The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, April 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Rock & Roll on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1955-1970
The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS, 1948-1971) was a landmark television program, and unquestionably one of the most important chronicles of mid-20th century popular culture. The Motion Picture, Broadcast and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress acquired master material– original 16mm kinescopes and 2-inch video tape–of all 1,030 hours of the show from the former owner, Sofa Entertainment, and simultaneously arranged to purchase new Beta SP preservation video copies. This program of rock and roll legends on the show includes Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Sam, Cooke, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Sly and the Family Stone, The Band, The Temptations, The Supremes, Santana, and Ike & Tina Turner. Many of these performances have not been seen since their original airdates.
Friday, April 20 (7:30 p.m.)
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (Universal, 1947); aka Mad Wednesday (RKO, 1951)
In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Harold Lloyd, one of the masters of movie comedy from the silent era who successfully made the transition to talkies, the Packard Campus Theater presents Lloyd’s final film. Director Preston Sturges coaxed Lloyd out of retirement to star in The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, a comedy he wrote with Lloyd in mind. It opens with footage cleverly lifted from Lloyd’s 1925 silent classic, The Freshman, in which Harold’s go-getting character scores the triumphant winning touchdown for his college football team. We now see Harold twenty years later, working at a boring job with his life going nowhere. Things soon change when he is talked into having the first alcoholic drink of his life which unleashes a whole new uninhibited side of him. The film was reedited and reissued in 1950 as Mad Wednesday. 77 min.
Saturday, April 21 (7:30 p.m.)
Stalag 17 (Paramount, 1953)
William Holden won his only Oscar (out of three nominations) for his portrayal of J.J. Sefton, a cynical sergeant suspected of being Nazi spy by his fellow inmates in a Nazi prison camp. Director Billy Wilder brilliantly blends drama with comedy to show the monotonous, anxiety-ridden life of POWs. Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck (repeating their Broadway roles), provide comic relief and Otto Preminger turns in an outstanding performance as the Nazi camp commander. The film was adapted by Billy Wilder and Edwin Blum from the Broadway play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, which was based on their experiences as prisoners in Stalag 17B in Austria. 120 min.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.