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Charlie Chaplin and a young boy sit on a doorstep in a scene from a silent film comedy at Georgia’s Jekyll Island.
Georgia

Silent Film Comedy: History, Music and Laughter on Georgia’s Jekyll Island

Program No. 24844RJ
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Program
At a Glance
Duration
6 days
Program Begins
Jekyll Island, GA
Program Concludes
Jekyll Island, GA
Meals
12 ( 5B, 3L, 4D )
Activity Level
From
2,199
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Spend a week laughing while learning about the history of silent film comedy with one of the country’s leading authorities. Explore the stories, triumphs and heartbreaks of ground-breaking comedians like Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Laurel and Hardy. Enjoy the thrill of car chases, stunts, suspense, and romance underscored by live, improvised musical accompaniment. With a private meeting room in the famous Jekyll Island Club, the lavish resort that shared its heyday with the silent film era, travel back in time with early 20th-century film, music, comedy and surroundings.
Best of all, you'll...
  • Discover the history of the extravagant Jekyll Island Club Resort, formerly one of the most exclusive clubs in America with Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts among its members.
  • Learn from our silent film comedy expert, an internationally acclaimed artist and performer of popular turn-of-the-century music.
  • Experience Jekyll Island, one of Georgia’s southernmost barrier islands, by boat and by foot and discover its unique, pristine coastal ecosystem with a local naturalist and expert mariners.
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Music AppreciationRegional DiscoveriesClassroom
General Notes
Due to the nature of this program, listening devices will be unavailable.
Featured Expert
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Jeff Barnhart
Jeff Barnhart is an internationally renowned pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, recording artist, ASCAP composer, educator and entertainer. Jeff began his professional career at age 14 playing and entertaining four nights a week in a restaurant in Connecticut. In addition, he has lead two bands in the UK: the Fryer-Barnhart International Jazz Band and Jeff Barnhart’s British Band, which performs small group swing of the 30’s. Jeff enjoys performing with smaller groups, most notably Ivory&Gold®, a group he co-leads with his wife, Anne Barnhart.
Please Note:
This expert may not be available for every date of the program
Please Note:
These experts may not be available for every date of the program
JoAnn Buisson is a retired elementary school teacher from Boston, Mass. After college, she was employed as a nursery school teacher until 1981. She remained at home until 1994 in order to raise her children. In 1994, JoAnn accepted a position with a local elementary school as an art teacher, eventually retiring in 2014. Upon retirement, she moved to Jekyll Island with her husband. She continues her interest in the arts, taking several classes in pottery.
Jeff Barnhart is an internationally renowned pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, recording artist, ASCAP composer, educator and entertainer. Jeff began his professional career at age 14 playing and entertaining four nights a week in a restaurant in Connecticut. In addition, he has lead two bands in the UK: the Fryer-Barnhart International Jazz Band and Jeff Barnhart’s British Band, which performs small group swing of the 30’s. Jeff enjoys performing with smaller groups, most notably Ivory&Gold®, a group he co-leads with his wife, Anne Barnhart.
Anne Barnhart is a flutist and vocalist whose musical experiences with Ivory&Gold® have taken her around the world. Her performances have been enjoyed from coast to coast in the US and abroad. When she is onstage, audiences are dazzled by her technique, awed by her tone and enthralled with her timing when bantering with her husband, pianist Jeff Barnhart. Anne is also a gifted educator, having taught hundreds of students over the past 30 years. Anne holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music.
Activity Level
Easy Going
Learn About Activity Levels
Walking up to 1/2 mile per day at a moderate pace of 2 mph over paved sidewalks and occasional uneven terrain. Standing up to 45 minutes per day. Program will require approximately 1 mile of walking over 6 days. Tram is used for most field trips and will require one step up and down. Boat is used for one excursion and will require participants to be able to walk up and down a 50 ft pier and up and down a short ramp. The first floor provides access to the elevators, guest rooms, and meeting spaces. Guests traveling from the ground floor to the first floor will encounter steps; a wheelchair lift is available for accessibility. Please note that there are two steps between the veranda and the elevator, as well as the first-floor south wing guest rooms. Must be physically capable of participating in all planned program activities.
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We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. That’s why we go to the ends of the earth to give you peace of mind, from the moment you enroll until the day you return home.

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Assurance Plan

Road Scholar is committed to the well-being of every participant, whether on a program in the United States or abroad. That’s why all participants are covered under our Road Scholar Assurance Plan, which provides 24-hour assistance in the event of an emergency during your program, as well as insurance for emergency medical evacuation.

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Want to Protect Your Investment?

Road Scholar is pleased to offer its Trip Protection Plan as a way to protect your program investment. You may purchase this optional trip protection plan when enrolling in your program.

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Sustainable Travel

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Read about our commitment to a more sustainable planet.

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  • Peace of Mind

    We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. That’s why we go to the ends of the earth to give you peace of mind, from the moment you enroll until the day you return home.

    An illustration of a hand using a pen to check off the final item on a clipboard checklist
  • Assurance Plan

    Road Scholar is committed to the well-being of every participant, whether on a program in the United States or abroad. That’s why all participants are covered under our Road Scholar Assurance Plan, which provides 24-hour assistance in the event of an emergency during your program, as well as insurance for emergency medical evacuation.

    An illustration of an elderly man sitting at a computer with a pair of binoculars beside him
  • Want to Protect Your Investment?

    Road Scholar is pleased to offer its Trip Protection Plan as a way to protect your program investment. You may purchase this optional trip protection plan when enrolling in your program.

    An illustration of an elderly woman holding a piggy bank, with the Eiffel Tower in the background
  • Sustainable Travel

    We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Read about our commitment to a more sustainable planet.

    An illustration of a hand holding a globe with a small bird flying around it
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