OC - DS Steamboat Bill

Duck Soup Cinema featuring

Steamboat Bill, Jr. starring Buster Keaton

WRITTEN BY

DIRECTED BY

Carl Harbaugh

Charles Reisner & Buster Keaton CAST (1928)

Buster Keaton Tom McGuire Ernest Torrence Tom Lewis Marion Byron James T. Mack

William Canfield, Jr. J.J. King William “Steamboat Bill” Canfield Tom Carter, First and Last Mate Kitty King, King’s Daughter Minister (uncredited)

GRAND BARTON ORGAN

HOSTED BY

R. Jelani Eddington

Joe Thompson

VAUDEVILLE ACTS

Doc the Rube in the lobby Jewop A Cappella The Taalbi Brothers Whitney Mann Trio In Capable Hands SAT, NOV 3, 2012 | Capitol Theater Bottled water and beverages in Overture Refillable Theater Cups are allowed in the theater during select performances. Purchase a theater cup for $3 plus the cost of your drink at any of the concession locations in the lobby, and bring it back next time for a refill.

Sponsored by Additional funding provided by Madison Stagehands and Projectionists Union, I.A.T.S.E Local 251, a grant from Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, 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.

Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center

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PROGRAM Vaudeville Acts INTERMISSION Door Prizes Steamboat Bill, Jr. BUSTER KEATON The great Buster Keaton remains today one of the best comedic actors of all time. His influence on physical comedy is often compared to Charlie Chaplin.

Like many silent film greats, much of his work was nearly forgotten for many years.

But at the time of his death in 1966, a renewed interest in the comic genius of the vaudeville and silent film eras had brought the name Buster Keaton back into the public consciousness. His work as a performer and director is thought to be some of the most innovative and important work in the history of cinema.

Buster’s trademark physical comedy, marked by his classic deadpan expression, earned him the nickname “The Great Stone Face.” In 1917, Keaton moved to Hollywood where he met Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, one of the most famous comedy actors of that time. Arbuckle took Keaton under his wing, and helped him get a foothold in the movie community.

Keaton regarded Arbuckle as not only a close friend, but as one of the greatest influences on his career. The deadpan humor and awesome acrobatics of the tall, thin Keaton were the perfect foil for the rotund Arbuckle’s clumsy antics, Born Joseph Francis Keaton in 1895 in and the pair delighted silent filmgoers Piqua, Kansas, he earned the nickname everywhere. It didn’t take long for Buster “Buster” after falling down a flight of stairs Keaton to make a name for himself. at the age of six months. At the bottom Most notably, audiences loved him for of the stairs, family friend Harry Houdini his stoic countenance, which he never picked up the relatively unscathed infant failed to maintain despite compromising and said Keaton could really take a circumstances. The New York Times said “buster,” or fall. From that point on, he was of him, “In a film world that exaggerated known as Buster Keaton. His parents, who everything, and in which every emotion was had a vaudeville act, incorporated him dramatized and elaborated, he remained into their show when Buster was just three impassive and solemn, his poker-face years old! As part of The Three Keatons, inscrutability suppressing all emotion.”

Buster was routinely thrown through windows and dropped down stairs. This It was not just Keaton’s acting, however, rough-and-tumble vaudeville training but his writing and directing that gained was great preparation for the lightning him the notoriety he enjoyed during the fast slapstick comedy for which he later 1920s. And though his acrobatic talent became famous during the silent film era. thrilled audiences, the subtlety of his work left him trailing the more popular Chaplin and Harold Lloyd at the box office. In the Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center

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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.

2012/13 Duck Soup Club Member List Current as of September 24, 2012

Anonymous (2) Cindy Ballard Rhonda Bohnhoff Robert N. Doornek Vivian Ehrlich Wayne Glowac Bob & Beverly Haimerl Terry Haller

Reta Harring John & Nancy Hilliard Bill & Marcia Holman Andrew Hunn Rita Jackson Richard Judy Pricilla Laufenberg Robert A. & Susan Miller Stanford & Bev Ninedorf

Lynn & Sally Phelps Jenny Rowland & John Sears Diane & David Silbaugh Brenda Spychalla Robert & Marsha Steffen James Welsch Alan West

CaLL 608.258.4442 or viSit overturecenter.com/contribute 4

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BUSTER KEATON con’t 1930s, the studio took control of Buster Keaton’s films. At the time, the depth of his genius was not fully understood, and roles that highlighted only his most basic talents were written for him. Like so many of the silent film greats, his career was almost completely derailed by the arrival of the talkies. Buster went on to write for the Marx Brothers as well as Red Skelton, making only a fraction of his former earnings. Sadly, he turned to STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. n

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& fun facts

Marion Byron could not swim, so the scenes where her character is in the river with Buster Keaton were filmed with Buster’s real-life sister Louise Keaton serving as Marion’s stunt double. The two were both the same size - 4’11”. The water was very cold and during a day of filming Buster and Louise consumed 4-5 glasses of French brandy to keep them warm.

The movie was originally meant to incorporate a large flood as the disaster that hits the town. However, due to a real Mississippi flood and bickering amongst the producers, the flood plot was changed to a “cyclone.”

The stunt where the wall falls on Buster Keaton was performed with an actual fullweight wall. Half the crew walked off the set rather than participate in a stunt that would have killed Keaton if he had been slightly off position. Keaton himself, told the previous day that his studio was being shut down, was so devastated that he didn’t care if the wall crushed him or not.

This movie was used as a model for Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse’s first cartoon with sound.

The hat that Buster Keaton quickly removes from his head and hands back to the clerk with a frown is Keaton’s own trademark porkpie hat.

For reasons unknown, Buster Keaton did not receive a directing credit, although all involved in the film concur that he co-directed the film.

STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. n

trivia

alcohol, and during the ‘40s, did very little work that attracted notice. A revival of his work started in the early ‘50s, when he did frequent television appearances. Buster Keaton died in 1966 at the age of 69 of lung cancer. Fortunately, the seemingly selfless composure he maintained throughout his six decades of performing has kept him regarded as among the greatest comedic talents ever. Keaton’s films are still among the funniest and most touching of all time.

watch for these goofs

Just before the house facade falls on Keaton, a stagehand can be seen through the first floor window giving it an extra push.

During the final cyclone sequence, a cable pulling down the entire front of a building is clearly visible.

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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.

large that it was put in place before the theater was finished in 1928 and could only be removed with considerable demolition of the building.

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.

In addition, a “toy counter” offers special sounds like a chirping bird, auto horn, sleigh bells and percussive effects.

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

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.

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.

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Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema

R. JELANI EDDINGTON During the years that Jelani Eddington has given concerts, he has easily established himself as one of the most prominent and sought-after artists on the concert circuit. Jelani has performed in most of the major concert venues throughout the United States, has toured extensively abroad, and has received numerous awards and recognitions. Jelani Eddington was born in Muncie, Indiana to Louise Eddington and the late Robert Eddington and grew up in a very musical family. Between the interests of his mother, a professional music teacher of many years, and those of his grandmother, Florence Arnold, a well-respected piano instructor, it was no surprise when Jelani demonstrated an inclination toward music at a very early age.

Cum Laude from Indiana University in 1996, and later received a Juris Doctor degree from the Yale Law School in 1999, after which time he was admitted to practice law in New York State.

During the course of his concert career, Jelani has been featured at numerous national and regional conventions of the American Theatre Organ Society, and has toured extensively throughout the world, including numerous concert appearances in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. He has also accompanied numerous silent films and appears regularly at film series. In 2007, Jelani accompanied the classic film, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, for an international organ festival in Finland on the country’s largest pipe organ.

Shortly after beginning piano instruction at the age of four, Jelani began studying classical piano under the direction of his grandmother. At the age of eight, a trip to hear the 4-manual 42-rank Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ installed in the Indianapolis, Indiana restaurant, the Paramount Music Palace, introduced Jelani to the sounds of the theatre pipe organ.

Soon thereafter, he began to pursue classical organ lessons and ultimately began studying theatre organ under the direction of John Ferguson, whose skills as a theatre organ instructor have been highly acclaimed internationally.

In addition to his work as an organist, Jelani has also distinguished himself as a concert pianist, appearing recently as a guest pianist for performances of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A-Minor, George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue,” and Leroy Anderson’s Piano Concerto in C-Major. In February 2008, Jelani was invited to perform two special performances of Anderson’s concerto with the Tulsa Signature Symphony as part of a celebration of Leroy Anderson’s centennial.

At the age of 13, Jelani won the American Theatre Organ Society’s Young Theatre Organist Competition, prevailing over competitors ages 13-21 from the United States, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Jelani remains the youngest competitor ever to win this title. Jelani went on to graduate Magna

Jelani has also produced and marketed over 30 theatre organ albums on some of the best-known and most dynamic instruments in the country. In August 2001, the American Theatre Organ Society honored Jelani’s extensive career as a concert and recording organist by naming him the 2001 Theatre Organist of the Year. Jelani retains the distinction of being the youngest-ever recipient of this prestigious honor.

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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 coauthor of Fatherhood, The Musical with Phil Martin.

He is the proud father of two and the lucky husband of one.

VAUDEVILLE Doc the Rube Jim “Doc the Rube” Carter has a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD in Veterinary Pathology from the Veterinary College at Kansas State University. He began clowning around with the Aldersgate Clowns in Olathe, Kansas in 1980. When he moved to Wisconsin he started the Asbury Clowns at Asbury United Methodist Church.

His secular clowning has involved doing walk around entertainment and clown stage shows with his clown partners. He performed at the Clown Hall of Fame, the Kids Expo and in the Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee sponsored by the Circus World Museum. Doc has taught clown classes at several regional workshops and at a national Clown Impact Conference.

Jewop A Cappella Jewop A Cappella is Madison’s premiere and ONLY Jewish a cappella group.

Members come from a variety of backgrounds (Jewish or not), looking to share a fun, Jewish-inspired experience focused on community service and sharing of Jewish culture.

As a University of Wisconsin Hillel – Center for Jewish Student Life student organization, Jewop performs a wide spectrum of repertoire, from more traditional, religious Jewish songs and prayers to fun, 8

Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema

secular Jewish songs that include parodies and songs by Jewish pop artists.

Jewop is the second co-ed a cappella group within the UW-Madison a cappella community, and has sung for campus events such as the All-Campus Party, Suicide Prevention Walk, International Student Graduation reception, and various other charity events. Other venues include private performances and their own semester shows, given every spring and winter.

Entering their third year as an a cappella group, they have their sights set high for the coming year, looking to release their first live album early this fall. In addition, they are hoping to make a reappearance at Kol HaOlam III, the National Jewish Collegiate A Cappella Competition, held in Washington D.C. in order to defend their 3rd Place, Crowd Favorite and Best Original Arrangement titles received at Kol HaOlam II this past February.

The Taalbi Brothers In celebration of music from all over the world, the Taalbi Brothers bring NYC street percussion, spirited gypsy beats, wild chord changes fueled by classical music, and powerful melodies honoring legends of the guitar. They adore hardcore punk, Mediterranean guitar and classic rock.

VAUDEVILLE cont.

Their story begins in the basement of their midwest home with access to enough musical instruments to spare.

Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Bronson and Preston Taalbi (ages 17 & 15 respectively) are the youngest of a family in love with music.

Growing up with seven siblings, most of the hand-me-downs came in the form of the musical genre. Two sisters shared a passion for piano concertos and hardcore punk rock, an older brother taught and performed as a drummer in styles ranging from metal to drum corps to funk, and another sister strongly associated with the local hip-hop stage.

Shortly after a few performances on Madison’s downtown State Street in 2009, the Taalbi Brothers visited their older brother in Santa Monica, California, and performed on the sidewalk on the 3rd Street Promenade. They were discovered and signed to a guitar endorsement on the spot by nylon string guitar company Córdoba Guitars (endorsees include One Republic, Donavon Frankenreiter, The Gipsy Kings, The Decemberists, and Timmy Curran). The Taalbi Brothers have performed at local and national conferences, charities, parties and fundraisers, they have walked the red carpet in Hollywood, and they have performed at the ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado.

Most recently, the Taalbi Brothers placed their first song written, “Freestyle”, in the season 4 finale of AMC television’s Emmy® award-winning drama Breaking Bad. Whitney Mann Trio Whitney Mann is an old soul with a child’s glow. Her story is only beginning. It’s the story of a poetic farm girl from Michigan who grew up to open for Loretta Lynn.

A young woman whose voice will break your heart but whose songs will bring you back for more. Her new package of country ballads and barn tales is called The Western Sky. “Whitney Mann is the best kept secret in Wisconsin,” says Willie Nelson Production Manager John T. Selman, who watched 26-year-old Mann open for Nelson. “She’s raw, she’s real. Whitney sings and writes from the heart. You can’t ask for more than that from a musician.” “Whitney has one of the most pure and emotionally charged voices I’ve ever heard,” says Don Kronberg, promoter for Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and George Jones tours. He’s the guy who booked her to open different programs for all three country giants.

“Her ability to immediately connect with audiences is a rare quality that will allow her to build a very large fan base...quickly.”

Mann headlines all around the Midwest and continues to open for some of the Midwest’s most treasured contemporary singer-songwriters.

In Capable Hands Steve Russell and Kobi Shaw met in college. Seems simple and straightforward enough. The thing is, the college was Clown College, run by Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Somehow, amid all of the circus hype and the big clown shoes, these two formed a great friendship that eventually led to an onstage partnership and finally to marriage.

Performing together since 1996, Steve and Kobi have established themselves as a premier entertainment company. Their delightful blend of comedy and juggling is featured nationwide on TV, at fairs, festivals, corporate meetings and family events. Their credits include The Tonight Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Lincoln Center and Carolines on Broadway.

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Photo by Mark Frohna

HELPUS

INSPIRE Every artist – actor, musician, dancer, painter – has a “this is it” moment.

That moment can’t be planned, or even anticipated…but it can be inspired.

Moments like these happen every day at Overture Center. Through our Arts Education Initiative, Community Arts Access, the Tommy Awards and other programs, we allow a platform for community members to explore the arts in a variety of ways, inspiring local talent to find their moments at Overture.

Please donate today to help us make more inspiring moments.

CALL 608.258.4442 or VISIT overturecenter.com/contribute 10

Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema

Overture Center for the Arts would like to recognize our sponsors and funders and thank them for all they do to support Madison’s thriving arts community. publiC suppOrT

The City of Madison legACy spOnsOrs

$20,000 And AbOve

American Girl Fund for Children American Family Insurance Anonymous Capital Newspapers, Inc. CUNA Mutual Foundation MG&E Foundation, Inc. Madison Community Foundation Arts Access National Endowment for the Arts Park Bank Robert W. Baird & Co. UW Health

Oscar Mayer University Research Park Webcrafters – Frautschi Foundation $5,000 – $9,999

Bell Laboratories CUNA Mutual Group ProVideo TOMCAT Products SupraNet Communications Unity Health Insurance

Courtier Foundation Custer Financial Services Dane Arts Epicentre (an Illumina Company) Goodman’s Jewelers J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc. New England Foundation for the Arts Outrider Foundation Pepsi Cola of Madison PPD Promega Corporation ScheduleSoft Smart Motors Stafford Rosenbaum, S.C. Trek Bicycle Corporation Wisconsin Arts Board

$10,000 – $14,999

$1,000 – $4,999

$15,000 – $19,999

A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust The Bruce Company of Wisconsin DeWitt Ross & Stevens, S.C. Evjue Foundation Exact Sciences Food Fight, Inc. Gammex Kuehn Family Foundation Madison Investment Advisors Diego’s Mexican Bistro & Icon Restaurants Murphy Desmond, S.C.

Anonymous Boardman & Clark LLP Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier Hovde Properties, LLC Monona State Bank Perkins Coie Target Von Briesen & Roper Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, S.C. Wheeler, Van Sickel & Anderson, S.C. WISC-TV *List current as of 9.7.12

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.

Buy in person: Visit the ticket office located on the main floor just off the Rotunda Lobby.

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.

Group orders: Groups of 15 or more receive a discount on most performances. Call 608.258.4159 to make reservations.

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.

Etiquette Please turn off all paging devices, cell phones and watch alarms.

Smoking is prohibited in Overture.

The use of cameras or tape recorders in the theaters is prohibited without written permission from Overture Center and the performing company’s management.

Visit overturecenter.com: For a calendar of events, links to artists’ websites, video, audio, directions, parking and much more.

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.

PATRON SERVICES & POLICIES

In consideration of audience members with scent sensitivities and allergies, please use perfumes, aftershaves and other fragrances in moderation.

Accessibility: Request accommodations when ordering your tickets. Call 608.258.4144 for information, questions, or to request the following: n n n n n

wheelchair-accessible seating house wheelchair for transport sign language interpretation Braille playbill other accommodations

RESIDENT ORGANIZATIONS Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society bachdancinganddynamite.org | 608.255.9866 Children’s Theater of Madison ctmtheater.org | 608.255.2080

Information is also available at overturecenter.com/tickets/accessibility

Forward Theater Company forwardtheater.com | 608.234.5001

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.

Li Chiao-Ping Dance lichiaopingdance.org | 608.835.6590

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.

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Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema

Kanopy Dance Company kanopydance.org | 608.255.2211

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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