Classic & Cult Cinema Favorites return to Gettysburg’s Majestic Theater

A Re-Post from my other classic cinema blog, "Silver Screen Reflections."

Fans of classic and cult cinema in the area will be excited about another vintage film series that will return to the Gettysburg area.

Gettysburg College’s Majestic Theater re-introduces their summer classic/cult film series

The historic Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania will be bringing back a series of vintage and cult motion pictures for the summer.  The theater’s “2016 Summer Classic Movies” series will be presented every Wednesday evening* at 7:30 p.m., beginning on June 1 and will end  on Aug. 24.  The ticket price for each movie is $6 per person.

Each film presentation will have a special introduction by Jeffrey Gabel, area movie buff and founding executive director of The Majestic.  In addition to the screening of films, a special raffle prize giveaway will also occur.

List of classic and cult movie greats that will be shown at The Majestic throughout the summer:

June 1: “Brigadoon” (1954), directed by Vincente Minnelli, featuring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Van Johnson and Elaine Stewart.  MGM screen adaptation of the Lerner and Lowe Broadway musical (presented in its original CinemaScope aspect ratio and in AnscoColor).

June 8: “The Palm Beach Story” (1942), Written and directed by Preston Sturges, featuring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, William Demarest, Mary Astor and Rudy Vallee.

June 15: “Back to the Future” (1985) directed by Robert Zemeckis, featuring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Caroline Rea, Wendie Jo Sperber, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson.  Winner of an Academy Award for Best Special Effects Sound Editing (Charles L. Campbell and Robert Rutledge).

June 22: “The Prince and the Pauper” (1937), directed by William Keighley, featuring Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Phyllis Barry, Barton MacLane and Henry Stephenson.

1943 Warner Bros. trade ad for "This Is The Army."

June 29: “This Is the Army” (1943), directed by Michael Curtiz, featuring Irving Berlin, Ronald Reagan, Joan Leslie, George Murphy, Kate Smith, George Tobias, Dolores Costello, Una Merkel, Alan Hale and Charles Butterworth.  Based on Irving Berlin’s musical, Winner of an Academy Award for Best Score (Leo F. Forbstein and Ray Heindorf).

July 6: “Jaws” (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg, featuring Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary and Robert Shaw.  Winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Sound (Robert L. Hoyt, John R. Carter, Roger Herman, Jr., Earl Madery), Original Score (John Williams) and Best Film Editing (Verna Fields).  Recognized as one of the first major “summer blockbuster” films.

July 13: “High Noon” (1952), directed by Fred Zinnemann, featuring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, Lon Chaney, Jr.; Lee Van Cleef, Henry Morgan and Jack Elam.  Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Cooper), Best Score (Dimitri Tiomkin), Best Song (“Do Not Forsake Me,” written by Tiomkin and Ned Washington, sung by Tex Ritter) and Best Editing (Harry Gerstad and Elmo Williams).

*July 20: No film is scheduled for that evening, music group “St. Paul & The Broken Bones” will appear on the Majestic stage.

July 27: “Harvey” (1950), directed by Henry Koster, featuring James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow and Charles Drake.  Hull won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Aug. 3: “Goldfinger” (1964), directed by Guy Hamilton, featuring Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton and Burt Kwouk.  Winner of an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects (Norman Wantsall).  The third film in the 007 franchise, based off of Ian Fleming’s seventh novel in the James Bond series.

Aug. 10: “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), directed by Nicolas Meyer, featuring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Ricardo Montalban and Paul Winfield.  Perfect for fellow Trekkies and fans of science fiction.

Aug. 17: “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1939), directed by Sam Wood, featuring Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Paul Henreid (then known as Paul Von Hernried) and John Mills.  Donat won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Aug. 23 (Finale): “The Band Wagon” (1953), directed by Vincente Minnelli, featuring Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchannan.  The iconic song “That’s Entertainment” was introduced in this classic cinema musical and was later used as the title for the popular MGM retrospective trilogy series, “That’s Entertainment!” (1974, 1976 and 1994).

A perfect opportunity to see classic/cult films on the big screen

The Majestic’s summer classic/cult movie series has something for everyone, from Hollywood classics to iconic cult feature films.  So kick back, relax and enjoy a classic film in one of the “grandest small-town theaters in America.”  You won’t be disappointed!

Summer Classic Film Series

Gettysburg College’s Majestic Theater (Jennifer and David LeVan Performing Arts Center)

25 Carlisle St.

Gettysburg, PA 17325

(717)-337-8200

majestictheater@gettysburg.edu

Wednesday Nights at 7:30 p.m. from June 1-Aug. 24 (excluding July 20)*

Price: $6 per person (Tickets can only be purchased in person at the theater)

Previous post on last year’s “Summer Classic Film Series”

RiffTrax Live: “Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny” to be shown in theaters on Dec. 3rd

A re-post (from the offshoot blog of "At The Matinee," "Silver Screen Reflections").  

For those who watched the “Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day ‘15” streaming marathon, there’s another “cheesy movie” serving presented by several familiar voices from the cult series.

It’s time for “RiffTrax Live: Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny” (1972)

Fans of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and “RiffTrax” will be in for a holiday treat, as Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett will riff the 1972 Z-budget kiddie holiday film, “Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny.”

The cast of RiffTrax, in conjunction with NCM Fathom Events, will present a live broadcast screening of this low-budget Christmas film in select theaters from coast-to-coast, on Dec. 3.  A re-broadcast of that night’s screening will occur in select cinema venues on Dec. 15.

An advertisement for the RiffTrax screening of “Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny” was seen throughout Shout! Factory TV and their streaming broadcast of the “MST3K Turkey Day ‘15” event on YouTube (in-between each episode).

From a long line of cheesy, low-budget “kiddie” holiday films…

“Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny” is one of many cheesy holiday films that have been riffed by the cast of RiffTrax over the years, including “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) and K. Gordon Murray’s English-dubbed Mexican fantasy film, “Santa Claus“ (1959).  Both aforementioned films have also been shown on MST3K.

Why you should see the RiffTrax version of this holiday “turkey” (for those that may have never watched MST3K or RiffTrax):


If you didn’t watch the “Mystery Science Theater” marathon, or have never experienced a “RiffTrax Live” screening, then this is the perfect opportunity to experience movie riffing at its finest on the big screen, through the courtesy of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett.




RiffTrax Live Presents: “Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny” (1972)


Broadcast live in select theaters nationwide on Thurs., Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Closest cinema venue to the Frederick area (to see the live broadcast of "RiffTrax Live: Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny"):

R/C Gateway Gettysburg Theaters 8
20 Presidential Circle
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Phone: (717) 334-5575

Buy Tickets from R/C Gateway Gettysburg Theaters 8 (via MovieTickets.com)

Complete list of theaters from coast-to-coast that will be showing “RiffTrax Live: Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny”(on Dec. 3, via NCM Fathom Events)

NOTE: A re-broadcast of the RiffTrax screening of “Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny” is scheduled for select theaters from coast-to-coast on Dec. 15.  

Yet according to the theater listings for the re-broadcast date (via NCM Fathom Events), R/C Gateway Gettysburg Theaters 8 will not be showing the Dec. 15 re-broadcast (the listing of theaters for the re-broadcast may be updated by then).

More information about "RiffTrax"

Mr. Hamby meets Ken Burns at Gettysburg (November 2008)

In commemoration of the upcoming premiere of the new high-definition transfer of Ken Burns' landmark 1990 documentary film, The Civil War on PBS, let's take a walk down "memory lane."

November 19th, 2008: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns addresses the
crowd at the Dedication Day ceremony at Gettysburg National Cemetery
in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

"November 19th... This day is one of my most favorite of days, a day of possibilities."
-Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns, giving the introductory keynote address at The 145th Gettysburg Address Dedication Day Ceremony, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19th, 2008

November 19th, 2008: It was a chilly day up in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  I learned about the Dedication Day commemoration event several days earlier, after reading in The News-Post that documentary filmmaker Ken Burns would make a special appearance at the event.  I was studying at Frederick Community College at the time, and by luck- I didn't have any classes on that day.  So I trekked up to Gettysburg to watch the Dedication Day ceremonial event on the morning of November 19th, which marked the 145th anniversary of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

On that cold day at Gettysburg National Cemetery, the guest speakers for the event (in addition to Ken Burns) were renowned Abraham Lincoln impersonator Jim Getty, Andy Brunhart, then-deputy director of the United States Mint (Brunhart unveiled a commemorative Lincoln coin design at the Dedication Day ceremony), Gettysburg National Military Park superintendent John Latschar, Sons of Union Veterans' Chief Commander of the National Order David Acheson and Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania President Ron Hankey.

Ken Burns with a Civil War re-enactment troupe
at the 2008 Dedication Day ceremony in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Throughout the ceremony, Burns gave the keynote address, after Jim Getty's re-enactment of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.  With my palm-sized Aiptek Digital Camera that I had at the time (I still have it in my camera collection, as I have upgraded to better cameras since then), I filmed the entire event from start to finish in freezing temperatures, along with some still photographs of the ceremony (including a group photograph of Burns with an area Civil War re-enactment troupe).

At the end of the ceremony, Burns was on hand to sign programs from interested patrons.  I was one of the lucky ones to have my program booklet signed by the master documentary filmmaker.  After the event, I had lunch at The Dobbin House Tavern in Gettysburg, sitting near several Civil War re-enactors who attended the event, munching on a delicious hot Reuben sandwich with warm cider.

Ken Burns (center), singing autographs on patrons'
programs at the 2008 Dedication Day ceremony
in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  I was one of the
lucky ones to have my program booklet signed
by Burns.

The day after, I had my one of my evening Video Editing classes at FCC.   I thought that it would be an unique idea to share with the class about getting Ken Burns' autograph on my program guide for the ceremony in Gettysburg.  To my surprise, neither the instructor, nor any of my fellow friends in class knew who Ken Burns was.  I was in shock that no one knew about the acclaimed historical documentary filmmaker.

Some six years later, when I entered Hood College as a transfer student (using my FCC credits), I was glad to hear that several of my friends in my classes have heard of Ken Burns and his critically-acclaimed documentary films on Public Television.  I was glad to hear that I wasn't the only one who had heard of Ken Burns.

Aside from all that, I felt that was one of the most exciting moments of my life, not only as an aspiring filmmaker/videographer, but as a person who enjoys watching Ken Burns' iconic historical documentaries, including The Statue of Liberty, The Civil War, Empire of the Air, Baseball, Jazz, The National Parks and The Roosevelts (which premiered last fall on PBS)- just to name several.

Here's your chance to see documentary filmmaking at its finest: The 25th Anniversary edition of Ken Burns' The Civil War (restored in high-definition), will be shown on PBS, starting on September 7th at 9:00 PM EST (in areas close to the home base of At The Matinee, it will be shown on Maryland Public Television and WETA-TV 26).

More on Ken Burns' 1991 documentary on the pioneers of radio and television broadcasting, Empire Of The Air can be found here.

Gettysburg's "Majestic" Theater to showcase Summer Classic Film Series

The Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, adjacent to the historic
Gettysburg Hotel (circa 2009).

The Majestic  in 1984 (then-owned by R/C Theatres),
being converted from a single-screen theater
into a "triplex cinema."

The Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania has had a lot significant moments since the cinema opened next to the historic Gettysburg Hotel in 1925.

It was one of many theaters that decided to showcase sound films using both sound-on-disc (Warner Bros.' "Vitaphone") and sound-on-film (Fox's "Movietone") formats in 1929.    Ironically, Warner Bros. would own the Majestic, spanning from the late 1930's until the 1948 "Paramount" anti-trust decree, forbidding studios to participate in the exhibition business (Warners' theater holdings- including the Majestic, along with its sister cinemas in the Frederick area- the Tivoli, the City Opera House and the Frederick Theater would be spun off to Fabian Interests, under the banner of Stanley Warner Theaters).  

The Majestic was remodeled for the exhibition of Twentieth Century Fox's Cinemascope widescreen features in 1954 (according to an advertisement in The Gettysburg Times, showcasing How To Marry A Millionaire as the theater's first Cinemascope film).  

Shortly thereafter, the theater was used for The White House Press Corps, when President Dwight Eisenhower was at his Gettysburg farm.  Both President and Mrs. Eisenhower were frequent visitors to the Majestic when they were hosting international leaders in Gettysburg.    The Majestic hosted the American premiere of Federico Fellini's 1969 film, Fellini Satyricon.  In 1993, Ronald F. Maxwell's Gettysburg (originally conceived as a made-for-TV film in conjunction with Ted Turner) premiered at the theater.

In 2005. renovations were made to the Majestic, which was now under the ownership of Gettysburg College, to accommodate live stage and music performances in addition to showing first-run, independent and classic feature films.  In 2012, the theater installed digital projection systems to showcase digital prints of feature films, along with screening live broadcasts of opera, musical and orchestral performances from the Metropolitan Opera (via satellite).

1942 advertisement (in The Gettysburg Times) for the Majestic, showcasing
the comedy George Washington Slept Here, starring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan.

"CLASSIC MOVIE NIGHT" SERIES AT THE MAJESTIC: One great aspect about the Majestic is that the cinema's management is doing a wonderful service for movie buffs, classic film aficionados and area students who might be interested in classic film- by showcasing classic films the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen! 

Beginning on June 3rd, the theater will kick off their summer classic film series, showcasing a classic film every Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM.  Admission is $6.00 per person.   Tickets can be purchased at the Majestic box office, or can be purchased by phone by calling 717-337-8200.

Here's the listing of classic (and modern) films that will be shown at the Majestic for the summer:

June 3rd- Wings (1927), directed by William A. Wellman, featuring Gary Cooper, Clara Bow and Charles "Buddy" Rogers.  The first motion picture to receive the Academy Award for "Best Picture."

June 10th- It Happened One Night (1934), directed by Frank Capra, featuring Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert and Walter Connolly.  The first film to be honored with all five major Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Clark Gable), Best Actress (Claudette Colbert), Best Director (Frank Capra), and Best Screenplay.   Capra's landmark film helped put minor studio Columbia Pictures on the map. 

June 17th- Rose Marie (1936), directed by W.S. Van Dyke, featuring Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald, and James Stewart.

June 24th- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), directed by Michael Curtiz, featuring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, George Tobias, Frances Langford and S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall.  Winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Actor (James Cagney), Best Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson and the Warner Bros. sound department), and Best Music, Scoring of a Motion Picture (Ray Heindorf and and Heinz Romfeld).  Includes free raffle prizes and an introduction by Jeffrey W. Gabel, founding executive director of the Majestic.

July 1st- The Best Years of our Lives (1946), directed by William Wyler, featuring Myrna Loy, Frederic March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Russell and Gladys George.  Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture (Samuel Goldwyn), Best Director (William Wyler), Best Actor (Frederic March), Best Supporting Actor (Harold Russell), Best Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood), Best Film Editing (Daniel Mandell), and Best Score (Hugo Friedhofer).

July 8th- Rio Grande (1950), directed by John Ford, featuring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, Harry Carey, Jr., J. Carroll Naish, Chill Wills, Ben Johnson, Grant Withers, and "The Sons of the Pioneers."

July 15th- Carousel (1956), directed by Henry King, featuring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell and Gene Lockhart.

July 22nd- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), directed by Stanley Kubrick, featuring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, James Earl Jones, Keenan Wynn, Peter Bull and Tracy Reed.

July 29th- Bye Bye Birdie (1963), directed by George Sydney, featuring Ann-Margaret, Janet Leigh, Paul Lynde, Bobby Rydell, Maureen Stapleton, Ed Sullivan, Dick Van Dyke and Jesse Pearson.

August 5th- Close Encounters of The Third Kind (1977), directed by Steven Spielberg, featuring Richard Dreyfus, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, François Truffaut and Bob Balaban.  Winner of an Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Vilmos Zsigmond).  NOTE: At The Matinee is unsure if the original 1977 release version, the 1980 "Special Edition" version, or the 1998 "Collector's Edition" version will be screened at the Majestic.

MODERN FAVORITES:

August 12th- Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984), Directed by Steven Spielberg, featuring Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw and Ke Huy Quan.  Winner of an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson and George Gibbs).

August 19th- The Big Lebowski (1998), Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, featuring Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, John Goodman, John Turturro and Steve Buscemi.  Winner of the Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (John Goodman).

August 26th (Final film in the series)- Gladiator (2000), Directed by Ridley Scott, featuring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, David Hemmings and Derek Jacobi.  Winner of 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture (Douglas Wick, David Franzoni,
and Branko Lustig), Best Actor in a leading role (Russell Crowe), Best Costume Design (Janty Yates), Best Sound (Scott Millan, Bob Beemer and Ken Weston) and Best Effects, Visual Effects (John Nelson, Neil Corbould, Tim Burke and Rob Harvey).

This is a perfect opportunity to see classic and contemporary cinema at the "grandest small-town theater in America."  To fellow readers of At The Matinee: if you're interested in seeing one of the many Majestic classics on the schedule (on Wednesday evenings during the summer), it would be an enlightening experience.

At The Matinee salutes Gettysburg College, Jeffrey W. Gabel (founding executive director of the Majestic) and the staff and management of the Majestic for keeping the spirit of classic (and contemporary) cinema alive and well on the big screen!