILENT
ABOUT YOUR
LOVE OF SILENT
FILMS
Are you a silent film aficionado? Does the sound of the Capitol Theater’s Barton Organ signal the beginning of a fabulous evening of Duck Soup Cinema for you? Then join Overture’s Duck Soup Cinema Club, and help keep this community program healthy and affordable for all! Learn about the benefits of membership and make your donation online at overturecenter.com/contribute. You’ll have even more fun with Duck Soup and take pride knowing that your generosity is part of how it all happens.
2011/12 Duck Soup Club Member List Current as of March 7, 2012
Cindy Ballard Daniel Becker William Braasch Edwin Burington Peter Byfield David Coe Fern Delaney Robert N. Doornek Theodore Finn Bob & Beverly Haimerl
Terry Haller Reta Harring John & Nancy Hilliard Bill & Marcia Holman Larry Kneeland Linn Kubler Pricilla Laufenberg Therese Maring Mike & June McCowan Irene Meyer
Janet Monk Stanford & Bev Ninedorf Lisa Pfaff Evan & Jane Pizer Don & Barb Sanford Joe & Jeanne Silverberg Tanner Spaude Robert & Marsha Steffen Alan West Eileen Zeiger
overturecenter.com/contribute
HAROLD LLOYD
con’t
to create multi-dimensional characters, both funny and moving, has helped to shape our contemporary view of what a comic actor can be. Lloyd also understood the role fear could play in heightening comedy. One day while on his way to the studio, he watched a man scaling the side of a building. Crowds had gathered around and were completely consumed by the sight of the climber. Lloyd knew that if he could keep an audience on the edge of their seats like this, he could make them laugh even harder. So, using the tricks of photographic perspective, he began to shoot scenes that looked as if they were happening on the sides of buildings, on scaffoldings, or hanging from clocks. These acrobatic hi-jinks seemed amazingly real in a time before special effects. More
than simply renewing the audience’s interest in his work, these progressive techniques earned him the respect of others in the film industry. Looking at the other films of the time and at the progress of comic acting and cinematography since, it is clear that Lloyd’s inspired work was an essential part in the growth of the industry. In his brilliant 1923 epic Girl Shy, Lloyd employed many of the high-action comic bits that made him famous. In its climactic chase scene, we recognize the beginnings of the action film genre, and can see the influence on movies from Ben Hur to Speed. While Harold Lloyd’s name has all but been forgotten and great films like Girl Shy and Grandma’s Boy are no longer in the public eye, Lloyd’s spirit lives on in the movie industry he helped to create.
GRAND BARTON ORGAN Like all grand movie theaters built during the Silent Film Era, the Capitol Theater had a pipe organ that allowed a single musician to fill the theater with music while movies were being shown. Overture Center’s organ is a Barton, manufactured by the Bartola Musical Instrument Company in Oshkosh. It is believed to be the oldest Barton in Wisconsin, and the only one in the state remaining in its original location and condition. The instrument is such a rare gem that in 1990 it was honored by the Organ Historical Society as “an instrument of exceptional merit,” the first time a theater organ had been so recognized by the society, which typically reserves such honors for the grand pipe organs found in churches. Hollywood had premiered the first “talkie,” the year before the Capitol Theater opened, but it took a while for sound films to catch on, and the Barton got a lot of use in the early years of the Capitol Theater. As sound films
became popular, the organ was used for sing-alongs and pre-feature entertainment, but as film showings lost their pageantry, this role diminished. The gold and red horseshoe-shaped console is the most visible part of the instrument, but the organ’s sound comes from 1,034 pipes hidden in chambers on either side of the stage. The large illuminated console and its 141 stop keys and three manuals is usually located at house right. At one time, it was on its own elevator in the orchestra pit. It was moved to make space for the many large-scale productions staged in the theater. A seven and one half horsepower blower in the basement of the theater powers the organ and the massive electrical switching system is sealed in a special room high in the building. This electrical relay is so large that it was put in place before the theater was finished in 1928 and could only be removed with Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 5
GRAND BARTON ORGAN con’t considerable demolition of the building. The smallest pipes, which produce the high notes, are the size of a soda straw, and the largest are 16 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter. The pipes that produce the deepest notes are eight feet high and about 24 inches square, made of thick, knotless pine slabs. Like any wind instrument, the sound comes from air passing through the pipes, but the wind is supplied by a seven-horsepower air pump, rather
than a musician’s breath. The pipes are divided into fourteen ranks, or sets, that mimic the instruments of an orchestra. In addition, a “toy counter” offers special sounds like a chirping bird, auto horn, sleigh bells and percussive effects. An important part of keeping the organ in top condition is regular use. Overture Center continues to use the organ as part of the center’s Duck Soup Cinema series.
DENNIS JAMES For well over 25 years, Dennis James has played a pivotal role in the international revival of silent films with live music. Beginning as a pianist for campus screenings at Indiana University during the late 1960s, James now tours worldwide under the auspices of his own Silent Film Concerts production company presenting feature silent film programs with solo theatre organ, chamber ensemble and full symphony orchestra accompaniments. Performing silent films regularly with symphony orchestras throughout the United States and Canada since 1978, James offers the most comprehensive repertoire in the field. James is a featured soloist on the international film festival circuit, including regular appearances for the San Francisco, Toronto, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia as well as the annual Pordenone and Rome (Italy) Festivals Cinema Muto. He performs frequently at the Walker Film Center in Minneapolis, the Cleveland Cinematheque and for the Chicago Art Institute’s film series and at the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Palazzo Delle Espisozioni in Rome, and the National Film Theatre in London. He regularly performs under the auspices of the American Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art, the Pacific Film Archive, the George Eastman House, the American Federation of 6 Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema
the Arts, and for the U.C.L.A. Film and Television Archive and the British Film Institute. His silent film presentations have been seen throughout Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and England. Dennis James is also dedicated to furthering public interest in the pipe organ and to the continuation of the theatrical traditions of organ performance. His has served as house organist for the Lansdowne and Brookline Theatres in Philadelphia and later at the Paramount and Rivoli Theatres in Indiana. From 1975 to 1989 James was the final appointed house organist for the restored Ohio Theatre in Columbus. Since 1991 he appears frequently at the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, California, between his international touring engagements. In a career made up of diverse engagements, he has performed with such popular film personalities as Vincent Price, Ray Bolger, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Myrna Loy, Oliva De Havilland, Ginger Rogers and Fay Wray. He was selected by composer/conductor Carmine Coppola as the organist for the ongoing world tour presentations of Napoleon, the 1927 epic silent film by Abel Gance. He has also toured extensively with silent film stars Charles “Buddy” Rogers and the late Lillian Gish and providing musical accompaniment at national revivals of their motion pictures.
Photo by Frank Weidemann
A ProVideo Comedy And TheATer SerieS eVenT
SAT, APR 21, 8 PM
Tickets starting at $21.50 Capitol Theater
Frank Ferrante in
An Evening With Groucho
Award-winning actor Frank Ferrante channels one of the comedic greats of all time. His timing on classic one-liners and famous songs match Groucho’s originals with stunning precision! Post-performance Q&A $10 tickets for k–12 students and educators with ID
oveRTuReCenTeR.CoM
JOE THOMPSON Joe Thompson has appeared on Madison stages countless times (plus one if you count tonight). He made his theatrical debut at the age of 9 with the Racine Theater Guild and thanks his mom and dad for always remembering to take him home after rehearsal. His current activities include oregoni (the art of folding paper into the shapes
resembling Oregon), making jello salads, and strenuous daily oral hygiene. He is a member of Madison’s sketch comedy troupe “The Prom Committee” and co-author of Fatherhood, The Musical with Phil Martin. He is the proud father of two and the lucky husband of one.
always
Overture Galleries
A TomcAT ProducTs ouTside The Box series evenT
sun, apr 15, 7:30 pm
tickets starting at $12 overture Hall
local Free
always
always
amazing
Luma
What started on Madison’s east side 20 years ago is now “a rare show, bedazzling, truly magical.” (San Francisco Chronicle) post-performance Q&a $10 tickets for k–12 students and educators with ID
overturecenter.com
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VAUDEVILLE Ace Willie, a.k.a., William Litzler has been performing in the Midwest for 40 years in venues ranging from Cub Scout banquets to corporate events. Ace was bitten by the magic bug after attending a magic show sponsored by The Houdini Club of Wisconsin in 1969. (He subsequently has shared the stage with every performer on that program.) In the 1980s, Ace Willie further developed his comedy style as a regular performer at The Comedy Cellar, Madison’s first comedy club. Once, at the Comedy Cellar, Ace alerted management of an underage performer and had that teenager removed from the club. The teenager was Chris Farley! Ace Willie is also a dealer in rare and vintage magic. He as been a leading seller in eBay’s Magic Community since 1999. Currently Ace Willie and his wife Debbie are popular performers for family events sponsored by corporations, country clubs and area communities. Visit www.acewillie.com.
Trinity Irish Dance, founded by Artistic Director Mark Howard, a two-time Emmy Award-winning choreographer, is one of the most renowned Irish dance programs worldwide. For nearly 30 years, Trinity has thrilled audiences with their inspiring showmanship. From humble beginnings in church basements to recent engagements as U.S. ambassadors on international stages, Trinity dancers deliver a unique energy and passion for Irish dance and culture. Trinity’s program gives dancers the power of choice in their journey with lessons of commitment, hard work and team building. As the most widely recognized Irish dance school in the world, Trinity offers unique opportunities including a top notch teaching staff, monthly visits from athletic trainers, international consultants and exceptional performance opportunities. Trinity teachers shape the lives of their students by passing down not only Jim “Doc the Rube” Carter has a impeccable dance technique, but also Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and lessons in gracious sportsmanship a PhD in Veterinary Pathology from the and how to act with dignity and Veterinary College at Kansas State integrity. Trinity was founded on these University. He began clowning around principles and is unwavering in its with the Aldersgate Clowns in Olathe, dedication to the next generation of Kansas in 1980. When he moved to Irish dancers and their communities. Wisconsin he started the Asbury Clowns at Asbury United Methodist Church. Mike Schneider is an award–winning His secular clowning has involved musician who began his professional doing walk around entertainment career in polka music in 1996. His and clown stage shows with his accomplishments include eight clown partners. He performed at nominations for the Band of the Year the Clown Hall of Fame, the Kids Award from the Wisconsin Polka Expo and in the Great Circus Hall of Fame since 1998, performing Parade in Milwaukee sponsored by for an episode of Food Nation with the Circus World Museum. Doc Bobby Flay on the Food Network, has taught clown classes at several playing a birthday bash for JC Chasez regional workshops and at a national of “N Sync and countless other area Clown Impact Conference. performances and festivals. Schneider
Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 9
VAUDEVILLE also hosts a monthly episode of Polka Parade, which airs Saturdays on AM 1340 WJYI in Milwaukee. In 2008, Mike released Pint Size Polkas Vol. 1 which is the first polka music CD created specifically for children. Known now as “Uncle Mike,” Schneider has traveled the country for Pint Size Polkas appearing on numerous major network television affiliates in six states, including ABC 7 Chicago Sunday Morning News, Channel 3 News Today in Cleveland, Pittsburgh Today Live on KDKA 2 and the Morning Blend on Today’s TMJ4 in Milwaukee. He has performed his Pint Size Polkas program for children and families at libraries and schools in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
this year. Their first album released in 2002, State Street, had a track earn a spot on the 2002 Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) CD. Their second album, 2004’s Friday After Class, exploded their fan base, becoming a “best seller” on a cappella websites around the world. Not For Credit, their third studio release, was produced in 2007 and received two national recording awards, including another BOCA inclusion. The fourth album, Random Play, was released in 2010. Cheer on Tap, their most recent effort, is a holiday album filled with songs for merrymaking and joy. A sixth album is currently in production.
The Stellanovas play what we call “cafe jazz”—intimate, whimsical, dynamic string jazz. Based in Madison, The MadHatters are the premier comprised of veteran musicians men’s a cappella group of the UW who have recorded and performed campus. Founded in 1997, they were with musicians as various as U2, the first of its kind at UW and have The Smashing Pumpkins, Willy seen their humble beginnings boom Porter, Taj Majal, The Indigo Girls, into sold out shows. Comprised of Koko Taylor, Ray Charles, Delbert 15 singers and a vocal percussionist, McClinton, Greg Brown, Peter the MadHatters croon the songs of Himmelman, Asleep at the Wheel decades past to the Top 40 present. and the Subdudes. The husband/ Built on the foundation of goofy wife team Mary Gaines (cello, vocals) guys making good music and bringing and Chris Wagoner (violin, viola, fun to the community, the MadHatters ukulele, hawaiian guitar, accordion, have achieved much success in their vocals) have been performing short life. From filling the seats at together for almost two decades and Madison’s Orpheum Theatre and often perform as a duo. Gaines and Overture Center, to singing the Wagoner have co-founded several “National Anthem” at a sold out of Madison’s most popular groups Brewers/Cubs rivalry at Miller Park, over the past two decades including to travel across the United States Harmonious Wail, The Common and Mexico, the MadHatters seem Faces, The Moon Gypsies and to have endless opportunities. The Bob Westfall Band. Additional Currently, the MadHatters have players include Ed Fila (guitar) and one live and three studio albums and Jim Huwe (drums). They perform are working on their fourth and fifth originals as well as vintage string jazz. studio recordings to be released later
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Overture Center for the Arts would like to recognize
our sponsors and thank them for all they do to support Madison’s thriving arts community.
LegACy SpOnSOrS
pLATInUM SpOnSOrS American girl’s Fund for Children Madison gas & electric gOLd SpOnSOrS The Bruce Company University of Wisconsin of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics CUnA Mutual group University of Wisconsin proVideo Medical Foundation Unity University research park SILVer SpOnSOrS Bell Laboratories Moe’s & Icon restaurants Capital newspapers, Inc. Murphy desmond, S.C. deWitt ross & Stevens SVA Food Fight, Inc. Supranet Communications gammex TOMCAT products Madison Investment Holdings Webcrafters
goodman’s Jewelers J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. Outrider Foundation pepsi Cola of Madison
BrOnze SpOnSOrS Smart Motors Stafford rosenbaum, S.C. State Bank of Cross plains TdS Telecommunications
COrpOrATe SpOnSOrS Steve Brown Apartments Custer Financial Services Von Briesen & roper The Fiore Companies, Inc. Wheeler, Van Sickel & Anderson, S.C. Hovde properties Whyte Hirschboeck dudek, S.C. Mullins group WISC-TV park Bank The robert H. Keller Co. *List current as of January 31, 2012
PATRON SERVICES AND INFORMATION
Welcome to Overture Center for the Arts
Your enjoyment is important to us. Please contact an usher or the ticket office if you have any concerns about your experience here. ORDERING & INFORMATION Order online! overturecenter.com Phone orders: Call 608.258.4141 Mail or fax: online order form at overturecenter.com or in our magazine.
Etiquette Please turn off all paging devices, cell phones and watch alarms. Smoking is prohibited in Overture.
Buy in person: Visit the ticket office located on the main floor just off the Rotunda Lobby.
The use of cameras or tape recorders in the theaters is prohibited without written permission from Overture Center and the performing company’s management.
Ticket office hours: Mon–Fri, 11 AM–5:30 PM; Sat, 11 AM–2 PM; open additional hours evenings and Sundays on days of ticketed performances.
Food, large bags and other large items are not permitted in the theaters. Bottled water and beverages in Overture Refillable Theater Cups are allowed in the theaters at select shows.
Group orders: Groups of 15 or more receive a discount on most performances. Call 608.258.4159 to make reservations.
In consideration of audience members with scent sensitivities and allergies, please use perfumes, aftershaves and other fragrances in moderation.
Visit overturecenter.com: For a calendar of events, links to artists’ websites, video, audio, directions, parking and much more. PATRON SERVICES & POLICIES Accessibility: Request accommodations when ordering your tickets. Call 608.258.4144 for information, questions, or to request the following: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
wheelchair-accessible seating house wheelchair for transport sign language interpretation Braille playbill other accommodations
Information is also available at overturecenter.com/tickets/accessibility Children and lap seating: Every person, regardless of age, must have a ticket to enter the theaters for performances. Children under the age of 6 are not permitted at certain performances. See our season brochure, visit our website or call the Help Line at 608.258.4143 for information. Contacting a patron during a performance: Call 608.258.4179 with the performance the patron is attending and his/ her row and seat number. Lost and Found: Visit the information desk in the Rotunda Lobby or call 608.258.4973. Rentals: For information on renting spaces in Overture Center for weddings, performances, meetings or other events, call 608.258.4163 or email events@overturecenter.com. 12 Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema
Event Staff Stagehand services in Overture are provided by members of Local 251 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Usher and other services for Overture are provided by Overture volunteers. For information, visit overturecenter.com/contribute/ volunteer or call 608.258.4177. RESIDENT ORGANIZATIONS Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society bachdancinganddynamite.org | 608.255.9866 Children’s Theater of Madison ctmtheater.org | 608.255.2080 Forward Theater Company forwardtheater.com | 608.234.5001 Kanopy Dance Company kanopydance.org | 608.255.2211 Li Chiao-Ping Dance lichiaopingdance.org | 608.835.6590 Madison Ballet madisonballet.org | 608.278.7990 Madison Opera madisonopera.org |608.238.8085 Madison Symphony Orchestra madisonsymphony.org | 608.257.3734 Wisconsin Academy’s James Watrous Gallery wisconsinacademy.org | 608.265.2500 Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra wcoconcerts.org | 608.257.0638 xx | Overture Center
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