Episode Details

In this episode of ADK Talks, we head to Schroon Lake for a night at the movies with Liz McNamara of The Strand Theater and silent film accompanist Ben Model.

The Strand has been bringing people together for more than 100 years, and each summer its Classic Movie Mondays series turns a night out into something special: vintage films, guest speakers, community conversation, and the kind of shared big-screen experience you just can’t get at home.

Liz shares how she and her husband Larry became part of The Strand’s story, why small-town movie theaters still matter, and how Classic Movie Mondays grew from a few special programs into a full summer series.

Ben takes us behind the scenes of silent film accompaniment, from improvising live scores to reading the room while the movie plays. He also explains why films like Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush and Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill, Jr. still feel fresh, funny, and surprisingly alive when shown in a historic theater with live music.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• Why The Strand Theater remains a Schroon Lake gathering place after more than a century.
• How Classic Movie Mondays combines beloved films with guest speakers and inside stories.
• What it’s like for Ben Model to accompany silent films live on piano and theater organ.
• Why restored silent films can look better today than many people expect.
• Highlights from this summer’s lineup, including The Gold Rush, You’ve Got Mail, Dead Man Walking, Fatal Attraction, The Quiet Man, 1776, and On the Beach.
• Favorite nearby stops, including 9 Mile Coffee, Pitkin’s Restaurant, and Natural Stone Bridge and Caves.

Resources:

• Ben Model, Silent Film Music
• The Strand Movie Theater in Schroon Lake 
• Natural Stone Bridge and Caves 
• 9 Mile Coffee Co.
• The State Theater Tupper Lake 
• Indian Lake Theater 
• Palace Theater in Lake Placid 
• The Strand Theatre of Old Forge 

Produced by NOVA