A Hollywood horror classic celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and it will be screened in Augusta in a special performance at Sacred Heart Cultural Center.
“The Phantom of the Opera” starring Lon Chaney will be shown Sept. 25 with Marietta-based organist Ron Carter returning to Sacred Heart for his 22nd year to play during the movie. Carter believes his music provides a crucial element in the silent movie’s presentation.
“I try to do the talking through the music,” he said in a recent phone interview.
While some sheet music exists for many of the silent films, Carter often develops his own score for films he plays. Sometimes, the original accompaniment was simply notes strung together and doesn’t add to the quality of the film-going experience.
For this movie, he relies heavily on the 1943 version starring Claude Rains. That soundtrack was nominated for an Academy Award. One of the songs is Edward Ward’s “Lullaby of the Bells,” which will be a major theme Carter plays during this performance.
“The Phantom has own theme; there’s a main theme for film; each actor has his own thing musically,” he said.
Plus, the Phantom is the Paris Opera House’s organist in the film, and there’s music he plays.
Carter will open the music with goblin procession as he’s accompanied into the former church with cloaked escorts. Once at the organ, he will open the performance with Bach’s “Toccata in D Minor.”
“The Phantom of the Opera” has been digitally restored and parts of it are in color.
Carter became interested in playing for silent films around 1987.
Music has played an important role in Carter’s life. Growing up, he first took accordion in the era of band leader Lawrence Welk’s popularity, but later he moved to piano and organ. Hearing the mesmerizing music of the Fox Theatre’s organ led him to that instrument.
He’s spent more than 50 years playing organ part time for Atlanta area churches and his currently part of a team that plays for the Marietta First Baptist Church.
An organ convention in Virginia around 1987 that he attended with his mother, grandmother, wife and son made a tremendous impact on him. There, he had his first opportunity to hear an organ accompanying a silent film.
“After the first 10 minutes, I was so involved. The organist was so fantastic. I thought ‘I’ve got to learn how to do this.’ That bug bit me,” he said in a 2024 article at Augusta Good News.
Despite his love and proficiency for the instrument, it wasn’t his full-time career. He’s had more time to devote to it since retiring as a commander after 38 years from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Now, he does about a dozen performances a year playing along with different films. He often appears at Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta. In 2023, the Citty of Marietta proclaimed Sunday, Feb. 12 as Ron Carter Day.
The Sacred Heart performance will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 25. Adding to the fun this year will be a “Roaring ’20s/Phantom of the Opera” costume contest during intermission with prizes for first and second place. Tickets are $20-$60. For tickets, go here or call (706) 826-4700.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and received the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
