Spotlight: Politics dominate Bing’s fall film series
The Advocates for the Bing Crosby Theater is getting into the spirit of the season with is fall film series.
“Best of Politicial Movie Classics” kicks off Sept. 19 with “State of the Union.” The 1948 Frank Capra movie stars Spencer Tracy as an industrialist urged to run for the presidency, and Katharine Hepburn as his estranged wife.
On Sept. 26, “All the King’s Men,” the Oscar-winning 1949 adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, stars Broderick Crawford as Willie Strak, a character based on former Lousiana Gov. Huey Long.
Tracy makes another appearance in the 1958 film “The Last Hurrah,” showing Oct. 3. Tracy plays a Irish-American political boss who runs for mayor one last time in this John Ford-directed drama.
The festival wraps up on Oct. 10 with a double-dose of comedy: “Duck Soup” featuring the Marx Brothers, and “My Little Chickadee,” with Mae West and W.C. Fields.
In a news release, ABCT’s Bill Stimson admits that it’s a stretch to call “Chickadee” a political film. But Fields is elected sheriff in the movie, Stimson said, and “we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity” to hear Mae West say that famous line, “Why don’t you come up sometime and see me.”
The shows begin at 7 p.m., with “Chickadee” following “Duck Soup” that evening at 8:30 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $5. Proceeds help support the Bing, which was built in 1915.
For details, visit www.bingcrosbytheateradvocates.org.
Fall on the boards
Theater season is just around the corner, with Interplayers Professional Theatre, Lake City Playhouse and Spokane Civic Theatre all kicking off the fall with new productions in the coming weeks. Civic is starting the fall off in style with a gala event to celebrate the opening of “The Producers.”
Mel Brooks’ award-winning musical opens at Civic on Sept. 21. The gala will include dinner and dessert catered by Wild Sage American Bistro, live and silent auctions and a no-host bar featuring a specialty drink using Dry Fly spirits. The fun begins at 6 p.m., and the show beings at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $35, or a member coupon plus $15. Call the Civic box office at (509) 325-2507 for tickets or more information.