Double Indemnity – Saturday, July 26

The third season of our Summer series of monthly screenings under the stars got off to a great start with the showing of Disney's Lady and the Tramp - and the impressive turnout included a large number of dogs in the audience - see a photo of the early crowd below. Up next on July 26: Billy Wilder's definitive film noir classic from 1944. Double Indemnity, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson, with a screenplay by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, adapted from the novel by James M. Cain. Few films arrive with such an impressive pedigree, and Double Indemnity has only improved over time. If you've already seen it, take the opportunity to watch with fresh eyes and focus on the amazing B&W cinematography by John F. Seitz, and Edith Head's slinky costumes for Stanwyck. The series continues on Saturday, August 23.  Instead of presenting one great MGM musical, we'll show favorite sequences from virtually ALL of them in 1974's That's Entertainment!. The series will conclude on September 27 with Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther Strikes Again from 1976, with Peter Sellers returning as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. These outdoor screenings will be presented on the expansive lawn of the historic Doctors House in Brand Park. Admission is free. Gates will open at 6:00 PM to allow time for picnicking and socializing before the program begins at 7:30 PM. Please bring blankets, lawn or beach chairs for seating, and plenty of water or soft drinks to stay hydrated. The series is a presentation of Alex Film Society,

That’s Entertainment! – Saturday, August 23

Fred Staire on ceiling in Royal Wedding

You'll feel like dancing on the ceiling when leaving Brand Park after attending our screening of That's Entertainment! on Saturday, August 23, the next presentation in our series of Classic Films Under the Stars. The film was a box office smash when it opened in 1974. Jack Haley Jr. conceived the idea of doing a compilation film of MGM’s greatest music and dance numbers from the 20s through the 50s, considered the Golden Age of the American musical.  Hosted by a raft of MGM stars including Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, it’s a non-stop treat for the eyes and ears. Featuring memorable performances by: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Cyd Charisse, Joan Crawford, Cary Grant, Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Durante, Donald O'Connor, The Nicholas Brothers, Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier and Leslie Caron - just to name a few. These outdoor screenings will be presented on the expansive lawn of the historic Doctors House in Brand Park. Admission is free. Gates will open at 6:00 PM to allow time for picnicking and socializing before the program begins shortly after 7:30 PM. Please bring blankets, lawn or beach chairs for seating, and plenty of water or soft drinks to stay hydrated. The series will conclude on September 27 with Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther Strikes Again from 1976, with Peter Sellers returning as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. The series is a presentation of Alex Film Society, The Glendale Historical Society, the Northwest Glendale Homeowner's Association, G&C Properties and Brand Associates, with generous support

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – 4/25/19

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Screening Thursday, April 25, 2019 at 7:30 PM One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was released in 1975 to critical and popular acclaim. It garnered the top five Academy Awards®: Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress. Only two other films have accomplished that: It Happened One Night (1934) and Silence of the Lambs (1991). The story of a "free spirit" clashing with a "control freak" is a classic sixties theme of man against the system. Ken Kesey, author of the 1962 best-selling novel, became the godfather of the hippie movement after he and his Merry Pranksters were profiled in Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. That non-fiction book chronicles a group of hippies as they follow The Grateful Dead around, spiking Kool-Aid with LSD and serving it to concert-goers. Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest while working at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Menlo Park, California. "Yes, McMurphy is fictional," Kesey said, speaking of the novels protoganist, "inspired by the tragic longing of the real men I worked with on the ward, the sketches of whom, both visual and verbal, came more easily to my hand than anything before or since, and those sketches gradually enclosed for me the outline of the hero they wanted. And yes, I did write the book both on the ward and on drugs, double checking my material so to speak." Director Milos Forman (Ragtime, Amadeus), said that he directed the film in a naturalistic style. "I was fascinated just to see real faces

Son of Frankenstein With Sara Karloff and Bela Lugosi, Jr. – October 29, 2015 @ 7:30 PM

Son of Frankenstein

Son of Frankenstein 1939 / Universal By 1938, Universal Studios was certain that the public appetite for horror films had faded and they abandoned the genre. That same year, a nationwide re-issue of Dracula and Frankenstein on a double bill played to packed theatres across the nation and quickly brought them to their senses. Instead of a low-budget cheapie to cash in on the re-born craze for horror films, Son of Frankenstein under the direction of Rowland V. Lee, proved to be a handsomely-produced entry in the cycle. Filmed on the most expressionistic sets of any horror film since The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, George Robinson's gorgeous black-and-white cinematography captures every shadow, every out-sized distortion beautifully. Son of Frankenstein is also blessed with perhaps the greatest horror film cast ever. Karloff gives his farewell performance as the creature and Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Ygor is creepy, roguish, even pitiable, and one is reminded of what a fine actor he could have been with a role worthy of his talent. Presiding over all of this is the solid presence of Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein. Watch for scene-stealer Lionel Atwill, who delivers his definitive screen role as the one-arm Inspector Krogh. This first-rate production gave a whole new meaning to the Baron’s famous shout out: "It’s alive!" Sara Karloff and Bela Lugosi Jr. will join us onstage at the Alex Theatre to discuss their fathers' careers and the horror films that made them famous. Basil Rathbone was chosen to play Baron Wolf von Frankenstein. Fresh off his success in The Adventures of

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