The Golden Silent Films - A Silent Movie Podcast

In this episode, Samantha travels to Rome, New York, to bring us inside the magic of the 2026 edition of legendary classic film festival, CapitolFest! In addition to great film breakdowns, Samantha will tell us about the featured stars and the overall experience of being at such a well-respected festival.

This classic film festival took place over the weekend of August 14 through the 16, in Rome, New York's historic Capitol Theater!

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A discussion about and look into the stories, the history and personalities that came together to make "Moran of the Lady" in 1922. Directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Dorothy Dalton and George Kuwa.

In addition to a fun movie breakdown, this episode also brings you a look at Valentino vs the Media, Dorothy Dalton and George Kuwa biographies and much, much more!

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A discussion about and look into the stories, the history and the personalities that came together to make "My Best Girl" in 1927. Directed by Sam Taylor and starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers.

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This special episode brings together the worlds of silent film festivals and musical accompaniment. First, we preview the 2026 edition of the Edwin S. Porter Film Festival which takes place every September in Connellsville, Pa.

In addition to that, we welcome Andrew Greene, director of the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra. He stops by to talk all things silent film accompaniment and his history with the Porter Film Fest. It's a fun, wide-ranging conversation.

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The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra - www.peacherineragtime.com

For more info on the Porter Film Fest, just search for it on Facebook and you'll go right to the page!

For more info on Yough River Brewing, head over to www.youghriverbrewing.com. Also, be sure to follow them on all their social media accounts!

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If you are listening to this episode on release day, it is Sunday, August 23, 2026. That is a very special day in the annals of movie history. It was this day one hundred years ago that Rudolph Valentino entered mortality at 12:10 pm. It remains one of the saddest days and emotional events in movie history.

For this episode we thought it would be really neat to “hear” from the legend himself. You know, bring him back to life for an episode on the date of his passing. It seemed only appropriate for Rudy to speak for himself on this centennial of his death.

Let’s have a more hopeful experience on this sad day while others look back on the tragedy itself. We hope you enjoy the route we’ve taken with this episode and welcome you to a handful of fascinating Valentino appearances in the movie magazine, Photoplay!

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The Bonn International Silent Film Festival is one of Europe's premier destinations for all silent movie lovers. In this episode, we talk to some of the incredible folks behind Germany's legendary silent film festival. This event has, over the years, developed into the most visited silent film festival in Europe.

The 42nd Bonn Summer Cinema - International Silent Film Festival will take place on site in the Arkadenhof of the University of Bonn from August 13th to 22nd, 2026. Over the course of this episode, we dive into the history of the festival as well as what the 2026 edition has in store for attendees. In addition to that, we discuss what makes the Bonn International Silent Film Festival so unique in comparison to other film festivals.

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Bonn International Silent Film Festival -

www.internationale-stummfilmtage.de/en/home-en

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Like many others in the cultural sector, this festival is facing significant financial challenges. Consequently, with a heavy heart, they have had to cancel the second festival Sunday this year. The program at the venue will therefore conclude on Saturday, August 22.
If you believe that the International Silent Film Festival with its free admission is essential, you can help ensure the festival’s future through a donation. Together, we are committed to keeping our film heritage alive.

There are many ways to donate, whether through services like PayPal or bank transfers. Any financial assistance will help the great people of this silent film festival and serve their mission for years to come!

All details surrounding financial donations can be found on their website and at this link:

www.internationale-stummfilmtage.de/en/spenden-en

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This episode is a "two-for-one" special! Between breaking down the 1928 silent film, "Bare Knees" and introducing a new host, this episode has it all!

"Bare Knees" was released in 1928 and was directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Virginia Lee Corbin. This film's story was written by the fabulously named Adele Buffington. Learn more about this fun film from our equally fabulous new contributor!

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The Golden Silent Films Podcast is back with a replay of our first ever live panel. We were lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to discuss silent film at the world's biggest furry convention, Anthrocon!

Our panel was called "Anthropomorphic Characters in Silent Film" and we cover a whole host of topics related to silent film and it's many anthro characters, both animated and live action. From Felix and Oswald to the world's most celebrated animal impersonators of stage and screen, join us for a trip to the furrier side of silent cinema!

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A discussion about and look into the stories, the history and personalities that came together to make the classic of industrial infotainment, "The Story of Petroleum" in 1923. This silent short film was produced by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the Sinclair Oil Company and chronicled the growth of the oil business in the 1920s.

This episode also features a cameo from noted Golden Silent Films Podcat, Gizmo.

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A discussion about and look into the stories, the history and personalities that came together to make the Valentino classic, "The Sheik" in 1921. Directed by George Melford, written by Monte Katterjohn and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres and Adolph Menjou and based on the famous novel from Edith M. Hull.

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In this special episode, noted silent film scholar Maggie Hennefeld joins us live for chat about all things silent film. Maggie works tirelessly to keep the silent era alive and cast a spotlight on the name's movie history has forgotten.

In this silver screen discussion, we dive into many silent and silent adjacent topics. We get our first non-Pennsylvania and non-Ohio silent film festival report when Maggie gives us the lowdown on the Denver Silent Film Festival. On top of that, we delve in Maggie's silent film origin story and learn about her adventures writing books and curating the "Cinema's First Nasty Women" Blu Ray and DVD set from Kino Classics.

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"Cinema's First Nasty Women" - Cinema's First Nasty Women (Blu-ray) - Kino Lorber Home Video

Archives on Screen, Twin Cities: Archives on Screen, Twin Cities

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A discussion about and look into the stories, the history and personalities that came together to make the silent film, "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" in 1921. Directed by Rex Ingram, written by June Mathis and starring Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry and Pomeroy Cannon and based on the legendary novel from Vicente Blasco Ibanez.

This film features some incredible war scenes, special effects and tango dancing. In addition to great behind-the-scenes stories, you'll also get a look at the history of young Rudy on the dance floor and the rapid growth of the tango dance!

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This episode of the Golden Silent Films Podcast brings together the disparate worlds of German cinema and Jersey rock. In the early 1970's, Bruce Springsteen wrote an unreleased song inspired by German actress Camilla Horn. That begged the question ... Who is Camilla Horn and why is "The Boss" singing about her?

Learn the story behind this mashup of movies and music as we dive into the life of Camilla Horn and the production of the Springsteen song, "Camilla Horn" in this unexpected episode!

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This is a special episode of the Golden Silent Films Podcast as we attend our first live screening of 2026. This was a fun AND historical experience where we learn more about the 1915 film, "The Italian" and look at its role in telling the story of Italian Immigration in the teens and twenties.

To get the full impact of this film and its real-life counterparts, we were lucky enough to talk with Melissa Marinaro, Director of the Italian American Program at the Heinz History Center. Not only does she provide fascinating historical context for the film, but she also takes into the history of Italian immigration to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

If you want a deeper look into 1915's "The Italian," look no further than our 2024 "World Tour" season where we go in-depth into the film, actor George Beben and Italian immigration from a national perspective.

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It is convention season once again and the Golden Silent Films Podcast is here to give you a preview of the always awesome Columbus Moving Picture Show and it's 2026 iteration.

This episode takes you Columbus, Ohio to get the inside scoop on all thing's convention-y! We are joined once again by the convention's Director, Samantha Glasser, to look at the the CMPS, the memories you can look forward to making and the films you can look forward to seeing.as well as what's in store for this year's event. This year's edition takes place May 21 to 24, 2026.

If you want to learn more about the Columbus Moving Picture Show, head over to www.columbusmovingpictureshow.com

And don't forget to check out the Columbus Moving Picture Show Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts! And give them a subscribe on all of their social channels.

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A discussion about and look into the stories, the history and personalities that came together to make the silent feature, "Eyes of Youth" in 1919. Directed by Albert Parker and starring Clara Kimball Young and an up-and-coming Rudolph Valentino.

This episode is the next in our ongoing series focused on all things Rudolph Valentino. In this episode, we look at the earliest acting exploits of the young Italian actor.

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While in Delaware for a wedding, I decided to look into the silent film history of the first state. I wasn't sure what to expect but ended up finding some really interesting bits of silent history. First, we check out some of the literal first films of Delaware when we look at the history of Brandywine Springs Park. We follow that up with a look at the early years of Wilmington, Delaware native, Estelle Taylor. We end this episode exploring some of the famous silent film movie houses that called Delaware home.

This episode originally aired on our YouTube channel on November 9, 2025.

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In this episode, the Golden Silent Films Podcast looks back at the tumultuous life of Barbara La Marr, one of the biggest stars of the silent era. La Marr was an incredible talent who found success on the dance floor, the silver screen and with screenwriting.

The story of Barbara La Marr is an often forgotten one. Luckily for us, author and actress Sherri Snyder has made her mission to keep the legacy of La Marr alive for modern audiences. Her biography of the actress, "Barbara La Marr: The Girl Who Was Too Beautiful for Hollywood," is an amazing read that really takes you into the wild and crazy life of the superstar.

Snyder joins us here at the Golden Silent Films Podcast for a great discussion into all things Barbara La Marr. It's a fun chat and hopefully inspires you to read the book and dig into the life of Barbara la Marr yourself!

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For more info about Sherri Snyder and Barbara La Marr, look no further than barbaralamarr.net and www.sherrisnyder.net. If you want to pick up a copy of "Barbara La Marr: The Girl Who Was Too Beautiful for Hollywood," you can get a copy on Amazon.

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Join the Golden Silent Films Podcast as we take you back to Castellaneta, Italy, in podcast form. We will look back at the youth of a young boy named Rodolfo. He will face his fair share of triumphs and tragedies as he grows into movie mega-star, Rudolph Valentino.

In this episode, we focus on his youth. From schools across Italy to the City of Lights, join us as we dive deep into the formative years of Valentino. You'll learn about fascinating family dynamics and see how life in rural Italy shaped the young man. It's a tale of loss and, ultimately, redemption that starts Valentino's journey to immortality.

This episode is our Season 6 premier and also the first episode in our "Year of Valentino" series as pay our respects to the legend who tragically died one hundred years ago.

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Rudolph Valentino died one hundred years ago on August 23, 1926. In an effort to celebrate the life of the Italian mega star, the Golden Silent Films Podcast is dedicating its sixth season to Rudolph Valentino.

With that in mind, we are spending 2026, the centennial of Valentino’s death, paying tribute to the man, the myth and the legend. Rudolph Valentino was truly all three of those and this season on the podcast, we will take you through the fact AND the fiction. Follow his life, fromhis childhood in Italy to the dancehalls of the United States and ultimately the silver screens across the globe.

Each month, we will bring you great Valentino content, from the biographical to various movie breakdowns and so much in between. You’ll journey alongside the legendary lover from birth to death and beyond. Join us to experience the life, loves and legacy of one of the brightest stars Hollywood ever produced.

A huge "Thank you!" goes out to friend of the show Jameson Quinn for providing the voice over for this trailer. Quinn is a talented and creative actor and director and all-around great guy who set the stage for this year perfectly!

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