For Heaven’s Sake
What’s it rated? “Passed”
When? 1926
Where’s it showing? The Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College,
Sunday, Sept. 13 (3 p.m.; $45 at my805tix.com;
students $15 at the door)
Maestro Michael Nowak and Orchestra Novo will accompany the 1926 silent film For Heaven’s Sake directed by Sam Taylor (Exit Smiling, Girl Shy, Safety Last!) about millionaire J. Harold Manners (Harold Llyod), who after accidentally setting fire to a charity pushcart, makes amends by funding Brother Paul’s (Paul Weigel) Christian mission while falling for his daughter, Hope (Jobyna Ralston). Orchestra Novo performs an original score by composer Robert Israel.
“I found out from Harold Lloyd’s granddaughter, Suzanne, who I’d befriended over the years, that this is the first time in America this particular musical score will be performed with a live orchestra,” Nowak explained. “[Israel conducted] it a couple times in Europe, but this is the U.S. premier.”
Nowak—who’s conducted or played viola on hundreds of Hollywood films including The Kite Runner, August Rush, American Gangster, Pride and Glory, and Life of Pi—is working to notate the score “the old-fashioned way” rather than using a click track.
“The difficulty for me, as one can imagine, is to make sure that I’m hitting exactly the right marks that happen on the screen with the right music,” Nowak explained. (58 min.)
The event opens with Laurel and Hardy’s 1929 short, Big Business. (19 min.)
—Glen Starkey
This article appears in September 10 – September 17, 2026.
