BLFF presents Classic Film Night on the 2nd Monday of the month in the Sprague Community Room at 7:00 p.m.
for
2012
January 9 - SOME LIKE IT HOT - Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon; MGM/UA; Directed by Billy Wilder
Black & White; Not Rated; 121 minutes; 1959
SOME LIKE IT HOT whirls through the flamboyant settings of Chicago and Miami Beach in 1929. Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) is a ukulele-playing vocalist in an all-girl band. Two musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) on the run from the mob join Sugar’s traveling troupe by hilariously donning make-up and dresses to hide their identity.
.
February 13 - GIGI - Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan;
Turner/MGM; Directed by Vincente Minnelli;
Not Rated; 116 minutes; 1958
Leslie Caron is Gigi, a girl on the edge of womanhood and Louis Jourdan is the bored young playboy who falls in love with her. Maurice Chevalier sings the delightful Lerner-Lowe songs, "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," and "Gigi." Winner of nine Academy Awards® including Best Picture, GIGI is set in turn-of-the-century Paris.
.
March 12 - LILIES OF THE FIELD - Sidney Poitier, Lilia Skala;
MGM/UA; Directed by Ralph Nelson
Black & White; Not Rated; 97 minutes; 1963
Sidney Poitier won an Oscar® for his performance as Homer Smith, a jovial handyman who comes across a group of foreign nuns in the Arizona desert. The nuns persuade him, through whatever means necessary, to help them build a chapel. A sometimes odd, but always joyous relationship develops between Homer and the nuns.
.
April 9 - BRINGING UP BABY - Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles - RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.; Directed by Howard Hawks. Bl/Wh, 102 minutes; 1938
Wealthy socialite Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) will do anything to get her man. She must act fast, however, because the man she wants, paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant) is getting married and soon! To top it off, Susan already has her hands full taking care of Baby, her brother s pet leopard, in this madcap adventure that is considered one of the best screwball comedies of all time.
.
May 14 - HARVEY - James Stewart, Josephine Hull - Universal Pictures; Directed by Henry Koster -Bl/Wh, 104 minutes; 1950
The classic James Stewart comedy is now available for the first time in many years! Stewart stars as Elwood, a good-natured man with a six-foot tall rabbit that only he can see. When his sister tries to have him committed, a mix-up occurs and she is committed instead, leaving it up to Elwood and "Harvey" to straighten out the mess.
.
June 11- SUNSET BOULEVARD - Gloria Swanson, William Holden - Paramount Pictures; Directed by Billy Wilder - Bl/Wh 110 minutes; 1950
Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), an aging silent film queen, enlists the help of a struggling writer (William Holden) to make her comeback in this bizarre tale. From the unforgettable opening sequence through the unfolding of tragic destiny, the film is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's ex-husband and Nancy Olson as the bright spot in unrelenting omniscience are celebrated for their masterful performances in this winner of three Academy Awards .
.
July 9- YANKEE DOODLE DANDY - James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston -Turner/Warner Bros.; Directed by Michael Curtiz. Bl/Wh 126 minutes; 1942
James Cagney plays George M. Cohan and the role earned him an Academy Award for his marvelous singing and dancing performance as the great songwriter and performer. Highlights include "Over There," "Give My Regards to Broadway," and the famous line "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you."
.
August 13 - THE PINK PANTHER - Peter Sellers, David Niven-United Artists; Directed by Blake Edwards - Color, 115 minutes; 1964
The inveterate bungler, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) of the Paris police, is the sort of man whose wife is not only two-timing him, but is doing so with the very masterful jewel thief he s been assigned to catch. The inimitable David Niven plays the suave and ultra-sophisticated cat burglar.
.
September 10 - CACTUS FLOWER - Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn - Columbia Pictures; Directed by Gene Saks - Color, 103 minutes; 1969
Toni Simmons believes that the only reason her married lover won't leave his wife is because of the children. In truth, her lover, dentist Julian Winston, doesn't have any children. In fact, Julian doesn't even have a wife he just tells women he does to avoid getting involved. When Julian does decide to take the plunge with Toni she insists on meeting first wife and Julian enlists aid of his long-time nurse/receptionist Stephanie Dickinson to play the part.
.
October 8 - VERTIGO - James Stewart, Kim Novak - Universal Pictures; Directed by Alfred Hitchcock - Color 126 minutes; 1958
To say VERTIGO finds Hitchcock at his most obsessive, his most perverse, and his sexual best, doesn t even begin to convey how haunting this film is, or how bizarre. Nor does it convey Hitchcock s passionate style and the way he defies logic working in a much riskier manner than usual. A retired police detective (James Stewart) must overcome vertigo and his obsession for a friend s wife (Kim Novak) in this eerie tale of passion.
.
November 12 - CHARADE - Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn. Universal Pictures; Directed by Stanley Donen Not Rated; 113 minutes; 1963
The first shot of CHARADE shows a pistol swinging ominously into close-up—and Audrey Hepburn gets a squirt of water right in the eye. And so it goes: CHARADE is an elegant thriller that manages to spoof its genre while at the same time being uncommonly suspenseful. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are the ideal leads for keeping their cool under preposterous twists in a deadly chase through Parisian environs; the supporting heavies include James Coburn, George Kennedy and Walter Matthau. There are five corpses: the red herrings are incalculable, the gowns are by Givenchy, the percussive score is by Henry Mancini, and the point of the whole thing is style and wit for their own sake, and what better sake is there? CHARADE, in its own way, is one of the most radical and experimental American films of '60s.
.
December 10 - THE COURT JESTER - Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns - Paramount; Directed by Norman Panama, Melvin Frank - Color 101 min., 1956
This spectacular production features the tremendous pageantry and color of medieval England and the considerable talents of Danny Kaye. Set in the 12th century, the story revolves around Kaye as a court jester who has become involved with outlaws trying to overthrow the king. His singing, dancing, and clowning keep him one step away from disaster in this fast moving story, but he still finds time to engage in some violent jousting with knights, a few dangerous duels with swordsmen, and rescue damsels in distress. Complemented by six songs, the comedy also includes a supporting cast with Mildred Natwick, Robert Middleton, Cecil Parker, John Carradine, and Edward Ashley.
Black & White; Not Rated; 121 minutes; 1959
SOME LIKE IT HOT whirls through the flamboyant settings of Chicago and Miami Beach in 1929. Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) is a ukulele-playing vocalist in an all-girl band. Two musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) on the run from the mob join Sugar’s traveling troupe by hilariously donning make-up and dresses to hide their identity.
Turner/MGM; Directed by Vincente Minnelli;
Not Rated; 116 minutes; 1958
Leslie Caron is Gigi, a girl on the edge of womanhood and Louis Jourdan is the bored young playboy who falls in love with her. Maurice Chevalier sings the delightful Lerner-Lowe songs, "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," and "Gigi." Winner of nine Academy Awards® including Best Picture, GIGI is set in turn-of-the-century Paris.
MGM/UA; Directed by Ralph Nelson
Black & White; Not Rated; 97 minutes; 1963
Sidney Poitier won an Oscar® for his performance as Homer Smith, a jovial handyman who comes across a group of foreign nuns in the Arizona desert. The nuns persuade him, through whatever means necessary, to help them build a chapel. A sometimes odd, but always joyous relationship develops between Homer and the nuns.
.
Wealthy socialite Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) will do anything to get her man. She must act fast, however, because the man she wants, paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant) is getting married and soon! To top it off, Susan already has her hands full taking care of Baby, her brother s pet leopard, in this madcap adventure that is considered one of the best screwball comedies of all time.
The classic James Stewart comedy is now available for the first time in many years! Stewart stars as Elwood, a good-natured man with a six-foot tall rabbit that only he can see. When his sister tries to have him committed, a mix-up occurs and she is committed instead, leaving it up to Elwood and "Harvey" to straighten out the mess.
Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), an aging silent film queen, enlists the help of a struggling writer (William Holden) to make her comeback in this bizarre tale. From the unforgettable opening sequence through the unfolding of tragic destiny, the film is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's ex-husband and Nancy Olson as the bright spot in unrelenting omniscience are celebrated for their masterful performances in this winner of three Academy Awards .
James Cagney plays George M. Cohan and the role earned him an Academy Award for his marvelous singing and dancing performance as the great songwriter and performer. Highlights include "Over There," "Give My Regards to Broadway," and the famous line "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you."
The inveterate bungler, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) of the Paris police, is the sort of man whose wife is not only two-timing him, but is doing so with the very masterful jewel thief he s been assigned to catch. The inimitable David Niven plays the suave and ultra-sophisticated cat burglar.
Toni Simmons believes that the only reason her married lover won't leave his wife is because of the children. In truth, her lover, dentist Julian Winston, doesn't have any children. In fact, Julian doesn't even have a wife he just tells women he does to avoid getting involved. When Julian does decide to take the plunge with Toni she insists on meeting first wife and Julian enlists aid of his long-time nurse/receptionist Stephanie Dickinson to play the part.
To say VERTIGO finds Hitchcock at his most obsessive, his most perverse, and his sexual best, doesn t even begin to convey how haunting this film is, or how bizarre. Nor does it convey Hitchcock s passionate style and the way he defies logic working in a much riskier manner than usual. A retired police detective (James Stewart) must overcome vertigo and his obsession for a friend s wife (Kim Novak) in this eerie tale of passion.
The first shot of CHARADE shows a pistol swinging ominously into close-up—and Audrey Hepburn gets a squirt of water right in the eye. And so it goes: CHARADE is an elegant thriller that manages to spoof its genre while at the same time being uncommonly suspenseful. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are the ideal leads for keeping their cool under preposterous twists in a deadly chase through Parisian environs; the supporting heavies include James Coburn, George Kennedy and Walter Matthau. There are five corpses: the red herrings are incalculable, the gowns are by Givenchy, the percussive score is by Henry Mancini, and the point of the whole thing is style and wit for their own sake, and what better sake is there? CHARADE, in its own way, is one of the most radical and experimental American films of '60s.
This spectacular production features the tremendous pageantry and color of medieval England and the considerable talents of Danny Kaye. Set in the 12th century, the story revolves around Kaye as a court jester who has become involved with outlaws trying to overthrow the king. His singing, dancing, and clowning keep him one step away from disaster in this fast moving story, but he still finds time to engage in some violent jousting with knights, a few dangerous duels with swordsmen, and rescue damsels in distress. Complemented by six songs, the comedy also includes a supporting cast with Mildred Natwick, Robert Middleton, Cecil Parker, John Carradine, and Edward Ashley.