Garden Theatre in Princeton Will Screen Classics for `Hollywood Summer Nights’ Series

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Dozens of classic films will be shown on the big screen in Princeton beginning in June for the Princeton Garden Theatre’s annual Hollywood Summer Nights series. Among the highlights of the series will be a 40th-anniversary screening of Jaws, which written by Peter Benchley.

“We show films of high artistic quality, and the past 100 years have given us so many to choose from,” says John Toner, executive director of Renew Theaters, which manages the Garden Theatre.

“Putting classic films up on the big screen is one of our top priorities at the Princeton Garden Theatre,” Toner said.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has just completed a restoration of a number of Frank Capra masterpieces, three of which will be shown as part of Hollywood Summer Nights: It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can’t Take It With You.

“Classic movies on the big screen in a packed theater are not simply great entertainment – they’re a community experience,” said Chris Collier, associate director for Renew Theaters. “Your first time seeing an iconic scene, the way it was meant to be seen, up in bright lights, and hearing the murmur of the crowd is something that cannot be replaced.”

This summer will also mark the Garden’s first annual James Bond Fest.  On July 23, The Garden Theatre will screen Goldfinger, featuring Sean Connery as agent 007, assigned to prevent a notorious gold smuggler from sabotaging Fort Knox. The event will include trivia, games, and giveaways, as well as a costume contest of Bond characters.

Admission for the summer series is $3 for patrons 18 years old or younger. Patrons who dress “in theme” for the films will receive free popcorn.

Details for all films, from James Bond to the Marx Brothers, can be found on the Garden’s website.

All films begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. The schedule:

June 4: Singin’ in the Rain
June 10: Blue Velvet
June 11: Shadow of a Doubt
June 18: It Happened One Night
June 24: All About Eve
June 25: Jaws
July 1: Pickup on South Street
July 2: Casablanca
July 8: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
July 9: The Godfather
July 15: Trouble in Paradise
July 16: Vertigo
July 22: Notorious
July 23: Goldfinger
July 29: Duck Soup
July 30: Double Indemnity
Aug 5: You Can’t Take It With You
Aug 6: The Third Man
Aug 12: 42nd Street
Aug 13: The Birds
Aug 19: Out of the Past
Aug 20: Roman Holiday
Aug 26: Destry Rides Again
Aug 27: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Aug 30, 12:30pm: Gone with the Wind
Sept 2: North by Northwest