We would like to thank the 255 patrons who attended our screening of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World on June 17, 2026. Without a doubt, it’s a film that plays much better with an audience in a theatre. On a personal note, I enjoyed the film so much more in the company of hundreds of others while listening to the laughter around me. You’ll never get that at home. Author James Curtis, who generously supplied us with copies of his Comedy is a Grim Business for our drawing, told me after our screening, “However effective it is on a video screen, that can never match the experience of seeing it with a receptive crowd of people in the full Ultra Panavision format for which it was designed.”
We are sincerely grateful to all those who came out to support us during this entire season. Thank you to our co-hosts: Beka (who also takes your tickets) and Diana (who will occasionally introduce a film when she’s not out making one herself). This was our first full season without organist Jay Warren, so we are grateful to Jake McDonagh for continuing the tradition of “prelude music.” Thank you to Kathryn and the Pickwick Theatre staff & management; and Jim (for keeping the organ running) and Jerry (for assisting in promotion).
Our three highest-attended shows this season were:
The Quiet Man (659)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (478)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (390)
One of the more inspiring highlights was guest Steve Darnall’s dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence prior to our showing of 1776. Unfortunately, the various news outlets– the local ones, in particular– weren’t interested in supporting our “America 250” event, so attendance wasn’t as high as we had hoped. One overlooked highlight from Season 12 was film critic Michael Phillips’ Q&A after our screening of All the President’s Men. And finally, one of my favorite experiences was presenting The Ten Commandments on the Mega-Screen.
Season 13 promises to be just as diverse and even more exciting based on what is already in the works. For some, 13 is an unlucky number. But come September, you can put your money on 13.
Until then, we wish all of our fans a relaxing summer.
~Matthew, Beka & Diana
