You can’t beat a free classic movie – not to mention free popcorn – especially on a cold February evening. The Sippican Historical Society is bringing classic movies, with a historical bent, to the public at the Marion Music Hall once a month. If all goes well, they plan to continue the series during the summer as a “drive in theater” with movies being shown on a big screen at the band shell on Island Wharf.
Over 55 people attended the Friday night screening of The African Queen, a 1951 classic set in Africa during the start of the World War I. The film features Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart as unlikely allies who fall in love and sink an enemy ship using ingenuity and determination.
On March 2, Young Mr. Lincoln will be shown at 7:00 pm at the Music Hall. On April 13, Sunrise at Campobello and on May 4, Maytime will be shown. All presentations are free and open to the public.
“I think this is a terrific way for us to get more involved in the community,” said Sippican Historical Society’s Executive Director, Kim Teves. “It’s fun, nostalgic and gets people together…we’re choosing classic films with historical relevance.” Ms. Teves also entertained the movie goers with a trivia quiz together at the onset of the viewing.
The smell of popcorn permeated the air as attendees listened to Truman Terrell play the piano on the stage. Mr. Terrell volunteered his time to help create atmosphere prior to the start of the film. Volunteers from the historical society sold bottled water, soda and candy.
Tom Shire, a movie buff, brought several posters and booklets and placed them around the stage for people to view. After the film, Mr. Shire answered questions about the film and spoke briefly about the actors, mentioning that Humphrey Bogart won an Academy Award for his role as Mr. Charlie Allnut, captain of the African Queen.
“We even have an old time popcorn popper machine,” said Ms. Teves, who quickly ran out of popcorn after a long line gathered around the refreshment table. According to Ms. Teves, the idea to run a classic movie series came from Sally Conkright, President of the Sippican Historical Society Board of Directors.
The next film in the series, Young Mr. Lincoln, was chosen because of the connection to Marion. According to Ms. Teves, Lincoln biographers John Nicolay and John Hay both visited Marion while working with Richard Watson Gilder, editor of The Century Magazine. Nicolay and Hay were Lincoln’s personal secretaries who later wrote a very popular serialized biography of Lincoln that ran in the magazine.
“We want to run the series through the summer, if all goes well,” said Ms. Teves. “Our preference would be to have it at the bandstand with a drive-in quality about it.”
If Friday’s attendance is any indication, this series could be a hit.
By Joan Hartnett-Barry