Thursday, August 7, 2014

The Puzzle Within the Castro Theater's August 2014 Calendar

August was a bust for me.  I only got one photo correct.

August 4 - Fredric March.  This is the one I guessed correctly.  I took me awhile but somehow I picked March out.  It surprises me that I got it right; I can't say I'm a big fan of March's work.  I get him confused with E.G. Marshall.

August 5 - Ilka Chase. With all due respect, I have never heard of Ilka Chase.  After looking at her filmography, I can count her films which I have seen on one hand and have a couple fingers left.  I have not seen any of her films within the past few years.  I see she appeared in Robert Aldrich's The Big Knife (1955) which if memory serves me correctly, I have missed not one but two screenings of this film at the PFA over the past few years.

August 18 - Charles Dance.  From the on-line calendar, I thought this was Steve McQueen.  However, upon reviewing a paper copy, I realized it was not McQueen.  This was the point I gave up on August's calendar.  Dance is best known to modern audiences as Tywin Lannister, patriarch of the House of Lannister on Game of Thrones. I recently saw Dance in François Ozon's Swimming Pool at the Castro Theater but that did not help me recognize him.

August 25 - Audrey Totter.  This drove me crazy as I recognized Totter but couldn't place her name or film(s) in which I had seen her.  I spent several days staring at the photo with her maniacal eyes.  I recall her performance in Lady in the Lake from the 2012 Noir City Xmas.

I had to use Google Image Search to identify Chase, Dance & Totter and confirm March's identity

March, dance, chase & totter could refer to many things.  My initial guess is The Wiz which screens August 29 or perhaps The Wizard of Oz which screens this weekend (August 8 to 10).  Dorothy is chased by the Wicked Witch, the flying monkeys march, there is dancing in the film and the scarecrow totters.  This is further bolstered by the fact that August 29 is Michael Jackson's birthday.  I learned that fact from reading my gym's monthly newsletter (don't ask how or why).  Jackson played the Scarecrow in The Wiz.

Castro Theater Calendar - August 2014