Mission Playhouse in San Gabriel (Photo – Laurie Avocado)
One of the modern world’s greatest pleasures (air conditioning) meets one that’s just a little older (100 years and change): the silent movie.
By Melanie Hooks
The four-film Silent Sundays series returns to the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse on Sunday, July 26, at 2:30 pm with its opening screening of the 1924 classic The Thief of Bagdad, starring original screen heartthrob Douglas Fairbanks. Upon its release, critics hailed the film as “a feat of motion picture art” and “a triumph of camera magic and regal staging.”
Making the experience even better is live accompaniment on the Playhouse’s 1924 Mighty Wurlitzer organ. Organist Russ Peck performs at the San Diego Symphony’s Jacobs Music Center for silent film presentations and serves as house organist at San Diego’s Balboa Theatre. In addition to his organ work, he is principal timpanist for the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra. In short, the man has serious rhythm.
Subscriptions to the full four-film series are available for $37, while individual screenings are $12. Both can be purchased online.
Silent Sundays 2026 Lineup
- July 26th: The Thief of Bagdad starring Douglas Fairbanks
- August 30th: Buster Keaton Shorts
- September 27th: Wings starring Clara Bow
- October 25th: Safety Last! starring Harold Lloyd
Remade several times—most famously in 1940 as The Thief of Baghdad—the original The Thief of Bagdad draws inspiration from stories collected in One Thousand and One Nights, commonly known as Arabian Nights. Fairbanks stars as a swashbuckling thief who vows to change his ways after falling in love with a princess. To win her hand, he sets out on a quest to prove himself worthy, while three rival princes—including one with a hidden agenda—seek the world’s rarest treasure in hopes of winning her hand in marriage.
See what all the fuss was about a century ago and experience a silent-film classic the way audiences did in 1924, with live music, a magnificent Wurlitzer organ, and, thankfully, modern air conditioning.
Silent Sundays: The Thief of Baghdad Sunday, July 26 2:30 pm Location San Gabriel Mission Playhouse 320 S. Mission Dr. San Gabriel, CA 91776 Tickets $12 or $37 for four film series online here.
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