Before establishing his infamous and beloved “little tramp” screen persona, Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) made a few dozen slapstick shorts that set his antics in different workplaces and social situations.
The Strand Theatre in Schroon Lake, NY will present “Charlie Chaplin Comedy Classics with Ben Model,” a selection of Chaplin short films with live piano accompaniment by Ben Model on July 7, 2025 at 8 pm.
The program features some of the best from Chaplin’s 1916-17 series for the Mutual Company. In The Rink (1916), Chaplin plays a waiter who makes a mess of his orders and a wild roller-skating party; in The Immigrant (1917) he “comes across” looking for a better life in America; and Chaplin plays a tailor’s
assistant who impersonates a nobleman at a society party in The Count (1916).
Renowned silent film accompanist-historian Ben Model will introduce the films and will accompany them with his own scores on piano. Model will also be selling and signing copies of his new book The Silent Film Universe.
Model is one of the nation’s leading silent film accompanists, and performs on both piano and theatre organ. He works full-time presenting and accompanying silent films in a wide variety of venues around the USA and internationally, carrying on a tradition he learned from silent film organist Lee Erwin (1919-2000).
All tickets are $15, available at the door. The Strand Theatre is located at 102 Route 9 (Main Street) in Schroon Lake, Essex County, NY.
Illustration: A scene from Charlie Chaplin’s The Rink (1916).
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