CELEBRATE THE 126TH BIRTHDAY OF CLASSIC FILM STAR DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS SR. ON FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2008 WITH A FREE SCREENING OF HIS 1917 SILENT FILM, A MODERN MUSKETEER, AT HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY
Click Here for Print-Resolution Press Images
Hollywood, CA – May 11, 2008 – “Swashbucklers do it with panache,” says film historian Sparrow Morgan, founder of The Fairbanks Memorial. She intends to prove her point on Friday, May 22, 2008 by celebrating classic film star Douglas Fairbanks’ 126th birthday with a free screening of his 1917 silent film, A Modern Musketeer, at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard.
The screening of A Modern Musketeer will be held in the cemetery’s historic Masonic Lodge. Doors open at 7 pm. The festivities begin at 7:30 pm with a champagne toast to Fairbanks and birthday cake. The film begins at 8 pm. Previously available only in fragments, A Modern Musketeer will be presented in a beautifully restored version generously provided by Flicker Alley, with live accompaniment by jazz-flamenco guitarist Robert Earl Longley. Complimentary hot dogs, popcorn, sodas and birthday cake will be available.
No birthday party would be complete without presents, and Ms. Morgan has lined up an assortment of prizes for lucky audience members, including movie tickets, DVDs, CDs, and even perfume courtesy of Hollywood perfumer Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which is providing several bottles of its fragrance “Van Van,” a remarkable replica of the ladies perfume that Fairbanks himself was known for wearing.
For more information on the Fairbanks Memorial screening of A Modern Musketeer, contact Sparrow Morgan at (424) 645-2540, or visit www.fairbanksmemorial.org.
“Douglas Fairbanks wanted to be remembered through his films, which is why I do this,” explains Morgan, who began the Fairbanks Memorial screenings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in 2004. “I feel it’s more in keeping with the Fairbanks joie de vivre to host a celebration. While there’s no doubt he’s missed, I can’t imagine Doug thinking a wake in his honor was anything short of ridiculous.”
According to Morgan, A Modern Musketeer is suitable for all ages, and is not aimed simply at hardcore film fans.
“Back in the early days of silent cinema, film was seen as a low form of entertainment, hardly art at all,” notes Morgan. “Douglas Fairbanks was a popular hero, and A Modern Musketeer is a shining example of why he was so beloved by audiences.”
ABOUT A MODERN MUSKETEER
A Modern Musketeer starts with Fairbanks’ first on-screen appearance in period costume, as the famed Musketeer D’Artagnan. Though the scene is only a few moments in an otherwise “modern” dress picture, it is significant because Fairbanks had always wanted to star in costume. He had refrained because it was a risky departure from his traditional cheerful apple pie protagonist.
A Modern Musketeer was his initial tentative step towards introducing audiences to the great Fairbanks persona that film swashbucklers have paid homage to ever since. It wasn’t until three years (and twelve full-length films!) later that he would make his first all-costume picture, 1920′s The Mark of Zorro.
Filmed at the Grand Canyon, A Modern Musketeer features Marjorie Daw as the damsel in distress, and Eugene Ormonde as the braggart set on forcing her into marriage. Frank Campeau makes a great show as the villainous Chin-De-Dah, an Indian chief with his sight also set upon the virtuous heroine. Directed by Allan Dwan, this fun cinematic romp is over 90 years old, and yet holds up remarkably well thanks to Fairbanks’ natural charm and athleticism.
ABOUT HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY
Founded in 1899, Hollywood Forever Cemetery was originally known as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery. In 1920, 40 acres of unused land were sold to Paramount Studios. The Paramount building is still in use today. After falling into disrepair, the final resting place for many of Hollywood’s greatest stars was refurbished in 1998 and renamed Hollywood Forever Cemetery in celebration of its grand history.
In addition to Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and his son Douglas Fairbanks Jr., other notable figures buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery include Mel Blanc, Cecil B. DeMille, Jayne Mansfield, Adolphe Menjou, Tyrone Power, Johnny Ramone, The Ritz Brothers, and Rudolph Valentino. For more information, visit www.hollywoodforever.com.
ABOUT SPARROW MORGAN
Film historian Sparrow Morgan has always had a passion for the movie business. Featured in the documentary Douglas Fairbanks: Swashbuckler and a regular participant at Hollywood Forever’s Day of the Dead Celebration, she is currently working on a biography entitled Douglas Fairbanks: The Laughing Swashbuckler.
“Film is our legacy, and I feel it’s important to remember those who have come before us even as we look to the future,” adds Morgan. “I’ve chosen to focus on Douglas Fairbanks because he was one of Hollywood’s founding fathers. He was one of the first artists to produce his own blockbuster films, he helped found United Artists, and was the first president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Even in his own time, Doug worked to bring film to a wider audience.”
ABOUT ROBERT EARL LONGLEY
Robert Earl “Robby” Longley blends jazz and flamenco guitar to create his own unique style. Inspired by Ennio Morriconi’s compositions, Longley jokingly calls himself a “spaghetti western guitarist.” A self-taught musician from New Orleans, Longley has released nine albums, including collaborative projects and solo works, a live album, and his latest world-fusion styled Diaspora, released in 2007. He has composed soundtracks for two films which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. For more information, visit www.robertearllongley.com.
# # #