The Man In The Chair (2007) starring Christohper Plummer

I knew I would enjoy this movie from the first few moments it begins. We see an old man (Christopher Plummer) in a theater by himself enjoying a bottle of booze and watching His Girl Friday with  Cary Grant. Then as the credits roll, he's watching another classic in the darkened theater, this time The Last Time I Saw Paris and the argument scene with Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson, where Van throws his writings/manuscripts in a fireplace, giving up on his dreams. Immediately, Plummer's character gets up and yells at the screen; we don't hear what he's saying but we can tell he's emotionally affected by the drama (and dashed dreams), and in love with classic movies.

Then the credits montage continues with scenes of him riding the bus at night, and walking down a darkened street, eating lunch outside, or sitting/reading on a bench - suggesting he likes to get out of wherever he's living for a while. He goes to see more films, and the cycle repeats.

It's a bit mysterious at first, but as the film continues and unravels, we learn more about the grouchy old character. He lives in a home for retired film/tv veterans, and has a past career working on classic Hollywood films. 

Meanwhile, we're introduced to another character with a troubled past, a young high school cinephile and aspiring filmmaker, who wants to make a short student action film, but struggles with writing and can't pronounce "Nietzsche". The kid - when he's not stealing cars - spends his free time going to classic film screenings; at a screening of Touch of Evil, he meets Plummer. 

The rest of the movie is about their relationship, and about they work together making the short film which they are both passionate about. It's a charming buddy film about a young movie lover and the old Hollywood vet. As the kid gets to know the old man and his friends, you can sense his inner growth, and begins to consider making a documentary instead. He also teaches an elder to use Google and introduces him to blogging.

Christopher Plummer is very believable playing a cranky old Hollywood film crew member. His character is filled with loneliness and bitterness at the start of the film, but his life changes when he meets the kid; you can sense the spark of life coming back to him. I love the scene where Plummer talks and reminisces with his old, forgotten writer friend whom he encourages to help with the film. And I love how his character imparts his wisdom on the kid as they take the bus around town; he points out landmarks of classic cinema history and tells him stories about knowing Orson Welles. 

Special appearances by M. Emmet Walsh who plays a fellow resident of the home and Robert Wagner as a rich, retired Hollywood producer - and adversary - of Plummer's. 

Filmed on location in Los Angeles/Hollywood.

Written and directed by Michael Schroeder. Unfortunately, I don't know much else about what else the director has made other than some low-budget horror films in the 80s and 90s. But if I had to guess, I would say that this is a dream project of the director's and subsequently went on to pursue other endeavors. I applaud his efforts making this film; I found it enjoyable and very memorable.

Film Critic Roger Ebert didn't like the movie when it came out (see his review here), but I really liked it. I consider it a great tribute to not only the elderly, but also aging movie stars who are often forgotten in their twilight years. 

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This is an entry in the Charismatic Christopher Plummer Blogathon, hosted by Realweegiemidget Reviews and Pale Writer. December 10-12, 2022

The Farewell (2019) and The Meddler (2016)

I recently watched The Farewell, which got great reviews last year and is commended as one of the top films to see of the year. I join in on the praises; I loved this film. I read that it is a semi autobiographical film about the writer-director Lulu Wang, and that the characters in the film are inspired by her and her relationships with her family and grandmother. The film is told from the main character's point of view (played by Awkwafina) and how she deals with accepting the sad news that her grandmother has a terminal illness.

A film about that alone would be enough to hold my interest, however the film is more complex and introduces many cultural complexities. The grandmother lives in China and speaks only Chinese, and fosters a strong family pride --- the actress who plays the grandmother is really fantastic, and deserves award recognition. In the film, you learn how this family's ways are very traditional, and how things are done in a traditional way -- for example how terminal illnesses are not talked about honestly and openly, and how secrets are kept.

These are relatable issues that many Americans or those in the West can understand if they have strong ethic family ties. I have some Eastern European in my family heritage and the immigrants and first-generation families were often very traditional just as this family. I liked all of the family dinner scenes, and seeing the family dynamics. There's one scene where the grandmother is commenting on how long a young couple about to married has been dating, and says (paraphrasing), "We can't let people know they've only been dating a few months...we have to say at least 6 months to a year....appearances matter...we can't have people talk about us".

That's just like in my family how older relatives think and behave. So concerned about what people think.

Awkwafina's character (an American) challenges some of this thinking, but also is respectful and goes along with some of it to keep the peace. I think that's the challenge that we need to face sometimes when it comes to family politics. I know that's what I have to do.

Kudos to the director and cinematography; I really like her style of directing and how realistic-looking the film is. This is the kind of movie that engages me and keeps me invested all the way through.

The Meddler is another very good movie about a family, directed by Lorene Scafaria. It's also semi-autobiographical -  a mom-daughter movie because it primarily focuses on the mom (Susan Sarandon) and her daughter (Rose Byrne); the director has said in interviews that the characters and events are based on true situations of herself and her own mom, who moved closer to her in Los Angeles when she became widowed.

Susan Sarandon is great playing an Italian-American from New York - Marnie Minervini - she's more liberal than traditional -- the opposite of the grandmother in The Farewell. Marnie desperately wants to start a new life. To do new things. To experience things she's never done. She's curious about iPhones and iPads and technology and loves to talk to any stranger she meets.

The film is -- unfortunately in my opinion -- called "The Meddler"  because that's how her daughter sees her, as a meddler; Marnie come across as being a busybody always calling/texting and wanting to spend time with her....when in fact, she's just lonely. My favorite sequence in the movie is a scene where they are together in a restaurant. The camera pans across several other tables with couples on dates until finally resting on the mom-daughter's table. I liked that because it expresses how the daughter wishes they both had separate lives apart from always hanging out together. That one shot really gets the point across well.

Eventually, by the end of the movie, that does happen - the mom does "get a life", and I liked seeing the evolution of her character. I liked the cop-boyfriend character played by JK Simmons who is really charming.

Another thing that I liked about the movie that is kind of different from other "movie moms" in the mom is independently wealthy, as a widow with an inheritance. So she basically has all the money she needs to live on for the rest of her life, a situation that is different from alot of other mom characters I've seen in movies; I can't think of another movie mom character quite like this one. The movie treats the mom respectfully and doesn't criticize her for having money....rather it explores what a person can do with their life and help their community to make it a better place if one were in her situation. She's not a woman who is using her money to exploit people, to do drugs, or to gamble it away.

It's a really interesting character, and a terrific performance by Susan Sarandon; I don't know why she was overlooked for award recognition that year. This is probably one of my favorites of all her movies and all roles. It's fantastic that she got to play this part.

And well-directed, too. Even-balanced showing us the mom's and daughter's perspectives.

As for the title, it's not the best title in my opinion - should have been called "Marnie and Lori". Or "Marnie's Adventures in Los Angeles". Or something similar. I think this film has the potential to become a real classic in years to come as more people see it.

More thoughts on these films:

Cinemascope blog (The Farewell) post here

Miracle Mile (1988)

I did not like this movie, despite the cast (Mare Winningham, Robert DoQui, Mykelti Williamson) and premise - a nuclear war/apocalyptic film set in the modern day (late 80s). At the film screening I watched it at, the programmer described this film as a movie that "put an exclamation point" on all cold-war era films, since this was pretty much the last movie that touched the subject of nuclear hysterics. The director only made a couple of other low-budget movies like this one, but this one has a number of effects and stunts that might normally be found in a slighter higher budget film.

I felt as if I was constantly being asked by this movie to suspend my disbelief, and I gave up about a quarter into the movie. The movie starts out as a cute John Hughes-esque romantic comedy (the director has admitted this) but about a quarter into the film, the main character Anthony Edwards learns about an coming nuclear attack and everyone around him panics, which spreads. I liked the scenes in the cafe/diner and was hoping the entire movie would take place there with just those characters and their lives we focus on.

That might have made for a good movie.

But instead, it becomes a horror/thriller/action film. The worst part is when Edwards runs into a gym at 5 AM and asks random people, "does anyone know how to fly a helicopter"? I suppose that could be funny, but come on. If the end of the world is nigh, wouldn't you try to call your family and friends? Maybe he didn't have any.

Killer of Sheep (1978) and director Charles Burnett in person

On July 26, 2019  I attended a screening of Killer of Sheep at the University of Chicago, sponsored by several film student groups. I've never seen the movie, but knew of its reputation as a landmark independent film about African American life in the 1970s inner city, and knew that it's a movie that is often shown to college students.

It was a really good film; I really enjoyed it. It's very simple, no traditional plot structure. But I love the scenes of ordinary life, centered around one family living in South Central Los Angeles. The father (Stan) works in a slaughterhouse. There are some great scenes with his wife, kids, and friends, as well as some other characters we meet for only a scene or two, but they're memorable (including some people Stan meets in a liquor store). More often than not, characters plan to do something promising, only to have their dreams shatter, which of course happens in real-life.

The director, Charles Burnett, appeared in person afterwards and talked about the making of the film; it was a college project for him that took several years to finish because of licensing rights to songs (there are alot of good songs in it). He also talked about how almost everyone in the film was one of his friends. He lived in Watts, Los Angeles in the '60s, so he was very familiar the community.

Q&A with Burnett at the University of Chicago

There was also a time of Q&A which was really interesting, too; about a dozen people had questions. One person commented that the film was reminiscent of Italian neo-realism, and asked Burnett if any films of that era influenced him. He said, yes, and mentioned that he had numerous opportunities to see a lot of international films on the college campus and elsewhere in LA. He remembered going to all of the latest film from well-known international directors, and said some of them came to his campus to speak occasionally; one was Satyajit Ray. Burnett talked more about his college days, and said that he often had discussions with his friends and classmates about what constitutes "a black film". With Black Sheep, he said he intended for it to be a film about the community for the community to see, and only expected it to be shown locally. Someone else asked him about what he thought about being part of the "New Rebellion" of black filmmakers; he said that he doesn't like labels, but he praised other filmmakers part of the movement.

Now I really want to see his follow-up movie, My Brother's Wedding. I have seen To Sleep With Anger and The Glass Shield many years ago and want to watch them again as well.

Also, I found an interesting review from the New York Times from 1978, below.

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'Killer of Sheep' Is Shown at the Whitney: Nonprofessional Cast

By Janet Maslin | November 14, 1978

"Killer of Sheep," which opens today at the Whitney Museum, is a film to make one mindful of the difference between genuinely abstract art and iciness for its own sake.

The program notes say that Charles Burnett, the director, thinks the idea of the film "is to try to recreate a situation without reducing life to a simple plot," but his film has just enough of a story to make it taxing.

The action, which of course is hardly supposed to be action at all, revolves around a black man whose only measure of prosperity is the fact that he's well enough off to give things to the Salvation Army. He is remote and depressed. His wife is bored and sexually frustrated, and she's depressed, too.

He has two children, whom we see eating breakfast and scratching and walking around the neighborhood. He has a lot of young and reasonably attractive male friends who live with grotesquely bloated women; sometimes the men get together and fix cars, or worry.

The central character works in a slaughterhouse, hence the none-too-apt title.

To all this monotony and alienation Mr. Burnett brings an estrangement of his own.

The film consists of loosely linked glimpses of the characters' lives, punctuated by occasional cuts to the slaughterhouse. It is acted by non-professionals, who call attention to the falseness of many of the situations.

It is beautifully photographed in black and white, and very spare.

The dialogue, which is read with either insufficient or excessive emphasis by the nonactors, is often buried under a soundtrack of vintage blues, making it doubly hard to follow.

Even the slaughter of the sheep is numbingly uneventful.That may be Mr. Burnett's very point, but he makes it so studiedly that the character's estrangement from his surroundings overlaps too conveniently with the director's arty detachment from his material.

And for all its air of starkness, "Killer of Sheep" is more often arid than it is genuinely economical. Mr. Burnett obviously has a keen eye for tiny moments — the way a child pulls up a sock, the way a man's hands move on machinery — but he doesn't demonstrate the kind of coherence that might give them larger meaning.

 Nonprofessional Cast KILLER OF SHEEP, by Charles Burnett, Principal performers are Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, and Angela Burnett. At the Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Avenue. Running time: 87 minutes.

Targets (1968) directed by Peter Bogdonovich

According to a recent article from TIME, Universal has canceled the American release of a new horror movie - called The Hunt - following two separate mass shootings that happened in America a week ago. "Now is not the right time", was part of the reasoning. From watching the The Hunt's trailer, it looks to be an ultra-violent film dealing with people who hunt people for sport. The trailer also seems to spoil who gets killed off; it looks like Amy Madigan's character does early (I like her, so to see her mercilessly terrorized and shot does not seem like fun to watch). The movie also features Hillary Swank and Emma Roberts; I don't know what their roles are, but I've read this film is supposed to satirical.

In 1994, I remember seeing Oliver Stone's satirical film Natural Born Killers, and I thought of that movie in the last week after the news of these shootings. I didn't like that film it at the time; it seemed to be presenting a society that idolizes serial killers, a concept I find really disturbing. I can't imagine anyone idolizing these latest killers in the news. I haven't watched that film in 25 years, but was thinking about rewatching it again sometime in the future. If I do I will post my thoughts about it. It was given 4 stars by Roger Ebert in his 1994 review.

Among the older films on my list to watch was Targets, which was released in the summer of 1968. It was Peter Bogdonovich's first feature film as director. The posters for Targets at the time showed an assassin/sniper, and like in the trailer for The Hunt, also warns the audience to expect violence and gives away some of the killings.  I can only imagine the advertisers at the time trying to promote this film. Targets was released just a few months after Martin Luther King Jr and Senator Robert Kennedy were shot, and one year before the horrendous murder of movie star Sharon Tate and others in her home.

Eating a sandwich before a killing spree.
What a Tarantino character might do?

I watched the movie over the weekend. It's OK. It's actually not entirely about the assassin to my surprise. He plays a major role, but the film doesn't explore his motivations and at the end we're left to our own interpretations. His dad and mom appear in a few scenes; the father is a hunter who has his own collection. The assassin's wife is depicted as hardworking, and they all watch TV together in the living room (they all live under the same roof). We don't get much background about the killer other than he's obsessed with guns (has a whole collection of them at home and in his trunk) and visits guns stores regularly, and that he's deranged. His age isn't specified, but we assume early 20s. There's no mention of him having any prior convictions, and no one acknowledges that he has a mental disturbance, or holds any political grievances. I'm amazed at how easy it was to buy his guns and ammunition at the various shops he goes to.

He basically kills people for sport, which is what he does in the film, and it's pretty disturbing to watch when he does it.

We are also are introduced to another main character, an aging horror-film star named "Orlock" played by Boris Karloff. It's not until the end when the two characters come together; the film builds up suspense until then. I liked Karloff's performance in this. Most of his sequences are comical in tone, hinting that this is a satire. Some of his dialogue, reactions, and expressions are funny, and he even plays drunk in one scene. My favorite part is when someone knocks on his door and he quips in his unmistakable voice, "Who's that knocking at my chamber door?" (a clear reference to 1967's Who's That Knocking At My Door). He also is shown watching some of his old movies various eras of his career  (which are real Karloff films; I liked these meta references).

While watching Targets, I wondered if Tarantino saw it, and wondered if it in some way inspired him while envisioning his latest movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

I found similarities in the two movies.

For example, in OUATIH, we also are introduced to an aging star who feels useless and washed-up (like Orlock). The Sharon Tate character in OUATIH also watches her latest film like Orlock does in this movie. The killer in Targets (played by Tim O'Brien -- he had a short career before dying early) drives around LA in his Ford Mustang convertible with the radio playing 60s music and DJs, similar to Pitt and DiCaprio in OUATIH.

By the end of Targets, it seemed a bit more clear me that this movie isn't solely about the assassin. In fact, I think it's more about the Orlock character - a horror film veteran who faces real-life horror on the verge of retirement.

An interesting article from Slate that talks about the making of the film, and how  Roger Corman and Samuel Fuller helped shape the film. Really interesting.

From 2006 Movie City News - a report on a screening of the movie with the director in attendance speaking about the film.

From Dissolve (2013) - Bogdonovich talks about the gun violence and the film's "unfortunate continued relevance"

Another review of this film from the blog Surrender to the Void

Another blog post from Lazarus' Lair

The Crimson Kimono (1959)

Two close-knit L.A. detectives investigate a stripper's murder in Samuel Fuller's underrated B/W film noir from 1959. Fuller wrote, produced, and directed the picture.

It begins as a mystery crime drama then evolves into a love story. Everything melds together in the end after a climatic street parade chase scene that reminded me of the one in 1993's The Fugitive.

The detectives are buddies, the best of friends. Both served in Korea together. One of the guys is played by James Shigeta (1933 - 2014) and he really impressed me. His character goes through an emotional transformation when he meets Victoria Shaw. There is a moving sequence where his character struggles with his own identity, and wrestles with labels such as "Asian American". It was great to see him take on the lead role in this picture, his only lead role other than The Flower Drum Song. 

Though there is an interracial romance, I didn't think it was the main focal point or a distraction. It added interest to story's love triangle that jeopardizes their friendship and the murder case.

I was delightfully surprised by the performance of Anna Lee in this picture. She plays a wise cracking drunk who helps the detectives throughout the case. A very different Anna Lee than I have ever seen.

Another review of this film from the blog Surrender to the Void

Hollywood Trip and Cinerama Fest, Day 3 of 3 recap: This Is Cinerama

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Sunday, September 30, 2012: Several films were on the dock at the Dome today, but I only planned on the 8 PM showing of This Is Cinerma.  The other shows were Russian Adventure (narrated by Bing Crosby) and Windjammer, which no doubt promised some breathtaking sailing scenes. Those films were shot in a different process than the "true" three-camera Cinerama, and were released in the mid 1960s as Cinerama began to lose its popularity. Another film shown that day was Its A Mad Mad Mad Mad World; I had seen that movie before and tickets were sold out for weeks, so I didn't make it to that screening, either. 

So, for most of the day I kept busy in and around Hollywood --- there is always SO MUCH TO DO, you are never bored here! I had a chance to go to morning services at Oasis Church on Wilshire Blvd. Then I started at the very end of the Walk of Fame on LaBrea Ave, and started looking for stars on the Walk....Had to pay my respects to the late great Andy Williams. RIP. I then visited The Hollywood Museum and saw alot of cool things, including the largest collection of autographs I've ever seen. I started posting some pics on my other blog, Olivia & Joan, and will post more on this blog in time. 

8 PM: This Is Cinerama (1952) 

(below, the curved screen that is Cinerama)

I couldn't wait for this movie to start. Been looking forward to seeing this movie for over 20 years. It was so neat to be there.  Before the film, John Sittig came and gave a brief introduction and noted that 60 years ago TO THE DAY, the film This Is Cinerama had its grand premiere. Neat! Then the overture started and lasted a couple of minutes. Then the film began with a black and white film and a voice saying "Lowell Thomas speaking"....Mr Thomas then presented a lecture on the history of motion in art and film, and film clips were shown that would not be unfamiliar to film students ("The Kiss", "The Great Train Robbery", etc). This was all a buildup to Cinerama, something audiences have never seen. 

Then came Lowell Thomas' immortal announcement:

Ladies and gentlemen, THIS IS CINERAMA! 

....then came that THRILLING roller coaster ride! 

Seeing this on the enormous screen was thrilling; I got dizzy - seriously! Just like those folks did 60 yrs ago.

The rest of the film included other short sequences meant to show off the technology; filmmakers tried to find the coolest things imaginable to show on the ginormous screen. For example, the sequence immediately following the roller coaster sequence was a colorful ballet scene, supposedly inserted here in order for people to catch their breaths from the roller coaster! Then there were some areal views of Niagara Falls (a favorite Cinerama locale), a performance of the Vienna Boys Choir (some of the boys' facial expressions were priceless), and a candlelit choir that I'm sure was torture to anyone who was not religious. There were times during the other sequences when I thought - "no more singing - bring on more rollercoasters!". There were some cool bullfights in Spain and a Venice gondola ride, but in my estimation nothing matched the thrills of the rollercoaster other than the amazing water show sequence at Cypress Gardens, a spectacular sequence lasting about 25 -30 minutes. Usually you only see the stunt performers from a distance, but seeing them up close (from the camera's POV on the boats) was cool.  The film ended with a number of areal shots of various American parks such as Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. 

After the movie, historian Foster Hirsh came out and talked with two crew members of the film who were there 60 years ago at the premiere. They were both in their late 80s.

Then, a 25 minute short film called "In The Picture" (2012) screened. It was an homage to Cinerama's travelogues, and featured Stanley Livingston who appeared in HTWWW. He takes his wife, daughter, and her fiancee on a tour of Los Angeles, and they go to such tourist attractions such as Angel's Flight train. And they actually used original Cinerama cameras to film this! Someone said this was the first Cinerama film to use the three-camera process in 50 years! It was neat. 

Then the final film of the evening was a short documentary film called "The Last Days of Cinerema" (2012) directed by Michael Celestino. Mr Celestino came out and introduced the film, which is essentially about what the title suggests - that these could very well be the last days of Cinerama. "Who will pick up the mantle and continue  supporting Cinerama?" is one of the questions raised. Will anyone want to make another Cinerama film? Will Cinerama films ever been short in their original format again? It's really hard to say in this digital age. Crew members who worked on 2012's "In The Picture" were interviewed, and  they confirmed how cumbersome the process was - even making a short 25 minute film. Who would ever want to make another film like it??

Then I met John Sittig,  the head of Cinerama organization,  and he signed my photo below that I purchased at the Larry Edmunds bookshop:

In the lobby were some exhibits explaining how Cinerama films are being digitally restored:

Hope you enjoyed this recap! I'll have reviews of each of the 7 films in more detail to come. 

Cinerama Weekend: Day 1 of 3 recap

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

It was a great weekend at the Cinerama festival. I first learned about these movies over 20 years ago after reading Susan Sackett's book on the most popular films of the twentieth century. She wrote about Cinerama in such a way that captured my imagination. I never thought I'd ever see one of the films, let alone on the big screen.

Last weekend, my dreams came true. I ended up seeing seven films over three days, all of them being what historians call the "true" Cinerama films: This Is Cinerama, Cinerama Holiday, Seven Wonders of the Words, Search for Paradise, South Seas Adventure, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, and How The West Was Won. I'll be reviewing each film in more detail in subsequent posts.

It was also a bittersweet event as digital becomes the standard, and fans wonders how/if Cinerama films will be shown 50 years from now. A number of the films were shown in the original 3-film projection format, and some were digitally remastered by a company called Image Trends which is currently restoring several other titles.  PS - I haven't had time to download all my photos yet, but I found some neat ones already posted by Andres M. Olson (view that post here). 

Friday September 28, 2012

11:55 AM 

The movie to be shown at noon was South Seas Adventure (1958), a travelogue with some added narrative for interest (boy meets girl on the cruise ship, etc).

Arrived at the Arclight/Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. Met my friend who attended a number of screenings with me. Big crowd outside. Felt like a movie premiere. Inside, crowded. An original Cinerama camera was on display. Saw Leonard Maltin in the lobby. (PS - Mr. Maltin recently wrote a blog post about Cinerama here) Lots of people dressed in Hawaiian shirts and leis. A number of surviving actors from the film were in attendance.

12:00 noon
Sat near the front in one of the "sweet seats".

John Sittig, the president of the Cinerama foundation, introduced the film (he delivered the intro for each screening). He announced that the music was composed by Alex North, and that some of the members of Alex North's family were in attendance.

Heard Orson Welles' voice (he provided the narration) and knew I was in for something cool.

Then I was blown away with what I saw on the giant screen. Gorgeous views of the ocean and mountains. So much to look at on the screen. Felt like I was right there on the cruise ship boarding for Hawaii. An amazing sequence of surfers riding the waves. One surfer had his dog on the board.

Here's a little taste of the movie:



At the halfway mark, a colorful illustrated title card came up; it had the letters "INTERMISSION" in a pretty font and had some flowers smiling and smoking, signaling a "smoke break". lol

Then after the movie, we all had to clear out and make way for the staff to clean the theater.

3 PM 

The next movie began.  It was a digitally remastered print of Cinerama Holiday, which came out in 1954 and was released earlier than South Seas (the movies were not shown in order of release year).  The movie begins with a crude looking black-and-white film explaining Cinerama. Then the curtains open to reveal a wider picture and breathtaking aerial shots of locales such as the Swiss Alps, Paris, and a number of regions in America. A 2-minute bobsled ride sequence left me dizzy. I can now cross off bobsledding from my bucket list. The picture and colors looked so bright and sharp.

7 PM

The next film on the dock was How The West Was Won (1962). Had a seat up front. John Sittig gave a little intro, and then brought in one of the actors from the film, Stanley Livingston, who played Jimmy Stewart's son. They talked about the film for a bit. Didn't realize they filmed it in 27 different states, including Illinois (!). A stunt man from the film, Loren James was also there, and explained that his big scene was at the end when he jumped off the train right into a cactus.

Then the projectors started - all three of them. I looked up and saw three beams of light pointing to the screen criss-crossing each other. It was really neat to see the three-camera projection at work.  It was my first time watching the film all the way through. It was really entertaining and gave me a renewed appreciation for our pioneer settlers. When Loren James' cactus scene came up, everyone cheered and applauded.

The movie ended about 10:30 pm. I was getting tired. Called it a night.

Cinerama Festival next weekend in Hollywood

It's getting close! Next weekend is the big film fest in Hollywood celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Cinerama, with back-to-back screenings of such spectacles as How The West Was Won, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, and the original film that started it all: This Is Cinerama. The blog Jim Lane's Cinedrome has been doing a great series on the history of Cinerama: check it out here for more.

Movie theaters of Los Angeles - Part 7

The United Artists Theater

From Wikipedia: Opened in 1927 with a seating capacity of 2,214. It was the showcase for movies from the United Artists group created in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith. 

Here's a 1932 photo:

Here's another photo from 1939: Mickey Rooney in Hardys Ride High

From the 1936: Marlene Dietrich in Garden of Allah

From 1931: The Bat Whispers

Today the theater is a church. I've never been inside. 

I love the vertical sign

Roxie / Cameo / Arcade

Three theaters on the same block; one opened as a nickelodeon (Cameo),

one a vaudeville house (Arcade/Pantages), and the other a movie palace (Roxie)

All of these theaters are closed, sadly

Above: all that remains of the three theaters, as of 2008

Below, circa 1920. Notice how the Roxie isn't there....before it was built, another theater was there called Quinn's Superba, built in 1910 and demolished in 1931 to make way for the Arcade. 

Notice the PANTAGES VAUDEVILLE sign on the right...I love that!

Quinn's Superba, Clune's Broadway (Cameo), and Pantages (Arcade)

The Roxie

The Art Deco-style Roxie opened in 1931 as a movie palace, with a seating capacity of 1,600.

Below: The Roxie lit up at night. 

(source: Cinema Treasures)

Above: 1943 marquee featuring the full name of the theater

Below: "OXI" (Not ROXIE)

The Cameo

Opened in 1910 as Clune's Broadway Theater, and was a nickelodeon which seated 775. It closed in 1991. Like it's next door neighbor, the Cameo has been turned into storefronts.  

It's heartbreaking to see the Cameo in such shape, when it used to look like this:

See how the Cameo used to look in 1919....92 years ago:

THE TIME...THE PLACE..CLUNE'S BROADWAY

I never heard of Bryant Washburn 

The Arcade

Opened in 1910 as a vaudeville house called the Pantages.

Above: Arcade (Pantages) in 2008

Below: Pantages in 1910s, featuring Lottie Mayer and the Diving Girls

In both pictures, notice how you can still see the  letters: "PANTAGES" in the structure

Below: The Cameo and Arcade in 1937

(source: Cinema Treasures)

You could see Cary Grant in Thrill of a Lifetime for 15 cents at the Arcade.
But who had that much money back then? 

The Mayan
(downtown LA, not Theater District)

I don't have any phtotos of the Mayan but I did see some photos a few months ago in a blog post over at Dear Old Hollywood. Check out the post here.

Movie Theaters of Los Angeles, Part 5 - Los Angeles Theater

Read more about the Los Angeles Theater at The Vintage Cameo blog here.

The historic Los Angeles Theater is a golden-age movie palace in the famous theater district, a six-block section of Broadway in downtown LA.  At one point in time, the district had up to twelve operating movie houses built between 1910 and 1932, and many of these theaters will be highlighted in the next few posts in this series.

 According to Cinema Treasures, the theater had its grand opening on January 30 1931, and had Charlie Chaplin's City Lights as the inaugural attraction. 

It was fashioned after Versailles in France, with mirrors, marble columns and Trompe L'oeil murals.

The marquee below is not the original; I'm not sure when this was constructed. 

The marquee promotes the LA Conservancy, which is a non-profit organization made up of cultural preservationists.  They sponsor an annual classic film series held every summer called LAST REMAINING SEATS. The week I visited (in July 2008) they were showing Mel Brooks'  Young Frankenstein. I didn't have time to catch the show, so I can't say that I've been inside. 

However someone posted a neat video on Y-tube with some awesome shots of the interior. What an incredible theater! And what a turnout for the screening!!  check it out here:

More pics here:

Movie Theaters of Los Angeles, Part 4 - West and North Hollywood

Now let's leave the Hollywood & Vine area and go a little further west down Sunset Boulevard to Fairfax.

SILENT MOVIE THEATRE

According to Cinema Treasures, this theater was built in 1942 as a venue for silent films.

Outside and inside are posters and memorabilia from the 1920s and 30s.

Below: I think this is how the exterior looked originally, circa 1940.

Today the theater is the official home of The Cinefamily, a classic film organization which shows independent, classic, and foriegns in addition to silents.    Last year they had a special screening event with "Baby Peggy" Diana Cary and one of her silent films. The last few times I've been to visit, I saw "Detour" here in 2008 and a series of Frank Tashlin cartoons in 2009.

There's me with Charlie Chaplin and Louise Brooks

Just a few blocks south on Fairfax is a famous Jewish deli that dates back almost to the same era, Canter Bros. There's alot of cool stores and pubs down Fairfax. I think the Auto Museum is a little further down too.

OK, now let's take the subway to North Hollywood, or NOHO.

This is one of the coolest train stations I've ever seen, inside and out.

EL PORTAL THEATER

According to Cinema Treasures, the theater opened as a cinema in 1926. Through the years it showed 2nd-run films until a 1994 earthquake damaged the ceiling and walls.

In 1996 the theater was purchased by a stage company and it is now a live performaning arts venue.