WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Area residents can revisit some of the most beloved movie musicals of all time when Missouri State University-West Plains’ “That’s Entertainment” film series gets underway Thursday, Feb. 2, at the West Plains Civic Center theater.
Hosted by the Missouri State University-West Plains’ University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department, the free series, in its 13th year, will be held weekly at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday during the month of February.
The first film scheduled for showing is the Academy Award-nominated film “Singin’ in the Rain.” Released in 1952, the movie stars Hollywood musical legends Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds in a comedy about the movie industry as it transitioned from silent films to “talkies” in the late 1920s. Written directly for the screen, the film light-heartedly touches on some of the very real problems motion picture studios faced when producing films for the new age of sound, film series organizers pointed out.
Kelly and Stanley Donen co-directed the film, and Kelly choreographed this American classic, which features two of the best known dance scenes on film – Kelly’s bright performance to the film’s title song and O’Connor’s vaudevillian antics to the tune “Make ‘em Laugh.” Although it was not a big hit when first released, “Singin’ in the Rain” is now described as one of the best movie musicals ever made and is among the top 10 movies of all time as rated by the American Film Institute. It is rated G.
The discussion session following its showing will be facilitated by Dennis Lancaster, director of the university’s William & Virginia Darr Honors Program, and Public Relations Specialist Vickie Driskell.
The series will continue Feb. 9 with the 1961 screen adaptation of the Broadway hit “West Side Story.” This Oscar-winning adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet pits two warring street gangs – the Jets led by Riff (Russ Tamblyn) and the Sharks led by Bernado (George Chakiris) – as the warring families, whose hatred escalates to tragic consequences for young lovers Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood).
The film, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, in 1961, and was directed by famed Broadway choreographer Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, the latter of whom also directed “The Sound of Music” in 1966. Robbins’ choreography is unmatched in its cinematic brilliance and blends with the other elements of the film to create an utterly distinctive movie experience, film series organizers said. The songs in “West Side Story” feature biting lyrics by Stephen Sondheim set to a magical score by Leonard Bernstein. The film is rated PG for stylized gang violence, mild language, brief innuendo and some smoking.
Discussion facilitators for this film will be Leah Johnson, owner of Attitude Dance and Arts Studio in West Plains, and Missouri State-West Plains per course music instructor Nancy Fohn.
The final two films of the series are “The King and I,” set for Feb. 16, and “Grease: The Rockin’ Rydell (Sing-A-Long) Version,” set for Feb. 23.
Organizers remind this year’s films are being shown at a new time, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, so those planning to attend should mark their calendars accordingly.
For more information about the annual film series, call the U/CP Department office at 417-255-7966.