FALL 2024 SEASON SCHEDULE

Programs begin at 7:00 PM   

 

NOTE:  Some of our opening short subjects are announced in the listings, but others will be unannounced surprises! 

 

9/9   IT STARTED WITH EVE (1941).  Cast:  Deanna Durbin, Charles Laughton, Robert Cummings, Walter Catlett, Guy Kibbee, Margaret Tallichet.  Director: Henry Koster.  Our season begins with this excellent comedy about a young man (Cummings) who gets a stranger (Durbin) to pose as his fiancée in order to please his dying father (Laughton) and satisfy the old man’s deathbed wish of meeting his son’s future wife.  The real trouble starts when “Dad” begins to recover and Deanna has to stick around!  Great fun with fine performances from the talented cast.

PLUS  Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly in their 1934 comedy short OPENED BY MISTAKE.

 

9/16   BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948).  Cast: Robert Mitchum, Robert Preston, Walter Brennan, Barbara Bel Geddes, Frank Faylen, Phyllis Thaxter, Charles McGraw.  Director: Robert Wise.  A tough no-nonsense Western based on a novel by Luke Short.  A drifter (Mitchum) is hired by a slick con man (Preston) to help cheat some unsuspecting landowners…but Mitchum decides he doesn’t like the scheme and realizes it needs to be stopped.  A great story, interesting characters and plenty of action combine to make this a terrific Western drama.

 

9/23  MYSTERY DOUBLE FEATURE: 

VOICE OF THE WHISTLER  (1945).  Cast: Richard Dix, Lynn Merrick, Rhys Williams, James Cardwell.  Director: William Castle. A money-hungry nurse (Merrick) dumps her boyfriend to marry one of her patients: a millionaire in poor health (Dix), but she ends up getting more trouble than she bargained for.  An atmospheric entry in Columbia’s popular “Whistler” anthology series based on the famous CBS radio program.

THE PEARL OF DEATH  (1944).  Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, Rondo Hatton, Dennis Hoey.  Director: Roy William Neill.  This suspenseful “Sherlock Holmes” mystery finds Holmes and Watson searching for six busts of Napoleon, one of which contains the Borgia pearl.  Rondo Hatton makes his first appearance as the hulking and murderous “Creeper”.  A favorite entry in Universal’s Holmes series.

 

9/30  CALL ME MADAM  (1953).  In TECHNICOLOR.  Cast: Ethel Merman, Donald O’Connor, Vera-Ellen, George Sanders, Billy DeWolfe, Walter Slezak. Director: Walter Lang. 20^th Century-Fox’s excellent film version of Merman’s hit Broadway musical-comedy. Ethel’s in top form as a thinly disguised version of Perle Mesta, the real-life Washington, D.C. hostess and ambassador.  A wonderful Irving Berlin score including such hits as “It’s a Lovely Day Today” and “You’re Just In Love”….plus outstanding dancing by Donald and Vera.

PLUS  George O’Hanlon as Joe McDoakes in his 1948 comedy short SO YOU WANT TO BE POPULAR.

 

10/7  CRY OF THE CITY (1948).  Cast: Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Fred Clark, Shelley Winters, Betty Garde, Debra Paget, Hope Emerson, Berry Kroeger, Tommy Cook, Roland Winters. Director: Robert Siodmak.  A gritty Film Noir drama of two men (Mature and Conte) who grew up in the same urban environment but wound up on opposite sides of the law.  A dark and powerful story with a strong and memorable cast. 

PLUS  The 1945 “Crime Does Not Pay” short THE LAST INSTALLMENT featuring Cameron Mitchell.  

 

10/14  LOVE AFFAlR  (1939).  Cast:  Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer, Maria Ouspenskaya, Lee Bowman, Astrid Allwyn. Director: Leo McCarey.  The classic romantic drama (with humorous overtones) that was later remade as “An Affair to Remember”. The fame and exposure of the remake caused this original version to be sadly neglected and many prints deteriorated over the years….but we will proudly be screening a recent restoration that brings LOVE AFFAIR back to its original condition and quality.  This is an impressive presentation that’s not to be missed!

 

10/21  RIDE ‘EM COWBOY (1942).  Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne, Johnny Mack Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Douglass Dumbrille, The Merry Macs.  Director: Arthur Lubin.  Bud and Lou find themselves working at a modern dude ranch and getting mixed up in various cowboy situations that bring them all kinds of trouble.  A lively and entertaining combination of comedy, adventure and music.   

 

10/28  STAR-FILLED HALLOWEEN DOUBLE FEATURE:

SUPERNATURAL (1933).  Cast: Carole Lombard, Randolph Scott, Vivienne Osborne, H.B. Warner, Alan Dinehart, Beryl Mercer, William Farnum. Director: Victor Halperin.  Lombard’s only horror film is this chilling tale where she “inherits” the evil and deranged soul of an executed murderess.  There’s plenty of atmospheric tension in this one! 

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932).  Cast: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Raymond Massey, Lillian Bond, Ernest Thesiger. Director: James Whale. A top-notch cast headlines Universal’s classic gathering of a group of strange characters thrown together in a mysterious country home during a heavy rainstorm.  Our screening will be a recent restoration that brings new life to this old favorite.  

 

11/4  THE DARK HORSE (1932).  Cast: Warren William, Bette Davis, Guy Kibbee, Frank McHugh, Vivienne Osborne, Sam Hardy. Director: Alfred E. Green.  Our “Night Before Election Night” attraction is this wild political comedy from Warner Brothers about a shady campaign manager (William) who engineers the election of a stupid and inept candidate running for governor (Kibbee).  The type of snappy Pre-Code comedy that Warners was so good at making! 

PLUS  Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in their 1930 comedy short BLOTTO.

 

11/11  BATTLEGROUND (1949).  Cast: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Marshall Thompson, James Whitmore, James Arness, Denise Darcel, Don Taylor, Scotty Beckett. Director: William Wellman. Our Veterans Day attraction is this well-done and highly respected drama that depicts the Battle of the Bulge. BATTLEGROUND won Academy Awards for its screenplay and cinematography and it’s easy to understand why. Excellent performances from the fine cast of talented actors.

 

11/18  BRIGHT EYES (1934).  Cast: Shirley Temple, James Dunn, Jane Withers, Lois Wilson, Charles Sellon, Jane Darwell, Judith Allen, Dorothy Christy. Director: David Butler. Shirley’s first feature as the main character is a skillful mix of heart-tugging drama, exciting aviation adventure, funny comedy (especially the teaming of Shirley and Jane Withers) and the hit song “On the Good Ship Lollipop”.  Great entertainment for all ages.  

PLUS  Our Gang (featuring a very young Spanky) in their 1932 comedy short CHOO-CHOO!  

 

11/25  WE’RE NO ANGELS (1955). Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Basil Rathbone, Leo G. Carroll, Joan Bennett.  In TECHNICOLOR. Director: Michael Curtiz. Three escaped convicts from Devil’s Island (Bogart, Ustinov and Ray) find refuge with a struggling shopkeeper (Carroll) and his family. The convicts not only end up helping out in the store, they also become involved in solving the family’s various personal and professional problems. A fun comedy that (believe it or not) is perfect for heading into the holiday season. 

 

12/2   THE BELLS OF ST. MARY’S (1945).  Cast: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, William Gargan, Ruth Donnelly, Joan Carroll, Martha Sleeper. Director: Leo McCarey. Our season finale and official holiday show is this beloved comedy-drama.  Father O’Malley (Crosby) is assigned to a struggling parish and finds himself dealing with its Mother Superior (Bergman) who is often at odds with him. The story has a nice combination of warm humor and touching drama and some of it takes place around Christmas, making THE BELLS OF ST. MARY’S a wonderful movie for this time of year and a fine one to close out our season.

Please join us for dinner before the show. 

It is suggested you arrive for dinner no later than 6:00 PM so you can complete your meal prior to showtime at 7:00 PM.