Classic Holiday Films at the Loew's Jersey Theater December 14, 2007

From: The Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre / Friends of the Loew's, Inc.
54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ 07306 Tel. (201) 798-6055 Fax. (201) 798-4020
A Not-For-Profit Arts Center Featuring the Art of Stage And Screen

Enjoy a Movie Palace Holiday:

Santa Claus Is Coming To The Loew's Jersey
In Person AND On Screen -- It's a Miracle
. . . And He's Bringing Mary Poppins

And Help a Needy Child Too

December 14 & 15
At the Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre
54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel. (201) 798-6055 Fax. (201) 798-4020 Email. [email protected]

Friday, December 14 at 7:30PM -- "Miracle on 34th Street" -- Starring Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara & Natalie Wood. (1947, B&W, 96 mins.) 60th Anniversary Screening! A Holiday favorite for generations. Don’t miss this chance to see it on “the big screen.” -- See below for more film info.

PLUS – There will be a short Holiday “sing along” concert before the film, led by the Loew’s massive pipe organ, which is now being fine-tuned after years of restoration!

Saturday, December 15 from 12:30PM to 3:30PM -- Visit Santa Here! This is not a classic film - but a classic Holiday ritual. Free. For the thirteenth consecutive year, The Jolly Old Elf will be on hand at the Landmark Loew's Jersey to greet visitors and listen to their Holiday wishes. Everyone is welcome -- including PETS! (Pet owners are asked to come between 2:20PM and 3:30PM.) The visit with Santa is FREE. A digital photo with Santa is just $3, but bring a new, unwrapped toy for a needy child and the photo will be free as our "thank you".

The ornate Grand Lobby of the Loew’s, decked out for the Holidays, makes a most fitting setting for a visit with Santa, reminiscent of the stately old department stores of a by-gone era, and less hectic than many modern malls. The opportunity to donate to the needy transforms this Holiday ritual into a deeper experience for kids.

PLUS - Every child that comes to see Santa will receive a coupon for $1 off the cost of a child's admission to that evening's screening of "Mary Poppins"!

Saturday, December 15 at 6PM -- "Mary Poppins" -- Starring Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke (1964, Color, 140mins.) This Holiday Season, re-live your memories and create new ones with your children. – See below for more film info.

Each screening is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, children 12 years old and younger, and students with ID. Combo discounts are available for multiple screenings.

Call (201) 798-6055 or visit www.loewsjersey.org for more info.

The Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre is one of America's grandest surviving Movie Palaces, and now operates as a non-profit arts center. The Loew's screens movies on our 50 ft wide x 25 ft high screen, using carbon arc illumination for the brightest, whitest light. We run reel-to-reel, not platter, which often allows us to screen an archival or studio vault print that is the best available copy of a movie title.

The Loew's Jersey, located at 54 Journal Square, Jersey City, is directly across JFK Boulevard from the JSQ PATH Center, is minutes from the N.J. Turnpike and is easily reached by car or mass transit from throughout th Metro Area.

Half-price off-street parking is available in Square Ramp Garage adjoining the Loew's. Patrons present a coupon to garage attendant when they leave. Coupon is available at our box office.

For directions or more information, call (201) 798-6055 or visit www.loewsjersey.org.

Classic Film Weekends are presented by Friends of the Loew's, Inc., which operates the Loew's Jersey as a not-for-profit arts center.

Press inquiries call Colin Egan at (201) 798-6055 or CEL (201) 344-7477. Or email [email protected].

More Film Info

Miracle on 34th Street Holiday-themed movies tend not to be taken seriously by critics, and often sink into a morass of excess sentimentality. The original “Miracle on 34th Street’ broke those molds. When it premiered, no less than the NY Times declared, “Let us heartily proclaim that it is the freshest little picture in a long time, and maybe even the best comedy of this year.” Edmund Gwenn won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role. And while the script can be called heart-warming, it refuses to become mushy. The movie can be enjoyed on its most basic level, as a story about a kindly man working as a department store Santa who, because he believes he really is Santa Claus, must defend his sanity . But the sharp script also deftly mixes sly comedy and pointed commentary with its tender drama, to make one of the most successful film commentaries about the over-commercialization of the Holidays as well as a thoughtful rumination on the nature of faith itself. Beginning at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and continuing through the busy Christmas shopping season, the Movie manages to still feel current even as it also inspires nostalgia. It captures the hectic mood as well as the little moments of happiness that occur throughout the season. In addition to its clever premise, the film boasts smart characters, great acting, tight pacing, and one of the most memorable – and parodied – climaxes in film history. All of this, along with a most satisfying ending, has made “Miracle on 34th Street” a seasonal favorite for generations.

Mary Poppins The first Disney film ever to be nominated for Best Picture, Mary Poppins collected a total of 13 Oscar nominations – more than any other musical – and collected five statues, including Best Actress for Julie Andrews, in a year when the competition included My Fair Lady. Andrews is perfect in the title role of a mystical nanny who literally falls from the sky and into the lives of two lonely children in Edwardian London. Soon, she is taking them on adventures in a cartoon world and riding a puff of smoke over the city’s rooftops. Andrews does not quite play the chipper, loving nanny she later would in The Sound of Music. Instead, she carefully layers a mysterious, even distantly spooky and disquieting side to her character (similar to Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka role five years later). And Director Stevens mixes a few bits of darkness into his musical comedy, with one song that is surprisingly melancholy and the brooding, surreal scenes of stylized London rooftops. Of course, much of the film is filled with playful goofiness. The effect of this contrast is to make the magic at the core of the story seem more believable – and that is one of the secrets of Mary Poppins’ timeless popularity. Another reason the film is a perennial favorite is the underlying theme that any child will recognize and agree with – that adults are all too often blind to the wonders of the world around them. This classic from Disney is loved by every new generation.

Official Website: http://www.loewsjersey.org