Silver Screen Features Coming To Heights Libraries

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Starting in March, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Libraries will begin a months-long celebration of the Golden Age of cinema. The library system will show classic films, bring in experts to discuss the time period, host book conversations and have live movie music.

At the Lee Road branch, there will be several tracks of programming, including a book club, regular movie nights, and more. Here's that branch's upcoming schedule, broken into categories.

Book Club track:

• March 14: The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy by Evelyn Waugh

Focusing on Waugh's time in Hollywood, the fictionalization focuses on the frequently surreal practices of the film industry. Waugh does not hold back in his critique of American culture or the film community.

• April 11: West of Sunset by Stewart O’Nan

A fictional account of F. Scott Fitzgerald's life during his stint in Hollywood, trying his hand as a screenwriter. Fitzgerald is financially ruined in this account, but he is surrounded by a vivid cast of characters.

• May 9: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Hammett's hard boiled crime classic served as the inspiration for the classic film staring Humphrey Bogart. Featuring private eye Sam Spade, Hammet's work has often been imitated but has never been duplicated.

Lee Road Movie Night

• March 16: It Happened One Night

Directed by the legendary Frank Capra, this romantic comedy stars Claudette Colbert as an heiress running away from her family. Clark Gable is a reporter in need of a story. This film won five Best Oscars when it was released in 1934.

• May 11: The Maltese Falcon

Based on the aforementioned Hammett novel, this stone cold classic film helped define American noir as a genre. Bogart's performance as Sam Spade is legendary and is completed by a memorable slate of character actors.

Race(ing) to the Movies

• Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m., at the Lee Road branch, 2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights

Neal Hodges presents an excursion into films made for African Americans by African Americans during the Golden Age of Cinema (1919-1950).

The Cinematic Glories of Silent Films

• Tuesday, April 24, 7 p.m., at the Lee Road branch, 2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights

John Ewing, Director of the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque and Curator of Film at the Cleveland Museum of Art, discusses one of his favorite eras from film history. His talk will be supplemented by memorable clips from some great silent movies.

Monsters Are Universal: Silver Screams in Hollywood’s Golden Age

• Tuesday, May 15, 7 p.m., at the Lee Road branch, 2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights

Largely Literary Theater Co. co-founders Sara Showman and Mark Dawidziak use lighthearted sketches, props, and costume pieces to explore Hollywood’s Golden Age of horror, with a special emphasis on the Universal films starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, as well as the genre’s literary origins.

Music and the Movies

• Wed, May 30, 7 p.m.

Vocalist Eileen Burns and her three-piece jazz combo present an entertaining and informative program featuring memorable songs and interesting stories from classic Hollywood films such as Casablanca, Swing Time, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Brigadoon, Singin’ in the Rain, and many more.

Noble Neighborhood Branch

Classic Movie Night: The Invisible Man

• Thursday, April 5, 7 p.m., at the Noble branch, 2800 Noble Road, Cleveland Heights

The Invisible Man is considered a classic horror film. An adaptation of the famous H.G. Wells novel of the same name, it was an early example of the magic that could be done on a silver screen. Come see this classic before the Johnny Depp reboot comes out in theaters. (1933, English, 71 minutes)

The Sounds of Hollywood’s Golden Age with Shari Hunter

• Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m., at the Noble branch, 2800 Noble Road, Cleveland Heights

Shari Hunter is coming back to Noble. Come listen as she performs some famous songs from classic movies from Hollywood’s Golden Era, and explain what makes these songs so famous. Songs to be performed: “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Luck be a Lady Tonight,” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.”

University Heights Branch

H.G. Wells Film Series

• Tues, 6:30 p.m., at the University Heights branch, 13866 Cedar Road, University Heights

Join us for monthly viewings of some Classic H.G. Wells tales.

Mar 27: Island of Lost Souls (1933, English, 67 mins)

Apr 24: War of the Worlds (1953, English, 85 mins)

May 29: The Time Machine (1960, English, 103 mins)

Photo from CHUH Libraries