The Thin Man, Top Hat, Gold Diggers of 1933 January 29, 2010

Deco On
The Big Screen:
3 Classic Films of the 1930s

At the Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre
-- A Not-For-Profit Arts Center --
54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel: (201) 798-6055 Fax: (201) 798-4020 Web: www.loewsjersey.org

To celebrate its 80th Anniversary Year, every month the Landmark Loew’s Jersey will present three iconic films of one decade from the 1930s thru the 1980s. This month, we highlight the decade of Art Deco glamour and the Great Depression:

Friday, January 29 8 PM
"The Thin Man" -- Starring William Powell and Myrna Loy 1934, 90mins., B&W.

Filmed on what MGM considered a B-picture budget and schedule (14 days, which at Universal or Columbia would have been considered extravagant), this comedy/mystery/thriller proved to be a "sleeper," spawning a popular film, radio, and television series.
The Thin Man works because of the chemistry between stars William Powell and Myrna Loy, and because screenwriters Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich had the good sense to transfer Dashiell Hammett's source novel to the screen without substantial alterations to the story. Planned by MGM as a lower-profile release, the film nonetheless featured first-rate talent in front of and behind the camera, including director W.S. Van Dyke, cinematographer James Wong Howe, art director Cedric Gibbons, and sound engineer Douglas Shearer. Shearer's role was of substantial importance in naturalistically capturing the casual banter of the stars and creating the film's atmosphere of sophistication and wit. The supporting cast features consistently good performances, with Maureen O'Sullivan the standout. Unlike many MGM films of the 1930s, the production design is understated, as the stars and the screenplay take center stage. Surprisingly popular at the box office, The Thin Man was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture.
-From Allmovie.com, by Richard Gilliam and Hal Erickson

Saturday, January 30 6:30 PM
"Top Hat" -- Starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Directed by Mark Sandrich, music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. 1935, 99mins., B&W.

‘Top Hat’ is classy, Depression-era escapism, with great tunes, witty choreography, and the charismatic screen chemistry of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It is an excellent example of the fine work of director Mark Sandrich, who today is less remembered than the musical stars who had some of their greatest successes in his films. The film's story, cast, and style are largely derivative of The Gay Divorcee, which also starred Astaire and Rogers and was directed by Sandrich a year earlier. The supporting casts are pretty much the same, although Top Hat has the distinction of adding Lucille Ball in a small role. RKO pulled together many of its best resources to produce the film, including songwriter Irving Berlin, dance director Hermes Pan, and art directors Carroll Clark and Van Nest Polglase. The result was film that proved popular with audiences and critics alike. Top Hat was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
-From Allmovie.com, by Richard Gilliam

Saturday, January 30 8:40 PM
"Gold Diggers of 1933" -- Starring Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, Ginger Rogers. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, choreography by Busby Berkeley. 1933, 96mins., B&W.

One of the best Warner Bros. pre-Production Code musicals, Gold Diggers of 1933 adroitly intertwined a light-hearted yet gritty look at backstage shenanigans involving unemployed showgirls and potential moneymen with choreographer Busby Berkeley's outrageously lavish production numbers, replete with fluid camerawork and overhead compositions. Using the Great Depression rather than ignoring it, Mervyn LeRoy's crisply directed story hinged on survival in hard times, as romance blooms when the pragmatic chorines use their "assets" to charm backers for a new show. Berkeley's "We're in the Money," featuring coin-clad chorus girls and Ginger Rogers singing in pig Latin, and the cheekily smutty "Pettin' in the Park" indicate the movie's dual focus on fiscal troubles and carnality. The downbeat finale, "Remember My Forgotten Man," keeps the film rooted in 1930s reality, despite the escapism offered by Berkeley's visually innovative set pieces and the sweet Ruby Keeler-Dick Powell love story. Although Gold Diggers inspired other "realistic" backstage musicals, the 1934 Production Code discouraged later movies from adopting its frank approach; "Pettin' in the Park" was cut from early TV prints of the film because it was deemed too racy.
-From Allmovie.com, by Lucia Bozzola

Separate Admission for each screening is just $6 for adults, $4 for seniors (65+) and children (12 & younger).

OR -- Combo Discounts available for multiple screenings over the weekend.

The Loew's Is Easy To Get To: The Loew's Jersey Theatre, at 54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ, is directly across JFK Boulevard from the JSQ PATH Center with trains to and from Lower and Midtown Manhattan and Newark's Penn Station, is minutes from the NJ Turnpike & easily reached by car or mass transit from throughout the Metro Area.

Discount off-street parking is available in Square Ramp Garage adjoining the Loew's. Patrons must validate their parking ticket before leaving the Loew's.

What's Special About Seeing A Movie At The Loew's? The Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre is one of America's grandest surviving Movie Palaces. We show movies the way they were meant to be seen: in a grandly ornate setting -- on our BIG 50 ft wide screen! The Loew's runs reel-to-reel, not platter, projection, 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 is managed by Friends of the Loew's, Inc. as a non-profit, multi-discipline performing arts center.

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