| Summer
Laughter
Discuss this series with other film fans on:
http://www.myspace.com/americancinematheque
This series is an Aero Theatre Exclusive!
Tired out and dazed from all the July 4th
festivities and televised sports events? Come and join us for this rejuvenating spate of
effervescent comedies guaranteed to re-energize and lift your spirits from the midsummer
doldrums. From cult to classic, from Richard Pryor & Gene Wilder (STIR CRAZY;
SILVER STREAK) to the Marx Brothers (A NIGHT AT THE OPERA; A DAY AT THE RACES)
to Charlie Chaplin (THE KID), they’re guaranteed to bring a smile to your face
and put a spring in your step.
Friday, July 6 – 7:30 PM
Richard Pryor/Gene Wilder Double Feature:
STIR CRAZY, 1980, Sony Repertory, 108
min. Directed by Sidney Poitier (star of LILIES OF THE FIELD and IN THE HEAT OF THE
NIGHT), this classic comedy once again pairs Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.
The team's chemistry and improvisation make this one of the most quotable films of all
time. Struggling playwright Wilder and struggling actor Pryor head west to seek their
fortune. Framed for a bank robbery they didn't commit and sentenced to 125 years in jail,
the two must appear in a prison rodeo in order to escape. Also features POLTERGEIST's Craig
T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams. "Yea, that's right! That's right!
We bad!"
SILVER STREAK, 1976, 20th
Century Fox, 114 min. Director Arthur Hiller’s (THE IN-LAWS) action comedy was
the first of four team-ups by comedy giants Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.
Writer Collin Higgins (HAROLD AND MAUDE) spoofs Hitchcock and James Bond. George
Caldwell (Wilder), a bored book publisher finds romance and murder with Hilly Burns (Jill
Clayburgh) on a cross-country bullet train from Los Angeles to Chicago. Wilder
befriends thief Grover Muldoon (Pryor) to get help fighting the murderers and saving
Hilly. Climaxes with one of the most notable train crashes in film history. With great
villainous turns by Patrick McGoohan (TV’s "The Prisoner") and
seven-foot-two actor Richard Kiel (Jaws in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME) as the henchman
with bizarre-looking teeth. Also features Ned Beatty, Fred Willard,
Scatman Crothers, Clifton James and Ray Walston. Musical score by Henry
Mancini.
Saturday, July 7 – 7:30 PM
Marx Brothers Double Feature:
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, 1935,
Warner Bros., 92 min. Dir. Sam Wood. The Marx Brothers’ first film for
MGM, first without Zeppo, and their biggest box office hit. Heck, you know the plot, so
just enjoy the stateroom scene, the contract routine, and tons of great one-liners. And
remember: there ain’t no sanity clause! Numerous writers (many uncredited) include
George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, Al Boasberg and even Buster Keaton. With Kitty
Carlisle, Allan Jones, Sig Rumann, Walter Woolf King, and of course, Margaret
Dumont.
A DAY AT THE RACES, 1937,
Warner Bros., 111 min. Dir. Sam Wood. The Marx Brothers’ second (and
most expensive) MGM film serves up Groucho as Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush, who arouses all
sorts of suspicion as the new head of a posh sanitarium—and with good reason:
he’s actually a veterinarian! Includes the celebrated "tootsie-fruitsie"
and examination routines, and a tremendous cast including Maureen O’Sullivan,
Allan Jones, Douglass Dumbrille, Sig Rumann, Esther Muir, and of course, Margaret
Dumont.
Sunday, July 8 – 3:00 PM
Silent Family Matinee – Kid’s Festival:
THE KID, 1921, 60 min. In perhaps his
greatest film masterpiece, Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp, following his paternal instincts,
takes a hapless, orphaned baby - "The Kid" - under his wing. Five years pass,
and the tyke is now a precocious little boy (Jackie Coogan), helping his foster dad, The
Tramp, in his "window glass replacement" scam. But a confluence of events,
including The Kid’s sudden illness, conspire to separate the two. "…scenes
of Chaplin and his company at their finest. And it is a real cinematographic work in the
universal language of moving pictures. It could be understood, which means mightily
enjoyed, anywhere in the world without a single sub-title, and those it has are few, far
between and brief." – The New York Times Bring
your children to discover the wonderful art of Charlie Chaplin on a big screen, with live
musical accompaniment, and to begin, some very funny silent short films!
Sunday, July 8 – 7:30 PM
Double Feature:
THIS IS SPINAL TAP, 1984,
Stuart Lisell/Canal +, 82 min. Director Rob Reiner created his funniest film in
this side-splitting rock mockumentary chronicling the less than triumphant return to
America of legendary British heavy-metal band Spinal Tap. Spot-on performances from Christopher
Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Rob Reiner himself as documentary
filmmaker Marty DiBergi.
REPO MAN, 1984, Universal, 92 min.
Director Alex Cox’s (SID AND NANCY) debut feature has the
distinction of probably being the only punk rock/sci-fi/crime/comedy in film history, a
deliriously screwball odyssey through the back streets of Los Angeles. Veteran repo
war-horse Bud (Harry Dean Stanton in one of his funniest roles) breaks in new repo
man Otto (Emilio Estevez) while tracking a vintage Chevy Malibu driven by a
swerving and out-of-control nuclear physicist (Fox Harris). But the two soon find
ruthless Feds, TV preachers, Chicano gangs, horny UFO freaks and just about everyone else
in L.A. is also after the car. A dead-on satire of early 1980’s pop culture and
coming-of-age teen comedies, not to mention sci-fi and film noir (with an affectionate nod
to Robert Aldrich’s KISS ME DEADLY). Produced by Michael Nesmith, it became an
instant cult classic with perhaps the greatest punk rock soundtrack of all time featuring
Fear, Iggy Pop, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies and the Circle Jerks. With cinematography
by Von Trier & Jarmusch favorite, Robby Muller. Unforgettable supporting performances
by Sy Richardson and Tracy Walter. |
