Cinecon is a celebration of forgotten films from the silent and early sound era of movie-making that features screenings, celebrity guests, one of the country’s top movie memorabilia shows, plus live piano accompaniment for the silent films! This year’s event, Cinecon 52, will be at the Egyptian Theater at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard from Thursday evening, September 1 through Monday, September 5.
According to Stan Taffel, PRO-TEK film restoration expert and Cinecon Board of Governors President,
“This year’s event includes some 50 films, and unlike many festivals, Cinecon shows only one at a time, so you don’t have to choose and you could see every movie. Plus it’s a bargain at $165 for a full festival pass.”
Stan has been involved with Cinecon for many years, starting as a projectionist. Also on the board are PRO-TEK employees Jim Harwood, Tobin Larson and Michael Cahill.
The first Cinecon Legacy Award
Legendary actress and film star Marsha Hunt will receive the inaugural 2016 Cinecon Legacy Award on Friday, when her favorite motion picture, NONE SHALL ESCAPE, will be screened. It was a prescient movie, because although it was filmed before the end of the war, the story takes place after the war is over. The plot has former Nazis being put on trial for war crimes, which of course eventually happened in Nuremberg.
2016 Cinecon Classic Film Festival highlights
Following is a small sampling of the screenings at this year’s festival:
Universal’s new “KING OF JAZZ” restoration
Cinecon will be showing Universal’s restored KING OF JAZZ, originally released in 1930 as the ultimate musical movie, featuring bandleader Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. Filmed in two-color Technicolor, it features George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” along with a review of top musical acts of the day. While Universal spent big on this lavish production ($2 million dollars, which equates to roughly $28,000,000 today), it was released at the start of the Great Depression, getting good reviews but failing at the box office.
Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello
Friday features Laurel & Hardy, including THAT’S THAT, an unreleased “gag” film from 1937 that was presented to Stan Laurel as a personal gift. Also showing is a first look at Laurel & Hardy’s BERTH MARKS, restored with the original soundtrack.
Abbot & Costello fans as well as radio broadcasting fans won’t want to miss WHO DONE IT? (1942, Universal) a crossover of the ‘30’s and ‘40’s film era with radio broadcasts of the same time period.
Marx Brothers’ “ANIMAL CRACKERS” you’ve never seen
Cinecon will feature the first look of a new restoration made by Universal of the classic comedy hit ANIMAL CRACKERS. It’s the British version, containing unseen footage that was cut by American censors.
Warner Brothers’ 1927 “SO THIS IS PARIS”
A classic French-style bedroom farce directed by Ernst Lubitsch that ends with a wild dance scene featuring The Charleston, revolutionary at the time. Keep an eye out for movie icon Myrna Loy playing a bit part as a maid.
This and more at Cinecon 52
Make sure to visit the Cinecon website for complete information and to purchase your festival pass.