Buster Keaton stars in 'Our Hospitality' on June 12 at Flying Monkey

PLYMOUTH — He never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname of "the Great Stone Face." But Buster Keaton's comedies rocked Hollywood's silent era with laughter throughout the 1920s, and remain popular crowd-pleasers today.

The Flying Monkey Monviehouse and Performance Center will show one of Keaton’s landmark features, "Our Hospitality" (1923), on Wednesday, June 12, at 6:30 p.m. The screening will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Set in the 1830s, "Our Hospitality," tells the tale of a young man raised in New York City but unknowingly at the center of a long-running backwoods family feud. Resolving to return and claim his family homestead, he sets in motion a perilous cat-and-mouse game in which every move could be his last.

Highlights of the picture include Keaton's extended journey on a vintage train of the era, as well as a climatic river rescue scene. The film stars Keaton's then-wife, Natalie Talmadge, as his on-screen love interest; their first child, newborn James Talmadge Keaton, makes a cameo appearance, playing Buster as an infant. Keaton's father also plays a role in the film.

"Our Hospitality" is part of the Flying Monkey's silent film series, which aims to show early movies as they were meant to be seen — in restored prints, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," said Rapsis. "Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early Hollywood leap back to life. For most silent films, there was never any sheet music and no official score. So, creating original music on the spot to help the film's impact is all part of the experience. That's one of the special qualities of silent cinema. Although the films themselves are often over a century old, each screening is a unique experience — a combination of the movie, the music, and the audience reaction."

For more info, visit flyingmonkeynh.com or call 603-536-2551.