The Secret Sunday Matinee II: Adventure! And Stuff!
Every Sunday at 3:00 PM
March 1 – May 24, 2009
At the Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave.
on Capitol Hill between Pike & Pine
Co-presented by The Sprocket Society and Northwest Film Forum.
A good, old-fashioned weekend matinee show, with rare cartoons and shorts, a thrilling 12 chapter movie serial, and a classic Secret Feature – which might be anything: a genuine masterpiece,a thrilling yarn, or an exquisite silent treasure. All on 16mm. Programs are family friendly, but not childish — suggested for ages 10 and up. Show usually run about 2 hours or a little longer.
This time, our 12-chapter cliffhanger returns to earth with Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939) one of the best serials ever made, packed with non-stop action and legendary stunts by Yakima Cunutt and others which later inspired scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Produced by the legendary Republic Studios. Don’t worry if you miss any episodes — each one starts with an introductory prologue.
The Secret Features are not announced in advance, but you can expect classic 1920s-1950s adventure, tough guys, and intrigue — plus a few curveballs just to keep you guessing. There’s forgotten B-movie wonders and genuine cinema classics, and not a dud in the bunch. Directors include Budd Boetticher, Michael Curtiz, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Carl Dreyer, Carol Reed, Fritz Lang, Inoshiro Honda, and more!
The cartoons and shorts will be an eclectic mix of old favorites, rare oddities, silent and experimental films, and other pleasant surprises.
We will also have some special programs during the 3-month series:
- The Ides of March Show (March 15)
- Two Silent Movie Shows – silent features and shorts
- The “13th Episode” Show (May 24) – our series-finale cavalcade of extra-special and super-rare surprises!
There will be zero-plus-one repeats from the first Secret Matinee series! …One feature is just too good not to include in this series. Trust us, you won’t mind the exception.
No video! All of the films in the series are rare 16mm prints from private collections, shown using the NW Film Forum’s 1,000 watt theatrical projector!
Family friendly, but not childish. (Suggested for ages 10 and up.) “A kiddie matinee for grown-ups.”
Will Zorro save all Mexico?! What’s this week’s amazing classic Secret Feature?!? Find out only at the Northwest Film Forum, every Sunday afternoon this spring!!
Get news, clues and tickets on Twitter — subscribe to http://www.twitter.com/SecretMatinee/ for clues about upcoming secret features, streaming video previews, and other strangeness. Maybe win some tickets, too.
In Our Last Episode…
Weekly movie serial: Zorro’s Fighting Legion (Republic Studios, 1939) — 12 episodes, complete and in order. Directed by William Whitney and John English, and starring Reed Hadley. Featuring legendary stunt work by the great Yakima Canutt.
- March 1, 2009: THE COWBOY VENGEANCE SHOW
Short: Lubin’s Great Train Robbery (1904) – a nearly shot-for-shot ripoff of the classic Edison film, shown with music by Ennio Morricone.
Cartoon: Bimbo’s Initiation (Max & David Fleischer, 1931) – a typically-surreal early-sound Fleischer masterpiece involving a secret society.
Secret Feature: a dark psychological western classic from Budd Boetticher
Serial: “The Golden God” – The mysterious Don Del Oro leads a secret army to destroy the new republic of Mexico. Posing as the fop, Don Diego dons Zorro’s mask and assembles his own legion to fight him. - March 8, 2009: THE DARK ALLEY SHOW
Cartoon: Koko the Kop (Max & David Fleischer, 1922) – silent animated surrealism by the masters, shown w/ ragtime music.
Secret Feature: art-noir perfection directed by Carol Reed.
Serial: “The Flaming Z” – Don Del Oro sets a trap for Zorro’s Legionnaires by luring them into a building set to explode. - March 15, 2009: THE IDES OF MARCH SHOW
Short: A Corner in Wheat (D.W. Griffith, 1909) – an anti-capitalist parable.
Cartoon: The Tell-Tale Heart (Ted Parmalee, 1953) – stark and beautiful Oscar nominee; stunning pristine print!
Secret Feature: brilliantly twisted betrayal from Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Serial: “Descending Doom” – Zorro discovers Don Del Oro’s men using a mine as their secret base. - March 22, 2009: PIRATES!
Cartoon: Popeye Meets Sindbad the Sailor (Max & David Fleischer, 1936) – the best of the three Popeye two-reelers, featuring stunning dimensional animation. Gorgeous, brand-new print!
Secret Feature: Errol Flynn at his very best!
Serial: “The Bridge of Peril” – traitorous council members plot to steal weapons and capture Zorro. - March 29, 2009: THE NEW DEPRESSION 7-CENT NICKLE CLASSIC COMEDY SHOW
Short: The Fatal Glass of Beer (1932) – W.C. Fields in a demented spoof of the morality melodramas of yore.
Secret Feature: All four Marx Brothers show us how it’s done.
Serial: “The Decoy” – Zorro and his men battle the Yaqui indians to save the weapons. - April 5, 2009: SILENT MOVIE SHOW #1: EXPRESSIONISM & EXPERIMENTS
Short: Fall of the House of Usher (Watson & Webber, 1928) – beautiful expressionistic early American avant garde masterpiece, shown w/ music by David Bowie and Brian Eno.
Short: Emak Bakia (Man Ray, 1924) – legendary Surrealist/Dada film, shown w/ music by Bernard Parmegiani.
Secret Feature: a true masterpiece, directed by F.W. Murnau.
Serial: “Zorro to the Rescue” – Don Del Oro’s men capture Ramon, and Zorro rushes to save him. - April 12, 2009: THE LUCID NIGHTMARE SHOW
Short: PSI: The Boundaries of the Mind (CBS, 1976) – documentary that includes incredibly rare footage of members of the Pentagon’s then-super-secret “Stargate” remote-viewing program.
Animated Short: A Night on Bald Mountain (Une Nuit sur le Mont Chauve) (Alexandre Alexeieff & Claire Parker, 1932) – the first film to use the astonishing “pinscreen.”
Secret Feature: a haunted dream by Carl Dreyer.
Serial: “The Fugitive” – Zorro suspects Commandante Manuel may be Don Del Oro. - April 19, 2009: WESTERN CLASSICS
Short: The Lonedale Operator (DW Griffith, 1911) – an abridged version.
Secret Feature: the western that changed westerns, from Johns Ford & Wayne.
Serial: “The Flowing Death” – Infiltating into the thick of Don Del Oro’s gang, Ramon and Zorro are exposed and face certain death. - April 26, 2009: THE RETRO-FUTURIST SCI-FI MUSICAL SHOW
Cartoon: A Corney Concerto (1943) – An all-time Merrie Melody favorite, directed by Bob Clampett.
Cartoon: Up to Mars (1930) – A pre-Betty Boop rarity from the Fleischer Bros. Bimbo the dog travels to Mars, where it’s all weird and stuff.
Secret Feature: A don’t-miss, super-rare cult classic — a 1930 sci-fi musical comedy set in distant future of 1985! Vaudeville humor, pre-Code innuendo, and “special” effects collide in this one-of-a-kind lost film. Not on DVD, or even VHS!
Serial: “The Golden Arrow” – Don Del Oro is killing people left and right! With golden arrows!! - May 3, 2009: SILENT MOVIE SHOW #2 – EXILE KINGDOMS
Short: The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903) – An early fantasy epic by Georges Méliès. Shown with music by Igor Stravinsky.
Secret Feature: A rarely-shown epic tale of vengeance by director Fritz Lang.
Serial: “Mystery Wagon” – Who knew a water wagon could be so much trouble? - May 10, 2009: THE GIANT MONSTER SHOW
Cartoon: The Pet (1921) – Rare print of the film by Winsor McCay.
Cartoon: Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969) – The beloved classic by Marv Newland.
Secret Feature: One of the best of the Toho monster-fests, with Ghidorah, Godzilla and Rodan. Directed by Ishiro Honda.
Serial: “Face to Face” – Zorro saves the Yaqui prince Kala from execution and convinces him to turn against Don Del Oro. - May 17, 2009: THE TOUGH-GUY GANGSTER SHOW
Trailer: original theatrical preview for Zorro’s Fighting Legion
Cartoons: Two Dudley Do-Right episodes – Snidely Mounted Police and Snidely’s Vic Whiplash Gym (Jay Ward, 1962)
Short: The Thieving Hand (J. Stuart Blackton, 1908) – an amputee’s new artificial arm has a mind of its own.
Serial: “Unmasked” – The thrilling conclusion! With the aid of Kala and his Yaqui tribe, Zorro exposes Don Del Oro and sends him to a fiery doom! - Sun. May 24 – Series Finale: THE “13th EPISODE” SHOW ~ Psychedelic 16-Scope-Arama!
Cartoon: Trail Mix-Up (1993) – The last of three Roger Rabbit shorts released in the early ’90s. Brand new Agfa color print.
Short: “What’s Cookin’” from Every Day is a Holiday (aka Seaside Swingers) (1965) – British Invasion dork-rockers Freddie and the Dreamers perform their number in a kitchen setting, complete with chef’s hats.
Not-So-Secret Feature: Skidoo (1968) – Otto Preminger’s cult classic acid-musical-comedy with an all-star cast, including Groucho Marx in his last film role. Never released to home video (not legally, anyway).