Big screen, big sounds at Royce Hall

Master organist Steven Ball plays along with "Tillie" at Royce Hall.

If you’re hankering for a taste of old school Hollywood—or inspired by the Academy Awards’ Best Picture winner The Artist—it doesn’t get much better than this.

UCLA’s Royce Hall is presenting Tillie’s Punctured Romance, a 1914 silent film believed to be the first full-length movie comedy. The score will be provided live, on the Hall’s Skinner Organ, played by Steven Ball.

The rare film, starring Charlie Chaplin, was restored in 2004 and is currently preserved in UCLA’s Film and Television Archive. In it, Charlie convinces the daughter of a wealthy farmer to abscond with him for some big city hijinks, only to abandon her there for another girlfriend. Later, he is tricked into pursuing her again after hearing she has just inherited a fortune.

Ball began playing the organ at age 12. He is a master and scholar of the theatre organ, and received a doctorate in organ performance from the University of Michigan.

The film and performance is Saturday, March 10, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $45 and may be purchased online. Visit the UCLA Live website for parking and directions to Royce Hall.

Posted 3/7/12