Season 7 Opening Night With Keir Dullea!

Over 600 patrons attended the Pickwick Theatre’s screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) on September 18, 2019. We were honored to have actor Keir Dullea as our special guest. Director Stanley Kubrick once said of Keir, “I think he is one of the best actors in the world.” We obviously agree. Keir was an absolute delight with many insightful and funny stories he shared about the making of this landmark film. (For more details, Click Here.) Fans across the country love Keir, and there were long lines of people waiting to meet him before and after the screening. Whether it was a sci-fi enthusiast with an armful of 2001 memorabilia to be signed or someone simply affected by a movie like David and Lisa, the lines to get in stretched down the block. We are so grateful to Keir Dullea and his wife, Mia Dillon, for being our guests in Park Ridge.

In terms of star power and Keir’s stature in the film community, this was the biggest show we’ve ever presented. But there were many people involved in its success. Thank you to film historian Raymond Benson for conducting the pre-show interview with Keir. Special thanks to Len Johnson, Elizabeth Rye, Laura Muresan, and Maria Melnyk (& Stanley) for taking all the terrific photos at the Meet & Greet and during the event. Thank you, Shannon, for coming back to take our tickets one more time. (We’ll welcome back Beka next month. Beka’s mom designed the 2001 artwork we passed out at the Meet & Greet!) I am grateful to Dave and Tommy at the Pickwick Theatre for crowd control. Thank you to our projectionist, Jerry. (The highest compliment I heard about the actual screening in the Megatheatre came from an Orson Welles film restorer in attendance who said this was the sharpest presentation he had ever seen of 2001.) Jared at Allegro Music in Park Ridge assisted with the sound for the interview. Pazzi Di Pizza in Park Ridge catered our Meet & Greet. Thank you to Carol Summers for her kind assistance, and Evelyn Delmar for her advice and support. In the media, I would like to thank Jennifer Johnson of the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate, Anne Lunde of the Park Ridge Journal, Michael Phillips and Nina Metz of the Chicago Tribune, Nick Digilio, and Bill and Wendy of WGN Radio. And finally, I would like to thank all the devoted fans and friends who attended this show. Without your support, events like this would not be possible.

The following images are courtesy of Maria Melnyk. You can find more great photos in our Photo Archive as well as on our Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series fan page on Facebook.

~MCH

Fans talk to Keir at the pre-show “Meet & Greet.”