The Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series would like to thank Diane Bay, daughter of actress Karen Black, for her visit to the Pickwick on September 21, 2022. Karen Black was undoubtedly the most famous movie star born in Park Ridge, and we were honored to be able to celebrate her life from the perspective of family.
Diane had been given up for adoption in 1959 and lived with a mother who was very difficult. Throughout her life, she dreamed of finding her birth mother, which she was finally able to do after Illinois opened its adoption records in 2011. It’s not every day that a child of adoption finds out their mother is a movie star, but Diane’s memoir, Finding Karen Black, is much more than that. It’s an optimistic story about self-discovery and renewal.
Diane met with fans before the screening of Five Easy Pieces and shared her family history with stories and rare memorabilia. Prior to the show, she was interviewed onstage by program host Matthew C. Hoffman.
We would also like to thank Diane’s husband, Rich, as well as all the members of her extended family who attended this event. Thank you to organist Jay Warren and to our hostesses, Beka and Diana.
Anyone interested in local history, ancestry, first-time authors– or classic 1970s cinema, of course– would have enjoyed this presentation. Thank you to those who came out to support it!
For more about Diane Bay and her mom, Karen Black, please visit www.findingkarenblack.com.
Diane with her husband Rich…
Rare Karen Black memorabilia on display in the lobby…
Program host Matthew Hoffman interviews Diane Bay…
With Diane’s book, Finding Karen Black: Roots Become Wings (2022)…