LA is the world’s capital of entertainment. Having the proverbial cat’s 9 lives wouldn’t help you even with a tenth of a percent to cover or attend all that happens in this immense metropolis.

I make a habit of taking note of those events I have to wait an entire year to attend because a close acquaintance or friend has just told me he just came out of the closing ceremony of such and such festival, of such and such art fair ad infinitum.

Last year, attending a Cabaret Voltaire, I came in contact with Dance Camera West’s Dance for Camera DVD and this year for sure I’m attending their yearly film fest.

For next year, -yes, it is officially in my calendar- I plan not to miss LACO’s 18^th Annual Silent Film Gala. As you may guess, the 17^th Annual Gala just happened last week.

A revered tradition here in LA –at least for those who’ve known about it for some time now- LACO’s Silent Film Gala –LACO is the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra- features silent film classics with the live accompaniment of the world renown Chamber Orchestra, usually premiering live the score of the film being shown.

This rare opportunity of reliving the old silent film classics as they were intended happens only once a year at the much anticipated gala which also serves as a fundraising opportunity for the outreach programs carried out by the Chamber Orchestra.

This year, the thrilling comedy Safety Last (1923) result of the comic genius of Harold Lloyd met the musical audacity of the LA Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Timothy Brock. To make this year’s gala even more unique, the night opened with Lloyd’s rarely seen –and recently restored- short, Ask Father.

What did you and I miss this year? Read below about their entire program and make sure you attend next year. You definitely should: all the big names in the entertainment business have: Pierce Brosnan, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Norman Jewison, Eddie Murphy, Paul Newman, Victoria Principal, Rob Reiner, Martin Scorsese and Barbra Streisand, among others. For the sixth year in a row, the event’s honorary chairman was the ever graceful Dustin Hoffman who doesn’t just lend his name to the cause but actually has been bringing his entire family to watch these silent film classics for over a decade.

Below is the an outline of this year’s gala:

THE COMIC GENIUS OF HAROLD LLOYD MEETS

THE MUSICAL GENIUS OF THE LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

AS LACO PRESENTS THE 17^TH ANNUAL  SILENT FILM GALA,

WITH SIX-TIME HONORARY CHAIRMAN DUSTIN HOFFMAN

-- The thrilling comedy Safety Last (1923)—famed for Lloyd’s hair-raising climb up the side of a building—is the centerpiece of the Gala, as guest conductor Timothy Brock leads the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in a live performance of the film’s score --

-- The evening opens with Lloyd’s rarely seen 1919 short, Ask Father, featuring

LACO’s world premiere of composer-conductor Timothy Brock’s original score --

LOS ANGELES – The exquisite sound of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra complements the silent genius of Harold Lloyd at the 17^th Annual Silent Film Gala on Saturday, June 3, at 8:00 p.m. at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman serves as the Honorary Chairman of the always-anticipated event.

The evening will launch with a rare showing of Lloyd’s brilliant one-reel comedy, Ask Father (1919), in which Lloyd attempts—with increasingly desperate and gag-filled urgency—to get the attention of his would-be fiancée’s businessman father.  The Silent Film Gala will mark the world premiere of composer-conductor Timothy Brock’s original score for the film, to be performed by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Brock himself.

The centerpiece of the Gala is the classic Lloyd comedy, Safety Last, which features one of the most iconic images in silent film: Lloyd, in his trademark straw hat and round black-rimmed glasses, dangling precipitously from the hands of a clock tower several stories above a Los Angeles street. A freshly minted copy of the film, courtesy of UCLA’s Film & Television Archive, is presented with the help of Sony Studios and the support of Suzanne Lloyd, Harold Lloyd’s granddaughter. Timothy Brock will lead the Orchestra in a live performance of Carl Davis’s film score.

Following the film, the Chamber Orchestra will host a VIP party under the stars on the Ahmanson Terrace outside Royce Hall, with a buffet supper catered by Peggy Dark’s Kitchen for Exploring Foods.

Tickets for the Silent Film Gala are $30 for general admission, $75 for priority seating, and $275 for the film and the post-film supper. For sponsorship and ticket information, please contact the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra at 213-622-7001, ext. 275.

A Los Angeles Tradition - The Silent Film Gala is a beloved event in Los Angeles each year, bringing together music lovers, film aficionados, Hollywood celebrities, and film and music industry heavyweights to celebrate both the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and classic silent films. The evening always features exhilarating live performances of each film’s score by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

The Gala’s supporters have included the biggest names in the entertainment industry—Pierce Brosnan, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Norman Jewison, Eddie Murphy, Paul Newman, Victoria Principal, Rob Reiner, Martin Scorsese and Barbra Streisand, among others—as well as independent production and post-production companies, major studios and film-restoration laboratories.

Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman serves as Honorary Chairman of the  Gala for the sixth year in a row, a Silent Film Gala record! Hoffman’s support of the event is virtually unparalleled: He began bringing his family to the Silent Film Gala nearly a decade ago and has often expressed his belief that modern audiences should have the opportunity to watch great silent films as they were supposed to be seen—in a darkened theater, surrounded by an enthusiastic audience, with musicians performing the film’s score.