Collector gets talky about silent films

For a silent film buff, John Carpenter is getting pretty vocal about "The Artist," the critically acclaimed flick that has been reintroducing audiences to the art of movies without dialogue.

"It was absolutely magnificent . . . the characters are marvelous," Carpenter says of the (mostly) silent movie that garnered three Golden Globe awards and has scored 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture. " 'The Artist' really has shown American audiences that silent film is an art form that shouldn't be forgotten."

This isn't just idle gushing by a casual fan of silent movies. Carpenter has been directly involved in preserving the kind of films "The Artist" pays homage to that were a mainstay of entertainment generations ago.

Talking in his Massapequa Park home with a visitor, Carpenter is surrounded by stacks of film cans containing little-known silent films from the early 1900s through the industry's transition to sound. The round metal cans are piled on shelves, on the floor and in boxes in his climate-controlled basement. Carpenter estimates there are 3,500 films in his collection, most of them silent.

Many Long Islanders have their own stock of favorite DVD, Blu-ray and maybe even 3-D movies to watch on their home screens. But Carpenter's collection is made up of 16 mm prints of vintage movies, many of them rarely seen curios whose stars have faded to obscurity. Not just a collector, Carpenter, who is a freelance writer, is a recognized silent film expert and preservationist, as well as an independent filmmaker who has made his own silent film homage.

He is always watching movies. "I've seen zillions of films," says Carpenter, 49. On the shelf behind him: a 16 mm print of "Top Hat," the 1935 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers classic musical. His collection also contains lesser-known items such as the 1927 "Why Girls Say No" and "A Pair of Tights" from 1928 -- in cans clearly marked with black felt-tipped pens. Carpenter also owns racy "pre-code" movies, including Betty Boop cartoons from the 1930s.

He has made his mark among those who share his passion. "John Carpenter is a throwback to a vanished era," says Joe Franklin, the veteran New York film historian and former TV talk show host. Franklin, a mentor to Carpenter, sometimes visits Carpenter's home to watch films from the collection and stays for dinner. And Carpenter is a frequent guest on Franklin's radio show.

"He's one of the real stalwarts in keeping that era alive," Franklin said in a phone interview from his Manhattan office.

Carpenter used to watch Franklin on TV to catch the silent films at the end of each show. His journey as a filmmaker began when he was 8, after his father gave him a movie camera, and he saw his first Charlie Chaplin film. He made his first movie in junior high school and began collecting films while a student at Jamaica High School.

Each movie is meticulously filed for easy access. "Everything has to be in its correct spot in case I need something at a moment's notice," Carpenter says. At public showings. such as the one scheduled at the East Meadow Public Library on Friday (see "Retro screenings," below), he screens these 16 mm copies, with a preference for the "forgotten" titles, dismissing the classics that show up regularly on Turner Classic Movies.

"I refuse to show 'Gone With the Wind,' or 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' -- you can see that anytime," he says.

He especially likes to introduce audiences to Charley Chase, a Charlie Chaplin contemporary with a pencil mustache and flair for situation comedy. Chase is largely forgotten because he starred in short films and died of a heart attack at age 46 in 1940.

"Chase is my real idol," says Carpenter. In his own silent movie, "Late to Lunch," Carpenter plays a character based on Chase's screen persona. In the 40-minute comedy completed in 2002, Carpenter plays a man who has a lunch date with his fiancee, but keeps oversleeping. The film is packed with zany sight gags and pratfalls, and it finishes in classic style with a chase scene. (View excerpts on YouTube; search for "Late to Lunch.")

He conceived his movie as a silent comedy so it would stand out from the independent talkies being made on Long Island. "I wanted to be noticed for my first independent film," says Carpenter, who learned the trade by watching thousands of movies. To add to the film's "authenticity," Carpenter inserted scratches, specs of dirt and bad splices onto it.

Along with established silent film short subjects starring Oliver Hardy, Chaplin and Chase, Carpenter packaged his movie on a DVD distributed by Alpha Home Entertainment, a vintage film distributor. Each short film features a synchronized soundtrack made with "mood music discs" first recorded in 1929. At $5.98, the "Silent Comedy Classics" DVD has sold about 1,300 copies worldwide.

"It did very well and continues to do well," says Steve Kaplan, director of acquisitions for Alpha Home Entertainment in Conshohocken, Pa.

Franklin is a fan of "Late to Lunch." "He's a funny guy," Franklin says of Carpenter. "If he was alive in 1917, he would have been a star."

Carpenter also has made a number of talking pictures, including the autobiographical "Smelling Like a Rose." The film tells the inspiring story of Carpenter's extensive rehab and recovery -- including seven months in a coma -- after he was struck by a car while walking in Massapequa Park when he was 35. His injuries were crippling, but he is able to walk with the help of leg braces.

Even while recovering, silent films continued to fascinate him. Carpenter says that because they contain no dialogue, they have the power to unite audiences, despite cultural and age differences. "They are a universal language," he says.

On Long Island, Carpenter has a loyal fan base. For the past six years, he has been hosting screenings from his collection at the East Meadow Public Library. Carpenter typically draws 60 to 80 filmgoers to the 120-seat auditorium for the once-a-month showings, says Jude Schanzer, director of programming.

"It's a very popular senior program," she says. Schanzer, a silent film fan who sometimes sits in on Carpenter's presentations, gets handwritten notes of appreciation from Carpenter's fans. They urge the library to continue the presentations, even if there are budget cuts, she says. "He offers them films that they remember going to see when they were younger, [and] memories of good times," Schanzer explains.

Carpenter says it's his mission to rescue silent classics from the dustbin of history. He prepares his audience by introducing each film and stays afterward for questions.

"The people who worked on these films put their heart and soul into them," Carpenter says. "These films should not be locked away -- they are supposed to be enjoyed."

Retro screenings

On Feb. 3 at 1 p.m., John Carpenter will be screening "Murder at the Vanities," a Paramount Pictures musical-mystery released in 1934 and starring Kitty Carlisle.

On March 16 at 1 p.m., he will present silent films including "Riley the Cop" (1928) and "The Shamrock and the Rose" (1927) that demonstrate how Hollywood portrayed the Irish in movies.

Both programs are free at the East Meadow Public Library, 1886 Front St., 516-794-2570.