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.
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).
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, MyMan 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.
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 FiveWives. Writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewiczthought 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.
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.
"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.
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday January 29, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School at Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.
Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Grace Kelly too! To Catch a Thief filmed on location on the French Riviera, is a picture-postcard treat of a movie. The Alfred Hitchcock classic pairs Cary Grant as a reformed jewel thief, John "The Cat" Robie and Grace Kelly as Francie Stevens, a vacationing American heiress.
When a series of jewel robberies occur, all similar in style to the methods of the so-called reformed Mr. Robie, the Riviera is abuzz with detectives, insurance investigators, and the international press. All of this intrigue and excitement is fascinating to Francie who thinks Robie is up to his old tricks again. Rather than finding his behavior repulsive, Francie instead is attracted to the enigmatic and sophisticated Mr. Robie.
Academy Award Winner
Filled with all the things you've come to expect from Hitchcock--elegant surroundings, witty, sophisticated dialogue, and glamorous costumes--To Catch a Thief doesn't disappoint. Nominated for three Academy Awards (winning for Best Color Cinematography), this 1955 suspense classic is one fun ride.
A reluctant leading man After completing the film Dream Wife, costarring Deborah Kerr, in 1953, Grant announced his retirement from films. The story goes that Grant thought that he was getting too old to play romantic leads. Additionally, he found himself competing with method actors like Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift; Grant thought his style of acting was on its way out. Fortunately, Hitchcock convinced Grant that To Catch a Thief was the perfect role for a "comeback," plus there was the added bonus of costarring with Grace Kelly, a young actress Grant liked and admired.
Woman chases man Even though Grant continued starring in films until 1966, his screen persona changed slightly. Instead of being the aggressive leading man, pursuing beautiful women, beginning with To Catch a Thief, it was younger women who were constantly chasing the older Grant, a plot device he found much more believable.
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday November 6, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Conservatory recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.
Does Macy's tell Gimbels?
Miracle on 34th Street, starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and Natalie Wood is a true holiday classic. Released in 1947, the movie boasts some terrific location shots of New York City during the late 1940s, including interior and exteriors of the landmark Macy's department store located near Times Square.
Twentieth Century Fox film studios actually filmed the real Macy's Day Parade to lend authenticity to the production. O'Hara and Gwenn are right in the middle of all the action along the parade route which starts at 77th St. and Central Park West to Columbus Circle (59th St.), continues up Broadway to 34th St., turning at Macy's Herald Square, and ending at Seventh Ave. The Macy's Day Parade is a New York tradition that started in 1924.
Prince Charming was a rat!
The story centers around Doris Walker (O'Hara) as a busy Macy's executive and single mother trying to raise her young daughter, Susan (Wood). O'Hara believes in always being truthful with her daughter and considers myths like Santa Claus harmful. She thinks that filling up her daughter's head with a bunch of fairy stories paints an unrealistic portrait of life and leads to disappointment and heartache in adulthood. What Doris doesn't realize is that it's her own bitterness and disappointment that is driving most of her parenting decisions.
Enter an eager, young lawyer, Fred Gailey (Payne), who challenges Susan first and then Doris to believe in something bigger than themselves. When Fred finds himself proclaiming a kind, old gentleman (Gwenn) as the one and only Santa Claus in a New York City courtroom, the city and its colorful inhabitants get swept up in the spectacle.
Honored Classic
Winner of three Academy Awards, including one for Best Writing, Screenplay (George Seaton), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies), and Best Supporting Actor (Gwenn), Miracle on 34th Street is a classic for all seasons. Click here to view the trailer.
’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).
) 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.
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. 
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.
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. 
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. 
*
"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. 
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday January 29, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School at Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.
When a series of jewel robberies occur, all similar in style to the methods of the so-called reformed Mr. Robie, the Riviera is abuzz with detectives, insurance investigators, and the international press. All of this intrigue and excitement is fascinating to Francie who thinks Robie is up to his old tricks again. Rather than finding his behavior repulsive, Francie instead is attracted to the enigmatic and sophisticated Mr. Robie.
Academy Award Winner
Even though Grant continued starring in films until 1966, his screen persona changed slightly. Instead of being the aggressive leading man, pursuing beautiful women, beginning with To Catch a Thief, it was younger women who were constantly chasing the older Grant, a plot device he found much more believable.
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) invites you to "Meet Me at the Movies," Friday November 6, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Conservatory recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave. 
Miracle on 34th Street, starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and Natalie Wood is a true holiday classic. Released in 1947, the movie boasts some terrific location shots of New York City during the late 1940s, including interior and exteriors of the landmark Macy's department store located near Times Square.
Winner of three Academy Awards, including one for Best Writing, Screenplay (George Seaton), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies), and Best Supporting Actor (Gwenn), Miracle on 34th Street is a classic for all seasons.
