March 27, 2011

The Constant Nymph Scheduled for the TCM Classic Film Festival

Peter Lorre fans attending Turner Classic Movies’ second annual film festival in Hollywood are in for a special treat this year – a showing of Warner Brothers’ The Constant Nymph.

The 1943 movie, starring Joan Fontaine and Charles Boyer, has been caught in a legal limbo for years and unavailable except for rare viewings at film archives, such as the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus Theater in Culpepper, VA, in August 2010.

The TCM Classic Film Festival will be held from April 28 to May 1, 2011, Thursday to Sunday.

Although the location of The Constant Nymph’s showing has not yet been announced, the festival theaters include these 1920s movie palaces located along Hollywood Boulevard – Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (1927), The Egyptian Theatre (1922), and the Music Box (1926) – as well as two screens in the Chinese Multiplex, a modern 6-screen cinema next door to Grauman’s Chinese.

Attendees are encouraged to book room reservations at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (1927), conveniently located to all festival theaters and the venue of Club TCM, panel discussions, fan gatherings, and more. Please call the hotel direct at (800) 950-7667.

Other hotels offering special festival rates are:

There are four levels of festival passes – the Matinee, the Classic, the Essential, and the Spotlight. To date, the Matinee is the only pass still available.

Walk-up tickets for individual events may be available on the day, immediately before show-time. A complete list of the film schedule can be found on the festival's website.

The Constant Nymph featured Peter Lorre in a purely romantic role. As the wealthy Fritz Bercovy, he loves and marries Toni Sanger, one of the Sanger sisters and played by Brenda Marshall. Peter would later appear with Ms. Marshall in the spy thriller Background to Danger (1943) – as brother and sister Russian agents.

With the rights issues now resolved, Lorre fans can look forward to The Constant Nymph being added to TCM’s regular TV schedule, as well as a release to DVD later this year.

March 7, 2011

Sanibel Island’s Own Oscar Night With Casablanca

The Academy Awards are over in Los Angeles, but on Monday, March 7, 2011, the BIG ARTS Film Society on Florida’s Sanibel Island will host their own Oscar ceremony – complete with stars on the red carpet, Oscar ballots, a champagne reception, and a special showing of Casablanca (1942).

The event will be held at the Schein Performance Hall, located in the BIG ARTS Center, 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, Florida, and between the City Hall and the Historical Museum.

Parking is available in the BIG ARTS Center lot, beside the Historical Village and Museum, as well as the City Hall lot, the Sanibel Library lots, and the north end of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.

The program begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $7, and include the Oscar ceremony, the showing of Casablanca, and the champagne reception. Tickets may be purchased at the BIG ARTS Center at 900 Dunlop Road. For more information, please call (239) 395-0900.

Hosting the event will be Sidney Picker, with Master of Ceremony Albert Hann.

Peter O’Toole and Dame Judi Dench are rumored to appear on-stage at the Scheim Performance Hall.

And walking the red carpet will be Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Dorothy Lamour, Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, and Al Pacino – all portrayed by local islanders dressed as the Hollywood stars.

Cameras are permitted at the champagne reception, but – no autographs, please . . . . . . . . . . . . .