Thu, 09/22/2022 - 03:39 pm

Christina Belknap

A scene from Mervyn LeRoy’s “Three On A Match” - one of the films selected for the Lincoln’s Classic Film Club playing Oct. 6 and 7. Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Film historian Jeannie MacDonald will host each film with pre and post screening talks. Courtesy photo

A scene from Mervyn LeRoy’s “Three On A Match” - one of the films selected for the Lincoln’s Classic Film Club playing Oct. 6 and 7. Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Film historian Jeannie MacDonald will host each film with pre and post screening talks. Courtesy photo

There’s still time to enroll in this year’s Classic Film Club at the Lincoln Theater. In season five, we are celebrating Pre-Code Hollywood, featuring stars of the golden age, from Barbara Stanwyck and Jean Harlow to Clark Gable and Bette Davis, in films you won’t believe your grandparents watched! Films full of risqué content, from drugs to dames, that was considered wildly radical for the 1930s. And we are pleased to welcome film historian Jeannie MacDonald, who will be returning as host of the Classic Film Club and will be with us at each screening for a pre-film introduction and post-screening talkback explaining all the dirty details and behind the scenes secrets.

Pre-Code Hollywood marks the fascinating period between the adoption of sound in pictures in 1929 and the enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934. This unique era underscores the dramatic contrast between films made before and after the Hays Code was enforced and shows the impact censorship later had on American cinema with films that were more edgy, less politically correct, and with a surprisingly feminist slant featuring juicy, breakthrough roles for the hottest stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Jeannie MacDonald is a film historian and lifelong movie fan and began her career as a producer at two Boston TV stations. After moving to Los Angeles, Jeannie wrote marketing copy for Paramount Television on the studio’s iconic Hollywood lot. As a freelancer, she has written movie copy for Warner Bros. and humor pieces for The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Jeannie hosts classic films around New England, and blogs for the Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she lives with her husband John.

This season’s lineup begins with “Three on a Match” playing Thursday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 7 at 2 p.m., followed by “Baby Face,” “Red-Headed Woman,” “Gold Diggers of 1933,” “Night Nurse,” and “Red Dust.” Each screening is held the first Thursday and Friday of each month from October through March, with Thursday screenings at 7 p.m. and Friday screenings at 2 p.m.

Enrollment in season five of Lincoln Theater’s Classic Film Club, at $55 per person, includes free admission to all six screenings, a free small popcorn at each film, and a free glass of wine, beer, or sparkling cider at each film provided by our friends at Stone Cove Catering.

For information on enrollment, please visit The Lincoln Theater’s website at www.LincolnTheater.net, email info@LincolnTheater.net, or call the theater office at 563-3424. Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater Street in Damariscotta. All classic films are open to the public at regular movie ticket prices.