Silent Pooches, w/ music by Tom Roberts+Dawn Posey

As part of our continuing Silents, Please! film series of silent films with live music, please join the Hollywood Theater and the Western PA Humane Society for an afternoon of short silent films featuring Pete the Pup and Luke the Dog, with live musical accompaniment by Tom Roberts and Dawn Posey. Also meet animal friends from The Western PA Humane Society and get more information about adoption.  

Doors open at 2:00pm and the film starts at 3:00pm.  Adult tickets are $10 and children 12 and under are just $5.   

The Musicians: Tom Roberts one of the leading exponents of early jazz piano in the world today, and has performed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson The Statler Brothers Show on TNN , and A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Kiellor.  Dawn Posey has been a member of the violin faculty at the Sherwood Conservatory, the Merit School of Music, and at the University of Evansville, Indiana, and is Assistant Concertmaster with both the Youngstown Symphony and the West Virginia Symphony. She is also a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra first violin section. 

The Films: 

1) The Scarecrow (1920), starring Buster Keaton and Luke the Dog.  Luke was an English Pitbull who appeared in many of the films of comedy legend Roscoe Arbuckle and his protégé Buster Keaton.  Known for his agility, dexterity, and cleverness - many people feel that many times Luke stole the show from his human co-stars. Luke also eventually acquired a contract paying him $150 a week, all year long. 19 mins.  

2) Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916), starring Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle, and Luke the Dog.  Arbuckle and his sweetheart Normand have their honeymoon with Fatty's dog Luke at a cottage on the seashore. At high tide that night, Al St. John (Fatty's rival) and his confederates set the cottage adrift. Fatty and Mabel awaken the next morning to find themselves surrounded by water in their bedroom, and the house afloat. 34 mins.  

3) Cat, Dog & Co. (1929), starring Our Gang and Pete the Pup.  The gang races their dog-powered cars when they are stopped and reported to the President of the Be Kind to Animals Society. After promising to be kind to animals, the boys are made honorary society members. They soon convince other children to be kind to animals, and they release them from their cages to ensuing chaos. 21 mins.