As I mentioned, in this small community on the Oregon coast the movie opportunities available to most people in larger cities just aren’t there. However, it is amazing what we do have in this community of about 15,000 people. The owners of the Bijou in Lincoln City bought a duel manual theatre organ and for the past three and a half years have run a series called “Silents at the Shore.” Dave Parks, a theatre organist who plays for the Elsinore Theatre in Salem (75 miles away), and several other guest organists have accompanied a standard repertoire of silent films, including “The General,” “Steamboat Bill,” “Wings,” “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” and “Faust.” They have also included some more rare fare, such as “The Red Lily” (1924) with Romon Novarro and Wallace Beery, and “Forbidden Hours” (1928) with Novarro and Renée Adorée.

The silents series is currently on hold as the driving force behind it moved away. However, silents accompanied by theatre organ continue to screen monthly at the Elsinore in Salem.