February 27, 2013 Danny Kaye's TV & Film Career Headlines March Film Schedule

Press Contact: Sheryl Cannady (202) 707-6456
Public Contact: Rob Stone (202) 707-0851
Contact: Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov

The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation will pay tribute to actor and comedian Danny Kaye during its free March film screenings in Culpeper, Va. Last month, the Library opened the exhibition "Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine: Two Kids from Brooklyn,” celebrating the careers of the versatile performer and his wife. The exhibition will be on view through July 27 in the Performing Arts Reading Room Gallery in the Library’s James Madison Building in Washington, D.C.

Three evenings will be devoted to Kaye in film and television. The March 21 screening, “Danny Kaye: Actor, Comedian, Humanitarian,” will include highlights from Kaye’s television variety series that ran on CBS from 1963-1967, as well as selected early theatrical shorts. Two of Kaye’s rarely screened musical comedies (both featuring the actor in dual roles)—“On the Double” and “On the Riviera”—will be shown on the following two evenings. The popular family Kaye musical “Hans Christian Andersen” is scheduled for a Saturday matinee.

A second children’s matinee during the month will feature the animated hit “Prince of Egypt.” Mae West’s “She Done Him Wrong” and the powerful melodrama “Ann Vickers,” based on the best-selling novel by Sinclair Lewis, are the March selections for the “Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself” series of 1933 films.

In addition, the Packard Campus will showcase seven titles featuring a cinematic technique in which the directors used atmospheric grayscale cinematography instead of the customary color photography. Titled “Modern Monochrome: Post-1970 Black & White Films,” the series will feature Academy Award winners and nominees “Lenny,” “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” “Paper Moon,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” and a Woody Allen double feature of “Broadway Danny Rose” and “Stardust Memories.”

Screenings are preceded by an informative slide presentation about each film, with music selected by the Library’s Recorded Sound Section. Short subjects will be presented before select programs. Titles are subject to change without notice.

All Packard Campus programs are free and open to the public, but children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. For reservation information, call (540) 827-1079 ext. 79994 or (202) 707-9994 during business hours, beginning one week before any given screening. Reservations will be held until 10 minutes before showtime. In case of inclement weather, call the theater reservation line no more than three hours before showtime to confirm cancellations. For further information on the theater and film series, visit www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.

The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation is a state-of-the-art facility funded as a gift to the nation by the Packard Humanities Institute. The Packard Campus is the site where the nation’s library acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of motion pictures, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings (www.loc.gov/avconservation/). The Packard Campus is home to more than 6 million collection items, including nearly 3 million sound recordings. It provides staff support for the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board, the National Recording Preservation Board, and the national registries for film and recorded sound.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

Series Schedule

Friday, March 1 (7:30 p.m.)
"Lenny
" (United Artists, 1974)
Dustin Hoffman portrays controversial 1960s stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce from his beginnings in the Catskills and his legal battles challenging obscenity laws to his volatile relationship with his wife Honey and his ultimate self-destruction. “Lenny” was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Bob Fosse), Best Actor (Hoffman), Best Actress (Valerie Perrine), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. This film is R-rated. No one under 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.

Saturday, March 2 (7:30 p.m.)
“The Man Who Wasn’t There
” (USA Films, 2001)
Billy Bob Thornton stars as a laconic, chain-smoking barber whose plan to blackmail his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in a dry-cleaning business goes terribly wrong. Joel and Ethan Coen directed this crime drama set in a sleepy northern California town in the 1940s. The film also stars Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini. Roger Deakins received an Academy Award nomination for best cinematography. The film is R-rated. No one under 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.

Thursday, March 7 (7:30 p.m.)
“Paper Moon
” (Paramount, 1973)
Ryan O’Neal stars as traveling Bible salesman/con artist Moses Pray, who unexpectedly finds himself saddled with an orphaned young girl. They forge an unlikely partnership. Ryan’s daughter Tatum O'Neal won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Addie in her film debut. Peter Bogdanovich directed the comedy-crime drama set during the Great Depression. Madeline Kahn as Trixie Delight was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Friday, March 8 (7:30 p.m.)
“She Done Him Wrong
” (Paramount, 1933)
Mae West stars as free-and-easy Lady Lou, a singer at the Gay Nineties saloon owned by Gus Jordan (Noah Beery, Sr.), who seduces her with diamonds. Lou runs afoul of stalwart missionary Captain Cummings (Cary Grant), who warns her that she's on the road to perdition. Directed by Lowell Sherman, the film is based on West's own stage play, “Diamond Lil,” which ran on Broadway for 97 weeks. In the film, West sings “Frankie and Johnny,” “I Like a Man Who Takes His Time” and “I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone.” West’s first starring film reportedly saved Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy.

Saturday, March 9 (7:30 p.m.)
“Good Night and Good Luck
” (Warner Independent, 2005)
Director George Clooney pays homage to one of the icons of American broadcast journalism, Edward R. Murrow, in this fact-based drama. In 1953, Murrow (played by David Strathairn) was one of the best-known newsmen on television. Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, was generating controversy with his allegations that Communists had risen to positions of power and influence in America. Nominated for six Academy Awards, the film portrays the powerful conflict between the two outspoken men.

Thursday, March 14 (7:30 p.m.)
“Coup de grâce
” (Argos Films, 1976)
Margarethe von Trotta plays aristocrat Sophie de Reval, who is sympathetic to the Communist cause, in this adaptation of Marguerite Yourcenar’s novel. Besides her ruinous habit of falling in love with men who do not love her, Sophie’s tragic flaw is her refusal to acknowledge the cost of the revolution in terms of human lives. Volker Schlondorff directed this drama set in Latvia in 1919, at the height of the Soviet Civil War. The film was produced in German and French with English subtitles.

Friday, March 15 (7:30 p.m.)
A Woody Allen Double Feature
“Broadway Danny Rose
” (Orion, 1984)
Woody Allen wrote and directed this comedy-drama in which he plays the title character, a hapless talent manager. By helping a client, Danny Rose gets dragged into a love triangle involving a moll (Mia Farrow) and the mob. His story is told in an anecdotal flashback as he lunches with a group of comedians at New York's Carnegie Deli.

“Stardust Memories” (United Artists, 1980)
Sandy Bates (Woody Allen), a successful filmmaker, attends a festival to honor his work. During the course of the weekend, he reconsiders his cinematic accomplishments as well as his past relationships. Woody Allen’s 10th film as writer/director, “Stardust Memories” opens with a scene reminiscent of the opening of Fellini’s “8 1/2” and continues to use that film for inspiration.

Saturday, March 16 (2 p.m.)
“Prince of Egypt
” (Dreamworks, 1998)
This animated adaptation of the Book of Exodus follows Moses’ life from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. This musical drama features the voice talent of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes and Michelle Pfeiffer. Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score and Schwartz’s song “When You Believe” won the Academy Award for Best Song.

Thursday, March 21 (7:30 p.m.)
“Danny Kaye: Actor, Comedian, Humanitarian

This tribute to Danny Kaye will feature selections from the TV series “The Danny Kaye Show” (CBS, 1963-1967), guest appearances on other television programs, early theatrical shorts and clips highlighting Kaye’s work with UNICEF.

Friday, March 22 (7:30 p.m.)
“On the Double
” (Paramount, 1961)
Danny Kaye plays a dual role in this lively WWII-era comedy, directed by Melville Shavelson, as a foot soldier who is preparing for D-day along with his fellow troops. Trouble begins when he is caught pretending to be the most important general in England, a man he closely resembles. The two look so much alike that military intelligence assigns him to continue impersonating the general to keep the Nazis on their toes.

Saturday, March 23 (2 p.m.)
“Hans Christian Andersen
” (RKO Radio, 1952)
This fabricated musical biography of the famous Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen (Danny Kaye) features several of his stories and a ballet performance of “The Little Mermaid.” Charles Vidor directed this fanciful blend of comedy, fantasy, romance and music. The melodic Frank Loesser score includes “Inchworm,” “Ugly Duckling'' and “Thumbelina.”

Saturday, March 23 (7:30 p.m.)
“On the Riviera
” (20th Century Fox, 1951)
While working in cabarets on the French Riviera, American entertainer Jack Martin (Danny Kaye in a dual role) does an impersonation of philandering industrialist Henri Duran so convincingly that even Duran’s beautiful wife (Gene Tierney) is fooled by it. Walter Lang directed this fast-paced musical comedy that includes four songs by Sylvia Fine.

Thursday, March 28 (7:30 p.m.)
“Ann Vickers
” (Radio Pictures, 1933)
Irene Dunne stars in the title role of this film adaptation of Sinclair Lewis's novel, directed by John Cromwell. Abandoned by her soldier sweetheart (Bruce Cabot), Ann turns her life around by devoting herself to social work. Frustrated as a psychologist in a woman's prison, Ann falls in love with the politically progressive judge (Walter Huston).

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PR 13-035
2013-02-27
ISSN 0731-3527