By Susan JAMES

“They don’t make them like they used to” is the lament of every film lover of Hollywood’s Golden Age. In a time before CGI and the glorification of endless comic book bacchanalias, when the censor ruled supreme and box office gold depended on sharp dialogue and charismatic actors, audiences could revel in black and white screen gems that have since become film classics. Going to the movies was an event and the country was dotted with glittering movie palaces screening new releases. If a journey back to that Golden Age sounds appealing, it’s not as difficult as it seems.

Glendale is home to the historic Alex Theatre, completed in 1925 and one of the great movie palaces in the Los Angeles area. The Alex Theatre is home to the Alex Film Society, a volunteer, nonprofit community arts organization that dedicates itself to preserving Hollywood’s film heritage. On April 27, the Society presented one of its premier film events that happen throughout the year. Hosted by former Los Angeles Times television critic Susan King and film historian Steven C. Smith, it was a screening of the Warner Bros. 1946 classic, “The Big Sleep.”

Based on the 1939 mystery novel by Raymond Chandler, which introduced that writer’s most enduring character, private detective Philip Marlowe, the screenplay has a legendary pedigree. It was co-authored by novelist William Faulkner (“Light in August,” “The Sound and the Fury”), together with Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman. In a fascinating bit of movie trivia, Faulkner asked the studio if he could take the script home with him to work on it. The studio agreed only to discover that Faulkner’s home was in Oxford, Mississippi.

One of the greatest of the film noir genre, “The Big Sleep” stars Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, who as a couple on and off screen defined what movie charisma means. Jack Warner was betting that this charisma would satisfy the audience when the film was cut, adding new Bogart and Bacall badinage and eliminating most of the scenes that explain just who killed who and why. When the confused director, Howard Hawks, called Raymond Chandler to ask who had murdered the chauffeur, Chandler thought a minute, and said, “Darned if I know.” To this day you can Google “The Big Sleep” who killed the chauffeur? and find lengthy guesses and explanations.

Watching a classic black and white film on the big screen where it was intended to be seen is an eye-opening experience. Suddenly the costumes, the set decoration, the lighting and the props all assume a greater importance. How cool is that costume Lauren Bacall is wearing in the opening scene? So cool, TV critic King wanted some designer to copy it. The blackmailing Arthur Gwynn Geiger owns a house full of Asian antique treasures that you can check out with Marlowe as he searches for clues. The cigarettes may be retro but the atmosphere is surprisingly modern.

Psycho suspect Carmen Sternwood tells Marlowe: “You’re not very tall, are you?”

“Next time,” Marlowe says, “I’ll come on stilts, wear a white tie and carry a tennis racket.”

On the big screen in Hollywood’s palace of dreams at the Alex Theatre, Bogie and Bacall stand very tall. No tennis rackets needed.

See you at the movies!

Alex Film Society http://www.alexfilmsociety.org/

Alex Film Society http://www.alexfilmsociety.org/

eliminating most of the scenes that explain just who killed who and why. When the confused director, Howard Hawks, called Raymond Chandler to ask who had murdered the chauffeur, Chandler thought a minute, and said, ‘Darned if I know.’ To this day you can Google ‘The Big Sleep’, who killed the chauffeur? and find lengthy guesses and explanations.

Watching a classic black and white film on the big screen where it was intended to be seen is an eye-opening experience. Suddenly the costumes, the set decoration, the lighting and the props all assume a greater importance. How cool is that costume Lauren Bacall is wearing in the opening scene? So cool, t.v. critic Susan King wants some designer to copy it. The blackmailing Arthur Gwynn Geiger owns a house full of Asian antique treasures that you can check out with Marlowe as he searches for clues. The cigarettes may be retro but the atmosphere is surprisingly modern.

Psycho suspect Carmen Sternwood tells Marlowe: ‘You’re not very tall, are you?’ ‘Next time,’ Marlowe says, ‘I’ll come on stilts, wear a white tie and carry a tennis racket.’ On the big screen in Hollywood’s palace of dreams at the Alex Theatre, Bogie and Bacall stand very tall. No tennis rackets needed. See you at the movies!

Alex Film Society: http://www.alexfilmsociety.org/

  susan james