A Film Series 40 Years in the Making
One steamy summer afternoon, standing in front of my favorite movie house, I found myself puzzled by a mysterious thing. A one-sheet with an image only of a darkened desert road leading to a compelling glow just beyond the horizon. It had three tag lines, defining the first, second, and third kinds of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. Fascinating as that was, it was useless to me. It gave me nothing. My nine-year-old brain could glean nothing of what this meant, or even to what it was trying to refer, or why I should want to see it. However, in a feat of promotional genius, someone from the theater had affixed a hand written note to the bottom. Just above the words “Coming Soon” they had written, “From the director of JAWS.”
And that’s all I needed. I was thrilled.
ACT TWO
A quarter of a century later, all grown up (mostly) and working in Bill and Stella Pence’s office, managing The Music Hall’s film series and helping to coordinate the twenty-thousand moving parts that was the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado (and, of course, its little sister here By The Sea), a phone call from Bill usually meant something had caught on fire. A print shipment had been delayed, or a booking compromised, or a guest director was stuck on the wrong side of the ocean. Almost invariably, when his number popped up on my phone, it was a cue to brace myself for some fresh random hell I’d be needing to wade into and straighten out to keep the show on screen.
Since I moved on from that job, some things have changed. Bill’s number doesn’t ring me as often as it used to, but when it does, I still drop everything. Thing is, the calls I get these days are always invitations to coolness. A few years ago, I was welcomed back to take part again in Telluride by the Sea, as Ringmaster for the screenings at The Loft. I was given the keys – and a surprisingly long leash – to contribute to The Music Hall Movies Facebook group, sharing movie news and trailers and trivia and generally just nerding out about film. Fun stuff. Last year, Bill invited me to step in as one of the moderators of The Music Hall Film Club to introduce films, and share thoughts about them with a crowd of like-minded cinephiles. He came to me with the theme all mapped out, a retrospective of the career of Jack Nicholson. Ever my mentor, Bill encouraged me that he thought I would be a good fit to host. I was thrilled.
ACT THREE
The phone rings. I drop everything.
Bill tells me Susan Poulin is ripping it up as current host of the Film Club’s Barbara Stanwyck series, but as that winds to its close, if I’m game to go again, it’s time to brainstorm the next round. Although I know him well enough to understand that he’s surely got at least a dozen ideas of his own, he’s kind enough to ask for mine.
My mind flashes. An image of a long road, and the promise of compelling lights. I think of formative years, of youthful passion, and the electricity of new beginnings. I think of all the journeys I’ve shared, and the artists that shared them with me. I think of enigmatic tag lines, and reply, “First movies from great directors. Call it Hit the Ground Running.”
Bill agrees. Our next series will spotlight the debut features from the early years of some of America’s most renowned living filmmakers. With only six slots to fill, we had to make some tough decisions, but we’re pretty proud of the line-up. Martin Scorsese. Quentin Tarantino. Wes Anderson. The Coen Brothers. Christopher Nolan. And yes, Steven Spielberg. I’ve pretty much been training for this my whole life, and I can’t wait to share it with you. I am thrilled.