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A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Film Night at the Pickford Theater – Thursday, March 19

Posted by: Karen Fishman

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, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. SIMON AND LAURA (Group …

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All Going Out and Nothing Coming In

Posted by: Karen Fishman

Today’s post is by David Sager, Research Assistant in the Recorded Sound Research Center. In observance of Black History Month, we’re highlighting a little known song by the great Bert Williams, found in the Library’s National Jukebox. Although opportunities for African American performers during the early days of the recording industry were scant, they certainly …

A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Film Night at the Pickford Theater – Tuesday, February 18

Posted by: Karen Fishman

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. Tuesday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m. BRIGHT ROAD (MGM, 1953). …

A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Crime Plays: The Phillips H. Lord Collection

Posted by: Karen Fishman

This guest post was written by Michelle Dubert-Bellrichard, Archivist, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.  Phillips H. Lord was a pioneer in radio during its golden age. He produced radio and, eventually, television shows that captured real, American characters, but he would dramatize ordinary people — treating them like heroes. For example, Lord’s radio programs like Sky …

A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Film Night at the Pickford Theater – Thursday, January 16

Posted by: Karen Fishman

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, January 16th at 7:00 p.m. THE MAD MISS …

A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Jimmy Dorsey and NBC Bandstand

Posted by: Karen Fishman

This post was written by Matt Barton, curator of the Recorded Sound Section. The Big Band era and the Golden Age of Old Time Radio were long past in the summer of 1956, when NBC Bandstand hit the airwaves. Live performances by the great dance orchestras had been a staple of network radio in the 1930s …

A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Film Night at the Pickford Theater – Thursday, December 19

Posted by: Karen Fishman

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, December 19th at 7:00 p.m. KEY WITNESS (Columbia, 1947). …

A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Happy 125th Birthday to the Mutoscope!

Posted by: Karen Fishman

This blog post was written by Dorinda Hartmann, viewing technician in the Moving Image Research Center. On November 21, 1894, 125 years ago today, inventor Herman Casler submitted a patent for the Mutoscope, an early motion picture device. The Mutoscope was a single-person ‘peep show’ type of machine, coin-operated, and the floor model had a …

A view looking past a digital display screen towards the doors of an indoor theater, with

Film Night at the Pickford Theater: Thursday, November 21, 2019

Posted by: Karen Fishman

NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY Each year, the Librarian of Congress selects 25 films of enduring importance to American culture for inclusion in the National Film Registry. The selection takes into account thousands of titles nominated annually by the public, as well as recommendations of the National Film Preservation Board and the Library’s film curators. Once a …