Thursday, October 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Murphy’s Romance (Columbia, 1986)
James Garner received his only Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the title character Murphy Jones, a widowed druggist in a small Arizona town. He develops a cautious friendship with Emma (Sally Field), who moves to town with her son Jake (Corey Haim) to start a new life. Romantic sparks finally ignite in spite of their age difference and the appearance of Emma’s shiftless ex-husband (Brian Kerwin). Martin Ritt directed this subtle romantic comedy.
Friday, October 17 (7:30 p.m.)
The Americanization of Emily (MGM, 1964)
Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky’s cutting black comedy stars James Garner as Charlie Madison, a cynical American naval officer with a cushy job as an adjutant to Rear Admiral William Jessup (Melvyn Douglas) in 1944 London. Charlie’s plans to avoid military action unravel when he falls for British war widow Emily Barham (Julie Andrews) and his commanding officer’s mental breakdown leads to Charlie being selected as the first man to storm Omaha Beach. Controversial upon its original release, The Americanization of Emily was an anti-war film, poking fun at mindless patriotism years before such films were fashionable. The film earned Academy Award nominations for best cinematography and art direction.
Saturday, October 18 (7:30 p.m.)
To Have and Have Not (Warner Bros., 1944)
Howard Hawks directed this classic WWII adventure thriller, loosely based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel. Humphrey Bogart stars as American expatriate Harry Morgan, who helps transport a French Resistance leader and his wife to Martinique while romancing Marie Browning, a seductive petty thief. Lauren Bacall made her acting debut as the sultry Marie, while falling in love with Bogart both on-and off-screen. Her performance garnered rave reviews with the usually reserved James Agee writing, “Lauren Bacall has cinema personality to burn … a javelin-like vitality, a born dancer’s eloquence in movement, a fierce female shrewdness and a special sweet-sourness.” She also got to speak one of filmdom’s most famous lines: “You know how to whistle, don’t you?” The film also co-stars Walter Brennan and Hoagy Carmichael.
For more information on our programs, please visit the web site at www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.