The Grand Rapids Town Hall Committee and Historical Society of Grand Rapids are excited to announce that silent movies are returning to the Historic Grand Rapids Town Hall. “Sherlock Jr.” starring Buster Keaton will be shown at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Town Hall on Saturday, February 22, 2025. Also featured will be two “shorts”, “The Playhouse” and “The Frozen North”. All music was selected and will be performed by Lynne Long.

“Sherlock Jr.” was produced in 1924. In 1991, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Keaton plays a lowly movie projectionist who fantasizes about being a star detective. There’s a lovely young lady involved, and the story of a stolen watch ensues. Buster always did his own stunts, and he came very close to danger when he is running on top of a moving train car in this movie. He grabs hold of a water spout in the railyard, and the water came out more forcefully than expected, and he falls, striking one of the rails. He returned to work the next day, and it wasn’t discovered until much later that he had broken his neck during that fall. Included in the story are several visual gag sequences that Keaton imaginatively produced, one where he and his lady love are “transported” into a movie onscreen. Actually, Buster dreamed this part of the story, and when he wakes, he and his love are finally united in real life.

In the short “The Playhouse”, Keaton plays more than twenty characters at once during the first part of the movie. Then he “wakes” and finds he is the humble general manager of the playhouse. Despite delusion and disorder, twin sisters, Zouave guards, and a rampant ape on the loose, can Buster recover and find love? In “The Frozen North”, Keaton portrays a tough-looking cowboy character who commits a number of crimes and misdeeds Up North. Many of his antics and disguises follow, and the film comes to what we think is a violent end, but there is a surprise ending.

Lynne E. Long, a graduate of BGSU in piano performance, has maintained a private piano studio in her home for over fifty years. She has been a member of the Ohio Music Teachers’ Association for many years and holds a Permanent Professional Certificate. She was a charter member of the Fayette Arts Council and also the Grand Rapids Arts Council. As a trustee of the Historical Society of Grand Rapids, she coordinates the “Rhythm on the River” music series in the summers. Currently, Lynne accompanies silent movies at five different venues. She thoroughly enjoys adding music of all genres to the movies for the audience’s pleasure. The Town Hall Committee is a group of concerned and hard-working citizens who want to bring back programs and theatre productions to this historic building. This past year, a comedians’ show, Christmas Sing-Along, and productions of the Horizon Youth Theatre have been held there.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the Village Orchard in Grand Rapids, at the door, or call 419-206-1512. All proceeds will go toward Town Hall improvements. A special feature will be a movie basket door prize! Contact person: Lynne Long, 419-206-1512 ##

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