Portland the (Old) Movie Town

I am an old movie fan. I guess you could say I might be a little more than a fan. When I was 10 or 11, I used to highlight the TV listings in the paper so that the whole family would know when an old movie was on. I would video tape all the movies and then alphabetize them for easy access. I had a deal with the local video store, Adventure Video (Claremont, NH) to call me when any old movie came in that was new to video.


I just watched From Here to Eternity (1953), in which both Frank Sinatra and Montgomery Clift die tragically and Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed break their stereotypical roles and both play slutty women. One of the best movies ever.


The Living Room Theaters here in Portland is currently playing Casablanca (1942) and you should definitely catch it on the big screen. Plus you can eat an upscale meal while you watch. Also this week they started showing A Clockwork Orange (1971).


If you live in Portland and are an old movie fan, then you should keep your eyes on a few places for occasional showings of old-ish movies:


Living Room Theaters
Laurelhurst Theater
Hollywood Theater
Cinema 21
Clinton St. Theater
McMenamins


Also, definitely check out Movie Madness to rent rare, hard to find movies of all kinds. Between the shelves of videos and DVDs, is a museum of movie memorabilia. Costumes from such greats as Natalie Wood, Kim Novak, and Tony Curtis, along with Mike Meyers, Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. Props from Psycho, Scream, Pulp Fiction and more are displayed in cases. If you go there, plan to spend some time looking around.