FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Great Barrington, Mass.—Back by popular demand, 100 Years of Movies returns to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center for another summer of classic American films. Once again, the movies will be introduced by film director Deborah Reinisch. The series will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence along with highlighting the careers of beloved stars we lost this past year, including Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, Gene Hackman, Rob Reiner and Robert Duvall.
"We are thrilled to welcome back Deborah Reinisch and 100 Years of Movies for a third consecutive summer," says Mahaiwe Executive Director Janis Martinson. "Debbie's concise and entertaining pre-show introductions illuminate the films' place in the arc of cinema, call attention to easily overlooked details, and share a little background gossip. Most of all, Debbie's enthusiasm for the craft behind each work of art is contagious."
The series kicks off on Friday, May 15, with the definitive American screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby (1938) with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, followed on Friday, May 22, with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall's classic film noir The Big Sleep (1946). The series continues with All About Eve (1950) on Saturday, June 6; North by Northwest (1959), on Thursday, June 18; and The French Connection (1971) on Sunday, July 5; with five more dates to-be-announced. The series' second half will feature The Godfather (1972), All the President's Men (1976), The Right Stuff (1983), Remains of the Day (1993), and The American President (1995).
Says Reinisch, "Watching the classic films and stars that helped define their eras is a splendid way to explore our American experience during the Semiquincentennial!"
Screenings
The Mahaiwe will screen Bringing Up Baby (1938) on Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. Bringing Up Baby is a classic screwball comedy starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. In pursuit of a major donation for his museum, paleontologist David Huxley (Grant) gets tangled up with an eccentric heiress, Susan Vance (Hepburn), and her pet leopard, Baby.
The Mahaiwe will screen The Big Sleep (1946) on Friday, May 22 at 7 p.m. Iconic duo Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in Howard Hawks' classic film noir. Romance, murder and blackmail are all on the table in this timeless mystery. Nobel Prize-winning novelist William Faulkner contributed to the script.
The Mahaiwe will screen All About Eve (1950) on Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Ambition and experience are just two themes at play in All About Eve, the six-time Oscar-winning classic from Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Bette Davis stars as Broadway legend Margo Channing along with Anne Baxter as the cunning upstart Eve Harrington.
The Mahaiwe will screen North by Northwest (1959) on Thursday, June 18 at 7 p.m. In this fast-paced thriller from Alfred Hitchcock, Madison Avenue executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) must run for his life when he is mistaken for a spy. In trying to clear his name, he becomes entangled with the mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) and in one of cinema's most iconic sequences, finds himself on the faces of Mount Rushmore.
The Mahaiwe will screen The French Connection (1971) on Sunday, July 5 at 7 p.m. The French Connection is a neo-noir thriller, known for its strong performances, gritty realism, and exhilarating chase sequences. NYPD detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) are in pursuit of international drug smuggler, Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) in this Oscar winning Best Picture of 1971. Director William Friedkin, screenwriter Ernest Tidyman and star Gene Hackman also took home Oscars.
Tickets
Tickets are $8 or $5 for ages 12 and under when applicable.
Tickets to Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Big Sleep (1946), All About Eve (1950), North by Northwest (1959), and The French Connection (1971) are available now and can be purchased online at mahaiwe.org, or by calling or visiting the Box Office, 413-528-0100, on Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
The Mahaiwe accepts ConnectorCare/WIC/EBT cards — four free tickets to movies or HD broadcasts per individual. Learn more at mahaiwe.org/visit/ticketing-offers.
About Deborah Reinisch
Deborah Reinisch has directed award-winning movies and series for network, cable and public television, including the Emmy Award and National Board of Review winner Andre's Mother. Prior to her work in television, Deborah worked as first assistant director on many feature films, including Blood Simple and Raising Arizona for Joel and Ethan Coen. Deborah taught directing, production and film history at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Brooklyn College/Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema and Columbia University. This spring, she taught The Language of Film for Berkshire OLLI.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 2,500 events and welcomed over 600,000 people through its doors. More than 28,000 students from 77 different schools have benefited from the Mahaiwe's school-time performances and residencies. In 2025, the Mahaiwe opened a second performance venue, the Indigo Room. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.
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