The Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association (GIAHA) presents the 2010 season of Summer Classic Movies at the Ritz, featuring classic Hollywood films they way they were meant to be seen. Screenings are Thursdays July 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 7:00 pm, with a special matinee screening Sunday Aug. 1 at 3:00 pm at the Ritz Theatre, 1530 Newcastle St. in downtown Brunswick.“We scoured the vaults for some of the greatest movies in Hollywood history, with something to please just about every taste,” notes GIAHA’s film programming coordinator Rob Nixon. “Over the past few years, we’ve taken suggestions and requests from our audiences and put their ideas into the programming mix this summer to give film lovers what they most enjoy. We’re especially glad we can honor the many requests we’ve received to bring Gone with the Wind to the big screen at the Ritz.”
The 2010 line-up includes two rousing musicals: Yankee Doodle Dandy (July 1), the perfect patriotic way to kick off the Independence Day weekend, and Meet Me in St. Louis (July 15), a warmly nostalgic period piece for the whole family. The series also includes a romantic comedy, The Philadelphia Story (July 8), starring one of the most popular stars featured in past seasons, Cary Grant; Strangers on a Train (July 22), a Hitchcock thriller that audiences rarely get the opportunity to see; and Bonnie and Clyde (July 29), a modern classic that changed the face of American cinema in the 1960s. And of course, there’s the immortal epic with Rhett and Scarlett, the most famous couple in screen history, as the series grand finale (August 1).
Once again, there will be a selection of fun cartoons and short subjects beginning about a half hour before show time. Plus, audiences can bring their own snacks and enjoy free popcorn (first come, first served), courtesy of Angie Aimar of Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners. There will also be giveaways and special offers from several local merchants and pre-show dining at most downtown restaurants.
The special Aug. 1 matinee offers audiences two ways to see Gone with the Wind. Pay the regular $5 ticket price and watch the movie beginning at 3:00 p.m. (short subjects at 2:30), with an intermission at 5 p.m. Or for only $12, you will get admission to the movie and a delicious "Southern Soul Silver Screen Snack Sack" at intermission catered by Southern Soul Barbeque: a taste of the Old South featuring a pulled pork slider and two sides. Take it back into the theater with you and enjoy it during the second half of the show! These advance tickets must be purchased by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 30. Get them at the Ritz box office, 1530 Newcastle St., Downtown Brunswick, or on line at goldenislesarts.org.
Admission to each show in the Summer Classic Movies series at the Ritz is only $5 for all ages. For more information, call GIAHA at 912-262-6934 or visit goldenislesarts.org.
SUMMER CLASSIC MOVIES AT THE RITZ COMPLETE SERIES SCHEDULE
(Click on photos for video clips)
(Click on photos for video clips)
Thursday, July 1, 7 pm – Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)The great tough guy of the Silver Screen gets wildly patriotic in this crowd-pleasing musical based on the life of the most famous showman of the early 20th century, George M. Cohan. James Cagney won a much-deserved Academy Award for his acting, singing and dancing in this celebration of unbridled show biz chutzpah and American optimism, featuring such classic songs as “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” and the lively title tune. You’ll be tempted to sing along (fine with us, as long as your neighbors don’t mind) and maybe even try your hand at Cagney’s famous tap dance down a grand staircase—just not in the Ritz balcony, please! Come dressed in your most patriotic outfit!
Thursday, July 8, 7 pm – The Philadelphia Story (1940)After being declared “Box Office Poison” in the late 1930s and returning to her roots on the stage, Katharine Hepburn made a triumphant comeback in motion pictures with this comedy based on her runaway Broadway success. The Great Kate stars as spoiled, willful Tracy Lord, a high society bride-to-be whose world is turned upside down on the eve of her wedding by romantic complications involving two men in her life…who aren’t her groom! And no wonder, when the two men turn out to be the suave and sly Cary Grant and lovable James Stewart, who won an Oscar as the reporter who learns a few surprising things about how the other half lives.
Thursday, July 15, 7 pm – Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)Fans of classic movies at the Ritz love musicals, and here’s one of the very best, a treat for the entire family. This is classic Hollywood studio filmmaking at its height: lavishly detailed Technicolor art direction and costuming, musical production and performance by the top talents in the industry, and masterful direction by Vincente Minnelli that takes us through the life of a loving family around the time of the grand 1904 World’s Fair. And it features the legendary Judy Garland at her peak, singing such old favorites as “The Trolley Song,” “The Boy Next Door,” and the heartbreaking “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Thursday, July 22, 7 pm – Strangers on a Train (1951)No one did suspense like Alfred Hitchcock, and here’s a chance to see one of his most acclaimed but rarely screened classics, a strangely twisted story about a young man who unwittingly makes a murderous deal with a stranger he meets on a train journey. Robert Walker is creepy and darkly funny as the wealthy, sinister Bruno. Farley Granger is the famous tennis pro ensnared in Bruno’s deadly trap. But the real star, of course, is Alfred Hitchcock, the director who brought tales of mystery to their most anxiety-producing heights, finding terror in the most ordinary, benign settings—like an amusement park that turns out to be anything but amusing!
Thursday, July 29, 7 pm – Bonnie and Clyde (1967)Arthur Penn’s take on the legendary outlaw duo of the Depression had a tremendous impact on popular culture when it was released in the late 1960s, setting new trends in cinematic style, depictions of screen violence (fairly tame by today’s standards), even fashion. As Clyde Barrow, Warren Beatty emerged as a major force in the industry, and Faye Dunaway became an overnight star as Bonnie Parker. But what audiences love most about this landmark film is its mixture of breezy humor and intense drama, its poignant take on society’s outcasts and doomed love, and the way it draws us in to the creation of a distinctly American myth.
Sunday, August 1, 3 pm – Gone with the Wind (1939)What can we say about this enduring classic that hasn’t been said many times before? That Margaret Mitchell’s tale of the Old South is one of the most successful and beloved movies of all time? That Scarlett O’Hara is one of the most headstrong and unforgettable heroines in American movies? That Rhett Butler, frankly, doesn’t give a damn? Let’s just say this: If you’ve never seen it on the big screen (or at all), you owe it to yourself. And GIAHA is making it even more attractive with a special matinee event that will give you the full epic experience and still get you home at a reasonable hour, including a special intermission sack-snack for advance ticket holders.
Admission to each show in the Summer Classic Movies series at the Ritz is only $5 for all ages. For more information, call GIAHA at 912-262-6934 or visit goldenislesarts.org.
Photos: Flixter.com ------------------- Video clips: Turner Classic Movies
