Palace of Silents

Built in 1942 by a maverick film preservationist, this small Los Angeles theater championed silent film at the very moment when the Hollywood studios across town were busily destroying their nitrate inventories. With hard chairs, phonograph-record accompaniments, and mostly original vintage prints, the dingy mom-and-pop operation was nonetheless a palace to the fanatical few who became its loyal audience.

Top Cast

Laurence Austin

Self (archive footage)

Michael F. Blake

Self

Mike Hawks

Self

Charlie Lustman

Self

Douglas S. Matthews

Hitman