Thomas Peters

“Chicago” caught the attention of legendary director and producer Cecil B. DeMille.

But that’s another story.

7/7

The Chicago Tribune assigned the Beulah Annan story to a young Courthouse Reporter named Maureen Dallas Watkins. In 1925, Watkins wrote “Chicago,” a Broadway hit about her experiences in the Beulah Annan murder case and the media circus it generated.

6/7

With Steward’s help, (despite changing her story three times, including admitting to the crime, then walking it back), Beulah was acquitted on May 3, 1925. She filed for divorce from her husband Albert the next day.

5/7

The salacious story stoked a wild media frenzy, from the crime and its investigation to the trial of Beulah Annan. Beulah’s husband, Albert, somehow gathered enough money to hire famed mob lawyer William Scott Steward.

4/7

At some point, a lover’s quarrel turned violent, and Beulah shot Harry in the back. Instead of calling the police, Beulah played the song “Hula Lou” on the Victrola over and over for the next four hours, dancing as Harry writhed in agony. He died on the floor of Beulah’s apartment.

3/7

So I guess I’ll begin at the beginning.

On April 3, 1924, Beulah Annan met her lover, Harry Kalstadt, at her apartment on Chicago’s South Side for an afternoon tryst while her husband was at work. They had been drinking.

2/7

Phillis Haver as Roxie Hart in the 1927 version of Chicago

CHICAGO (1927) WITH LIVE MUSIC BY TOM PETERS, SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2025 AT 7:00 PM AT Parson's Nose Theater IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

The 1927 movie version of “Chicago” that I will be performing on August 30th so perfectly encapsulates the 1920s that it’s hard to know where to begin.

1/7

I always read WESTWAYS, breezing through the whole magazine in about 10 minutes. And every time, I wonder how many trees gave their lives for 10 minutes of time that I'll never get back.

OK Music Geeks, I need your help. I'm looking to replace my 20 year old Mackie SRM450s with something that's crisp and clear with deep bass that won't kill my 60 some odd year old back when I lift them into the car.

What do you suggest?

Still from the 1927 movie Chicago. A newspaper reads "ROXIE HART THE 'JAZZ SLAYER'"

Are you ready for another silent film? I'll be performing my score to the 1927 "Chicago," (yes, THAT Chicago) at Parson's Nose Theater in Pasadena, CA on August 30, 2025!
Details to come!

Thank you for this. I've been writing and performing new music for silent films for the past 15+ years, and there are some films I would love to score, but I just...can't. Sometimes it's just a single scene (I'm thinking of Buster Keaton in blackface in The Play House) that is enough to say no.

1. Make sure your kids see you reading books daily.
2. Teach them that books contain ideas, and because of that, they are sacred.
3. Take them to your local library once a week. Let them check out as many books as they want on whatever subject they want.
4. Birthday and holiday gifts mean books!

Oof! I really needed to hear that this morning. Thank you!

Where's Roger Corman when you really need him?

Is it wrong of me to hope that he has a seriously thick South Side accent?

You know, if you stare at the screen and cross your eyes until you get one person, they're in 3D!

tom-and-linda-peters The art and artists of Opulent Mobility at Brand Library & Art Center. Opulent Mobility is a group art exhibit that re-imagines disability as opulent and powerful.

We're really excited about being part of the Opulent Mobility exhibition at the Brand Library in Glendale, starting April 26, 2025 and running through June 21, 2025.

In the Realm of Wild Dreams with words by my wife Linda and my music.

Here's a sample:

www.opulentmobility.com/tom-and-lind...

An announcement of the Opulent Mobility Exhibition at The Brand Library in Glendale, CA from April 26, 2025 to June 21, 2025. The text is gold on a purple field, flanked by sepia-toned images of artwork.

Big News!

From our first week together, Linda and I have been trying to find a way to combine her stories with my music. The result?

In the Realm of Wild Dreams.

The opening reception is on April 26, 2025 from 6:00PM - 9:00PM, and it will run until June 21st at The Brand Library in Glendale, CA.

YouTube video by Tom Peters Improvisation 4 10 22

It's race day in the LBC! Here's a little something I did a couple of years ago. Enjoy!

youtu.be/PDCU3WuSEdE?...

6. Keep always in your mind, your heart and your hand that timing is the essence, the spine, and the electrical magic of humor—and of animation.

5. Remember always that character is all that matters in the making of great comedians in animation and in live-action.

4. You must remember always that only man, of all creatures, can blush, or needs to; that only a man can laugh, or needs to, and that if you are in that trade of helping others to laugh and to survive by laughter, then you are privileged indeed.

3. You must respect the impulsive thought and try to implement it. You cannot perform as a director by what you already know, you must depend on the flash of inspiration that you do not expect and do not know.

2. You must learn to respect that golden atom, that single-frame of action, that 1/24th of a second, because the difference between lightning and the lightning bug may hinge on that single frame.

Here's something I repost periodically that's on-point for anybody who has dedicated their life to creativity.

TEX AVERY'S 6 RULES FOR COMEDY

1. You must love what you caricature. You must not mock it—unless it is ridiculously self-important, like the solemn live-action travelogues of that day.

There was, but they never got properly vetted and weren't terribly active.

"It is well known that the TARDIS is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. But what if the TARDIS was actually smaller on the inside than it was on the outside?"

Has anyone checked on the folks at the National Endowment for the Arts? They REALLY need to be part of this conversation.

Signs that you married the right person:

HER: How would you describe your music? Haunting? Evocative?

ME: Enjoys long walks along the beach? Likes Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain?

HER: A team player with the ability to multitask in a fast paced, high pressure environment?

It’s great to see Moeran here! He’s a wonderful composer.