Organist to accompany silent film at Stambaugh

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The classic Charlie Chaplin silent film “The Kid” will be screened at Stambaugh Auditorium on May 1 at 7:30 p.m., with live accompaniment by organist Peter Richard Conte.

The 1921 film was written, directed and produced by Chaplin, who also stars in it.

“The Kid” follows the story of the Tramp, played by Chaplin, who finds an abandoned baby boy and reluctantly takes him in.

After the child’s mother becomes an opera star, she seeks out the child. The boy and Tramp become partners in crime until an orphanage takes the child from him. The movie follows the tale of this unlikely partnership and how the child and Tramp become a family.

“The Kid” was the first full-length film that Chaplin directed. It was also one of the first major films to include dramatic elements in a comedic film. The opening title reads “A comedy with a smile — and perhaps, a tear.”

Conte has been the Grand Court organist of the Wanamaker Organ in Macy’s at City Center, Philadelphia, where he performs twice daily, six days a week. He has held the position since 1989.

The 28,000-pipe Wanamaker Organ is the largest fully functioning musical instrument in the world.

Conte last performed at Stambaugh Auditorium in February 2014, when he played accompaniment to the silent film “Metropolis.”

Tickets for this performance are available at the Stambaugh box office; online at stambaughauditorium.com; and by phone at 330-259-0555.