Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

Shorts Program: The Goat (1921) and One Week (1920)  

48min | NR | Comedy | United States  

Feature: Sherlock Jr. (1924) 100th Anniversary Screening! 

45min | NR | Comedy/Fantasy | United States 

Live organ accompaniment by Dennis Scott

A season of Silents at the Senate would not be complete without the timeless pairing of cinema and physical comedy—SLAPSTICK!

With two classic shorts and one short feature directed and starring the most deadpan titan of silent comedy, An Evening with Buster Keaton is sure to delight.  

Irate cops stepping into open elevator shafts, a crudely assembled house with teetering walls, a movie screen turned into a doorway toward which a dreamer falls, searching for a way back to his beloved. Even after a century or more, his films—overflowing with physicality, absurdity, mischief, and even wonder—remain as captivating and hilarious as ever. They are . . .

PURE MOVIE MAGIC!

And their magic will be made all the more powerful by the internationally known silent film accompanist out of Chicago, Dennis Scott. At the console of our Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ, Mr. Scott is sure to show off our instrument’s kaleidoscopic tonal color without ever showing up the images on the screen as he creates a live film score in real time, right before your very ears! 

A LIVE FILM SCORE IN REAL TIME, RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EARS!

Be sure to stick around after the show for a chance to ask the organist a question and take a tour of the organ pipe chambers. This is a rare opportunity to get an up-close look at the inner workings of this marvelous musical machine! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts 

Parking is available in a gated parking lot on Gilbert St., behind the theater.

Sat. Jun. 17 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 30min | PG | Comedy/Family | USA 

An oddball star, an oddball script, and an oddball director walk into the basement of the Alamo with a trucker named Large Marge, an ill-fitting suit, and a cast of the quirkiest weirdos this side of Alice’s Wonderland.  

If you haven’t figured it out by now—and the heading above didn’t tip you off—it can only be Pee-wee's Big Adventure! It’s a bizarro road trip masterpiece for all, (except perhaps the very small).  

Following the trials and triumphs of a child-like man on a search for his missing bicycle, this classic family comedy was the breakout success of actor Paul Reubens and his iconic character, Pee-wee Herman. Not only that, but it was the mainstream feature film debut of director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman. A manic score combines with Burton’s off-kilter sensibility and visual flair to compliment a truly absurd series of events. It’s simply brimming with slapstick action, silly circumstances, and over-the-top performances. 

Yes, it's about as ridiculous as pancakes topped with fried eggs and Mr. T breakfast cereal! Expect outrageous chases, surreal dream sequences, guys in rubber lizard suits, Santa Clause, goofy dance numbers, other wacky things to put into zany lists, and a great time at the movies!  

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Silents at the Senate – Safety Last (1923) 100th Anniversary Screening 

Sat. Apr. 1 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

1hr 20min | NR | Slapstick/Romance| USA  

Ask Father short film  

13min | NR | Slapstick/Romance| USA

Live Organ Accompaniment by Andrew Rogers

Harold Lloyd, one of the titans of silent slapstick comedy, was known for his exhilarating stunts, fast-paced chase scenes, and the high-energy, go-getting, bespectacled characters he so often played. He was also a man who lost a thumb and forefinger to a bomb mistaken for a prop and has been first and foremost remembered for this film, Safety Last.  

Go figure. 

Yes, Lloyd may have had a dubious commitment to safety. But if he played it safe, we might not have this opportunity to celebrate the centennial of his most famous work, featuring one of the most iconic sequences of all time. The film follows a small-town guy, (Lloyd) as he fumblingly attempts to make his way in the big city so that he can earn the hand of his sweetheart. In the course of this striving hijinks ensue, and at one point Lloyd scales a skyscraper and dangles perilously from the hands of its giant clock.  

So, what we’re saying is it’s a zany good time, made all the zanier by organist Andrew Rogers’ expert comedic timing at our Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ! Which, according to Harold Lloyd himself, is exactly the kind of instrument to accompany his film. Lloyd once said, “I just don’t like pictures played with pianos. We never intended them to be played with pianos,” even refusing to allow screenings if an organ wasn’t available, an opinion we can’t help but appreciate. 

The show will also include the Harold Lloyd short film, Ask Father. And remember to stick around after the feature for a chance to ask the organist a question and take a tour of the organ pipe chambers. This is a rare opportunity to get an up-close look at the inner workings of this marvelous musical machine!  

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.