THE MUSIC MAN Opens 2010 Michelob Ultra Cool Film Series 7/2-4

It's time for great movies on the big screen, free popcorn and soda! Come join Victoria Theatre Association for the first film of the 2010 Michelob Ultra Cool Film Series THE MUSIC MAN, July 2-4, at the historic Victoria Theatre.

The series has been sponsored in the past years by Heidelberg Distributing Company who has been generous in their continuing support the film series that shows classic films on the big screen. This summer's film series is dedicated to the memory of Esther L. Vontz, whose passion for life, film and the Victoria Theatre have made this series possible for the last 17 years. Mrs. Vontz passed away on March 26, 2010. Victoria Theatre Association joins the Vontz and Miller families and Heidelberg Distributing Company in celebrating her life and legacy.

THE MUSIC MAN (1962), directed by Morton DaCosta, tells the story of Professor Harold Hill (Robert Preston) as a fast-talking traveling salesman who lands in River City, Iowa with the intention of starting a boy's bands and cons the town into buying instruments and uniforms, and then skipping town with the cash. But Hill doesn't count on falling in love with the lovely librarian, Marian Paroo (played by the stunning Shirley Jones) or really starting that band!

Nominated for six Academy Awards and six Golden Globes®, THE MUSIC MAN stars Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, and a young Ron Howard. THE MUSIC MAN will have you marching in the aisle and swooning to the tunes of the famed barber shop quartet-The Buffalo Bills.

Films are shown at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays in the Victoria Theatre. Recreating the feel of the old-time movie palaces, guests may enjoy free popcorn and soda in the lobby beginning one hour prior to show time, the Mighty Wurlitzer organ concert beginning 30 minutes prior to show time, and a classic cartoon just before the movie. Tickets are just $5 each, or $26 for a 10-ticket passbook.

Individual tickets are available day-of-show at the Victoria Theatre box office, beginning one hour prior to show time. Passbooks are a great way to experience all the films with your friends and family! Spend them on you and all yours friends for one film or spend them on each film! Save almost half the amount you would spend on individual tickets! Passbooks are on sale now through Ticket Center Stage.

Tickets may be purchased at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton, by phone at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630, or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com - click on Victoria Theatre Association, then Michelob Ultra Cool Films.

For the full scoop on this summer's series, including video clips and much more, go to www.victoriatheatre.com and click on "Michelob Ultra Cool Films." Be sure to also visit our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for exclusive Michelob Ultra Cool Films Series updates and offers.

Psycho (1960) - July 9-11
Black & White 120 mins
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam

Alfred Hitchcock's landmark masterpiece of the macabre stars Anthony Perkins as the troubled Norman Bates, whose old dark house and adjoining motel are not the place to spend a quiet evening. No one knows that better than Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), the ill-fated traveler whose journey ends in the notorious "shower scene." First, a private detective, then Marion's sister (Vera Miles) searches for her, the horror and the suspense mount to a terrifying climax where the mysterious killer is finally revealed. Psycho ranked #1 spot on the American Film Associations list of greatest thrills of the last 100 years.

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969) - July 16-18
Color 110 mins
Directed by George Roy Hill
Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin

Winner of four Academy Awards, and based on the exploits of the historical characters, Paul Newman and Robert Redford set the standard for the "buddy film" with this box office smash set in the Old West. The Sundance Kid (Redford) is the frontier's fastest gun. His sidekick, Butch Cassidy (Newman), is always dreaming up new ways to get rich fast. A winner of four Academy Awards (including best screenplay and best song), here is a thoroughly enjoyable blend of fact and fancy done with true affection for a bygone era and featuring the two flashiest, friendliest, funniest outlaws who ever called out "hands up!"

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) - July 23-25
Color 108 mins
Directed by Richard Brooks
Starring ElizaBeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson

The raw emotions and crackling dialogue of Tennessee Williams' 1955 Pulitzer Prize play rumble like a thunderstorm in this film version, whose fiery performances and grown-up themes made it one of 1958's top box-office hits. Paul Newman earned his first Oscar nomination as troubled ex-sports hero Brick. In a performance that marked a transition to richer adult roles, ElizaBeth Taylor (as Maggie the Cat) snagged her second Oscar. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture-Cat on a Hot Tin Roof sizzles.

My Fair Lady (1964) - July 30 - Aug. 1
Color 170 mins
Directed by George Cukor
Starring Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe adapted the longest-running Broadway musical, My Fair Lady from the George Bernard Shaw comedy Pygmalion. Outside Covent Garden on a rainy evening in 1912, disheveled cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) meets linguistic expert Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison). Higgins tells his companion Colonel Pickering (Wilfred Hyde-White) that, within six months, he could transform Eliza into a proper lady, simply by teaching her proper English. The movie won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Harrison, and five other Oscars.

Animal House (1978) - Aug. 6-8
Color 109 mins
Directed by John Landis
Starring Kevin Bacon, John Belushi, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst

Remember all those toga parties in the '80s? This is one of those movies that works for all the wrong reasons--disgusting, lowbrow, base humor that we are all far too sophisticated to find amusing. So, just don't tell anyone you still think it's a riot to watch John Belushi as the brutish Bluto slurp Jell-O or terrorize his less-aggressive fellow students. The first of the National Lampoon movies, this was originally released as National Lampoon's Animal House.

Indiana Jones Weekend-Aug. 13, 14, and 15
This summer, the Michelob Ultra Cool Films Series pays tribute to Indiana Jones, with the complete adventure collection: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Aug. 13; Temple of Doom (1984), Aug. 14; & The Last Crusade (1989), Aug. 15. One thing's for sure: Harrison Ford's swaggering, two-fisted, self-effacing performance worked like a charm, and the art of cracking bullwhips was probably never quite the iconic activity it soon became after Raiders. Supporting players and costars were very much a part of the series, too--Karen Allen, Sean Connery (as Indy's dad), Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Denholm Elliot, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies among them.

Casablanca (1942) - Aug. 20-22
Black & White 102 mins
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Humphrey Bogard, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains

Considered by many to be the greatest Hollywood movie ever made, the World War II classic takes place in war-torn Casablanca and tells the tale of mysterious nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and his old flame (Ingrid Bergman), her husband, leader of the French Resistance (Paul Heinreid), and other skeletons from his past. The film won three Oscars - Best Picture, Director and Screenplay.

Fiddler on the Roof (1971) - Aug. 28-30
Color 181mins
Directed by Norman Jewison
Starring Chaim Topol. Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon

This rousing musical, based on the stories of Shalom Aleichem, takes place in pre-revolutionary Russia and centers on the life of Tevye (Chaim Topol), a milkman who is trying to keep his family's traditions in place while marrying off his three older daughters. Yet, times are changing and the daughters want to make their own matches. On top of winning best cinematography, the film was nominated for seven additional Academy Awards.

For more information about Victoria Theatre Association's entire 2010-2011 season, visit www.victoriatheatre.com.

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