Yesterday I wrote about two weird controversies banging heads at the Paramount on Monday night: Wurlitzer organist Dennis James, who played the organ at the Paramount’s silent movies for 11 years, was let go by Seattle Theater Group without explanation. And the version of the film The Godless Girl that aired at the Paramount was a “goat gland” cut, which is a second cut of the film made with sound to capitalize on the “talkie” craze that was temporarily overtaking movies at the time. The film was shown without sound, though, so Godless Girl ended with actors talking silently for a few minutes, leaving the audience confused as to what actually happened.
Jason Ferguson, the Director of Programming at STG, said that he can’t discuss why James was let go, because it’s STG’s policy to not discuss personnel issues. When I asked if there was room for reconciliation, Ferguson responded with a fairly curt “He is not coming back.” By e-mail, James said that he doesn’t know why he was fired. He explained: “I’m told by the musicians union local that employers are not required to give any reason whatsoever for cessation of services.”
And what about the goat gland print of Godless Girl? Ferguson says that STG actually screens the original prints of the silent movies—the Godless Girl print that showed on Monday night was 80 years old—and “you don’t know the exact print of the film” that you’re getting until you’ve got it. When I asked if they expected to get the goat gland print, Ferguson responded: “It was not the ending we expected.”
(Illustration of goat and rhino glands from the gorgeous blog BIbliOdyssey.)
Once Trader Joe’s started sponsoring Silent Movies—in and of itself, a good thing—and handing out miniature bags of noisy food wrapped in hard, crinkly plastic bags—maddeningly disruptive and obnoxious—Dennis James was the only reason to still go there. I bought season tickets for years and will unlikely not return unless they bring back DJ.
Neither of these are “controversies” in the least. Paul you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Think it’s bullshit? Don’t buy tickets. Boom. They have to change their business model or they don’t make any money.
As long as Trader Joe’s continues to sponsor the event, STG & the Paramount don’t care one whit whether it makes money or not – their costs are covered. The fact that Dennis James BUILT this series over 11 years to 3/4-full houses and usually getting standing ovations means nothing to the STG or the Paramount. But it does to me. I think STG, the Paramount and Trader Joe’s has a lot of public relations repair work to do in the shoddy way in which Dennis was treated.
Dennis deserves our support and thanks for all he has done for us. I think we should all show up at next monday’s show to let him know we care… In the 10 years I’ve been going to the Paramount, Dennis has NEVER failed to deliver an amazing performance. There’s a bio and a link to email Dennis James at this page: http://www.atos.org/artists/james/ – His performance schedule is at http://www.cas.sc.edu/film/james.html He’s playing on Bainbridge island on July 5th.
I don’t know if it’s related, but the pipe organ renovation fundraiser at Paramount this Sunday just got canceled. The email just went out at midnight. http://www.pstos.org/
Jason Ferguson, the Director of Programming at STG, covers for the staffer who books the film prints at STG by saying: “STG actually screens the original prints of the silent movies – the Godless Girl print that showed on Monday night was 80 years old.” Well, that simply is not true. The Seattle Paramount is not equipped to legally show nitrate film prints, and ALL original silent film prints, including those mentioned here from ’80 years ago’ were made on nitrate base stock, the astonishingly flammable film base replaced by “safety film” acetate-base film stock in the 1940’s (see ‘Cinema Paradiso’ for a graphic portrayal of nitrate fires bringing about the ban). The Godless Girl print shown at the Paramount Theatre last Monday was a modern copy produced for modern-day distribution as have been all of the silent film prints shown there in the past 11 years.
I also see that Jason Ferguson said “you don’t know the exact print of the film” that you’re getting until you’ve got it. That is particularly true, of course, when the middle management associate assigned this year to produce STG silents series producer isn’t aware there are multiple versions available of a film made and doesn’t order the preferred print. If one sets up print delivery from the distributor to have a print in hand in advance of a planned screening, any necessary replacements can be in hand in time for the eventual public screening. Silent film distribution prints are both individually labelled and numbered for file identification, and ordering the correct print helps all involved to avoid these mixups.
We should all be pleased that at least a print of The Godless GIrl was ordered at all – a basic step overlooked for the June 8th morning Charle Chaplin screening forcing the showing of a commercial DVD digital edition.
Dennis James
Silent Movie Mondays Organist Emeritus
Here’s an email I sent to Jim Riggs. He has not responded, so maybe I have the wrong email address for him? In case I do, I’ll post it here and maybe he’ll see it:
Hi Jim. Great playing last monday! I have been going to silent movie
mondays here in Seattle at the Paramount for nearly 10 years. In that
whole time, Dennis James has NEVER failed to amaze us. I assume you must
be aware of him and his HUGE contribution to keeping silent movies alive
and thriving. We fans here in Seattle are all very concerned and worried
about this situation, and we are worried about Dennis. Although I love
your playing, I hope it will not be in the context of a terrible and ungrateful decision by STG to remove Dennis James. Dennis has brought us fans here in Seattle more joy than can be imagined. He has given us far more than can be repaid, both in his words and stories, and of course, his amazing playing. I hope that you will consider this situation to be an opportunity to support Dennis as an artist and as a human being, and not just as a job opportunity. He has given so much in his life to us, and if he is having some sort of trouble, I would hope that all of us who love silent movies could at least try to reach out and support him. I of course say this not knowing all of the details of what is going on. I’m just worried that corprate interest might be slighting a man who has been responsible for bringing us great art for decades, and has given his very life and soul to it.
Thanks for listening.
Samos, I get no inkling this is a “corporate interest” situation as you write. I highly doubt a newly hired player is going to be thinking, “Oh, gee… how can I help the person whose shoes I just filled.” I think your letter is silly.
I understand how it might come across that way, however, people involved in this genre are part of a VERY small crowd. They all know of each other to some extent, and hopefully, they can choose to tread with consideration when their fellow peers are being unfairly treated. Its true, I have very little power to help. Perhaps I’m grasping at the only small thing I can do. Writing is the only “power” I have, and I’m simply doing the best I can to try and influence things. Trust me, I’d rather NOT be in this situation at all!
Dennis James, the final appointed House Organist for Seattle’s Paramount Theatre from 1998 to 2008, and internationally touring professional silent film organist who created and introduced the theatre’s popular Silent Movie Mondays series, frequently sold out the hall during his 11 year tenure, continues his professional silent film and other music presentations throughout the Northwest Area during the 2009-2010 season:
2009
November 13, Blue Mouse Theatre, Tacoma, Washington
86th Anniversary screening: original opening night film THE GREEN GODDESS
2010
January 21, Washington Center, Olympia, Washington
4th annual silent film series: Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in FLESH AND THE DEVIL
February 11, Washington Center, Olympia, Washington
4th annual silent film series: Rudolph Valentino in SON OF THE SHEIK
February 14, Lynwood Theatre, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Silent film series- two screenings: Harold Lloyd in GIRL SHY
February 15, Admiral Theatre, West Seattle, Washington
Original Silent Movie Mondays site debut: William Boyd in THE YANKEE CLIPPER
March 7, City Museum, Wenatchee, Washington
Silent film program: comedy films
March 8, Town Hall, Seattle, Washington
OdeonQuartet (string quartet) with Dennis James, Glass Armonica chamber music performance
March 11, Washington Center, Olympia, Washington
4th annual silent film series: Janet Gaynor and George O’Brien in SUNRISE
July 5, Lynwood Theatre, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Annual Anniversary silent film screenings:
July 6, Location tba, Seattle, Washington
American Theatre Organ Society National Convention – feature silent film event by invitation conveyed by convention chairman Tom Blackwell: title tba
For more information, visit: http://www.cas.sc.edu/film/james.html