NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Seven family-friendly movies will be shown in the air-conditioned Ossie Davis Theater of the Main Library on Mondays, beginning on July 9th at 6:00 pm. Each of the films is in keeping with the summer reading theme, “Libraries Rock!”
On Monday, July 9th, Let the Good Times Roll will kick-off the series. One of the best concert movies ever combines film and newsreel clips from the 1950s with footage from a rock & roll revival show filmed in 1973. It stars Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Chubby Checker. The 1973 film runs 99 minutes and is rated PG.
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School will be the featured film on July 16th. Vince Lombardi High School is the wildest, most rockin’ high school around! That is, until new principal Miss Togar comes along and tries to make the school a totalitarian state. With the help of the Ramones, the students battle Togar’s iron-fisted rule and take their battle to a truly rockin’ conclusion. The 1979 movie stars The Ramones, P.J. Soles, and Vincent Van Patten, and runs 93 minutes. It is rated PG.
On July 23rd the series continues with the black and white 1964 film, A Hard Day’s Night. The Beatles’ first feature film offered fans a peek into a day in the life of the Fab Four and served to establish John, Paul, George and Ringo as stars of the silver screen. Songs include “I Should Have Known Better,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “She Loves You,” and many more. It runs 87 minutes.
Elvis: That’s the Way It Is will be the July 30th movie. This 1970 concert documentary captures Elvis midway through his fateful transition, seeking to reclaim his musical primacy after a decade in self-imposed exile, featuring Elvis in rehearsal as well as in six Las Vegas concerts, along with interviews with fans. Rated PG, the color movie runs 97 minutes.
On August 6th, The Buddy Holly Story will be the featured film. The critically acclaimed biopic of the famed 1950s pop star, spanning the years from his beginnings in Lubbock to his tragic early death in the now famous plane crash, highlighted by Gary Busey’s Oscar nominated performance. The 1978 film, in color, runs 114 minutes and is rated PG.
Go, Johnny, Go, will be shown on August 13th. Rock-n-roll promoter Alan Freed sponsors a talent search to develop a new rock star, and then must find the elusive mystery contestant (Jimmy Clanton), who doesn’t know he has won. Starring Alan Freed, Chuck Berry, Richie Valens, and Jackie Wilson. The 1959 black & white film runs 75 minutes.
The series concludes on August 20th with the award-winning 1963 film, Bye, Bye, Birdie. When rock star and teenage heart-throb Conrad Birdie gets drafted, the nation’s teenagers go haywire and Conrad’s manager, Albert (Dick Van Dyke), faces unemployment. So Albert and his girlfriend (Janet Leigh) organize a nationwide contest in which one lucky girl wins a farewell kiss from Conrad on the Ed Sullivan Show. The result is chaos and a series of hilarious romantic complications. Songs include “We Love You Conrad,” “The Telephone Hour” and “Put on a Happy Face.” The color film, which runs 112 minutes, also stars Ann-Margret and Bobby Rydell.
