A nice thing to do
for the kids, a nice thing to do for yourself
By Ed Felien
This summer the Oak Street Cinema is hosting
special Saturday matinees for children.
When I was 8 years old my mother gave me 27 cents
every Saturday to go to the Nile Theater on 38th Street and 23rd
Avenue. The bus cost 5 cents each way. Candy bars were a nickel.
Sometimes I bought two and had to walk the mile and a half home.
And for 12 cents you could see 20 cartoons, three short subjects,
a serial with a clifhanger ending that made you come back next week
and a double feature.
Oak Street is bringing it back.
On July 16 they're showing classic Looney Tunes
cartoons with Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Pepe Le Pew and others.
Our heroes were simpler then and more complex back then. Bugs Bunny
is, actually, not such a nice character, but you can't help rooting
for him while he makes fun of Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. He manages
to survive in the face of tremendous odds, and he does it with such
ease and grace you can't help but admire him. He's a flawed hero,
but his flaws are the flaws of a child. He's impetuous. He's always
testing boundaries. He frustrates you to the point of desperation.
But, somehow, that all seems to make him more loveable.
July 23 they're showing “The Red Balloon”
and “Bim the Little Donkey.” “Balloon” is
considered one of the classics. Shot in post-World War II Paris,
it is an amazing visual treat. It is almost silent, and it tells
the story of a young boy and a red balloon adopting each other.
It is an insight into childhood that awakens emotional sensitivities
and stretches your imagination.
Buster Keaton stars in his last great film, “The
General,” on July 30. Many critics believe sound killed film.
Film is predominantly a visual medium, and when sound was introduced
in the 1930s, many believe, it weakened and distracted from the
visual effect. Keaton makes this film silent even after the introduction
of sound, and it was his masterpiece. Children love it.
All shows start at 1 p.m. at Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak Street
(at Washington). Admission is $5 ($2 for members). Call 331-3134
for more information.
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