Silent Film “Girl Shy” Starring Walt Strony at Peace Lutheran on July 14

On July 14 at 4 p.m., Peace Lutheran Church once again invites you to spend the afternoon enjoying a silent film as if you were back in the Roaring Twenties. To celebrate the film’s 100th anniversary, the famous Walt Strony will accompany the 1924 film on the theater organ, Shy girlwith Harold Lloyd in the lead role. The earliest method of film production, before the advent of sound, relied on an organist playing a live organ for dramatic background music and sound effects – an experience rarely encountered today.

Shy girl is a romantic comedy in which Lloyd plays a poor boy named Harold Meadows, apprenticed to his uncle, a tailor. He is so shy around women that he stutters terribly in their presence and only stops his stuttering when his uncle whistles. However, even though he knows nothing about dating (!), he writes a book on how to woo different types of women. He calls it The secret of making love (What!?) and tries to get it published. It is on this premise that the comedy begins, as the publisher decides to publish it as a parody, without his knowledge! Along the way, he meets a rich girl, Mary Buckingham, played by Jobyna Ralston. His publishing experiments and his efforts to win the girl over make for a hilarious adventure.

Silent Movies With Walt Strony has become a very popular addition to the arts/entertainment scene here in West County Nevada and attracts audiences from all over the world.

“When we first started showing silent films at Peace, I had no idea how popular they would be,” Strony said. “We’ve grown to the point where we have a steady following and some people even request certain films! We’re also looking for sponsors to help cover the expenses of showing future films.”

“My interest in silent film accompaniment began when I was a child and had my first experience of a silent movie. Over the years, I have studied and spent time with some of the masters of silent film. My goal is to provide an accurate experience of how these silent films were originally presented. If you have never seen a silent film with live accompaniment, it will be a revelation.”

Strony is an inductee into the American Theater Organ Society Hall of Fame and is the only living two-time winner of the ATOS Organist of the Year Award. Strony, who began his public career at age 18, is celebrating his 50th anniversary this year.^th Anniversary of his professional career. He has performed around the world in many venues, from Southwark Cathedral in London to Radio City Music Hall in New York. He will play on the Peace digital/pipe combination organ, which he helped design. It is a versatile organ that includes sounds from many different types of organ, from Baroque to Romantic to the mighty Wurlitzer.

Admission to the event is free, but donations to the nonprofit Arts@Peace Fund are welcome. A wine and cheese reception in the beautiful Peace Fellowship Center will follow the film screening. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

Peace Lutheran Church is located at 828 W. Main Street, just up the hill from historic downtown Grass Valley. Arts@Peace offers free, high-quality cultural events in western Nevada County. For more information, visit www.PeaceLutheranGV.org or call (530) 273-9631.