Speaking of Earthquakes…

The title of this post of course because yesterday in the Northeast we experienced an extremely rare earthquake that measured 4.8 on the Richter scale, which is roughly a once in a century event in this part of the country. We’re unaccustomed to such things here, and it was momentarily very alarming, as you can imagine. Our reactions were roughly what they would be when the martians arrive.

Meanwhile, everyone on the west coast thought our little earthquake was pretty adorable. The way I understand it, they have such events out there every day before breakfast. When there’s NOT an earthquake, children put down their sippy cups and go, “Why has the earth stopped moving, daddy?”

All kidding aside, they have had many calamitous quakes out there, and more frequently than once a century. April 18 will mark the anniversary of the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and in honor of the day my friends at the Niles Silent Film Museum, in Niles, California have a special screening tonight at 7:30pm. The program:

SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE ANNIVERSARY SHOW.

Greg Pane, Piano Accompaniment

When the Earth Trembled (1913, 35mm print courtesy of the Library of Congress)

A mother with two young children survives the San Francisco earthquake disaster. Directed by Barry O’Neil, with Ethel Clayton and Harry Myers.

Preceded by:

A Trip Down Market Street (1906, 35mm) Film Historian (and NESFM President) David Kiehn appeared on 60 minutes in 2010 explaining to Morley Safer how he solved the mystery of who made this film and when it was made (Spoiler: it was shot just four days before the earthquake but there is more to the story)

Post Earthquake San Francisco film (1906, 35mm)

The Destruction of San Francisco (1906)

http://www.nilesfilmmuseum.org for online tickets