A NEW UPDATE FROM THE SYRACUSE CINEPHILE SOCIETY

 

We’ve successfully reached the conclusion of our Fall 2021 season, which was also our “comeback” season after being on an almost two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.
As President of the Syracuse Cinephile Society, I know I speak for our entire staff when I say how grateful and appreciative we are to everyone who returned to our Monday screenings at the Spaghetti Warehouse and supported our organization and series.
Frankly, this situation has been a very emotional one. There were times (actually MANY times) during our shutdown when we weren’t sure if we would ever be able to resume our screenings…and then when we WERE ready to resume, we didn’t know if our audience members would feel comfortable in returning.
Thankfully things worked out for us. We took carefully thought-out safety precautions, kept the audience sizes manageable and many of our old friends DID return right off the bat. There were some others who didn’t feel comfortable returning at first, but eventually they DID return (and kept returning) once we were well into the season and established a good track record for safety. There are a few regular audience members from past seasons who are still nervous about returning and that’s OK….We truly understand and respect that. Hopefully the Covid situation will improve to the point where those folks feel comfortable in being with us again, and when that happens they will be welcomed back warmly.
Please be assured that tracking and monitoring the local, state and national Covid situations will remain to be a regular part of our series preparation (even during the season breaks) and we will make protocol adjustments as necessary.
We value our audiences and fellow staff members and will continue to do everything we can to keep everyone as healthy and safe as possible.
Thank you to everyone who helped make our successful return possible.
Sincerely,
Gerry Orlando
President
The Syracuse Cinephile Society

 

                           SPRING 2022 SEASON SCHEDULE   

                                         Programs begin at 7:30 PM 

 

3/21   A SOUTHERN YANKEE (1948).  Cast:  Red Skelton, Brian Donlevy, Arlene Dahl, George Coulouris, John Ireland.  Director: Edward Sedgwick.  Red’s in top form as a bumbling bellhop who becomes an army spy during the Civil War….and ends up spying for both sides!  A wild comedy with gags contributed by creative consultant Buster Keaton. 

 

3/28   INTERNES CAN’T TAKE MONEY (1937).  Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Lloyd Nolan, Lee Bowman, Pierre Watkin, Fay Holden.  Director: Alfred Santell.  The very first “Dr. Kildare” movie, produced by Paramount before it became a series with different stars at MGM.  Dr. Kildare (McCrea) helps a young mother who is also an ex-con (Stanwyck).  He also gets involved with gangsters led by a tough mob boss (Nolan).  An interesting drama with fine performances.  (NOTE: We are using the original spelling of “interns” that was used in the movie and its promotional materials).  PLUS:  The 1932 comedy short COUNTY HOSPITAL with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

 

4/4   THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933).  In early two-strip Technicolor. Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Allen Vincent.  Director: Michael Curtiz.  This is the recent two-strip Technicolor restoration of the classic horror/mystery thriller (later remade as “House of Wax”) in which a mad sculptor (Atwill) encases his victims in wax.  Great effort was made by UCLA Archives, the Film Foundation and Warner Brothers to return this well-worn film to its original condition and color quality, and we will be presenting the impressive results of that project. 

 

4/11   THIS TIME FOR KEEPS (1947).  In Technicolor.  Cast: Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Lauritz Melchior, Johnnie Johnston, Xavier Cugat, Dame May Whitty, Sharon McManus.  Director: Richard Thorpe. This entertaining MGM musical stars Esther as a famous aquacade star who is pursued by a young singer (Johnston).  Fun comedy by Durante, wonderful music, great swimming numbers and beautiful scenery of Michigan’s Mackinac Island.  A real treat!

 

4/18   MYSTERY DOUBLE FEATURE

             FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949).  Cast: William Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick, Jeff Corey, Nestor Paiva, Paul Guilfoyle. Director: Richard Fleischer. Syracuse native Lundigan stars in this taut Film-Noir mystery as a frustrated police detective searching for a serial killer who only murders his victims during rainstorms. An atmospheric story that’s very well done. 

             SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943).  Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Milburn Stone, Dennis Hoey.  Director: Roy William Neill.  Holmes and Watson visit a mansion being used as a home for convalescing war officers where mysterious murders are taking place. This Holmes entry is considered to be one of the best in the Universal series and has been beautifully restored.

 

4/25  THE GREAT McGINTY (1940). Cast: Brian Donlevy, Akim Tamiroff, Muriel Angelus, Allyn Joslyn, William Demarest. Director: Preston Sturges. Sturges wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay and made his directorial debut with this sharp comedy of a crude loudmouth (Donlevy) who is brought into politics by a crooked political machine….and ends up being elected to a high office!  A wild, well-written story with an excellent cast.

 

5/2  TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942). Cast: Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack, Lionel Atwill, Felix Bressart, Sig Ruman, Tom Dugan. Director: Ernst Lubitsch. Lubitsch’s classic about a troupe of Polish actors who become part of a plan to foil invading Nazis during WWII. A superb blend of comedy and espionage drama, and one of Jack Benny’s best films. 

 

5/9  WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURE

           VALLEY OF FEAR (1947).  Cast: Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton, Christine McIntyre, Tristram Coffin, Pierce Lyden.  Director: Lambert Hillyer. Johnny returns to his hometown and finds that he’s a wanted man, accused of receiving stolen money.  Being innocent, he must find a way to clear his good name.  There’s plenty of action, mystery and excitement in this fast-moving story.

          HOPALONG CASSIDY (aka HOPALONG CASSIDY ENTERS) (1935).  Cast: William Boyd, James Ellison, George “Gabby” Hayes, Paula Stone, Charles Middleton, Frank McGlynn Jr.   Director: Howard Bretherton. The very first “Hoppy” film that began the popular series, based on the classic western stories by Clarence E. Mulford.  This is the origin story, telling how Bill Cassidy (Boyd) arrived at the Bar 20 Ranch, how he met his sidekicks and even how he acquired the nickname of “Hopalong”.  A fascinating introduction to one of Hollywood’s best-loved movie cowboys.

 

5/16   SAN FRANCISCO (1936).  Cast: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt, Jessie Ralph, Ted Healy, Shirley Ross, Al Shean. Director: W.S. Van Dyke II.  A beautiful restoration of MGM’s hit blockbuster, featuring great performances by a strong cast and a powerful re-creation of the famous San Francisco earthquake.

 

5/23   ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953). Cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert. Director: William Wyler. A young princess (Hepburn) yearns for a normal life, runs away to enjoy Rome on her own and meets a handsome reporter covering a story there (Peck). A wonderful romantic comedy in which Audrey Hepburn won the Academy Award for Best Actress in her American film debut. 

 

5/30  NO SHOW (Memorial Day).

 

6/6   THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938).  In Technicolor. Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Alan Hale, Eugene Pallette, Patric Knowles, Una O’Connor.  Director: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley.  Another stunning restoration, this time in rich, gorgeous Technicolor!  The classic tale of the Sherwood Forest gang, and this version has it all:  Excellent performances by a top-notch cast, superb production values, plenty of swashbuckling action and an outstanding Oscar-winning score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold…all returned to its original 1938 brilliance.

 

6/13  ACE IN THE HOLE (aka THE BIG CARNIVAL) (1951). Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Porter Hall, Frank Cady, Bob Arthur.  Director: Billy Wilder.  Wilder’s interesting drama of an opportunistic newspaper reporter (Douglas) who covers the story of a man trapped in a cave.  Through manipulation of the law, politicians and the media, the reporter manages to make a popular, high-profile event of the situation.  A well-written script that seems strangely contemporary today and one of Douglas’ finest performances.

 

6/20  FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933). Cast: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert, Ruth Donnelly, Claire Dodd. Director: Lloyd Bacon. Our season finale is this star-filled blockbuster musical-comedy from Warner Brothers. Cagney plays a stage director whose live productions are in trouble when talking pictures take over theaters, and he must become unusually creative to stay in business. This film features three elaborate eye-popping and jaw-dropping production numbers directed by Busby Berkeley: “By a Waterfall”, “Honeymoon Hotel” and the classic “Shanghai Lil”. Our screening proudly presents the recent studio restoration that looks terrific!

Please join us for dinner before the show, now with Cheesecake Factory desserts!  It is suggested you arrive for dinner no later than 6:15 PM so you can complete your meal prior to show time at 7:30 PM.

The Monday Night Series is Brought to you by the Syracuse Cinephile Society

Located at the Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant
 Programs begin at 7:30 PM

Members – $3.00
Non-Members – $3.50
Annual Membership – $5.00