In these days of multimillion-dollar movies, high-tech...

In these days of multimillion-dollar movies, high-tech sound systems and $7 theater tickets, Mt. Olive Lutheran Church will give motion picture buffs a chance to see a movie the old-fashioned way--the old old-fashioned way.

Tonight at 6:30, the church, at 5975 Armaga Spring Road in Rancho Palos Verdes, will present the 1920s silent film “King of Kings” with live organ accompaniment by renowned theater organist Gaylord Carter. The Cecil B. De Mille film classic runs 1 hour and 55 minutes and will be shown complete with subtitles.

Admission is free, although donations to the church will be accepted. No reservations are necessary. The church seats roughly 200 people and folding chairs will be provided to accommodate any overflow.

Tonight’s performance is the fourth in a series of organ concerts at Mt. Olive showcasing the church’s $85,000 custom-made Abbott & Sieker pipe organ, dedicated last year. Although the organ differs substantially from those used in the 1920s, it is versatile enough for Carter to provide the audience with a strong sense of early theater.

Carter, 86, began his show career as a theater organist in 1922 while attending high school. Later, as a student at UCLA, he played for silent films at the Saville Theater in Inglewood. And in 1926, he joined the staff of the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles as chief organist.

Soon after sound came to the movies, Carter turned to radio and became the organist for the “Amos ‘n Andy Show” in 1936.

Carter was named Theater Organist of the Year in 1975 by the American Theater Organ Society and was later inducted into the Theater Organists Hall of Fame.

With silent movie presentations enjoying a revival, Carter has been performing nationwide as a theater organist.