Every month, films from the Library’s collection are shown at the Mary Pickford Theater in the James Madison Building, ranging from titles newly preserved by the National Audio Visual Conservation Center film lab, classics from the National Film Registry, and lesser known titles worthy of discovery.
Thursday, September 19th at 7:00 p.m.
DOWNSTAIRS
Hired by an Austrian nobleman and his wife, an unscrupulous chauffeur proceeds to exploit both his employers upstairs and the servants downstairs.
DOWNSTAIRS (MGM, 1932). Directed by Monta Bell. Written by Lenore Coffee & Melville Baker (screenplay), John Gilbert (story). With John Gilbert, Paul Lukas, Virginia Bruce, Hedda Hopper, Reginald Owen, Olga Baclanova. (77 min, black & white, 35mm).
Based on an original story that John Gilbert had been trying to get off the ground since 1927, the film was a conscious effort on the actor’s part to move away from his “Great Lover” image. It also represented a challenge to the widely held view that his talents were not suited to sound pictures. Gilbert made only three more films, including “Queen Christina” with Greta Garbo, but none of them managed to revive his career and he died of a heart attack at the age of 38.
Preceded by the Laurel & Hardy short “Towed in a Hole” (Hal Roach/MGM, 1932). (21 min, black & white, 35mm).
Seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
For more information on our programs, please visit the Mary Pickford Theater website.
The Mary Pickford Theater is located on the 3rd floor of the Library of Congress James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, DC, 20540.