The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, June 27 (7:30 p.m.)
The Billy Taylor Show (WNJU, 1965)
Well-known jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator Dr. Billy Taylor hosted two long-running programs on NPR: the pioneering Jazz Alive!, (1977- 1983) and Jazz at the Kennedy Center (1995-2001), and served as an on-air correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning for many years. In 1965, Taylor hosted The Billy Taylor Show – Jazz in America, produced at WNJU in New Jersey that aired in the New York City market. Luckily he archived the 2” videotapes of the program before WNJU could recycle them and donated the tapes to the Library of Congress in 2002. This compilation of highlights from the show, none of which has been seen since the original broadcasts, includes performances by jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Burrell, Benny Powell, Clark Terry, Grant Green, Yusef Lateef, Jerome Richardson, Randy Weston and more. Digital presentation.
Friday, June 28 (7:30 p.m.)
The Hidden Fortress (Toho, 1958)
A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity. 35mm film print courtesy of Janis Films. 139 min.
Saturday, June 29 (7:30 p.m.)
To Each His Own (Paramount, 1946)
Olivia de Havilland has said that To Each His Own is one of her favorite films. Covering 27 years in the life of a woman who loved neither wisely nor well, it begins during the blitz on London. Middle-aged Jody Norris (de Havilland) is an air raid warden along with her confidante Lord Desham (Roland Culver.) When she learns that a handsome US pilot, John Lund, is in town, her thoughts flash back to an earlier time in her life, when her love affair with a dashing pilot (also played by Lund in a dual role) resulted in a life lived in secrecy. The film was a spectacular comeback for the actress after being off the screen for two years due to her legal battle seeking to end her contract with Warner Brothers. It was helmed by Mitchell Leisen with a script by the great Charles Brackett who was also Oscar nominated. Shown in celebration of Olivia de Havilland’s 103rd birthday on July 1. 35mm restored film print courtesy Universal Pictures Distribution, 122 min.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: //www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/