The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society is proud to present a series of short silent comedies featuring Buster Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle, and the Keystone Cops on Friday, June 6, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. The films will be shown in the historic Saugus Train Station in Heritage Junction, Newhall, and will feature live accompaniment by 95-year-old Bob Mitchell, the last of the silent era pianists. The lineup for the evening includes Arbuckle & Keaton’s The Bellboy (1918), Keaton’s The Scarecrow (1920), and a Mack Sennett Keystone Cop feature (schedule subject to change). Admission is $5, which includes free popcorn.
Sennett’s Keystone Studios near Glendale has been called the birthplace of slapstick. The frenetic pace of Keystone’s early films launched the careers of several silent comedy legends, including Fatty Arbuckle, who was often cast as one of the chaotic Keystone Cops. Fatty later teamed up with silent clown Buster Keaton to create a series of hilarious short films before scandal ruined Arbuckle’s career and left Keaton free to create his own masterpieces.
The Saugus Train Station is located at Heritage Junction (inside William S. Hart Park), located at 24107 San Fernando Road, Newhall. Doors open at 7 p.m. and seating is limited, so be sure to come early to see some of film’s early silent superstars in action.
For further information please contact Pat Saletore at 661-254-1275 or at www.scvhs.org .