Hollywood's Greatest Year

Every silver lining has a cloud. I love working with BADD and the opportunity to participate in a continuous flow of videos and live pieces.

But BADD takes up my Monday nights, so I can’t partake in things like this:

The Academy of Motion Pictures is screening all ten of the best picture nominees of 1939, dubbed “Hollywood’s Greatest Year.”

A different movie each Monday night for ten weeks.

GONE WITH THE WIND. You know, I’ve never seen the whole thing in one sitting. Maybe, my dear, I should give a darn.

STAGECOACH. John Wayne and John Ford tie their names irrevocably to what is perhaps the most American of an American industry: the Western.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Heathcliff without lasagna, as Heathcliff was meant to be.

DARK VICTORY. Two things Oscar loves – a big star, and a character dying from a horrible disease. Yet she still didn’t win…

LOVE AFFAIR. The female version of The Dirty Dozen. (What, no Sleepless fans out there?)

GOODBYE MR. CHIPS. And a whole new generation enters the teaching field.

NINOTCHKA. Garbo speaks – and makes us laugh.

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. Jimmy shows us the world, not as it is, but as it ought to be.

OF MICE AND MEN. Burgess looks so young!

And THE WIZARD OF OZ. Those freaky, freaky monkeys!

PLUS, and here’s part of the beauty: each screening will include an animated short from that year, and an episode from the BUCK ROGERS serial.

All for $25 – or $2.50 per night of movie magic.

Sigh. Mondays. Why did it have to be Mondays?

Just my thoughts,

Sean