Sunday, May 9, 11:00 AM, Charles Theatre 1

Director: Ted Wilde

Cast: Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff, Brooks Benedict, Babe Ruth

Country: U.S.
Year: 1928
Running Time: 86 minutes
Format: 35mm

Harold "Speedy" Swift (played by Harold Lloyd) might be called by today's standards a slacker. He can't keep a job because he is baseball-crazy and spends too much worrying about the latest scores to do his work. After losing his job as a soda jerk, at least it means that he has the time to spend the day with his girlfriend, Jane.

Meanwhile, Jane's grandfather, Pop, runs the last horse-drawn trolley in New York City. The big railroad monopoly wants to run Pop out of business, so they can take over his route. Speedy, after a brief stint as a cab driver, where he had the thrill of driving Babe Ruth to the stadium (and then got fired for staying to watch the game) organizes the neighborhood old-timers to fight the nefarious railroad company who tries to sabotage Pop.

Speedy is full of excitement with breakneck chases through New York City. It was also Harold Lloyd's last silent film and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Director for Ted Wilde.

-- Dan Krovich

The Alloy Orchestra is a three man musical ensemble (Roger C. Miller, Ken Winokur, and Terry Donahue), who write and perform live accompaniment to classic silent films. Performing at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers in the US and abroad (The Telluride Film Festival, The Louvre, Lincoln Center, etc.), Alloy has emerged as possibly the best and best known silent film accompanists in the world. An unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable. Utilizing their famous "rack of junk" and electronic synthesizers, the group generates beautiful music in a spectacular variety of styles. Now in their 14th year, Alloy began their aural onslaught with their original score for Metropolis in 1991. For the each of the last 11 years, the group has composed a new score and premiered it at the prestigious Telluride Film Festival. In addition to their work with silents, the Orchestra has contributed soundtracks to commercial videos for IBM, UPS, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the National Park Service and other projects. Their work has been featured in contemporary films and videos by directors Errol Morris (Fast, Cheap and Out of Control), Jane Gillooly (Dragonflies, the Baby Cries), Ben Meade (Vakvagny) and others.