Stanford Theater

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO THE STANFORD THEATER TO SEE A BLACK & WHITE MOVIE? No? If you love old time movies, you've got to go!

The Stanford Theater opened in 1925. In 1987, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation bought and restored the theater to its original beauty:  neo-classical Greek/Assyrian architecture, gold trim, red velvet curtains.

It's dedicated to bringing back the movie-going experience of Hollywood's Golden Age. I think they've succeeded since more people watched Casablanca there on its 50th anniversary in 1992 than anywhere else in the United States! If fact, sometimes the Stanford Theater accounts for 25 percent of all classic film attendance in the US.

They believe the classic films were meant to be watched on a big screen, not your TV screen, in a sumptuous environment with the shared reactions of a real audience.

They usually dedicate an entire month to one genre (like film noir) or star, such as Cary Grant. Watching It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve is a great family tradition to start.

I just got their schedule in the mail. It tends to run 1-2 weeks late so it's better to check their schedule online. January 8-March 27 features:

--  20 early films with Bette Davis

--  8 classics produced by Val Lewton in the 1940s. Mostly low budged "horror" classics, such as Cat People (1942). He relied on suggestion and understatement, rather than the shocking visuals popular today. I'm going to try and catch of couple of these since they only show every several years or so.

--  18 other films worth seeing again, such as The Mark of Zorro (1940), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), and Heaven Can Wait (1943).

And that's not all. During intermission, the crowd goes hush...a hole in the stage floor opens...music pours forth...and a Mighty Wurlitzer organ rises up! A musician plays several songs...hands skipping across the keys...feet dancing along the pedals...lights dim...the theater organ lowers...and the next feature film begins.

Where can you get an experience like that for $7 and a tub of popcorn for $2.50? Or you could have dinner at one of the many restaurants on University Ave.

If you'd like to experience classic movies as Hollywood meant them to be, go to the Stanford Theater at 221 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, (650) 324-3700.

May music surround you,


Catherine