The Morongo Basin Historical Museum screens ‘The Great K&A Train Robbery” tonight (5/30) with audience participation encouraged
The Morongo Basin Historical Society are hosting their first film screening “The Great K&A Train Robbery” tonight in Landers. Reporter Gabriel Hart spoke to Will Amato about the museum and the event, including some historical significance of the film’s star.
Morongo Basin Historical Society Secretary Will Amato joined the Historical Museum very spur of the moment when Board President Justin Merino asked open house attendees “who would like to be on the board?” Amato raised his hand immediately, as he was already scouring the archives doing research for his upcoming “Hi-Desert Scrapbook.” Now he feels the museum’s “loving” intention rises above your typical dusty archives.
“It’s not dry. The museum holds all these artifacts that have been lovingly preserved and that’s evident. So being around them I’ve gotten to appreciate the people who collected these things and preserved them over time and so it’s given me a kind of a richer understanding of the area but also a more affectionate one,” said Amato.
Since the museum was recently re-opened by Board President Justin Merino, the Board is opening the museum to other events in effort to raise awareness of its archives: live music, lectures, and Saturday’s film event “The Great K&A Train Robbery.” The 1926 silent film features Tony the Wonder Horse and cowboy film star Tom Mix, who Amato says was “the biggest movie star in the world at that time,” starring in 300 films in a ten-year period, forming a template later followed by Gene Autry and Roy Rodgers. While the film wasn’t filmed locally, Amato reminds us of Mix’s local significance.
“Because he set that template, because he was like ‘the dude,’ they named a street after him in Pioneertown: Tom Mix Road… and the museum actually holds a large archive of Tom Mix memorabilia and so that will be on display as well within our mercantile exhibit,” said Amato.
While “The Great K&A Train Robbery” is a silent film, Amato confirms its packed with action, romance, and “a little buffoonery here and there,” which may overlap into live folly opportunity for audience participation.
“It comes with a live soundtrack, but we’ll be handing out noisemakers to the audience to supply some extra sound effects,” said Amato.
The event will offer free popcorn and will have Board Treasurer Mendy Fry cooking up “cowboy dogs and soyboy dogs” with peppers and onions, which will be for sale to benefit the Museum, along with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Free admission, open to the public at 7:00 p.m. this Saturday, May 30 at The Morongo Basin Historical Museum, located at 632 Landers Lane on the border of Yucca Valley and Landers.
