Pickford’s films to receive screen time at Ross
ByTimKarotens
Staff reporter k
At her peak, she made as much per film as
Charlie Chaplin, directed some of her own films
and was voted die top actress by Photoplay mag
azine 15 times.
Her acting career spanned a stunning200 silent
and “talkie” films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She
started United Artists with fellow stars D. W.
Griffiths, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks,
who was also her second husband. Among her
Molds and admirers were F. Scott Fitzgerald,
Albert Einstein, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Lord
and Lady Mountbatten.
Yet Mary Pickfardls legacy extends much fur
ther. She was apace-setting female superstarofher
time who demanded and received equal billing
with her male contemporaries. Wielding her
immense star power and a sharp business sense,
Pickford was able to select her directors, co-stars
and production teams. Because of all this, she is
regarded as not only a legendary Hollywood fig
ure, but a pioneer for women in film.
“She is one of the seminal people in the devel
opment of cinema,” said Danny Ladely, director of
the Mary Riepma Ross Theater. “She is one of the
people who have made Hollywood what it is
today.”
And now the first lady of silent film is coming
to Lincoln. “Sweetheart: The Films of Mary
Pickford,” a series of six silent and one “talkie”
film will be showing at The Mary Riepma Ross
Theater June 18-21 and June 25-28. In addition to
the films, Hugh Munro Neely, a director and pro
ducer, who has completed a feature-length
Pickford biography, will lecture on Pickfordls life
and career.
According to Ladely, those who attend the
screenings will be surprised at the improvements
modem film-altering techniques have had on the
films that are up to 80 years old.
“People will be astounded by the quality and
focus of these films,” Ladely said
Thanks to the Mary Pickford Foundation,
which preserved Pickford’s films, and film-revival
company Milestone Pictures, Pickford’s original
films have been improved by “print stretching” or
adding frames to eliminate the jerky quality of
older films, Ladely said.
Despite adding new frames and greatly
improving on die original copies, the character of
the films will not be lost, Ladely said. It will give
audiences the chance to experience the forgotten
genius of Pickford while incorporating modem
production values, like clarity and focus, that cine
ma fans have taken for granted
Please see PICKFORD on 9
Coubtesy Photo
MARY PICKFORD,oao of Hollywood’s first
major stars, appeared la more than 200 Alms.
Black returns to alien territory
By Jim Zavodny
Staff Reporter
While visiting some relatives in
western Nebraska with his family, a
boy who would one day be known as
Frank Black was exposed to his first
UFO.
Ever since then, Black has felt a
special connection to the area, and
even returned to
the site in
Alliance a couple
of years ago to
research exactly
what happened
that day. Black
said his investiga
. tion into the inci
dent turned up
inconclusive
results, but his
efforts would surely make both
Agents Mulder and Scully proud
“I just kind of hung out there for a
little while, but anyway, I didn't come
up with anything,” Black said “But I
had my own little version of the most
boring episode of ‘The X-Files’ ever.”
Since becoming a musician, first
as the front man for the indie rock
band the Pixies, and now as a solo
artist, Black has written his share of
songs about paranormal phenomena,
and one can only wonder how his
exposure as a child effected him.
Black isn’t quite sure if he
believes in die paranormal, and like a
lot of modem people, he doesn’t look
into the sky probably as much as he
should
Black said he would probably go
and see “The X-Files” movie when it
came out, even though he didn’t
watch the show regularly.
“I can’t say that I’m totally into
the show. I like the idea of the show
more than the show,” he said. “The
two leading characters drive me nuts.”
So much for making them proud.
Now, Black plans his return to
Nebraska, only this time armed with
his guitar and his band of die last four
years, the Catholics. The band’s stop
in Omaha next Thursday at die Ranch
Bowl comes in the wake of a split
with their former label, American
Recordings, which left their new
album, called “Frank Black & the
Catholics,” without a home. The new
record came out in most territories
around the world on May 4,1998, but
has yet to be released in North
America.
Fans hoping to buy a copy of
“Frank Black & die Catholics” at die
show will be disappointed to hear that
Black doesn’t plan on selling it there,
but he did say it would be coming out
in the United States in September,
probably on a label called Spin Art
“It’s the only record that I’ve ever
recorded live, for a live two-track. It
probably has more songs of a univer
sal and/or personal nature than usual,
maybe,” he said. “Other than that, I
mean, it’s another collection of rock
songs by Frank Black.”
Black said he opts not to use his
real name — Charles Thompson —
while performing because it’s part of
the show biz. While with the Pixies,
Black was known as Black Francis,
but he then changed his name again to
Frank Black when he went solo. So is
Charles Thompson really his name, or
is that just an alias, too? He’ll proba
bly never tell.
Something Black will reveal,
though, is his desire for playing music
and traveling. He and the Catholics
start their tour across the United
States this week, and will be opening
a few times for Pearl Jam, which is
why they’ll be in the Midwest, Black
a
Playing is playing
... So I don’t know
that I miss any
particular
configuration or
whatever.’’
Frank Black
musician
said.
“We just want to play some
shows. Pearl Jam doesn’t play every
night, so we had a couple of other
nights to fill in, and so Omaha was
one of than. So we’re going back to
the Ranch Bowl, which is fine with
us,” he said. “We like the Ranch
Bowl. And I like being in Nebraska in
general, I like Omaha.”
And even though be would rather
be playing his own shows, Black
doesn’t mind taking the chance of
expanding his audience by playing
with the ultra-popular group, he said.
“It’s always my preference to be
the headliner of my own show, but
you know, I don’t mind playing a half
a dozen shows opening up for some
one big. It’s different, you know,” he
said.
It’s Pearl Jam who really should
be opening for Black, since his band,
the Pixies, were one of die groups that
helped influence the “alternative”
music scene that Pearl Jam cashed in
on during the early ‘90s. But Black
isn’t bitter. He’s happy being one of
Please see BLACK on 9
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