“The City Auditorium” in Richland Center to host FREE screening of silent film to mark the films 100th anniversary

RICHLAND CENTER, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – The City Auditorium in Richland Center will host a FREE event, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the release of the silent film “The Thief of Bagdad”.

The event will kickoff at 6p on Friday April 4th with music, the film starts at 7p.

Along with FREE admission, a full concession selection will be available to purchase. LIVE music will be provided by Mastodon Records before and after the film screening.

The Thief of Bagdad is a 1924 American silent adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks, and written by Achmed Abdullah and Lotta Woods. Freely adapted from One Thousand and One Nights, it tells the story of a thief who falls in love with the daughter of the Caliph of Baghdad.

The Thief of Bagdad is now widely considered one of the great silent films and Fairbanks’s greatest work.

The festivities kick off Friday evening with music at 6p and the film showing at 7p in Richland Center.

Dave Roberts, a member of The City Auditorium Board, spoke with WRCO’s Phil Nee about the wonderful acoustic properties of the stage area at The City Auditorium.

Dave and Phil chatted about the The Thief of Bagdad during the WRCO Morning show.

Dave Roberts explains how The City Auditorium used to be the “go to” hub for silent films.

Board Member Andrew Sharp speaks about not only watching the film, but the music used for it and how the recording of that has been lost over time.

Dave Roberts and Andrew talk about some continuing renovations at The City Auditorium, including the roof and seating.

You can enjoy the entire WRCO FM Morning Show by clicking THIS LINK.

The City Auditorium is located at 182 N Central Ave, Richland Center, WI 53581

In 1912, Richland Center built the very first municipal auditorium in the state of Wisconsin.  Over the years, the likes of Jack Benny, Liberace and many others have graced the stage to appreciative audiences.  The building also housed Richland Center City offices for decades.

BONUS CONTENT: Follow along with the restoration of The City Auditorium in Richland Center.

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Adam D. Hess, article author, is an employee of WRCO FM, Civic Media, and is the Social Media Manager for THE CITY AUDITORIUM.

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