Schedule
Showings are scheduled through the end of December; check back here soon for updates.
Reservations at the theater are strongly encouraged.
Thursday, September 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Friday, September 5 (7:30 p.m.)
THE MALTESE FALCON (Warner Bros, 1941)
After the murder of his partner, San Francisco private eye Sam Spade is dragged into the search for an elusive black bird statuette, all the while evading the setups of four deceitful characters.
This marvelous detective drama is the cornerstone of film noir mixing a femme fatale with mystery, romance and dangerous thrills. Previous versions of the story were filmed in 1931 and 1936 (as Satan Met A Lady). But John Huston's brilliant direction and his screenplay of Dashiell Hammett's crime novel along with first-rate performances, outstanding camera work and snappy dialogue make this third film adaptation the best. Look for the director’s father Walter Huston in a cameo delivering the bird. And how can we forget all those great lines. This was the stuff that dreams -- and Hollywood -- were made of. [LS]
Directed by John Huston. Producer: Hal B. Wallis; Screenplay: John Huston; Photography: Arthur Edeson; Music: Adolph Deutsch. Based on the novel "The Maltese Falcon" by Dashiell Hammett.
With Humphrey Bogart (Samuel Spade), Mary Astor (Brigid O’Shaughnessy), Gladys George (Iva Archer), Peter Lorre (Joel Cairo), Barton MacLane (Lt. Dundy), Lee Patrick (Effie Perine), Sydney Greenstreet (Kasper Gutman), Ward Bond (Detective Tom Polhaus).
35mm, black & white, 100 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from the original camera and track negatives.
preceded by
Under Southern Stars (Warner Bros, 1937). Directed by Nick Grinde. With Fred Lawrence (George Wilbert), Jane Bryan (Arelene), Fritz Leiber (Stonewall Jackson), Wayne Morris (Dallas), Pierre Watkin (Robert E. Lee). 35mm, black & white, 20 minutes.
Saturday, September 6 (2:00 pm.)
THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM, 1939)
A Kansas farm girl dreams herself into a magical land where she must fight a wicked witch to escape.
If you’ve never experienced this amazing film on the big screen, you’ve really never seen it! This dazzling piece of eye candy will delight and enchant you from the poignant “Over the Rainbow” to the conclusion that after all, “There’s no place like home.” And when it switches from sepia-toned Kansas to the Technicolor Land of Oz, you’ll hear the audience gasp as it did in 1939. Judy Garland will forever be remembered as Dorothy, but she got the role only after a deal to borrow Shirley Temple from 20th Century Fox fell through. On its initial release, The Wizard of Oz was not considered to be a commercial success due to its monumental cost. The film received much more attention after its annual television screenings were so warmly embraced, and has since become one of the most beloved films of all time. [LS]
Directed by Victor Fleming. Producer: Mervyn LeRoy. Photography: Harold Rosson. Based on the novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum
With Judy Garland (Dorothy), Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz), Ray Bolger (The Scarecrow), Bert Lahr (The Cowardly Lion), Jack Haley (The Tin Man), Billie Burke (Glinda), Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch of the West).
35mm, black & white / Technicolor, 101 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 1: Superman Comes to Earth (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 16 minutes.
Tuesday, September 9 (7:00 p.m.)
SHANE (Paramount, 1953)
A mysterious gunfighter protects a group of homesteaders by taking on a powerful cattle baron and his hired killer.
At first glance, Shane might seem hopelessly clichéd—a weary gunslinger, looking to settle down, comes out of retirement to help a group of settlers, especially one family with a boy who adores him and a wife who may adore him too. Indeed, Shane has been endlessly parodied (especially its closing scene), but that only proves what a cultural touchstone it has become. Alan Ladd is magnificent in the title role, and as enjoyable as his interplay with bad guy Jack Palance and pseudo-love interest Jean Arthur is, it’s Shane’s relationship with young Joey Starrett (played by nine year old Brandon De Wilde) that is the emotional center of the film. [MM]
Directed by George Stevens. Producer: George Stevens; Screenplay: A. B. Guthrie Jr.; Photography: Loyal Griggs; Music: Victor Young. Based on the novel "Shane" by Jack Schaefer.
With Alan Ladd (Shane), Jean Arthur (Marian Starrett), Van Heflin (Joe Starrett), Brandon de Wilde (Joey Starrett), Walter Jack Palance (Jack Wilson), Ben Johnson (Chris Calloway), Edgar Buchanan (Fred Lewis).
35mm, Technicolor, 101 minutes. Print gift from Paramount Pictures.
preceded by
Universal International News, Volume 26, Number 461 (Universal, April 30, 1953). Narrator: Ed Herlihy. 35mm, black & white, 8 minutes.
Friday, September 12 (7:30 p.m.)
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (MGM, 1952)
A silent-screen swashbuckler finds love while trying to adjust to the coming of sound.
Singin’ in the Rain is set at the moment when the movies first started to talk, and many of its best gags involve the new technology that had to be dealt with. Roger Ebert called it, “…the most joyous musical ever filmed." Betty Comden and Adolph Green concocted a clever and hilarious backstage story utilizing MGM's catalog of Freed & Brown songs. In the movie, Debbie Reynolds’ character, newcomer Kathy Selden, is hired to dub squeaky-voiced actress Lina Lamont’s voice in Lina’s first talkie, a costume musical called The Dancing Cavalier. Though Reynolds did most of her own vocalizing in Singin’ in the Rain, when Lina sings "Would You" on screen in Cavalier's premiere, the voice you hear actually belongs to Betty Noyes, who the director felt had a richer singing voice than Reynolds. So Debbie the dubber was dubbed by Betty. [LS]
Directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen. Producer: Arthur Freed; Screenplay: Adolph Green & Betty Comden. Suggested by the song "Singin' in the Rain," music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed.
With Gene Kelly (Don Lockwood), Donald O'Connor (Cosmo Brown), Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Selden), Jean Hagen (Lina Lamont), Millard Mitchell (R. F. Simpson), Cyd Charisse (Dancer).
35mm, Technicolor, 102 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Okay for Sound (Warner Bros, 1946). Co-directed by Max Fleischer. Narrator: Truman Bradley. 35mm, black & white, 20 minutes.
Saturday, September 13 (2:00 p.m.)
KING KONG (RKO, 1933)
“Have you ever heard of…KONG?” Carl Denham has, and he drags a group of intrepid but unwitting explorers to Skull Island to find out what’s hidden behind that big wall. Once he’s seen Kong, Denham doesn’t monkey around (ba-dum-bum!) and shares his discovery with all of New York City. Oops!
A mammoth undertaking, King Kong energized and legitimized upstart studio RKO-Radio Pictures. The makers of this film were an interesting combination: Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack were documentarians whose ethnographic adventures Chang and Grass thrilled audiences at the end of the silent era. Willis O’Brien had worked since the ‘teens on a system of puppet animation, which culminated with this film. The range of emotions O’Brien was able to pull from Kong is nothing short of magical. And, although many have tried to duplicate the magic, the original King Kong is still “The Eighth Wonder of the World!” [GW]
Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. Executive Producer: David O. Selznick; Producer: Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack; Screenplay: James Creelman and Ruth Rose; Story: Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace; Music: Max Steiner.
With Fay Wray (Ann Darrow), Robert Armstrong (Carl Denham), Bruce Cabot (Jack Driscoll), Frank Reicher (Capt. Englehorn), Sam Hardy (Charles Weston), Noble Johnson (Native chief), Steve Clemento (Witch king), James Flavin (Second mate) and King Kong.
35mm, black & white, 103 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 2: The Depths of the Earth (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 16 minutes.
Tuesday, September 16 (7:00 p.m.)
MOROCCO (Paramount, 1930)
An American who joined the Foreign Legion to forget, meets a cabaret singer with a shady past and the two fall in love.
Morocco was Marlene Dietrich's American film debut, having established herself as a major star in her native Germany. Josef von Sternberg, who had just directed Dietrich in both the German and English language versions of Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) would direct the actress another five times over the next five years culminating in 1935's The Devil is a Woman. Co-star Gary Cooper was by this time one of Paramount Pictures' top stars. He would work with Dietrich again in the Frank Borzage directed Desire released in 1936. [RS]
Directed by Josef von Sternberg. Screenplay: Jules Furthman; Photography: Lee Garmes. Based on the novel "Amy Jolly, die Frau aus Marrakesch" by Benno Vigny.
With Gary Cooper (Tom Brown), Marlene Dietrich (Amy Jolly), Adolphe Menjou (Kennington), Ullrich Haupt (Adjutant Caesar), Juliette Compton (Anna Dolores), Francis McDonald (Corporal Tatoche), Albert Conti (Colonel Quinnovieres).
35mm, black & white, 92 minutes. Print preserved by the Library of Congress from elements held by the Library and Universal Pictures.
preceded by
The Playful Pan (Walt Disney-Columbia, 1930). A Silly Symphony. 35mm, black & white, 7 minutes.
Shaw and Lee in "Going Places" (Vitaphone, 1930). With Al Shaw and Sam Lee. 35mm, black & white 7 minutes.
Friday, September 19 (7:30 p.m.)
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (United Artists, 1955)
A vicious ne'er-do-well (Robert Mitchum), posing as a preacher, has his eyes on a doll full of cash held by a small girl whose father was the "preacher's" cellmate. The girl and her older brother head down the river, eventually taking refuge with an elderly woman (Lillian Gish) and her other charges. The preacher settles in nearby, and the battle of wills begins.
Charles Laughton, singular character actor and stage director, made his film directing debut with this amazing piece of Expressionism inspired cinema. Sadly, the utter failure of this film to find an audience in 1955 caused Laughton to ditch any thoughts of continuing his film directing career. Nonetheless, if you only got to make one movie, you couldn't do much better than The Night of the Hunter. A small, simple story that defies categorization: is it a family drama? A crime drama? A mystery? A horror film? A parable? An Expressionist Fantasy? It is all of these and so much more. Its unabashed artifice puts it in the realm of a dream, to be remembered and relished long after the lights have come up. [GW]
Directed by Charles Laughton. Producer: Paul Gregory; Screenplay: James Agee; Photography: Stanley Cortez; Music: Walter Schumann. Based on the book "The Night of the Hunter" by Davis Grubb. With Robert Mitchum (Preacher Harry Powell), Shelley Winters (Willa Harper), Lillian Gish (Rachel Cooper), James Gleason (Uncle Birdie Steptoe), Evelyn Varden (Icey Spoon), Peter Graves (Ben Harper).
35mm, black & white, 93 minutes. Print gift from MGM.
preceded by
Mouse For Sale (MGM, 1955). With Tom & Jerry. 35mm, black & white, 7 minutes.
Melodies By Martin (Universal, 1955). With Freddie Martin, Buddy Rich. 35mm, black & white, 16 minutes.
Saturday, September 20 (2:00 p.m.)
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (Walt Disney - RKO, 1937)
Hiding from her wicked stepmother, a young princess finds shelter with seven undersized woodsmen.
The first animated feature film to be produced in America (there had been a number of foreign productions), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a make or break endeavor for Walt Disney. A producer of cartoon short subjects, Disney mortgaged all he had to make the film. Very few thought he would succeed and the film was referred to as "Disney's Folly" while it was in production. Snow White ended up being the highest grossing film of the year and its success led to the Walt Disney Studios moving into regular feature film production. It was the first animated film added to the National Film Registry. [RS]
Directed by David Hand. Producer: Walt Disney; Songs: Music by Frank Churchill, Lyrics by Larry Morey. Based on the fairy tale "Schneewittchen" in Kinder und Hausmärchen collected by Jakob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm.
With Adriana Caselotti (Voice of Snow White), Harry Stockwell (Voice of Prince), Lucille LaVerne (Voice of the Wicked Queen), Moroni Olsen (Voice of the Magic Mirror), Billy Gilbert (Voice of Sneezy), Otis Harlan (Voice of Happy).
35mm, Technicolor, 83 minutes. Print gift from Walt Disney Company.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 3: The Reducer Ray (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 18 minutes.
One Froggy Evening (Warner Bros, 1955). Directed by Chuck Jones. 35mm, Technicolor, 7 minutes.
Gerald McBoing-McBoing (UPA-Columbia, 1951). Directed by Robert Cannon. Story: Dr. Seuss. 35mm, Technicolor, 8 minutes.
Tuesday, September 23 (7:00 p.m.)
BRINGING UP BABY (RKO, 1938)
A madcap heiress with a pet leopard meets an absent-minded paleontologist and unwittingly makes a fiasco of both their lives.
Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn form a sharp-witted and hysterical comic duo and Howard Hawks directs Bringing Up Baby with the control of a master, creating a shining example of brilliant screwball comedy. Though hard to believe today, the film flopped when it was first released and led to the firing of both Hepburn & Hawks from RKO (Grant by this time was nearly invincible.) Bringing Up Baby was far ahead of its time and its amazing breakneck pace and disarmingly witty dialogue set new standards for all such comedies thereafter. And yes that's Asta from The Thin Man playing the bone-stealing dog, George! [LS]
Directed by Howard Hawks. Screenplay: Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde; Music: Roy Webb. Based on the short story "Bringing Up Baby" by Hagar Wilde in Collier's.
With Katharine Hepburn (Susan Vance), Cary Grant (Dr. David Huxley), Charlie Ruggles (Major Horace Applegate), Walter Catlett (Constable Slocum), Barry Fitzgerald (Mr. Gogarty), May Robson (Aunt Elizabeth Mrs. Carleton Random), Fritz Feld (Dr. Fritz Lehman).
35mm, black & white, 102 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Courtship of the Newt (MGM, 1938). Directed by Roy Rowland. With Robert Benchley. 35mm, black & white, 8 minutes.
Friday, September 26 (7:30 p.m.)
TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Paramount, 1932)
A jewel thief is torn between the affections of his girlfriend (a professional pickpocket) and the beautiful owner of a perfume company.
What, exactly, is the "Lubitsch Touch"? A European setting, sparkling wit, elegant charm, or slyly sophisticated innuendo? Probably all those and more, but whatever it is, Mt. Pony audiences will have a terrific opportunity to see two prime examples of director Ernst Lubitsch's cinematic mastery in this calendar. Trouble in Paradise leads off -- a captivating comedy with Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins stealing each other's heart even as they try to pick each other's pockets. Add Kay Francis as a perfume baroness who may be more than a match for them, and you have a recipe for classic Lubitsch. For more of the "Touch," see Ninotchka on September 30. [MM]
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Producer: Ernst Lubitsch; Screenplay: Samson Raphaelson; Adaptation: Grover Jones; Photography: Victor Milner. Based on the play "A Becsuletes Megtalalo" ("The Honest Finder") by László Aladár.
With Miriam Hopkins (Lily), Kay Francis (Mariette), Herbert Marshall (Gaston), Charlie Ruggles (The Major), Edward Everett Horton (François), C. Aubrey Smith (Giron), Robert Greig (Jacques, the butler).
35mm, black & white, 83 minutes. Print from the Library of Congress / AFI Theater Collection.
preceded by
Moonlight For Two (Warner Bros, 1932). A Merrie Melodies cartoon. Directed by Rudolf Ising. 35mm, black & white, 7 minutes.
Their First Mistake (Hal Roach-MGM, 1932). Directed by George Marshall. With Laurel & Hardy. 35mm, black & white, 21 minutes.
Saturday, September 27 (2:00 p.m.)
GUNGA DIN (RKO, 1939)
The ultimate Hollywood action-adventure epic in which three British soldiers seek treasure during an uprising in India.
Gunga Din was the most expensive film made to date by RKO and the money shows in the big battle finale, which includes 1500 men, several hundred horses and mules, not to mention the four elephants. The three sergeants are ideally cast with the dashing and under-rated Douglas Fairbanks Jr. giving the best performance of his career. Cinematographer Joseph H. August was nominated for an Academy Award. [JP]
Directed by George Stevens. Producer: George Stevens; Screenplay: Joel Sayre and Fred Guiol; Story: Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur; Music: Alfred Newman. Inspired by the poem "Gunga Din" in Barrack Room Ballads by Rudyard Kipling.
With Cary Grant (Sergeant Archibald Cutter), Victor McLaglen (Sergeant MacChesney), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Sergeant Thomas Ballantine), Sam Jaffe (Gunga Din), Eduardo Ciannelli (Guru), Joan Fontaine (Emmy Stebbins).
35mm, black & white, 117 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from the original camera and track negatives.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 4: The Man of Steel (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 18 minutes.
Tuesday, September 30 (7:00 p.m.)
NINOTCHKA (MGM, 1939)
A no-nonsense Soviet official is dispatched to Paris to find out why three nonsensical colleagues have failed to complete the sale of some jewels. She's courted by a count, whose courtly manner doesn't count for much with her, at least at first.
Ah, Greta Garbo. "The Face." "The Swedish Sphinx." Perhaps the most inscrutable, yet simultaneously wildly popular star ever to grace motion pictures. Ninotchka is however, her most atypical feature-a comedy directed by the ever-brilliant Ernst Lubitsch and written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. Garbo had never starred in anything remotely resembling a comedy, prompting MGM to promote this film with the famous tag line "Garbo Laughs!" She does more than laugh, of course, and is joined in this utterly charming film by a great supporting cast, including Melvyn Douglas as her love interest and Bela Lugosi -yes, Dracula - as an officious Stalinist commissar. [MM]
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Screenplay: Charles Bracket, Billy Wilder and Walter Reisch. Story: Melchior Lengyel; Photography: William Daniels; Music: Werner R. Heymann.
With Greta Garbo (Ninotchka), Melvyn Douglas (Count Leon d'Algout), Ina Claire (Grand Duchess Swana), Bela Lugosi (Commissar Razinin), Sig Rumann (Iranoff), Felix Bressart (Buljanoff), Alexander Granach (Kopalski), Gregory Gaye (Count Alexis Rakonin).
35mm, black & white, 110 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Lives in Peril (Vitaphone, 1939). Directed by Joseph Henabery. Part of the "Your True Adventures" series. 35mm, black & white, 11 minutes.
Friday, October 3 (7:30 p.m.)
SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Universal, 1943)
The placid life of a small town family is upended by the arrival of a beloved relative, who beneath his charming manner may be a serial killer.
Alfred Hitchcock often claimed that Shadow of a Doubt was his personal favorite of the 53 films he directed, and certainly it is one of his finest achievements. The Thornton Wilder script is masterful, weaving a tale that twins a young girl named Charlie (Teresa Wright) with her Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton), who may not be quite worthy of her adoration. Hitchcock builds the suspense at a deliberate pace until the exciting climax, making Shadow of a Doubt one of the most enjoyable films in Hitchcock's unsurpassed canon. [MM]
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Producer: Jack H. Skirball; Screenplay: Thornton Wilder; Sally Benson and Alma Reville; Story: Gordon McDonell; Music: Dimitri Tiomkin.
With Teresa Wright (Young Charlie), Joseph Cotten (Uncle Charlie), MacDonald Carey (Jack Graham), Henry Travers (Joseph Newton), Patricia Collinge (Emma Newton), Hume Cronyn (Herbie Hawkins).
35mm, black & white, 108 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from the original camera and track negatives. Funding provided by The Film Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
preceded by
selected short subjects
Saturday, October 4 (2:00 p.m.)
DUCK SOUP (Paramount, 1933)
Rufus T. Firefly, newly appointed dictator of Freedonia, woos the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale by declaring war on neighboring Sylvania.
Although many consider Duck Soup to be the Marx Brothers best film, it was initially such a box office flop that Paramount Pictures dropped their contract. They would next make the hugely successful A Night at the Opera for M-G-M. In Duck Soup Margaret Dumont, the statuesque actress who often played Groucho's love interest and foil, returns to the Marx Bros troupe after a two film absence. This is, however, the last appearance of the FOUR Marx Bros. While Groucho, Chico and Harpo will carry on for another two decades, younger brother Zeppo quit the screen to work with yet another Marx brother (Gummo) as a talent agent. [RS]
Directed by Leo McCarey. Story: Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby; Music: Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby; Photography: Henry Sharp.
With the Four Marx Brothers: Groucho Marx (Rufus T. Firefly), Harpo Marx (Pinky), Chico Marx (Chicolini), Zeppo Marx (Bob Roland); Margaret Dumont (Mrs. Gloria Teasdale), Raquel Torres (Vera Marcal), Louis Calhern (Trentino), Edmund Breese (Zander), Leonid Kinskey (Agitator), Charles B. Middleton (Prosecutor), Edgar Kennedy (Street vendor).
35mm, black & white, 70 minutes. Print gift of Universal Pictures.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 5: A Job for Superman (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 16 minutes.
The Poor Fish (RKO, 1933). Directed by Joseph Santley. With Leon Errol. 35mm, black & white, 20 minutes.
Tuesday, October 7 (7:00 p.m.)
OUT OF THE PAST (RKO, 1947)
A retired private detective with a shady history is hoping for a fresh start with a new name, a new love, and a new job running a gas station in rural California, but his past comes back to haunt him.
Out of the Past is essential film noir (French for "black film") as a private eye becomes the dupe of a homicidal moll. The femme fatal may first appear as a beautiful vision in white but as she steps through a darkened doorway, our hero knows she's bad news. The story is revealed via flashback and voice-over narration that includes some of the snappiest dialogue in film-noir history. "You're like an autumn leaf that the wind blows from one gutter to another." Dripping with great lines like this exchange: "Don't you believe me?" Greer purrs. "Baby, I don't care," Mitchum replies, decisively kissing her. The film was remade in 1984 as Against All Odds with Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. [LS]
Directed by Jacques Tourneur. Producer: Warren Duff; Screenplay: Geoffrey Homes; Photography: Nicholas Musuraca; Music: Roy Webb. Based on the novel "Build My Gallows High" by Geoffrey Homes.
With Robert Mitchum (Jeff), Jane Greer (Kathie), Douglas (Whit), Rhonda Fleming (Meta Carson), Richard Webb (Jim), Steve Brodie (Fisher).
35mm, black & white, 97 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Thrills of Music: Ray Anthony and his Orchestra (Columbia, 1947). Directed by Harry Foster. With Ray Anthony. 35mm, black & white, 11 minutes.
Friday, October 10 (7:30 p.m.)
CASABLANCA (Warner Bros, 1943)
A politically indifferent American nightclub owner in Morocco is drawn into World War II when his lost love and her well-known Czech resistance leader husband turn up.
Colorful characters abound in Casablanca, a waiting room for Europeans trying to escape Hitler's war-torn Europe. The mesmerizing musical score by Max Steiner, along with the well-structured plot, flawless acting, and unforgettable dialogue makes this one of the best movies of all time, and it won the Academy Award for Best Film of 1943. Steiner hated the song "As Time Goes By" and wanted to replace it with a song that he had composed himself. This proved impossible as Bergman's hair had been cut short for the role of "Maria" in the film For Whom the Bell Tolls, and she was unavailable for the necessary retakes. Thank goodness for that! [LS]
Directed by Michael Curtiz. Producer: Hal B. Wallis; Screenplay: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch; Photography: Arthur Edeson; Music: Max Steiner.
With Humphrey Bogart (Rick Blaine), Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa Lund), Paul Henreid (Victor Lazlo), Claude Rains (Louis Renault), Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser), Sydney Greenstreet (Ferrari), Peter Lorre (Ugarte), S. Z. Sakall (Carl), Madeleine LeBeau (Yvonne), Dooley Wilson (Sam).
35mm, black & white, 102 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
selected short subjects
Saturday, October 11 (2:00 p.m.)
42nd STREET (Warner Bros, 1933)
"You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a STAR!" How many times have we heard that? Julian Marsh, ailing scion of Broadway, is putting on a last big show. His star breaks her ankle on opening night so Marsh grabs young chorine Peggy Sawyer and throws her into the whirling blades of stardom.
Although talking pictures had only been in regular production for about five years when 42nd Street came out, the movie musical had already worn out its welcome with the public, due mainly to a succession of progressively worse filmed stage shows. Warner Bros. broke the doldrums by combining their powerful social realism (courtesy of director Lloyd Bacon) with the wild cinema antics of Busby Berkeley. This powerful combination fueled a comeback of the musical that lasted though the end of the Depression. [GW]
Directed by Lloyd Bacon. Producer: Darryl Zanuck; Supervisor: Hal B. Wallis; Screenplay: Rian James and James Seymour; Vitaphone Orchestra Director: Leo F. Fobstein. Based on the novel "42nd Street" by Bradford Ropes.
With Warner Baxter (Julian Marsh), Bebe Daniels (Dorothy Brock), George Brent (Pat Denning), Ruby Keeler (Peggy Sawyer), Guy Kibbee (Abner Dillon), Una Merkel (Lolly), Ginger Rogers (Anytime Annie), Ned Sparks (Barry), Dick Powell (Billy Lawler).
35mm, black & white, 89 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from original camera and track negatives.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 6: Superman in Danger (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 17 minutes.
Shuffle on Down to Buffalo (Warner Bros, 1933). A Merrie Melodies cartoon. Directed by Rudolf Ising. 35mm, black & white, 7 minutes.
Tuesday, October 14 (7:00 p.m.)
ADAM'S RIB (MGM, 1949)
Married attorneys face off in court leading to discord at home.
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn made nine movies together, Adam's Rib being number six. A great pairing both on and off the screen, the two earned a combined 21 Oscar nominations with 6 wins. Hepburn is the only four time winner of the Best Actress award and is considered by many to be America's greatest screen actress. Tracy, no slouch himself, was the first back-to-back winner of the Best Actor Oscar. Judy Holliday, fresh off her four year stint on Broadway in the hugely successful Born Yesterday plays the defendant; Tom Ewell appears as her not-quite-dead husband. [RS]
Directed by George Cukor. Producer: Lawrence Weingarten; Screenplay: Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin; Photography: George J. Folsey; Music: Miklos Rozsa.
With Spencer Tracy (Adam Bonner), Katharine Hepburn (Amanda Bonner), Judy Holliday (Doris Attinger), Tom Ewell (Warren Attinger), David Wayne (Kip Lurie), Jean Hagen (Beryl Caighn).
35mm, black & white, 100 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Fuelin' Around (Columbia, 1949). Directed by Edward Bernds. With The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). 35mm, black & white, 16 minutes.
Friday, October 17 (7:30 p.m.)
ALL ABOUT EVE (20th Century-Fox, 1950)
A back stage, back-stabbing dark satire about an ambitious young actress who tries to take over a star's career and love life.
All About Eve received fourteen Academy Award nominations -- a record that remained unbroken until 1998, when it was tied by Titanic. Its seven wins included Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders). Look for ravishing Marilyn Monroe, typecast as an aspiring starlet in the party scene. [JP]
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Producer: Darryl Zanuck; Screenplay: Joseph L. Mankiewicz; Photography: Milton Krasner; Costumes: Edith Head; Music: Alfred Newman.
With Bette Davis (Margo Channing), Anne Baxter (Eve Harrington), George Sanders (Addison DeWitt), Celeste Holm (Karen Richards), Gary Merrill (Bill Simpson), Hugh Marlowe (Lloyd Richards), Marilyn Monroe (Miss Casswell), Thelma Ritter (Birdie Coonan).
35mm, black & white, 138 minutes. Print gift from 20th Century-Fox.
preceded by
MOVIETONE NEWS. VOL. 33, NO. 93 - excerpt. (20th Century-Fox, 1950) Narrator: Ed Thorgersen. Hollywood attends gala premiere for "All About Eve." 35mm, black & white, 2 minutes.
Saturday, October 18 (2:00 p.m.)
LASSIE COME HOME (MGM, 1943)
Sold by poor unemployed Sam Carraclough in order to pay a debt, a dog undertakes a long difficult journey to return to the boy who loves him.
A sequel, Son of Lassie, made two years later featured Peter Lawford and June Lockhart in the roles originated by Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor. Many other sequels and a long running television series featuring Lassie followed. McDowall (just having starred in the memorable My Friend Flicka) and Taylor (appearing in only her second movie) struck up a friendship on set of Lassie Come Home that would last until Roddy's death in 1998. [RS]
Directed by Fred M. Wilcox. Producer: Samuel Marx; Screenplay: Hugo Butler; Photography: Leonard Smith; Music: Daniele Amfitheatrof.
With Roddy McDowall (Joe Carraclough), Donald Crisp (Sam Carraclough), Dame May Whitty (Dally), Edmund Gwenn (Rowlie), Nigel Bruce (Duke of Rudling), Elsa Lanchester (Mrs. Carraclough), Elizabeth Taylor (Priscilla).
35mm, Technicolor, 86 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 7: Into the Electric Furnace (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 17 minutes.
Scrap Happy Daffy (Warner Bros, 1943). A Looney Tune cartoon. Supervised by Frank Tashlin. 35mm, Technicolor, 8 minutes.
Tuesday, October 21 (7:00 p.m.)
HIGH NOON (United Artists, 1952)
On his wedding/retirement day, a town marshal is forced to confront a gang of killers by himself. If there was ever a film that was "about" more than its surface plot, it's High Noon. Writer Carl Foreman adapted a short story by John W. Cunningham, but rather than merely being a straightforward (if brilliantly executed) story of honor and courage, Foreman reworked High Noon into a thinly disguised critique of McCarthyism in which otherwise good people remain silent in the face of bullying terror. Gary Cooper won an Oscar for his vivid portrayal of Marshal Will Kane, but the film lost out to The Greatest Show on Earth for Best Picture, one of the more absurd results in Academy history. [MM]
Directed by Fred Zinneman. Producer: Stanley Kramer; Screenplay: Carl Foreman; Photography: Floyd Crosby; Music: Dimitri Tiomkin. Based on the short story "The Tin Star" by John W. Cunningham in Collier's.
With Gary Cooper (Will Kane), Thomas Mitchell (Jonas Henderson), Lloyd Bridges (Harvey Pell), Katy Jurado (Helen Ramirez), Grace Kelly (Amy Fowler Kane), Otto Kruger (Judge Percy Mettrick), Lon Chaney Jr. (Martin Howe), Henry "Harry" Morgan (Sam Fuller).
35mm, black & white, 84 minutes. Print gift from Paramount Pictures.
preceded by
selected short subjects
Friday, October 24 (7:30 p.m.)
THE BANK DICK (Universal, 1940)
Henpecked citizen Egbert Souse accidentally captures a bank robber and is rewarded with a job as the bank's security guard.
W. C. Fields was a comedic juggler in vaudeville, the star of the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, and one of the great movie comedians. The Bank Dick, his next to last starring role, is classic W.C. and many Fields fan's favorite film. Also featured in the cast is Shemp Howard as the bartender. Shemp was an original member of the Three Stooges comedy team and after a long solo career as a supporting player would return to the team in 1947 when his brother, Curly Howard (a then current member of the Stooges) suffered a stroke. [RS]
Directed by Eddie Cline. Screenplay: Mahatma Kane Jeeves [aka W. C. Fields]; Photography: Milton Krasner; Music: Charles Previn.
With W. C. Fields (Egbert Sousé), Cora Witherspoon (Agatha Sousé), Una Merkel (Myrtle Sousé), Evelyn Del Rio (Elsie May Adele Brunch Sousé), Jessie Ralph (Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch), Franklin Pangborn (J. Pinkerton Snoopington), Shemp Howard (Joe Guelpe), Grady Sutton (Og Oggilby).
35mm, black & white, 72 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from original camera and track negatives.
preceded by
The Golf Specialist (RKO, 1930). Directed by Monte Brice. With W.C. Fields. 35mm, black & white, 20 minutes.
The Dentist (Mack Sennett-Paramount, 1932). Directed by Leslie Pearce. With W.C. Fields. 35mm, black & white, 21 minutes.
Saturday, October 25 (2:00 p.m.)
GONE WITH THE WIND (MGM, 1939)
A spoiled woman and a charming rogue live, love, fight, love, and fight some more against the backdrop of the Civil War.
There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said about this epic adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's equally epic novel. The story is familiar to the most casual filmgoer, and even the dozen people who have never seen the movie can quote Clark Gable's fabled closing line. Let's just say that Gone With the Wind looks much better on the big screen than it does on your TV, no matter how gargantuan that is. [MM]
Directed by Victor Fleming. Producer: David O. Selznick; Screenplay: Sidney Howard; Photography: Ernest Haller; Music: Max Steiner. Based on the novel "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell.
With Clark Gable (Rhett Butler), Vivien Leigh (Scarlett O'Hara), Leslie Howard (Ashley Wilkes), Olivia deHavilland (Melanie), Thomas Mitchell (Gerald O'Hara), Evelyn Keyes (Suellen), Ann Rutherford (Carreen), Hattie McDaniel (Mammy), Butterfly McQueen (Prissy).
35mm, Technicolor, 222 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
Note: Superman, Chapter 8: Superman to the Rescue (Columbia, 1948) will be shown on Saturday, November 1.
Tuesday, October 28 (7:00 p.m.)
THE GRAPES OF WRATH (20th Century-Fox, 1939)
Oklahoma farmers dispossessed during the Depression fight for better lives in California.
Based on John Steinbeck's powerful novel "The Grapes of Wrath," winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is master director John Ford's memorable screen version of that epic tome of the Great Depression and is regarded by many as the director's best film, winning him his second of four Academy Awards. Director of photography Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane) captures the suffering and the weathered, luminous nobility of the Joads and the other uprooted, drifting families, creating striking images equal to the best work of noted photojournalists Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. In a stirring film that stands as a microcosm of the depression experience of thousands, director Ford gives poverty a human face in a way that was rare then and even more so in the decades to follow as Hollywood films with a sense of class consciousness dwindled like a species nearing extinction. This heart-felt voyage and Fonda's farewell speech will reignite your compassion for humanity, and isn't that what art is for? [LS]
Directed by John Ford. Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck; Screenplay: Nunnally Johnson; Photography: Gregg Toland; Music: Alfred Newman. Based on the novel "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck.
With Henry Fonda (Tom Joad), Jane Darwell (Ma Joad), John Carradine (Casy), Charley Grapewin (Grandpa), Dorris Bowdon (Rosasharn), Russell Simpson (Pa Joad), Eddie Quillan (Connie), Darryl Hickman (Winfield).
35mm, black & white, 129 minutes. Print gift from 20th Century-Fox.
preceded by
The Plow That Broke the Plains (U.S. Government, 1938). Directed by Pare Lorentz. Producer: Resettlement Administration - A U.S. Documentary Film; Screenplay: Pare Lorentz; Photography: Leo Hurwitz, Ralph Steiner, Paul Strand and Paul Ivano. Music: Virgil Thomson. With Thomas Chalmers (narrator). 16mm, black & white, 25 minutes.
Friday, October 31 (7:30 p.m.)
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (Universal, 1935)
Dr. Frankenstein, now happily married, is forced to create yet another monster.
Remembered for his work in horror films, director James Whale also directed the 1936 version of Show Boat. Whale held out for four years before finally consenting to make this sequel to his 1931 classic Frankenstein. Boris Karloff reprises his role as Frankenstein's monster and would play the part one last time in 1939's Son of Frankenstein. Since then, no less than 50 different actors have portrayed the Monster in film or television including Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Peter Boyle and even Robert DeNiro. [RS]
Directed by James Whale. Presenter: Carl Laemmle; Producer: Carl Laemmle, Jr.; Screenplay: William Hurlbut; Music: Franz Waxman. Suggested by the novel "Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus" by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
With Boris Karloff (The Monster), Colin Clive (Henry Frankenstein), Valerie Hobson (Elizabeth), Ernest Thesiger (Doctor Pretorius), Elsa Lanchester (The Bride), Gavin Gordon (Lord Byron).
35mm, black & white, 75 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from original camera and track elements.
preceded by
selected short subjects
Saturday, November 1 (2:00)
Presented in conjunction with ALIENS!: the 21st Annual Virginia Film Festival
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (20th Century-Fox, 1951)
Klaatu and his eight foot tall robot Gort, visitors from outer space, arrive on Earth with a message. But the natives are not ready to listen to a voice from beyond. To convince the planet that he means business, Klaatu resorts to the event mentioned in the title. Will the Earthlings listen to him now?? By 1951, the Cold War was in full swing. To many, it seemed the beginning of the end and many cautionary movies were made. Two films, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Thing (From Another World) were released that year, and they cover both major views on aliens: A) they want to help us and B) they want to destroy us, respectively. Ironically, the reaction of the Earthlings is the same in both films - shoot first, ask questions later. Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still has stood the test of time simply because the director wisely (pun intended) chose to build his story on good strong characters and relationships, rather than special effects, as Walter Mirisch's Flight to Mars attempts. [GW]
Directed by Robert Wise. Producer: Julian Blaustein; Screenplay: Edmund H. North; Photography: Leo Tover; Music: Bernard Hermann. Based on the short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates in Astounding Science-Fiction Magazine.
With Michael Rennie (Klaatu), Patricia Neal (Helen Benson), Hugh Marlowe (Tom Stevens), Sam Jaffe (Dr. Jacob Barnhardt), Billy Gray (Bobby Benson), Frances Bavier (Mrs. Barley), Lock Martin (Gort).
35mm, black & white, 92 minutes. Print gift from 20th Century-Fox.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 8: Superman to the Rescue (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 15 minutes. The Thing (From Another World) - Trailer (RKO, 1951). 35mm, black & white, 3 minutes.
Tuesday, November 4 (7:00 p.m.)
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Columbia, 1939)
A new Senator is caught between his cherished ideals and the cynicism of the political process.
Frank Capra made himself no friends on Capitol Hill with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, with its portrayal of Congress as a snake pit of corruption and greed (not unlike today's political advertising). In a lifetime of great performances, the title role is one of Jimmy Stewart's finest, as his earnest demeanor is slowly eroded by a relentless assault from lobbyists and dirty tricksters. So, on Election Night, take a break from reality and come see a politician who really is an agent of change. [MM]
Directed by Frank Capra. Producer: Frank Capra; Screenplay: Sidney Buchman; Story: Lewis R. Foster; Music: Dimitri Tiomkin; Montages: Slavko Vorkapich.
With Jean Arthur (Saunders), James Stewart (Jefferson Smith), Claude Rains (Senator Joseph Paine), Edward Arnold (Jim Taylor), Guy Kibbee (Governor Hopper), Thomas Mitchell (Diz Moore), Eugene Pallette (Chick McGann), Harry Carey (President of the Senate).
35mm, black & white, 129 minutes. Restored by the Library of Congress from the original camera and track negatives, plus elements borrowed from England and France.
preceded by
selected short subjects
Friday, November 7 (7:30 p.m.)
LOVE ME TONIGHT (Paramount, 1932)
While passing himself off as a baron, a Parisian tailor falls in love with a princess.
Rouben Mamoulian's direction takes full advantage of the talented cast and the music provided by Rodgers and Hart. Supremely witty lyrics and hummable melodies make the whole thing seem wonderfully relaxed, good-natured and somehow perfect. Note the opening scene that uses sounds from the awakening streets of Paris to combine and build into the first song. And later, observe how the tune "Isn't It Romantic?" connects the two lead characters as it is passed along in domino fashion from singer to singer! This rollicking musical was made before the production code (Hollywood's self-censorship of sex, violence and other controversial content) kicked in, so it's a bit naughty, but always nice. [LS]
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Producer: Rouben Mamoulian; Screenplay: Samuel Hoffenstein, Waldemar Young and George Marion Jr.; Photography: Victor Milner; Songs: music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
With Maurice Chevalier (Maurice Courtelin), Jeanette MacDonald (Princess Jeanette), Charlie Ruggles (Vicomte Gilbert de Vareze), Charles Butterworth (Count de Savignac), Myrna Loy (Countess Valentine), C. Aubrey Smith (Duke d'Artelines).
35mm, black & white, 96 minutes. Print from the Library of Congress / AFI Theater Collection.
preceded by
The Tabasco Kid (Hal Roach-MGM, 1932). Directed by James W. Horne. With Charley Chase. 35mm, black & white, 21 minutes.
Saturday, November 8 (2:00 p.m.)
PINOCCHIO (Walt Disney - RKO, 1940)
A woodcarver's wish that a marionette he made become a real boy is unexpectedly granted by the Blue Fairy. She assigns Jiminy Cricket to act as Pinocchio's "conscience" to keep him out of trouble, but the newness of world around him overwhelms the boy and he is soon led astray on a series of frightening adventures.
Years in the making, Pinocchio is still considered to be one of Disney's finest achievements for its production value, charm, beauty and Academy Award-winning music. Technicians developed an enhanced multiplane camera that could dolly in and out of an animated scene (similar to live-action photography), as opposed to Snow White's vertical method of shooting. [JP]
Directed by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske. Producer: Walt Disney; Songs: music by Leigh Harline, lyrics by Ned Washington. Based on the novel "L'avventure di Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi.
With Dickie Jones (Voice of Pinocchio), Cliff Edwards (Voice of Jiminy Cricket), Christian Rub (Voice of Geppetto), Walter Catlett (Voice of "Honest John"), Evelyn Venable (Voice of The Blue Fairy), Frankie Darro (Voice of Lampwick).
35mm, Technicolor, 88 minutes. Print gift from Walt Disney Pictures.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 9: Irresistible Force (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 16 minutes.
Popeye Meets William Tell (Fleischer Studios-Paramount, 1940). Directed by Dave Fleischer. 35mm, black & white, 6 minutes.
Tuesday, November 11 (7:00 p.m.)
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Universal, 1930)
An idealistic young man enthusiastically joins the German Army at the start of World War I, only to have his illusions crushed by the reality of combat.
Winner of the Best Picture Academy Award in 1930, All Quiet on the Western Front remains an emotionally powerful adaptation of the Erich Maria Remarque novel. Still regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war films ever, All Quiet follows the pilgrim's progress of Paul (Lew Ayres), a student swept up in a wave of nationalistic fervor at the outbreak of World War I, but who soon finds that war is a decidedly unglamorous enterprise. Over the years, the film was edited for release in different European countries, and as a result the "complete" version available as late as the 1980s was missing almost twenty minutes. Working with footage acquired from archives around the world, the Library restored All Quiet to its original length in 2001. [MM]
Directed by Lewis Milestone. Presenter: Carl Laemmle; Producer: Carl Laemmle, Jr.; Screenplay: George Abbott; Photography: Arthur Edeson. Based on the novel "Westen nichts neues" by Erich Maria Remarque.
With Louis Wolheim (Kat), Lew Ayres (Paul), John Wray (Himmelstoss), Ben Alexander (Kemmerich), Scott Kolk (Leer), Owen Davis Jr. (Peter), Walter Browne Rogers (Behn).
35mm, black & white, 133 minutes. Restored by the Library of Congress from various sources including the original camera and track negatives. Funding provided by The Film Foundation.
Friday, November 14 (7:30 p.m.)
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (Universal, 1948)
Stefan Brand is preparing to run for his life, having found himself in a duel which commences at dawn. As he is preparing to leave, he receives the eponymous letter of the title, which he takes a moment to read and discovers just how much of a cad he really is.
Temporary émigré director Max Opuls created this little gem in 1948, the second of his four American film productions. Star Joan Fontaine and her husband William Dozier founded Rampart Productions to give Joan some star vehicles, of which this was the first of two. Vanity project or no, Letter From an Unknown Woman remains as a beautiful, lyrical, tearful story that, while visually striking, does not get wrapped up in its own trappings. [GW]
Directed by Max Opuls. Producer: John Houseman; Screenplay: Howard Koch; Photography: Frank Planer; Music: Daniele Amfitheatrof. Based on the novel "Brief einer unbekannten by Stefan Zweig" and the English-language translation "Letter from an Unknown Woman" by Eden and Cedar Paul.
With Joan Fontaine (Lisa Berndle), Louis Jourdan (Stefan Brand), Mady Christians (Frau Berndle), Marcel Journet (Johann Stauffer), Art Smith (John), Carol Yorke (Marie), Howard Freeman (Herr Kastner), John Good (Lt. Leopold von Kaltnegger), Leo B. Pessin (Stefan, Jr.).
35mm, black & white, 90 minutes. Print gift from Universal Pictures.
preceded by
Sport Thrills: Babe Didrikson, Queen of Sports. (Columbia Pictures, 1948). Narrator: Bill Stern. 35mm, black & white, 9 minutes.
Saturday, November 15 (2:00 p.m.)
HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Columbia, 1939)
An unscrupulous editor plots to keep his star reporter and ex-wife from remarrying.
Howard Hawks directs his stars and a brilliant cast of supporting players (Billy Gilbert, a real scene-stealing stand-out) at a breathless pace, using overlapping dialog to increase the feeling of frenzy. Some of those witty lines (at least as legend has it) were improvised, such as in a rapid-fire telephone exchange when Grant responds to another actor's line with "The last person to say that to me was Archibald Leach just before he cut his throat!" (Archibald Leach, of course, being Grant's real name.) [JP]
Directed by Howard Hawks. Producer: Howard Hawks; Screenplay: Charles Lederer; Photography: Joseph Walker; Music: M. W. Stoloff. Based on the play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur as produced by Jed Harris.
With Cary Grant (Walter Burns), Rosalind Russell (Hildy Johnson), Ralph Bellamy (Bruce Baldwin), Gene Lockhart (Sheriff Hartwell), Porter Hall (Murphy), Ernest Truex (Bensinger), Cliff Edwards (Endicott).
35mm, black & white, 92 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from original camera and track negatives.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 10: Between the Two Fires (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 19 minutes.
Hare-um Scare-um (Warner Bros, 1939). A Looney Tune cartoon. Directed by Cal Davis and Ben Hardaway. 35mm, Technicolor, 8 minutes.
Tuesday, November 18 (7:00 p.m.)
CITY LIGHTS (United Artists, 1931)
The Tramp encounters a beautiful blind flower girl and is smitten. He attempts various schemes to raise money for an operation to restore her sight, but finds himself incarcerated for his efforts.
When Charles Chaplin, the one-man band of Hollywood, began work on City Lights, the talkies were little more than a nasty rumor. By the time he finished it some three years later, silent cinema was completely dead. Chaplin, banking on his popularity, had decided early on to continue to produce his film as a silent, much to the consternation of his associates at United Artists. But they needn't have worried -- Chaplin's art transcended any technological barriers and the film was a critical and financial success. Chaplin however, knew the writing was on the wall and only made one more "silent" film, Modern Times, in 1936 before embarking on an audible career. [GW]
Directed by Charles Chaplin. Producer: Charles Chaplin; Screenplay: Charles Chaplin; Photography: Rollie Totheroh and Gordon Pollock; Musical Director: Alfred Newman; Music Composed By: Charles Chaplin.
With Charlie Chaplin (A tramp), Virginia Cherrill (A blind girl), Florence Lee (Her grandmother), Harry Myers (An eccentric millionaire), Allan Garcia (His butler), Hank Mann (A prizefighter), Eddie Baker, Henry Bergman.
35mm, black & white, 86 minutes. Print gift from Warner Bros.
preceded by
One More Chance (Mack Sennett-Paramount, 1931). Directed by Mack Sennett. With Bing Crosby. 35mm, black & white, 20 minutes.
Friday, November 21 (7:30 p.m.)
TOP HAT (RKO, 1935)
When Jerry Travers meets lovely Dale Tremont, it's love at first sight. Unfortunately, Dale's affections chill when she mistakenly believes he's her best friend's new husband.
A full stock of RKO's favorite character actors are on hand including Erik Rhodes (with that convincing Italian accent, you'd never believe he's from Oklahoma) as Dale's suitor Mr. Beddini, Eric Blore as Jerry's faithful valet ("WE are Bates sir"), brassy Helen Broderick as Dale's best friend Madge, and the fussy Edward Everett Horton as Madge's husband. The sweeping Irving Berlin score includes "Cheek to Cheek," "Isn't it a Lovely Day?", "The Piccolino", and the jaunty title song. [LS]
Directed by Mark Sandrich. Producer: Pandro S. Berman; Screenplay: Dwight Taylor and Allan Scott; Music: Max Steiner. Based on the play "The Girl Who Dared (or A Scandal in Budapest)" by Alexander Faragó and Aladar Laszlo.
With Fred Astaire (Jerry Travers), Ginger Rogers (Dale Tremont), Edward Everett Horton (Horace Hardwick), Erik Rhodes (Alberto Beddini), Eric Blore (Bates), Helen Broderick (Madge Hardwick), Lucille Ball (Shop clerk).
35mm, black & white, 99 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from original camera and track negatives. preceded by His Old Flame (Columbia, 1935). Directed by James W. Horne. With Charles Murray. 35mm, black & white 18 minutes.
Saturday,November 22 (2:00 p.m.)
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (Warner Bros, 1943)
A young boy grows up in performing with his family in vaudeville, finds fame on Broadway, and through his songs becomes an American icon.
James Cagney, the tough guy of countless Warner Bros gangster films, shows he could do more than talk tough and carry a gun. In Yankee Doodle Dandy Cagney demonstrates that he was as good a hoofer as the next guy, better than most. Like most Hollywood biographical films, the script for Yankee Doodle Dandy took liberties with the real facts, so much so that George M. Cohan commented after viewing the film, "It was a good movie. Who was it about?" Cagney won an Oscar for his portrayal of Cohan and would play him again in 1955's The Seven Little Foys. [RS]
35mm, black & white, 126 minutes. Preserved by the Library of Congress from the original camera and track negatives.
preceded by
Superman, Chapter 11: Superman's Dilemma (Columbia, 1948). Directed by Thomas Carr and Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent), Noel Neill (Lois Lane), Tommy Bond (Jimmy Olsen); Carol Forman (Spider Lady); Pierre Watkin (Perry White). 35mm, black & white, 19 minutes.
Tuesday, December 2 (7:00 p.m.)
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (RKO, 1946)
George Bailey always dreamed of a better life and becomes disillusioned with the one he has, but a chance to see how it could have been makes George realizes he has not just a good life but a wonderful one!
We start off our month of Christmas movies with a film that has become synonymous with the holiday season. A story of good vs. evil, of hope and disparity, of joy and sorrow. Jimmy Stewart in his first movie in five years, having taken time off to fight World War II, is at his best as George Bailey.
Produced & Directed by Frank Capra; Screenplay: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett and Frank Capra; Music: Dimitri Tiomkin. Based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern.
With James Stewart (George Bailey), Donna Reed (Mary Bailey), Lionel Barrymore (Mr. Potter), Thomas Mitchell (Uncle Billy), Henry Travers (Clarence), Beulah Bondi (Mrs. Bailey), Frank Faylen (Ernie), Ward Bond (Bert), Gloria Grahame (Violet), H. B. Warner (Mr. Gower).
35mm, black & white, 130 minutes.
Friday, December 5 (7:30 p.m.)
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (Warner Bros, 1945)
A war hero (Dennis Morgan) spends Christmas with a magazine's homemaking expert (Barbara Stanwyck) on her farm… and it turns out she is no expert at all.
This film is often lost in the constant television and DVD barrage of It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 24th Street. But while introspection and magical wonders are perfect for Christmas…. a little romance ain't so bad either. Barbara Stanwyck is at the top of her game as the magazine writer and the now overlooked Dennis Morgan is great as the sailor just coming home from the war.
Directed by Peter Godfrey; Executive Producer: Jack L. Warner; Producer: William Jacobs; Screenplay: Lionel Houser and Adele Commandini; Original story: Aileen Hamilton; Photography: Carl Guthrie; Miss Stanwyck's gowns: Edith Head; Music: Frederick Hollander.
With Barbara Stanwyck (Elizabeth Lane), Dennis Morgan (Jefferson Jones), Sydney Greenstreet (Alexander Yardley), Reginald Gardiner (John Sloan), S. Z. Sakall (Felix Bassenak) , Robert Shayne (Dudley Beecham), Una O'Connor (Norah) , Frank Jenks (Sinkewicz) , Joyce Compton (Mary Lee).
35mm, black & white, 104 minutes.
Saturday, December 6 (2:00 p.m.)
HOME ALONE (20th Century-Fox, 1990)
A family takes off on vacation but leaves one of their kids (Macaulay Calkin) behind. Before they can get back he has to fend off burglars (Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci) looking to break into their house.
John Hughes shows us how NOT to celebrate Christmas. Oh there still is snow and Santa and family (even if they are hundreds of miles away and have forgotten you), but there is also a couple of dimwitted burglars trying to bring some humbug to a little kid's holiday.
Directed by Chris Columbus. Producer: John Hughes; Screenplay: John Hughes; Music: John Williams; Stunts: Fred Hice.
With Macaulay Culkin (Kevin McCallister), Joe Pesci (Harry), Daniel Stern (Marv), John Heard (Peter McCallister), Roberts Blossom (Marley), Catherine O'Hara (Kate McCallister)
35mm, color, 103 minutes.
Tuesday, December 9 (7:00 p.m.)
SCROOGE (National General, 1970)
Ebenezer Scrooge learns a lot about the true meaning of Christmas in a musical version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
The people of merry olde England sing and dance when Scrooge dies, and when he lives, when he is mean and when he is nice…. Well, it is a musical after all. Leslie Bricusse (who wrote such classic songs as What Kind of Fool Am I? and Talk to the Animals) was nominated for an Oscar for his musical score and for the song Thank You Very Much.
Directed by Ronald Neame. Executive produced and written by Leslie Bricusse; Songs by Leslie Bricusse; Photography: Oswald Morris; Musical numbers staged by Paddy Stone. Based on the novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (London, 1843).
With Albert Finney (Scrooge), Alec Guinness (Marleys ghost), Edith Evans (Ghost of Christmas Past), Kenneth More (Ghost of Christmas Present), Laurence Naismith (Fezziwig), Michael Medwin (Nephew), David Collings (Bob Cratchit), Anton Rodgers (Tom Jenkins), Suzanne Neve (Isabel), Frances Cuka (Mrs. Cratchit).
35mm, color, 115 minutes.
Friday, December 12 (7:30 p.m.)
HOLIDAY AFFAIR (RKO, 1949)
A widowed mother (Janet Leigh) juggles her job as a professional shopper with raising a son and dealing with two suitors (Robert Mitchum and Wendell Corey)… not to mention Christmas!
Look up "forgotten classic" in the dictionary and they will list this film. Janet Leigh was never more engaging and Robert Mitchum, even though playing a romantic lead, is still the Mitchum we know and love. Throw in some Christmas shopping and a little kid and you have a great Christmas movie.
Directed by Don Hartman. Screenplay: Isobel Lennart; Photography: Milton Krasner; Music: Roy Webb. Based on the novelette The Man Who Played Santa Claus by John D. Weaver in McCall's (Dec 1948).
With Robert Mitchum (Steve Mason), Janet Leigh (Connie[Ennis), Wendell Corey (Carl Davis), Gordon Gebert (Timmy Ennis), Griff Barnett (Mr. Ennis), Esther Dale (Mrs. Ennis), Henry O'Neill (Mr. Crowley), Henry [Harry] Morgan (Police lieutenant).
35mm, black & white, 86 minutes.
Saturday, December 13 (2:00 p.m.)
THE SANTA CLAUSE (Walt Disney, 1994)
When Santa Claus passes away a divorced father (Tim Allen) is forced to take over the job.
A year before he would hit the screen as Buzz Lightyear in Disney-Pixar's Toy Story, Tim Allen made his film debut as a regular guy who turns into the big guy from the North Pole.
Directed by John Pasquin. Screenplay: Leo Benvenuti & Steve Rudnick; Photography: Walt Lloyd. Music: Michael Conventino.
With Tim Allen (Scott Calvin / Santa Claus), Wendy Crewson (Laura Calvin Miller), Judge Reinhold (Dr. Neil Miller), Eric Lloyd (Charlie Calvin), David Krumholtz (Bernard the Elf).
35mm, color, 97 minutes.
Tuesday December 16 (7:00 p.m.)
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Christmas on Television
Bob Hope, Ozzie & Harriet and even Archie Bunker all celebrated the holidays on TV. Join us for an evening with your old favorites.
Most of us grew up with two things in the living room during the holidays - a Christmas tree and the television set. This evening of sitcoms, variety shows and specials will, hopefully, bring back some of those memories. Times when the family would cozy up together, sip some hot cider and watch their favorites on TV bring some yuletide cheer into their home.
16mm & 35mm, black & white & color, approximately 150 minutes.
Friday, December 19 (7:30 p.m.)
A CHRISTMAS STORY (MGM, 1983)
The efforts of Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) to get a Red Rider BB Gun for a Christmas present while at the same time fending off bullies and arguing parents.
The Christmas film requested by more Mt. Pony theater patrons than any other… well, maybe a close second to It'a A Wonderful Life. The original advertising for this film says it all: "A Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas..."
Directed by Bob Clark. Screenplay: Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark; Photography: Reginald H. Morris. Based on "Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid" (Playboy, December 1965) by Jean Shepherd.
With Melinda Dillon (Mrs. Parker), Darren McGavin (The Old Man - Mr. Parker), Peter Billingsley (Ralphie Parker), Ian Petrella (Randy Parker), Scott Schwartz (Flick), R.D. Robb (Schwartz).
35mm, color, 94 minutes.
Saturday, December 20 (2:00 p.m.)
MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (20th Century-Fox, 1947)
A department store Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) goes on trial to prove there is a Santa Claus despite the disbelief of his boss (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter (Natalie Wood).
We bring our salute to Christmas to a close with this classic that teaches us all that one way or the other…. Yes, there is a Santa Claus. But don't quit here! Rent or buy White Christmas (1954) or Holiday Inn (1942) or Prancer (1989).
Directed by George Seaton; Screenplay: George Seaton; Story: Valentine Davies; Photography: Charles Clarke and Lloyd Ahern; Music: Alfred Newman.
With Maureen O'Hara (Doris Walker), John Payne (Fred Gailey), Edmund Gwenn (Kris Kringle), Gene Lockhart (Judge Henry X. Harper), Natalie Wood (Susan Walker), Porter Hall (Mr. Sawyer), William Frawley (Charles Halloran).
35mm, black & white, 95 minutes.
Short subjects will be presented before select programs. The Mount Pony theater will be closed for the holidays beginning December 21, opening again on Tuesday, January 2.
Film notes by Mike Mashon [MM], Jenny Paxson [JP], Larry Smith [LS], Rob Stone [RS] and George Willeman [GW].
Projectionists: Amy Gallick and Dave March.
Last Updated: 11/19/2008