Released on July 11, 1969, 5 days before NASA’s Apollo 11 mission successfully landed the first man on the moon, David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity” became the first major hit of his career, climbing to number 5 on the UK singles chart. While the song cannot be solely credited with elevating Bowie to the pinnacle …
The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus. Thursday, July 18 (7:30 p.m.) Force of Evil (MGM, 1948) Abraham Polonsky came to prominence with his screenplay for the box-office success of the John Garfield boxing drama “Body and Soul” in 1947, and made his directorial debut a year later with …
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. SUMMER CAPERS What better way to relax in the …
The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus. Thursday, July 11 (7:30 p.m.) River’s Edge (Island Pictures, 1986 – rated R*) Inspired by a true event, River’s Edge follows how a group of apathetic high school students in a dismal, dead-end California town deal with their friend’s murder of his …
For most of us, once the “Age of Aquarius” began, it never ended. Certainly, it never did once the theatrical phenomenon known as Hair debuted and its message of peace, love, and the show’s unforgettable tunes– “Easy to Be Hard,” “I Got Life,” “Good Morning Starshine,” “Aquarius,” and, of course, the title tune –spread across …
Here are some of the titles from the Library’s motion picture collections–many preserved by the NAVCC film laboratory–that we’re loaning for exhibition this month. As always, we can’t guarantee that schedules won’t change or links get broken, but this is our best information at the time of publication. Art Gallery of New South Wales: Sidney, Australia https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/ …
The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus. Friday, July 5 (7:30 p.m.) Footloose (Paramount, 1984) Kevin Bacon, in the role that made him a star, plays Chicago teenager Ren McCormack who is transplanted to an ultra-conservative small town in Utah where dancing is outlawed. Recruiting his best pal, the …
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 …
Our summer-long film series “Kids These Days,” which explores the age-old opinion by adults that the younger generation is going to hell in a handbasket, continues with four films from the 1970s and 1980s: Footloose, Carrie, River’s Edge, and The Bad News Bears. Two silent comedies starring Clara Bow, Kid Boots (1926) and Hula …