WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 55th Anniversary Celebration at Library of Congress

The Library of Congress will celebrate the 55th anniversary of the 1971 film 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' with an evening of conversation, music and rarely seen materials from the Library's collections. The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building.

Doors to the Coolidge Auditorium will open at 5:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 6 p.m. After the program, ticket holders are invited to join a photo line with the cast members in the Whittall Pavilion until 8 p.m.

Original cast members Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket), Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt), Paris Themmen (Mike Teevee) and Rusty Goffe (Oompa Loompa) will reunite for a panel discussion about the making of the film and its enduring legacy. Screenwriter David Seltzer will also be part of the panel discussion to talk about his work on the 1971 film along with the cast members.

NBC Washington's Tommy McFly will moderate the conversation, which will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

The program will also feature a live performance of two songs from the film's score written by Academy and Grammy award-winning composer and lyricist Leslie Bricusse. The Library is home to the Leslie Bricusse Papers, which document the career of one of the most celebrated songwriters of stage and screen. The collection includes original manuscripts for 'The Candy Man,' which became a No. 1 hit, and the beloved 'Pure Imagination.' A display of collections will be on view for ticketholders from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Before the program, attendees are invited to view a special display of original materials related to the making of the film, drawn from divisions across the Library. Among the items on view are Bricusse's manuscripts of the music and lyrics for the film's score, which are held in the Library's Music Division and National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.

'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' was named to the Library's National Film Registry in 2014. The registry recognizes films for their cultural, historical or aesthetic significance and works to preserve them for future generations.

Author Roald Dahl adapted his own novel, Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley wrote a memorable musical score, and producer David Wolper wisely cast Gene Wilder as Wonka in this film musical about a contest put on by an often-sadistic candymaker. Harkening back to the classic Hollywood musicals, 'Willy Wonka' is surreal, yet playful at the same time, and suffused with Harper Goff's jaw-dropping color sets, which richly live up to the fanciful world found in one of the film's signature songs, 'Pure Imagination.'

The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.