Blame it on Hamilton. The Orpheum’s summer film series is no more, due, in part, to the fact that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical’s coming to camp in Memphis for almost the entire month of July. As it happens, this is great news for fans of old movies who like to see their favorite flicks projected on the big screen. Instead of being confined to the hotter months, Movies at the Orpheum is now a year-round film series, and the new tradition gets underway Friday, January 11th with the classic Hollywood musical, Singin’ in the Rain.
Singing in the Rain
Singin’ in the Rain‘s a perfect film to launch with. When it came out in 1952, The Orpheum was Malco’s Downtown movie palace. And the best thing about this tuneful story, apart from the all the fancy dancing and great chemistry between its principal players, has always been its delicious film-on-film satire. Singin’ in the Rain is a movie about movies and about how Hollywood transitioned from silence to sound, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, and, perhaps most importantly, a flickering silver screen. With wall to wall standards like “Good Morning,” and “Make ’em Laugh,” some singing along seems likely.
There’s no official schedule yet, but Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny team up in Space Jam Friday, March 15th, and, in celebration of Memphis’ bicentennial, the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line screens Friday, April 26th.
Additional dates and titles will be added throughout the year.
“Singin’ in the Rain” at the Orpheum Theatre, Friday, January 11th 7 p.m. $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. orpheum-memphis.com/movie.
