Film Appreciation
Kurt F. Stone, D.D., is in his 23rd year with Osher LLI. His passion for film is, he says, “genetic,” having been born in Hollywood, CA and raised both in and around the movie industry. A graduate of the University of California (B.A.), the Eagleton Institute of Politics and the Hebrew Union College (M.A.H.L. and D.D.), Professor Stone is the best-selling author of two books on the United States Congress and is currently continuing work on a massive history of Hollywood entitled “In the Land of Mink-Lined Pools.” A much sought-after lecturer, medical ethicist, occasional actor and ordained rabbi, his political op-ed column, “The K.F. Stone Weekly,” has, over the past 15 years, developed an international following. He now has a second blog called “Tales From Hollywood & Vine.”
Student Testimonials
- “Dr. Stone is very informative and knowledgeable about the movie industry and brings a great deal of personal and historical information forward and following the movie presentations.”
- “Dr. Stone has a wide breadth, depth and personal knowledge of movies and the film industry which makes his remarks about movies and the film industry interesting as well as educational.”
One Hundred Fifty-Six Pictures a Year... and Counting
Awesome Films That Got Lost in the Crowd
During the height of Hollywood’s “studio era” (c.1920-1955), each
of the major studios — Paramount, MGM, Fox, Warner Brothers,
Universal, RKO and Columbia – turned out 52 “A” and 104 “B”
pictures a week. They ran pictures in their own theaters, which
required new pictures each and every week of the year. All told,
Hollywood studios during the studio era turned out more than a
thousand pictures a year. Then again, the average movie-goer went
to the local cinema, on average, three times a week.
In this course, we will be viewing eight films from the high-point of
studio-era Hollywood which, though mostly long forgotten, are, in
Professor Stone’s opinion, both first-class and deserving of being
seen all over again. Each class begins with Professor Stone’s brief
insightful intro. Then, after viewing each film in its entirety, we will
engage in questions and answers. The eight films are:
Eight Lectures
- “The Last Flight” (Warner Brothers, 1931) - A film about the “lost generation,” which owes much to
Hemmingway and Fitzgerald. Starring Richard Barthelmess, Helen
Chandler and Johnny Mack Brown.
- “Of Human Bondage” (RKO, 1934) - The best of three adaptations of the celebrated Somerset Maugham
novel, starring Bette Davis, Leslie Howard and Reginald Denny.
- “Ruggles of Red Gap” (Paramount, 1935) - Comedy about the butler to a down-on-his-luck Britisher who is
won by his flamboyant nouveau-riche American cousin. Starring
Charles Laughton, Charles Ruggles and ZaSu Pitts.
- “The Gilded Lily” (Paramount, 1935) - The best of the seven movies starring Fred MacMurray and
Claudette Colbert. He’s a newspaper reporter; she’s a stenographer.
He’s in love with her; she’s in love with a handsome, titled Brit
played by Ray Milland.
- “In Old Chicago” (20th Century Fox, 1938) - Tyrone Power and Alice Faye star in a film about Mrs. O’Leary’s
cow which caused the great Chicago Fire. Best known for its
climactic fire sequence that lasts a full 20 minutes.
- “Three Comrades” (MGM, 1938) - Adapted from a best-selling novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this
was the first and only film for which F. Scott Fitzgerald received
screen credit. Robert Taylor, Robert Young and Margaret Sullavan
star in a tale of three WWI veterans.
- “Showboat” (Universal, 1936) - The first movie musical that showed the true power of sound.
Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, with words and music by
Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern, it stars Irene Dunne,
Charles Winninger, Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson.
- “Ah, Wilderness!” (MGM, 1935) - Based on playwright Eugene O’Neil’s only comedy, Lionel
Barrymore, Ailine MacMahon, Wallace Berry and Mickey Rooney
star in this tender, affectionate, and humorous portrait of what
O’Neill wished his childhood could have been.
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| Course # F8M6 — Full 8 Weeks
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| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Mondays, October 15, 22, 29; November 5, 19, 26; December 3, 10 2018 |
| Time: | 7 - 9 PM |
| Fee: | $80 / member; $110 / non-member |
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Register Now
One Hundred Fifty-Six Pictures a Year... and Counting (Last Four Weeks Only)
Awesome Films That Got Lost in the Crowd
During the height of Hollywood’s “studio era” (c.1920-1955), each
of the major studios — Paramount, MGM, Fox, Warner Brothers,
Universal, RKO and Columbia – turned out 52 “A” and 104 “B”
pictures a week. They ran pictures in their own theaters, which
required new pictures each and every week of the year. All told,
Hollywood studios during the studio era turned out more than a
thousand pictures a year. Then again, the average movie-goer went
to the local cinema, on average, three times a week.
In this course, we will be viewing eight films from the high-point of
studio-era Hollywood which, though mostly long forgotten, are, in
Professor Stone’s opinion, both first-class and deserving of being
seen all over again. Each class begins with Professor Stone’s brief
insightful intro. Then, after viewing each film in its entirety, we will
engage in questions and answers. The eight films are:
Four Lectures
- “In Old Chicago” (20th Century Fox, 1938) - Tyrone Power and Alice Faye star in a film about Mrs. O’Leary’s
cow which caused the great Chicago Fire. Best known for its
climactic fire sequence that lasts a full 20 minutes.
- “Three Comrades” (MGM, 1938) - Adapted from a best-selling novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this
was the first and only film for which F. Scott Fitzgerald received
screen credit. Robert Taylor, Robert Young and Margaret Sullavan
star in a tale of three WWI veterans.
- “Showboat” (Universal, 1936) - The first movie musical that showed the true power of sound.
Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, with words and music by
Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern, it stars Irene Dunne,
Charles Winninger, Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson.
- “Ah, Wilderness!” (MGM, 1935) - Based on playwright Eugene O’Neil’s only comedy, Lionel
Barrymore, Ailine MacMahon, Wallace Berry and Mickey Rooney
star in this tender, affectionate, and humorous portrait of what
O’Neill wished his childhood could have been.
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| Course # F4M7 — Last 4 Weeks
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|
| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Mondays, November 19, 26; December 3, 10 2018 |
| Time: | 7 - 9 PM |
| Fee: | $40 / member; $60 / non-member |
|
|
Register Now
