A Dog‘s Life Clippings 90/146
Montiville Morris Hansford, Dramatic Mirror, N. Y., April 27, 1918
„A sort of mental picnic“
Editorial content. „MUSIC FOR PICTURE ACCOMPANIMENTS
Question Raised about Orchestral Organs – Suitability
of Drums for Comedies – Programs at Leading Theatres
By Montiville Morris Hansford
IN a motion picture magazine of recent issue appears
a rather sweeping piece of advice to managers. The
article reads: ,My trip has convinced me that every exhibitor
who hopes to be able to present films to best advantage
must have an orchestral organ.‘“ (...)
„DRUMS FOR COMEDIES
I was discussing with a brother writer the other day whether
the organ was a fit medium for playing comedies. It seems
not. We both agreed that comedies ought to have a different sort
of rhythmic life than that furnished by pipe tone. I have
no doubt that a good comedy would go over if accompanied
by a xylophone solo with trap accompaniment.
Particularly if played by the trap drummer in the Rialto.
Of course this is low-brow stuff, but sometimes
I get that way. It doesn‘t seem to make much difference whether
it is music or not that is played for comedies. The audience
is so wrapped up in the action that anything can happen in the
orchestra and they come out as if the music had been
the very best. As a matter of fact it is difficult to remember
the music after a comedy, simply because it went
along at such a pace that everything appeared welded
together in one mass. There is no time to think.
During the dog fight in A Dog‘s Life, if the engine downstairs
would blow up, it would merely seem part of the general
ensemble. Comedies in a motion picture program are a sort
of mental picnic, where everybody lets down and
becomes human; no need to worry over the music.“ (...)
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