If your idea of a lovely time is watching a movie that makes you laugh with 250 of your neighbors while you munch popcorn, eat M&Ms and enjoy a perfect 80 degree evening, nothing would have made you happier than the first-ever Last Saturday showing of Bringing Up Baby last night on Parse Way, next to the T Station, under the stars, in Mt. Lebanon.
There were cheers when Anne Kemmerer, head of the Denis Theatre Foundation, which spearheaded this event, thanked people for showing their support for the much beloved Denis Theatre. And what broad support is was. We saw families with kids who decided to spread a blanket rather than sit on the folding chairs provided by the Foundation, couples holding hands, adult children helping elderly parents to their seat, groups of teenagers enjoying a welcome change of pace and even a dog or two--exactly the same sort of audience (well, except for the dogs) we expect to see in the theater when the Denis reopens.
Rolliers Hardware was the primary sponsor for this free event (a tip of the hat to our favorite hardware store), Empire Music provided free muscial entertainment before the movie, and a number of restaurants on Washington Road stayed open to lure the crowds after the show. It was exactly the sort of summer night we hope the re-opening of the Denis will lead to. Even better, film critic Elaine Wertheim led a discussion of the movie at Bistro 19 for those interested in joining.
There are two more Last Saturday movies planned, each with special guest speakers--My Bread, My Sweet, which used Mt. Lebanon as one of its filming locations, on July 25, and Mad, Hot Ballroom on August 29. Join us on Parse Way if you can. Movies start at 9. It's great fun as well as a way to keep the momentum going for our Denis.
