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Within a decade of Edison's 1903 eight-minute movie, "The Great Train Robbery," silent motion pictures were playing in almost every Arkansas town. In larger cities, opera houses were quickly converted to movie theaters and Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, Charlie Chaplin and Lillian Gish became household names.

Smaller communities were thrilled when "tent movies" stopped and ran one-reelers for a few days. Operating on a circuit schedule, "traveling picture shows" were shown after dark, inside a tent that might seat up to 100 people. A hand-cranked projector could churn out an entire movie in about 15 minutes, so it was often repeated to same audience for admission price of ten cents.

If movies killed vaudeville, it was a slow death in Arkansas. Live stage shows often shared billing with silent movies throughout Roaring '20s and well into 1930s. In fact, first silent movies were played in theaters as "fillers" between live acts. As films improved and grew in length and quality, they received top billing and live stage acts became sideshow entertainment.

Movies Take Over House

The Landers Theater in Batesville is a prime example of how movie industry started in Arkansas. Built about 1906 on upper Main Street, three-story, stone-and-brick building was designed with a stage for traveling thespians. Originally named Gem Opera House, by 1923 it was a full-fledged movie theater, with stage acts appearing only several times each year. Humorist-actor Will Rogers and several other cowboy actors made personal appearances at Landers, along with scheduled beauty pageants and benefit shows. The first "talking picture" to appear in region premiered at Landers in April of 1931.

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was treated to both, thanks to Ahn Trio and baritone vocalist Christópheren Nomura. Tonight's performance at Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall was part of UNLV's Charles Vanda Master Series of fascinating performers.

Gee, nobody ever wrote music for me! Of course, these ladies were studying at Juilliard School at an age when a swing set interested me more than my saxophone lessons. Darned prodigies. The Ahn Trio performed several compositions written especially for them, and these pieces showcased enthusiastic, expressive performance that has earned these ladies rave reviews for years now.

The first piece, challenging 'Swing Shift' by Kenji Bunch, was intended to depict nightlife in New York. Too modern! Clunky and repetitive, it was like a bumpy ride on subway. After this odd start, I was relieved to hear somber, melodic 'Lullaby' by Ronn Yedidia and especially musical variety of 'Diamond World' by Eric Ewazen. This third piece featured wonderful harmonies and chord progressions that sounded freshly un-classical but not weirdly modernistic like Bunch piece.

A trio is perfect for allowing listener to pick out individual instruments while also enjoying ensemble sound. Since tonight's music was written for Trio, music was well suited to this way of listening. Maria's cello, Angella's violin, and Lucia's piano constantly overlapped in their parts, one handing melody off to another and picking up background harmony. Body language was used for coordination, and I knew a change in music was usually imminent whenever Maria glanced over her shoulder to see exactly when Lucia would strike her next note or chord.

Okay, not every piece was actually written for Ahn Trio. The Doors' song 'Riders on Storm' is a favorite of Lucia's, and Czech composer Michal Rataj had transcribed tune for Trio to play. I was skeptical at first, but it really worked! It also explained tennis ball sitting on piano: while other two ladies depicted rising winds at beginning with quick, nervous tremolos on their strings, Lucia bounced ball on grand piano's wires to simulate thunder. Betcha never saw Horowitz do that. It was clever and quite convincing, and following it was a marvelous intro of eighth notes on cello backed by beautifully cascading keyboard notes. Angella carried melody in first verse and later provided some very stylish 'garnish' as Maria and then Lucia took melody, latter playing jazzy, syncopated chords. The song ended with more storm sounds that trailed off quietly but with surprising intensity. It was better than original! You can hear this song on trio's "Groovebox" CD.