Long-time Host Bids Adieu to "Meet Me at the Movies"

Almost two years ago, Jackie Walker, Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance Vice President, asked me if I would volunteer and host a monthly movie event, in the South Loop that became known as “Meet Me at the Movies.” The concept: I would pick films to screen, introduce them, giving background and “color commentary” on each movie presented. Afterward we would go to a local restaurant to share a meal.

The first movie screened 17 months ago

My focus was on classic Hollywood films. The reasoning? Films made before the end of the production code—the mid-1960s—were for the most part, appropriate for all audiences and tended to fit within a two-hour time frame. In addition, it gave me great pleasure introducing these classic films to people who were unfamiliar with them.

Hollywood’s golden age was a period of great creativity and artistry. So much of our popular culture comes from the movies. “Here’s looking at you, kid,” uttered Humphrey Bogart to Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. “How does a girl like you get to be a girl like you?” Cary Grant questioned Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest, the very first MMATM event. But my all-time favorite line is, “For a charming, intelligent girl, you’ve certainly surrounded yourself with a remarkable collection of dopes,” spoken by Dana Andrews to Gene Tierney toward the end of Laura.

"Casablanca" really packed the house.

It was tough deciding on which classic films to screen, but I enjoyed the challenged. We screened some of the best movies Hollywood produced and showcased some of the silver screen’s most popular stars at the height of their careers, including Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Dana Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Joseph Cotton, Teresa Wright, James Stewart, and Sophia Loren to name a few. And who could forget Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot?

Marilyn Monroe and her "bosom" companions in "Some Like it Hot"

One of the best things about MMATM was meeting and getting to know my neighbors in the South Loop. Over the months, we developed into a community of classic movie fans, who just happened to live in the same Chicago town. What was even more gratifying were the regular attendees who came from the north and south sides of the city. I was honored that they made the trip and worked hard not to disappoint them for making the journey.

James Steward and Grace Kelly solved a murder in the Hitchcock classic, "Rear Window."

Picking movies and preparing monthly presentations may not seem like much, but it was a big time investment. For this and other reasons I decided not to move forward with MMATM. I submitted my resignation to Tina Feldstein, PDNA president, and Walker before the screening of the season’s last film, The Bishop’s Wife. According to their Web site, they’re planning to continue with MMATM starting in January. Not sure what the “new” MMATM will look like, but you might want to give it a try.

Howard Keel and Betty Hutton in "Annie Get Your Gun," the first musical screened by MMATM

Thank you to all the people who came out month after month, the ones I knew by name, and the new folk that seemed to come almost every month. It was a wonderful 17 months. I will always remember my MMATM experience with great fondness. For a look back from a regular MMATM attendee, check out Bonnie McGrath's blog at the Chicago Journal by clicking here.

Sincerely,
Stephen Reginald
South Loop Connection
Classic Movie Man

P.S. Have a great MMATM moment/story? Please share it here. 

"Laura" Starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews

The setting for Laura is set among New York City’s upper crust, with Detective McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigating the murder of beautiful advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). The suspects are some of her closest friends and associates including fiancé (Vincent Price), aunt (Judith Anderson), and mentor (Clifton Webb).

When production on Laura  started, no one believed that the end product would we worth seeing. From the beginning the project was problematic. Arguments between studio boss Darryl Zanuck and the original director, Rouben Mamoulian ended in Mamoulian being fired. Zanuck then assigned Otto Preminger, already the film’s producer, to be its director too. The only problem: Preminger had never directed a motion picture before.

Under Preminger’s supervision, what began as a fairly ordinary murder mystery, turned out to be a critical and box office success. Tierney in the title role became a superstar and was forever identified with the beautiful, enigmatic Laura Hunt. Andrews, as Detective Mark McPherson, established himself as a major star and popular leading man. Webb, who hadn’t made a movie since the early days of talking pictures, earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Waldo Lydecker. Thomas M. Pryor, in his October 12, 1944 New York Times review called Laura “a top-drawer mystery.”

With some of the sharpest and wittiest dialogue ever recorded on film, Laura set the standard for 1940s film noir. Andrews’s portrayal of McPherson became a prototype for what would become known as the hard-boiled detective, influencing a generation of movie actors. Pryor from the Times put it this way: “Mr. Andrews is fast proving himself to be a solidly persuasive performer, a sort of younger-edition Spencer Tracy.”

The musical score by David Raksin is one of the most hauntingly beautiful movie themes ever recorded and will forever be associated with the enigmatic Tierney.

Bring Two Friends and Win a Prize

Bring two friends who have never been to a "Meet Me at the Movies" event and win a free MMATM coffee mug. Your friends will be glad you invited them and you'll love the mug!

Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten star in the Hitchcock classic, Shadow of a Doubt.

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday October 29, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave. Shadow of a Doubt starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotton is the classic movie to be screened. The cost for the movie is $5 per person. 

Coffee taste better in a "Meet Me at the Movies" mug.

Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" October "Meet Me at the Movies" Event

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday October 29, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.

Alfred Hitchcock’s personal favorite of all his films, Shadow of a Doubt (1942), is also the only film he ever shot entirely on location (Santa Rosa, CA).

When Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton) travels west to visit his sister and her family, the sleepy town of Santa Rosa is never the same. Handsome and debonair, Uncle Charlie is idolized by his young niece Charlene “Charley” Newton (Teresa Wright) who has become disenchanted with her small-town life. Uncle Charlie represents glamour and excitement to young Charlie and she craves his attention.

As word spreads about a man they call the Merry Widow murderer, Charley suspects that he and her beloved uncle to be one in the same. When she is befriended by a government agent investigating the case, Charley is faced with some tough choices. Does she cooperate, putting her uncle at risk, and upsetting her mother? By getting closer to her uncle, does she put her own life at risk?

With the help of playwright Thorton Wilder (Our Town) and screenwriter Sally Benson (Meet Me in St. Louis), Hitchcock created a truly suspenseful film. Shadow of a Doubt demonstrates one of Hitchcock’s favorite themes: evil can lurk in the most unlikely and innocent of places…within our own towns or cities and among our own families.

Admission to the movie is $5 and the price for the wrap party afterward is $15 (optional). 

Bring Two New Friends to this week's "Meet Me at the Movies" and Win a Prize

Bring two friends who have never been to a "Meet Me at the Movies" event and win a free MMATM coffee mug. Your friends will be glad you invited them and you'll love the mug!

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday September 24, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave. My Man Godfrey starring William Powell and Carole Lombard is the classic movie to be screened. The cost for the movie is $5 per person.

Coffee taste better in a "Meet Me at the Movies" mug.

My Man Godfrey this Friday

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday September 24, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave. The wrap party (dinner after movie) will be held at the Weather Mark Tavern 1503 S. Michigan Ave.

Classic performances and situations have made My Man Godfrey one of the best film comedies ever made. My Man Godfrey was the first film to receive Academy Award nominations in all four major categories, including Best Actor and Best Actress for William Powell and Carole Lombard respectively. Film critic Roger Ebert in a review of the movie simply said, “God, but this film is beautiful” and it truly is. My Man Godfrey is ranked 44 in the American Film Institute’s (AFI) “America’s 100 Funniest Movies” compiled in 2002. Not bad for a movie first released in 1936.

Lombard was so identified with the screwball comedy genre that Life magazine dubbed her “the screwball girl” in a 1938 cover story. When paired with Powell, no stranger to comedy himself, My Man Godfrey becomes a master class of screwball comedy technique.

Carole Lombard and William Powell in My Man Godfrey

Admission to the movie is $5. Dinner afterward (not required) is $15 per person. To RSVP to this event and/or the wrap party click here.

"Meet Me at the Movies" Wrap Part at Weather Mark Tavern

After the screening of A Letter to Three Wives, the wrap party (dinner) was held at Weather Mark Tavern, 1503 S. Michigan Ave. Of all the films screened so far, Letter was the most talked about afterward.

They won a travel mug for bringing two new friends with them to "Meet Me at the Movies."

How did it end?
"Did Porter lie to Deborah? Did Brad run off with Addie Ross?" Well, who can know for sure? What I do know is everyone enjoyed A Letter to Three Wives, many seeing if for the very first time.

Folks enjoying the great meal we had at the Weather Mark Tavern wrap party

Musical classic
Don't miss next month's movie: Annie Get Your Gun. The classic musical stars Betty Hutton and Howard Keel and was one of the biggest box office hits of the 1950s. The movie will be shown Friday August 27, 2010. The wrap party will be held at Kroll's South Loop. Check this blog or visit the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) Web site for details.

Check out the movie trailer for next month's movie below.

"A Letter to Three Wives" is July "Meet Me at the Movies"

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday July 30, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.

A  Letter to Three Wives (1949) is based on a novel by John Klempner. His novel was entitled A Letter to Five Wives. Writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz thought the novel was too long and would be difficult to transfer to the screen. So, he shortened it to four wives and then shortened it again to three. Mankiewicz adapted the screenplay with author and screenwriter Vera Caspary (Laura).

The plot revolves around three wives who, just before going on a boat ride and picnic with some disadvantaged children, receive a letter from a society friend named Addie Ross. In the letter, Addie says she’s run off with one of their husbands. While the women spend the afternoon volunteering, each looks back on her marriage and wonders if hers is the husband who ran off with Addie.

Is it Deborah Bishop’s (Jeanne Crain) husband Brad (Jeffrey Lynn)? Deborah, a poor farm girl, met her husband in the Navy during World War II. Somewhat insecure and naïve, she thinks Brad is attracted to Addie because she is beautiful and sophisticated. Is it Rita Phipps’s (Ann Sothern) husband George (Kirk Douglas)? Rita has a career writing radio soap operas, the quality of which, her schoolteacher-husband disapproves. She wonders if her job, which brings in some much-needed cash, is somehow intimidating to George and ruining their marriage. Is it Lora Mae Hollingsway’s (Linda Darnell) husband Porter (Paul Douglas)? Lora Mae is a girl literally from the wrong side of the tracks who tries her best to marry up by marrying her boss, in part, to help provide for her widowed mother (the wonderful Connie Gilchrist) and younger sister Babe (Barbara Lawrence).

Like Mankiewicz’s All About Eve a year later, A Letter to Three Wives has witty dialogue delivered by a cast of pros. Crain, Sothern, and Darnell are all wonderful as the three wives, with Darnell a standout. As Lora Mae, Darnell has a tough exterior, but in many ways is more vulnerable than either Crain or Sothern.

For Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1949 was an extraordinary year. Not only did he win the Academy Award for Best Director, but he also won for Best Writing as well. Writing and directing was something Mankiewicz had always wanted to do and A Letter to Three Wives showcases Mankiewicz at the height of his creativity.

Admission to the movie is $5 and dinner afterward (optional) at the Weather Mark Tavern, 1503 S. Michigan Ave.  is $15.

"Houseboat" sets sail this Thursday night!

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Thursday June 24, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.

This month’s movie is Houseboat starring Cary Grant and Sophia Loren. The Technicolor classic also stars Martha Hyer and Harry Guardino. This will be the only MMATM event held on a Thursday evening.

Admission to the movie is $5 and dinner at Opera afterward (optional) is $15.

Related "Meet Me at the Movies" News: Audrey Rules!

Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Audrey Hepburn was voted favorite "Meet Me at the Movies" movie. Breakfast at Tiffany's walked away with 50% of the vote. Casablanca and Miracle on 34th Street tied for second with 33%. To Catch a Thief and Some Like it Hot tied for third with 16% of the vote.

"Meet Me at the Movies" schedule set

Seven months of movies set

The "Meet Me at the Movies" schedule for the next seven months is set. Be sure to save the dates to view your favorite movie classics. The movies will be screened at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.

Movies are shown at 6:30 p.m. A wrap party (dinner) will follow at select South Loop restaurants. Tickets for the movies are $5 each. Dinner, which is optional, generally costs $15 per person. Check this blog for more information or the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) Web site for additional information.

May 28, 2010                                              Rear Window

June 24, 2010                                            Houseboat *
July 30, 2010                                              A Letter to Three Wives
August 27, 2010                                         Annie Get Your Gun
September 24, 2010                                   My Man Godfrey
October 29, 2010                                       Shadow of a Doubt
November 19, 2010                                   Laura

"Meet Me at the Movies" host, Stephen (Steve) Reginald, will introduce each movie, providing information on the cast, director, and its importance in film history.

If you'd like to suggest a film for future "Meet Me at the Movies" events, e-mail your suggestions to sreggie@sbcglobal.net. Be sure to put MMATM in the subject line.

*This is the only film being shown on a Thursday night; all the others will be screened on Fridays.