Retroformat presents Silent Movies at the Legion Drive-In! Harold Lloyd’s THE FRESHMAN

Retroformat Silent Films is presenting two screenings of THE FRESHMAN at the Hollywood Legion Theater Drive-In at Post 43 on Nov 28 (Sat) at 5:30pm and 8:15pm!

Both screenings will be introduced by Suzanne Lloyd, Harold Lloyd’s granddaughter. Live keyboard accompaniment will be provided at both shows by Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick. Tickets are $75 per vehicle and VIP tickets are available for $125 (you’ll get a Harold enamel pin plus other goodies!)

Silent Films Live: Halloween UNcanceled

Check out Silent Films Live: Halloween UNcanceled this weekend! 

Silent Films Live is a virtual show featuring new scores by elite Hollywood composers paired with selections from iconic silent films and performed by a chamber orchestra. Featured silent films include: Der Golem, Nosferatu, One Week, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Phantom of the Opera, and A Trip to the Moon. 

Silent Films Live: Halloween UNcanceled will also feature free coloring, pumping carving and costume contests for kids. Suzanne Lloyd, along with President Cleveland’s grandson, George Cleveland, and Hollywood composer Christopher Young (Spider-Man/Hellraiser) will be serving on the panel of judges!
 
The event is created by conductor Angel Velez as a benefit concert for Education Through Music-Los Angeles (ETM-LA), a nonprofit that partners with under-resourced schools to provide music as a core subject for all children and utilizes music education as a catalyst to improve academic achievement, motivation for school, and self-confidence. This 2020-21 school year, ETM-LA will serve approximately 46 schools and 19,000 students across Los Angeles. 
 
Click here to visit the event website and come join us tomorrow, Friday October 30 at 7pm PDT and Saturday October 31 at 1pm PDT! The event is completely FREE but please consider donating to benefit ETM-LA and their important mission (we recommend a $10 virtual ticket donation).

‘Back to the Future’ Screenwriter Bob Gale Explains Doc’s Denver Broncos Clock

“There were some specific clocks we asked for,” says the writer, just in time for Back to the Future Day.
In the opening shot of Back to the Future, the audience is introduced to Emmett “Doc” Brown via his eclectic garage, which is packed with gadgets, some ripped of plutonium and of course, a lot of clocks — because, hello, foreshadowing.And of all the clocks, the one that seemingly stands out for being the most random features a Denver Broncos helmet. So, what’s the deal? Is Doc a Broncos fan? Was it a memento from a Denver visit? Screenwriter Bob Gale explains to The Hollywood Reporter the story behind all the clocks for Back to the Future Day (Oct. 21).

“There were some specific clocks we (Gale and director Robert Zemeckis) asked for, such as the Felix the Cat clocks, and we knew we had to have at least one cuckoo clock,” Gale tells THR. The cuckoo clock speaks for itself (is Doc a crackpot?), but the Felix clocks were important because both Gale and Zemeckis owned one in their youth. “They were very popular in the 50s (who knows, maybe even in the 40s, not sure when it hit the market),” explains Gale. “So anyone who collects clocks would absolutely have one or more of those. And it’s a perfect movie clock because it’s constantly and very clearly in motion.”

A Safety Last! clock is also featured (an homage to silent film star Harold Lloyd dangling from a huge clock, much the same way Christopher Lloyd’s Doc (no relation to Harold, but still a fun coincidence) does at the end of the film. “We knew we had to feature that,” Gale says.

But what about the Broncos clock? Well, that one has no hidden meaning — unless viewers want it to have one.

Gale explains: “It was just something the set dressers or props people found, it was interesting so we put it in the movie.  Is Doc a football fan or a Broncos fan?  We know he’s a baseball fan, so he could be a football fan.  Or maybe he acquired it on a trip to Denver.  We know he’s not from Denver, but maybe his mother was (his father, remember, was German and originally Von Braun).  Clearly, we can invent many backstories out of a single prop, so in honor of BTTF day, I encourage readers to submit their own reasons why Doc would have this clock!”

By Ryan Parker / Source: The Hollywood Reporter