As March moves on, the Packard Campus continues its look at films that began on the Broadway stage.
Friday, March 10 @ 7:30pm
“The Odd Couple” (Paramount, 1968)
There was a time when Neil Simon was the King of Broadway, and the stage version of this film–first staged in 1965–is perhaps his very best, or, at least, his best known. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon took on the roles of Oscar and Felix for the initial filming of the play, which later, of course, became a very success TV sitcom. (Color, 124 minutes.)
Saturday, March 11 @ 2pm
“A Raisin in the Sun” (Columbia, 1961)
Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee starred in the original Broadway production about a Black family’s struggle in the poverty-ridden inner city of Chicago. The two stars also appear in this highly-regarded film adaptation made in 1961. (Black and white; 128 minutes; National Film Registry, 2005)
Saturday, March 11 @ 7:30pm
“The Music Man” (Warner Bros., 1962)
Meredith Willson pays homage to his Iowa roots with this tale of a conman acting as a traveling salesman. The conman gets caught–but not so much by the law as by his own heartstrings. It’s a tour de force for star Robert Preston, who appeared in the original stage show in 1957, and who recreated the role for the film. (Color; 151 minutes; National Film Registry, 2005)
More Info: //www.loc.gov/programs/audio-visual-conservation/events-and-screenings/screenings/