In October of 1969,
MOVIES 101 was launched with 14 students in Room 822 of
the East Building. Initially it was Richard Brown lecturing
on the movies he loved and the nature of the film going
experience. The films which students saw were neither
big budget, nor star-studded…they were short films
in 16mm. But when one of the films was lost in the mail,
Richard invited his neighbor, Mel Brooks, to come and
join him for a class.
From
that first serendipitous interview, the format of the
class began to develop. Over the following weeks, first
Shirley MacLaine, then Robert Redford, then Warren Beatty
agreed to visit the classroom. The following semester,
Richard persuaded 20th Century Fox to let his adult students
preview a new film which the studio found “bewildering”
and “difficult to sell”. The movie was Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Richard insists to this
day that the success of this now classic masterpiece was
due, at least in some measure, to what he called his “opinion
makers’ screening.
Over
the years the class became a focal point, and then a mecca
for the great actors and directors of our time: Orson Welles
and Alfred Hitchcock were among the legendary filmmakers who
came to discuss the movies, exchange ideas and recharge their
creative batteries.
When Richard did projects with other institutions,
such as THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, he would often convince his
participants to spend an evening at MOVIES 101. And so it
was that Gregory Peck and Jack Lemmon, Lauren Bacall and Katharine
Hepburn, and many other legends, also paid visits to this
New York institution.
In the mid-1990s, when MOVIES101 was offered at the Loews
State Theater, the beloved actor, Jerry Orbach, wrote and
produced a 60second promotional film. Reflecting his long
association with the class, it provided his own personal take
on the experience. (View the film above.)
In
recent years, younger stars have come to share their ideas
and to participate. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, Gwyneth
Paltrow and Ben Stiller; this new generation of talent, and
other gifted young actors and directors, have given the class
a new energy and an exciting new chapter.
Wonderful movies—large and small—outstanding
actors and exciting lectures have steadily built a unique
reputation for this class. The only element missing was a
permanent home: the course has been held in a variety of movie
theaters and venues over the years.
From
that first serendipitous interview, the format of the
class began to develop. Over the following weeks, first
Shirley MacLaine, then Robert Redford, then Warren Beatty
agreed to visit the classroom. The following semester,
Richard persuaded 20th Century Fox to let his adult students
preview a new film which the studio found “bewildering”
and “difficult to sell”. The movie was Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Richard insists to this
day that the success of this now classic masterpiece was
due, at least in some measure, to what he called his “opinion
makers’ screening.
In
recent years, younger stars have come to share their ideas
and to participate. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, Gwyneth
Paltrow and Ben Stiller; this new generation of talent, and
other gifted young actors and directors, have given the class
a new energy and an exciting new chapter.
