New York, New York, October 30, 2002 - The Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences today announced that it will present "Monday
Nights with Oscar," a special series of eight Best Picture winners,
each representing a 10-year milestone in the history of the Academy
Awards. The series is the first Academy event in more than a decade
to be open to the general public in addition to the organization's East
Coast membership.
"Monday Nights with Oscar" will be held at the Academy's
new screening facility at the Ames Auditorium in the Lighthouse International
Building, 111 East 59th Street in Manhattan, beginning Monday, November
25, 2002 with a screening of the 1938 Best Picture winner "You
Can't Take it With You".
Part of the Academy's year-long celebration of its 75th anniversary,
the series will feature preservation prints from the Academy Film Archive,
some of them newly restored. For a nominal subscription fee, movie enthusiasts
will be able to join an audience of New York area Academy members for
regular screenings through June 2, 2003 (see schedule below).
The eight Best Pictures screened during "Monday Nights with Oscar"
are the first films to win the Best Picture award in each of the Academy's
eight decades: "Wings" at the 1st Awards ceremony, "You
Can't Take it with You" at the 11th, and so on. The films will
be presented in chronological order with the exception of "Wings,"
which will screen last because a major restoration of the film is underway.
"In addition to these films marking the start of our eight decades,
we like to think that these eight Best Pictures are standing in for
all of the Oscar-winning achievements in the Academy's 75-year history,"
said Academy President Frank Pierson.
Each film in the "Monday Nights with Oscar" series will be
introduced by a noted film expert, who will give attendees an entertaining
and informative look at a ten-year slice of Oscar and movie history.
Robert Osborne, film historian, will be hosting the screening of "
You Can't Take it With You" on November 25th. Audiences will also
see screen tests of Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward auditioning for
the role of Scarlett O'Hara in 1939's Gone With the Wind;" the
1945 Best Short Film "The House I Live in," starring Frank
Sinatra, and the trailer for the next film in the series, "Hamlet."
Participants will also receive a program for each film, featuring a
reproduction of the original movie poster for that evening's screening
and background on the film.
Films in the series include (in order of presentation):
Monday, Nov. 25: "You Can't Take it With You" (1938)
Monday, Dec. 9: "Hamlet" (1948)
Monday, Jan. 13: "Gigi" (1958)
Monday, Feb. 10: "Oliver" (1968)
Monday, March 10: "The Deer Hunter" (1978)
Monday, April 14: "Rain Man" (1988)
Monday, April 28: "Shakespear In Love" (1998)
Monday, June 2: "Wings" (1928).
Each evening's program begins at 7:30 p.m. A subscription to the film
series is available by mail for $50 to the general public and $25 for
students with a photocopy of official student ID. To download a subscription
form, visit www.oscars.org and click on Monday Nights with Oscar: A
Special New York Screening Series or call 888-778-7575 for more information.
Checks and money orders should be payable to The Academy Foundation.
Forms should be mailed to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
P.O. Box 118, 236 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10002-1401. All orders
will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
About The Academy Foundation
The Academy Foundation is a non-profit organization established with
the purpose of organizing and overseeing the educational and cultural
activities of the Academy.
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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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(310) 247-3000
www.oscars.org
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