Prior to the 2020 pandemic, it seemed like every two weeks a new superhero movie was being released. This was never the case in the 1970s and ’80s. When a movie like Superman (1978) hit the screen, it truly was…
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“Do you realize the close analogy between conditions today in the United States and in the Roman Empire prior to its fall? Multitudes in Rome were then oppressed by distressing laws, overtaxed and ruled by a chosen few. Unless America…
The following interview with Ann-Marie Streibich, granddaughter of actress Irene Dunne, was conducted by phone on May 21, 2020, by film historian Matthew Hoffman. MH: Your appearance in 2014 was one of the more memorable evenings we’ve had at the…
In the June 21, 2020, edition of the Sunday Chicago Tribune, the question was posed whether WarnerMedia, which controls the rights to Gone With the Wind (1939), should give up their copyright and allow the film to fall into public…
The following movie groups I created on Facebook. Whether it’s down the river of Egypt or through the valley of Republic, under the shadows of Noir, or in the light of faith, we explore and rediscover areas of film history…
In 2014, the Park Ridge Public Library Classic Film Series (and program host Matthew C. Hoffman) were honored to have as their guest, Ann-Marie Streibich, granddaughter of actress Irene Dunne. For the first time, we present her introduction to the…
What I’ll always remember most is the image of the parson standing on the front porch of Uncle Famous’ shack and facing the KKK. They’ve come to lynch the old black man, but this mob isn’t made up of strangers.…
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back (my favorite of all the Star Wars films), I asked my friend Tony to say a few words about his experience seeing the film… Forty years…
Over the years, the Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge has hosted a variety of events with guests ranging from authors, to politicians, to movie stars. The latter should come as no surprise. Just last September actor Keir Dullea visited the Pickwick…
A Good Time to Laugh This spring, the Park Ridge Public Library Classic Film Series concludes its “Legends of Laughter” trilogy with a look back at the great screwball comedies of the 1930s and early 1940s. The screwball comedy was…