By Charly SHELTON

The city of Glendale is over 100 years old and as such carries with it a history of the people, places and events that have shaped the city into what it is today. By living in the area, residents have been exposed to at least bits and pieces of this history – historic buildings, street and place names taken from important Glendale residents and founders of the past – but there is much more history available for those digging for it. This is exactly what Velvet Rhodes has done.

“It all started when I joined the Facebook group ‘Vintage Glendale, The Jewel City,’” Rhodes said. “[After a very successful 2014 Glendale International Film Festival,] for 2015 I thought it would be great to have a proper documentary about Glendale. [It would be] about all the old businesses, the old buildings, all of the vintage sites like the Alex Theater, all the different places that are still here and going strong. And to emphasize the great culture that’s here in Glendale.”

The resulting documentary, “Vintage Glorious Glendale,” premiered in September launching the 2015 Glendale International Film Festival. Rhodes said the feedback she got from the screening at the film festival was invaluable and, after some retouching and edits, the final cut of the film is set to be released for one week only, from Monday, Jan. 25 through Sunday, Jan. 31 for nine showings. The screenings will be held at MGN Five-Star Cinema and it provides a rare opportunity to see some beautiful historic photographs and modern interviews about Glendale shown on the big screen.

For those unavailable to attend or for anyone who would like a personal copy of the film, there are DVD copies available for purchase on the Velvet Rhodes Productions website.

Having seen the film on DVD, I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it. The amount of information given in this documentary is staggering. From facts and dates to personal interviews to historic photos, viewers will learn a lot from this documentary. At two hours and 22 minutes, it does feel long though. Many of the interviewees are elderly and, while able to give a first-hand account of the history they are relating to the camera, they do have a tendency to be long-winded. But if you are interested in the history of The Jewel City, this documentary will slake your thirst for knowledge.

For information and to get tickets for the week of screenings, visit mgnfivestarcinema.com. To purchase the DVD or book of the film, visit velvetrhodesproductions.com.

  Charly Shelton, Velvet RHODES