'Psycho'
JUNE 18
JUNE 18
(Universal)
Movie fans all know about Norman Bates, his nutty, knife-wielding mother and their creepy motel ("12 cabins, 12 vacancies."). Did you know, however, that Alfred Hitchcock's most disturbing thriller was independently produced for less than $1 million and that the notorious shower scene (which took 7 days to shoot) required some 70 camera set-ups. That blood seen spiraling down the shower drain was actually Bosco chocolate syrup. Pure movie magic! (1960) 109 Min.
Movie fans all know about Norman Bates, his nutty, knife-wielding mother and their creepy motel ("12 cabins, 12 vacancies."). Did you know, however, that Alfred Hitchcock's most disturbing thriller was independently produced for less than $1 million and that the notorious shower scene (which took 7 days to shoot) required some 70 camera set-ups. That blood seen spiraling down the shower drain was actually Bosco chocolate syrup. Pure movie magic! (1960) 109 Min.
| 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' | JUNE 25 |
(Fox)
Bogie and Bacall. Hepburn and Tracy. Add Newman and Redford to the list of all time great screen couples. They play the title characters, outlaws on the run from a sheriff's posse determined to bring them to justice. The action-packed western has plenty of snappy dialogue (Oscar for William Goldman) and peppy music (Oscar for Burt Bacharach). Hopefully, there won't be raindrops fallin' on your head while we screen this crowd pleaser. (1969) 110 min. (Panavision)
Bogie and Bacall. Hepburn and Tracy. Add Newman and Redford to the list of all time great screen couples. They play the title characters, outlaws on the run from a sheriff's posse determined to bring them to justice. The action-packed western has plenty of snappy dialogue (Oscar for William Goldman) and peppy music (Oscar for Burt Bacharach). Hopefully, there won't be raindrops fallin' on your head while we screen this crowd pleaser. (1969) 110 min. (Panavision)
| 'The Wizard Of Oz' | JULY 2 |
(Warner Bros.)
The best-loved fantasy in Hollywood history transports Dorothy (Judy Garland) somewhere over the rainbow from Kansas to a magic land of Munchkins, witches (good and bad), yellow brick roads, emerald cities, flying monkeys and wonderful wizards. Dorothy's little dog Toto was played by a female Cairn terrier named Terry. According to the lead Munchkin (see IMDB trivia), the "little people" on the set were paid $50 per week, while Terry got $125. (1939) 101 Min.
The best-loved fantasy in Hollywood history transports Dorothy (Judy Garland) somewhere over the rainbow from Kansas to a magic land of Munchkins, witches (good and bad), yellow brick roads, emerald cities, flying monkeys and wonderful wizards. Dorothy's little dog Toto was played by a female Cairn terrier named Terry. According to the lead Munchkin (see IMDB trivia), the "little people" on the set were paid $50 per week, while Terry got $125. (1939) 101 Min.
| 'On The Waterfront' | JULY 9 |
(Sony/Columbia)
Elia Kazan directed this stark drama of corruption and racketeering in the longshoremen's union that ran things on the Hoboken docks. Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb and Rod Steiger were all Oscar nominated for their roles. Brando ("I coulda been a contender) was, in fact, a winner. "I think I may have the baby right here," said a very pregnant Eva Marie Saint, onstage at the Pantages Theater to accept her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. (1954) 108 Min.
Elia Kazan directed this stark drama of corruption and racketeering in the longshoremen's union that ran things on the Hoboken docks. Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb and Rod Steiger were all Oscar nominated for their roles. Brando ("I coulda been a contender) was, in fact, a winner. "I think I may have the baby right here," said a very pregnant Eva Marie Saint, onstage at the Pantages Theater to accept her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. (1954) 108 Min.
| 'Roman Holiday' | JULY 16 |
(Paramount)
Audrey Hepburn's first starring role took the critics by storm. She won the New York Film Critics, the Golden Globe, the Oscar and BAFTA awards for Best Actress. The fairy tale romance of a runaway princess and a newspaper man (Gregory Peck) is every bit as charming as the leading lady. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo won an Oscar for the story, but it was awarded under another name as he had been blacklisted during the "Red Scare" era. (1953) 118 Min.
Audrey Hepburn's first starring role took the critics by storm. She won the New York Film Critics, the Golden Globe, the Oscar and BAFTA awards for Best Actress. The fairy tale romance of a runaway princess and a newspaper man (Gregory Peck) is every bit as charming as the leading lady. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo won an Oscar for the story, but it was awarded under another name as he had been blacklisted during the "Red Scare" era. (1953) 118 Min.
| 'The Maltese Falcon' | JULY 23 |
(Warner Bros.)
Humphrey Bogart is Sam Spade. Mary Astor is trouble. Private eye Spade is hired to find the statue of a mysterious black bird and is soon involved in murder and mayhem. Shady characters, in addition to Ms. Astor, are Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Elisha Cook, Jr. Much of the dialogue was lifted from the Dashiell Hammett novel (previously filmed in 1931). John Huston's first effort in the director's chair has endured as a definitive example of film noir. (1941) 100 Min.
Humphrey Bogart is Sam Spade. Mary Astor is trouble. Private eye Spade is hired to find the statue of a mysterious black bird and is soon involved in murder and mayhem. Shady characters, in addition to Ms. Astor, are Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Elisha Cook, Jr. Much of the dialogue was lifted from the Dashiell Hammett novel (previously filmed in 1931). John Huston's first effort in the director's chair has endured as a definitive example of film noir. (1941) 100 Min.
| 'Rebel Without A Cause' | JULY 30 |
(Warner Bros.)
Tragically, James Dean starred in only three movies in his short career. Here he plays 17-year-old Jim, the troubled youth of the title, whose middle-class parents just don't understand him. Never has the generation gap been portrayed with more poignancy. Dean's willing partners in alienation are Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. Director Nicholas Ray uses every available inch of the wide, wide screen in conveying '50s teenage angst. (1955) 111 Min. (CinemaScope)
Tragically, James Dean starred in only three movies in his short career. Here he plays 17-year-old Jim, the troubled youth of the title, whose middle-class parents just don't understand him. Never has the generation gap been portrayed with more poignancy. Dean's willing partners in alienation are Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. Director Nicholas Ray uses every available inch of the wide, wide screen in conveying '50s teenage angst. (1955) 111 Min. (CinemaScope)
| 'The Adventures Of Robin Hood' | AUGUST 6 |
(Warner Bros.)
Dashing Errol Flynn, sporting plenty of Saxon appeal, leads his band of men-in-tights vs. the Normans and the villainous Basil Rathbone. He still finds time to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Maid Marian (Olivia deHavilland), the pageantry of merrie olde England and legendary Sherwood Forest are all the more glorious in ravishing Technicolor. The stirring musical score is by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Special thanks to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts New York (BAFTA New York) (1938) 102 Min.
Dashing Errol Flynn, sporting plenty of Saxon appeal, leads his band of men-in-tights vs. the Normans and the villainous Basil Rathbone. He still finds time to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Maid Marian (Olivia deHavilland), the pageantry of merrie olde England and legendary Sherwood Forest are all the more glorious in ravishing Technicolor. The stirring musical score is by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Special thanks to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts New York (BAFTA New York) (1938) 102 Min.
| 'All About Eve' | AUGUST 13 |
(Fox)
Margo (Bette Davis) is an aging Broadway legend. Eve (Anne Baxter) is a calculating, ambitious "fan" who insinuates herself into the star's life. Watch your back, Margo! George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill and Thelma Ritter add to the fun. Sophisticated dialogue by Joseph L. Mankiewicz remains infinitely quotable ("fasten your seatbelts...") today. Newcomer Marilyn Monroe, as a shapely ingénue, is described as "a graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art." (1950) 138 Min.
Margo (Bette Davis) is an aging Broadway legend. Eve (Anne Baxter) is a calculating, ambitious "fan" who insinuates herself into the star's life. Watch your back, Margo! George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill and Thelma Ritter add to the fun. Sophisticated dialogue by Joseph L. Mankiewicz remains infinitely quotable ("fasten your seatbelts...") today. Newcomer Marilyn Monroe, as a shapely ingénue, is described as "a graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art." (1950) 138 Min.
| 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' | AUGUST 20 |
(Paramount)
Harrison Ford ably fills the boots of Indiana Jones, the intrepid archeologist who must locate the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can claim the prize for Hitler. George Lucas, Philip Kaufman and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the script, while Steven Spielberg directed the over-the-top action. Mr. Lucas claimed inspiration from the Saturday matinee serials of his youth. Tom Selleck turned down the lead to play Magnum on TV. (1981) 115 Min. (Panavision)
Harrison Ford ably fills the boots of Indiana Jones, the intrepid archeologist who must locate the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can claim the prize for Hitler. George Lucas, Philip Kaufman and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the script, while Steven Spielberg directed the over-the-top action. Mr. Lucas claimed inspiration from the Saturday matinee serials of his youth. Tom Selleck turned down the lead to play Magnum on TV. (1981) 115 Min. (Panavision)