The Man of a Thousand Faces
On October 29, the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society will present a showing of “The Unknown” as part of its Silent Sunday film series. The film, released in 1927, features one of the biggest stars of the silent era – Lon Chaney.
Lon Chaney's fame rivaled that of Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks, and Gilbert. He appeared in over 40 films, primarily for Universal and M-G-M. He was a master of make-up and disguise, and always had his battered make-up case with him on the set. Although he was a member of Hollywood’s elite, he avoided the celebrity “circuit”, preferring to spend time instead with his family or a few close friends. Chaney was a perfectionist in his work. He would occasionally mentor or offer advice and guidance to those – such as Loretta Young, Boris Karloff, or Joan Crawford – who he thought had the talent to succeed in films.
Chaney's most famous films were “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923) and “Phantom of the Opera” (1925), both made for Universal. Later on, he signed with M-G-M, where he made his only “talkie”, “The Unholy Three” (1930) (a remake of a silent he had made in 1925). Chaney died, aged 47, in 1930.
A biopic of his life, “The Man of a Thousand Faces”, starring James Cagney, was released in 1957.
What’s Coming Up at the Orpheum
September 17 - Josh Garrels 8:00p
September 26 - Free Public Tours 12:00p, 1:00p
September 28 - Together Live 6:30p
October 4 - Father John Misty 8:00p
October 10 - Free Public Tours 12:00p, 1:00p
October 20 - Ghost Tours 6:00p, 6:30p, 7:00p, 7:30p, 8:00p, 8:30p, 9:00p
October 21 - Ghost Tours 6:00p, 6:30p, 7:00p, 7:30p, 8:00p, 8:30p, 9:00p
October 24 - Free Public Tours 12:00p, 1:00p
October 26 - All Things Comedy: Doug Stanhope 8:00p
October 28 - All Things Comedy: Bodega Boys 8:00p
October 29 - Silent Sundays: The Unknown 2:30p
October 29 - Ghost Tours 6:00p, 6:30p, 7:00p, 7:30p, 8:00p, 8:30p, 9:00p
October 31 - Ghost Tours 6:00p, 6:30p, 7:00p, 7:30p, 8:00p, 8:30p, 9:00p
Support the Friends
Attention Fry’s Shoppers – Donate to the Friends every time you shop at Fry’s, and it’s free. Fry’s is donating $2 million a year ($500,000/quarter) to Arizona non-profits. To participate, go to www.FrysCommunityRewards.com and register your Fry’s VIP card, and select Friends of the Orpheum Theatre as your non-profit of choice. Remember: your donation is free, and this program is separate from the gas program. Last year, the Friends received nearly $700 from Fry’s. Also: if you are already a member of the Program you have to re-register in August. Just go to the e-mail location shown above and follow the directions to re-enroll.
Attention Amazon Shoppers - Now you can donate to the Friends when you order from Amazon! AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers. Click smile.amazon.com , sign in, and shop! It’s that easy!
Support the Friends, Become a “Star” – A unique way to support FOTOT. For $100 you can purchase a brick which will be placed in the “Avenue of Stars” located just east of the Theatre in the City Hall Plaza. You can purchase a brick to honor your family, a friend, someone you admire, or to celebrate an event (graduation, birthday, etc.). For more information, visit our website.
Become a Member of the Friends – Join us as we preserve and illuminate the heritage of the glorious Orpheum Theatre. Visit our website to learn more.
Visit the Theatre
Did You Know – The light rail has two stops that are less than a 10 minute walk from the Orpheum. Whether you’re coming from the East Valley or from Northwest Phoenix, taking the train allows you to avoid traffic as well as the cost of parking your car.
Friends of the Orpheum Theatre
A 501c3 nonprofit whose Mission is:
To support the art, culture, and history of the Orpheum Theatre through outreach, education, and volunteerism.