Highlights include seven series premieres, a silent film with live musical accompaniment, Fright Nite Friday, and two Saturday mornings of classic cartoons.
The CAPA Summer Movie Series, the longest-running classic film series in America, today announced the schedule for its 54th series of classic films and cult favorites. The 2023 series will run June 15-July 16 at the historic Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) and feature 19 films over five weeks. Highlights include seven series premieres, a silent film with live musical accompaniment, Fright Nite Friday, and two Saturday mornings of classic cartoons.
Now celebrating his 32nd year as featured organist for the CAPA Summer Movie Series, Clark Wilson will again provide pre-show entertainment at the keyboards and controls of the Ohio Theatre's treasured "Mighty Morton" theatre organ presented by Ice Miller 30 minutes prior to each screening. A touring performer, recording artist, and renowned expert on the scoring of silent films, Wilson was called a "master of silent film and showman of the first order" by film critic/historian Leonard Maltin.
Also performing at the organ is Associate Organist David Fleisher. The Central Ohio native began studying piano at age 7 and recalls falling in love with the Ohio Theatre's organ as a young audience member. Fleisher has served as Associate Organist at the Ohio Theatre since 2006.
While Fritz the Nite Owl will not be on-site for the screening, audiences can still return to the days of Nite Owl Theatre with a special Fright Nite Friday presentation of The Lost Boys (1987) on Friday, June 30. Fans will enjoy a full episode of Nite Owl Theatre complete with era-appropriate, retro commercials and Fritz's signature breaks loaded with trivia-tastic tomfoolery and campy special effects.
Select films will be audio-described for visually impaired persons at no extra charge. Audio description allows patrons to hear a scene-by-scene narration of the on-screen action while they listen to the movie dialogue. Visit capa.com for a list of audio-described movie screenings for the 2023 series.
In addition, Listen Everywhere, an assistive listening app that patrons can download to their personal cell phones, is available at all screenings. When coupled with the patron's headphones or ear buds, the app provides high-quality audio streamed directly to the patron and can be adjusted for volume preference.
As part of the 2023 CAPA Summer Movie Series, CAPA will offer a revealing look at the historic Ohio Theatre with free, one-hour-long, guided tours complete with a light show and organ demonstration by Clark Wilson on the "Mighty Morton" theatre organ presented by Ice Miller. Reservations are required, and space is limited. 2023 tour dates are June 17, July 1 and July 8 at 4 pm each day. To make a reservation, send an email to sms@capa.com with the number of people in your party and preferred tour date A first-floor only tour available upon request for individuals with mobility issues. Tours do not go on stage or backstage.
CAPA Summer Movie Series 10-packs, one of central Ohio's best entertainment bargains, can be purchased now through Sunday, July 2. Ticket 10-packs are $40, a savings of $2 per ticket off day-of-show prices. They can be purchased in-person at the CBUSArts Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), online at www.capa.com, or by phone at (614) 469-0939. 10-pack tickets are good for any film in any combination.
Single tickets to individual films are $6 ($5 for seniors) and go on sale Monday, June 5. Single tickets can be purchased in advance at the CBUSArts Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), online at www.capa.com, or by phone at (614) 469-0939.
Single tickets and ticket 10-packs may also be purchased day-of-show with cash or card beginning one hour prior to show time at the CBUSArts Ticket Center.
The 2023 CAPA Summer Movie Series is made possible through the generous support of PVS.
RATED R
Thursday, June 15, 7:30 pm
Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp
Celebrate Pride with a ride on the Queen of the Desert for a road trip like no other! Personalities and cultures (but never outfits) clash in this Oscar-winning, rollicking road show about two drag queens and their recently widowed trans friend traveling across the back country of Australia in a lavender bus christened Priscilla. 35mm
RATED R
Friday, June 16, 7:30 pm
John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle
Nothing is sacred (well, almost nothing) as the British comedy team explores the stages of life from birth to death to the hereafter. Outrageous musical numbers and raucous skits. Rated R for very good reasons. 35mm
Saturday, June 17, 7:30 pm
Sunday, June 18, 2 pm
James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr
A freelance photographer, confined in his apartment with a broken leg and telephoto lens, spies on his Greenwich Village neighbors in this witty and macabre tale of voyeurism and murder. Stylishly directed by Alfred Hitchcock. 35mm
Wednesday, June 21, 7:30 pm
Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre
Directed by John Huston (his debut), this fast-paced murder mystery and forerunner of the film noir style features great dialogue and plenty of action, suspense, and surprise as hero Sam Spade (Bogart in a career-defining role) proves that the falcon and his performance are "the stuff dreams are made of." Registered as a national treasure with the Library of Congress. 35mm
Thursday, June 22, 7:30 pm
Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives
Newman's Brick is a tortured, alcoholic ex-football player whose relationships with his wife (Taylor) and dying father (Ives) have been damaged by family sins and secrets, some of which are revealed at Big Daddy's birthday celebration. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams. 35 mm
Friday, June 23, 7:30 pm
Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton
This crowd-pleasing third Bond adventure is full of ingenious gadgets and evil villains. Connery shines as the suave British agent who battles an amoral tycoon attempting to corner the gold market by planting an atomic bomb in Fort Knox. 35 mm
Saturday, June 24, 10 am
Enjoy an amalgamation of animated antics featuring your favorite Warner Bros. cartoon stars including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck!
Show your library card and get free admission! In celebration of the Columbus Metropolitan Library's 150th anniversary.
Saturday, June 24, 7:30 pm
Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead
This groundbreaking tale about an eccentric newspaper magnate bears a striking resemblance to the life of William Randolph Hearst. Frequently cited as one of the best films ever, Kane was nominated for nine Academy Awards and is considered a landmark work in terms of cinematography, music, and narrative structure. 35mm
Sunday, June 25, 2 pm
Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Jackie Guerra
Featuring Jennifer Lopez in a breakout performance, Selena follows the rise of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez from child singer in her father's band to a pop crossover superstar poised on the edge of her biggest success yet when a betrayal cuts her story tragically short. 35mm
Wednesday, June 28, 7:30 pm
Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet
When Wyatt Earp hangs up his badge and retires to the Wild West town of Tombstone with his brothers, he finds that a peaceful life is not in the cards. Repeated run-ins with the local Clanton gang lead to the most famous 30 seconds in western lore. Burt Lancaster stars alongside Kirk Douglas in this action-packed Western classic.
Thursday, June 29, 7:30 pm
William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan
Based on the Dashiell Hammett novel, Powell and Loy are perfection as the sophisticated Nick and Nora Charles, a married couple who get a kick out of a good "whodunit."
RATED R
Friday, June 30, 7:30 pm
Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman
Brothers Michael and Sam find there's more than beaches and boardwalks when they move to Santa Carla, California with their newly divorced mother Lucy. Rumors of vampires seem outrageous at first, but when Michael starts hanging out with a local biker gang, he begins to change, and Sam begins to think maybe the rumors aren't so crazy after all. He teams up with self-proclaimed vampire hunters the Frog brothers to try to save his brother - and the town.
Saturday, July 1, 7:30 pm
Sunday, July 2, 2 pm
Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Philip Alford
Atticus Finch, the American Film Institute's No. 1 Movie Hero of All Time, is immortalized in Gregory Peck's Oscar-winning portrayal. Based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film follows a widowed, idealistic Southern lawyer as he tries to raise his children and defend a Black man wrongly accused in 1930s Alabama. 35mm
Wednesday, July 5, 7:30 pm
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman
Three office co-workers find their own way to shatter their glass ceiling by abducting their sexist boss to keep him from blackmailing them after they accidentally poison his coffee. As they frantically try to keep up the ruse that he is still, in fact, at the office, they improve the workplace and morale, while trying to convince their captive everything was just a big misunderstanding. Fonda, Tomlin, and Parton are hilariously horrible at being hardened kidnappers, but find their true calling - being the boss!
Thursday & Friday, July 6 & 7, 7:30 pm daily
Alfred Abel, Gustav Frölich, Brigitte Helm
CAPA is proud to present the most recent, most complete restoration ever done of this classic silent film, including many scenes long thought lost. Visionary director Fritz Lang set science fiction cinema standards, painting a stark picture of a future society divided into Thinkers and Workers. When the Workers rebel, nothing will ever be the same. Accompanied by Clark Wilson on the "Mighty Morton" Theatre Organ presented by Ice Miller.
Saturday, July 8, 7:30 pm
Sunday, July 9, 2 pm
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams
The beloved second installment of the original Star Wars trilogy finds the rebellion against the Galactic Empire struggling after their stunning destruction of the Death Star. After an attack on their hidden base, young Luke Skywalker leaves his companions to find an elusive Jedi Master to continue his training while Han Solo and Leia Organa continue their battle against Darth Vader. Betrayals and stunning revelations leave the friends in danger as it seems the Empire will inevitably crush their rebellion.
RATED R
Wednesday, July 12, 7:30 pm
Danny Aiello, Spike Lee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito
Racial tensions boil over on the hottest day of summer in Brooklyn as the neighborhood pizza parlor becomes a flashpoint for long-standing anger and sudden, destructive violence. When local activist Buggin' Out's demands for better representation on the restaurant's "wall of fame" are denied by the owner Sal, he escalates his protests against it. When protest leads to riot, the neighborhood is left in devastation. 35mm
Thursday, July 13, 7:30 pm
Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles
Considered one of Hitchcock's best films! When secretary Marion Crane (Leigh) flees town after embezzling from her employer, she finds herself at a secluded, roadside motel and encounters its disturbed owner and manager Norman Bates (Perkins). 35mm
The Three Musketeers (1948)
Friday, July 14, 7:30 pm daily
Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Angela Lansbury
This extravagant, tongue-in-cheek MGM version of Alexander Dumas' classic tale is full of swaggering swordsmanship and a masterful mix of dancing grace, agility, and horseplay, courtesy of a dashing Kelly as D'Artagnan. Turner is a knockout as the sexy and wicked Lady DeWinter. 35mm
Cartoon Capers
Saturday, July 15, 10 am
Enjoy a collection of classic characters from animation's heyday featuring many Warner Bros. superstars including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and a few surprises!
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Saturday, July 15, 7:30 pm
Sunday, July 16, 2 pm
Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor
Perhaps the greatest example of the Golden Age of MGM musicals, this delightful tune-filled comedy spoofs the chaos in Hollywood during the transition from silent to sound movies. Musical gems include "Good Morning," "Broadway Melody," "Make 'Em Laugh," and, of course, the title tune. 35 mm
Digital Presentations
CAPA screens 35mm prints when available. All Saturday morning cartoons are digital.
*Movies are subject to change without notice.
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The Ohio Arts Council helped fund CAPA's 2022-23 season with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, education excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. CAPA also appreciates the generous support of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Nationwide Foundation and The Columbus Foundation's Helen W. Wildermuth Fund for Drama and Music, Adalene Flechtner Fund for Columbus, Richard H. and Ann Shafer Fund II, and Wayne E. and Mildred K. Smith Fund for Columbus, with the assistance of the Ingram-White Castle Foundation.
About CAPA
Owner/operator of downtown Columbus' magnificent historic theatres (Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre) and manager of the Riffe Center Theatre Complex, Lincoln Theatre, and the Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT), CAPA is a non-profit, award-winning presenter of national and international performing arts and entertainment. For more information, visit www.capa.com.
Contact: Jim Fischer
(614) 719-6624
Jim Fischer
Communications Manager
55 E. State Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614-719-6624
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