Cinderella Man And The Greenbelt Movie Theatre

I went to the Old Greenbelt Theatre in Greenbelt, Maryland to see Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger in Cinderella Man.   Greenbelt was the first planned suburban community in this country, and the Greenbelt Theatre's existence goes back to September 21, 1938. http://www.ci.greenbelt.md.us/About_Greenbelt/the_greenbelt_museum.htm

The opening attraction that night was Little Miss Broadway with Shirley Temple. Admission was 30 cents for adults and 15 cents for children. In those days movies would premiere in one of the large downtown Washington theatres and would play the Greenbelt three to six weeks later.   The Greenbelt closed as a movie theatre in 1976, but was reopened as a community arts center between 1980 and 1987.  All new projection and stereo equipment were installed along with a much larger 40 foot Cinemascope screen. It's one of the last full-sized movie theatres where one can see films as they were meant to be seen.  I still mourn Washington's lost movie houses, especially The Circle.  The Circle was a repertory theatre which showed such a vast genre in cinema.  I saw all of Fellini there, and Truffaut and Herzog, and so many others.  They would pair films in logical two's so you could see The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon, when they were doing their Bogart film tribute.  I remember going to see Casablanca there, and it was sold out.  People demanded to be let in, and they sat in the aisles on the floor.  That's the passion you used to see for cinema in this city.  I always sat three rows up, center aisle, far left seat.  The Pedas brothers (the owners) allowed this homeless man to hang out there, and he always sat down on the far left front, letting out these loud, bronchial coughs that became a part of the theatre for me.

Upon entering the Greenbelt, past the concession stand, there is one of the original projectors on display:

    

Since I was going to see a movie set in the Depression era, it seemed appropriate to see it in a Depression era movie house.  The movie was fine.   It was a typical Ron Howard push-your-buttons-feel-good affair:  downtrodden decent chap struggling to stay afloat and care for his wife and three children, overcoming obstacles to succeed and win as a boxer, while maintaining his dignity and principles.  The audience broke into applause when Crowe, as James J. Braddock, won his championship fight against Max Baer.  Naturally, when you hear Max Baer, you have to think of Max Baer, Jr. playing Cousin Jethro Bodine in The Beverly Hillbillies:

   

                          Max Baer

       

              James J. Braddock   

   Max Baer, Jr.  (seated) and the cast of

                  Beverly Hillbillies

                       Wee Doggies

I can't help but think of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard saying "We didn't need dialogue.  We had faces!  They took the idols and smashed them: the Fairbankses, the Gilberts, the Valentinos!  And who've we got now? Some nobodies!" Renee Zellweger does not have a "face."  Just this year, I was reading a critique of her work and someone described her face as having "...that puckered cat anus of a mouth."  Cruel words, but boy did they stick.    Between her scrunched up eyes and the mouth, I cannot look at her anymore without remembering that quote.

In the meantime, we've got Mike Tyson back in the news (speaking of honor and principle to the sport of boxing), and after giving up in defeat during his latest fight he has been quoted as saying "I'm not going to lie to myself.  I'm not going to embarrass this sport anymore."  Actually, it probably sounded more like "I'm not gonna lie to myseth.  I'm not gonna embarrath thith sporth anymorth."  Gee, Mike...can we count you DOWN on that?  I wish.