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Home » News » Page 66

“Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem” ~ Join Aimee Ginsburg Bikel and Leonard Maltin to Celebrate the Legendary Actor-Singer-Author-Activist

October 14, 2015 by Lamb L.

Portraits of two beloved icons — Sholom Aleichem and Theodore Bikel — are woven together in the enchanting new documentary Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem. The two men had much in common: wit, wisdom and talent, all shot through with deep humanity and Yiddishkeit. The film combines Bikel’s charismatic storytelling and masterful performances with a broader exploration of Aleichem’s remarkable life and work.

We will screen Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem Monday, 10/19 at 7:30 PM and Tuesday, 10/20 at 1 PM at the Ahrya Fine Arts/Beverly Hills, Town Center 5/Encino, Playhouse 7/Pasadena and Claremont 5. Film critic Leonard Maltin and Mr. Bikel’s widow, Aimee Ginsburg Bikel, will introduce and participate in a Q&A after the Monday screening in Beverly Hills. Mrs. Bikel will also participate in a Q&A after the 1 PM screening of the film on Tuesday, October 20th in Encino.

Mrs. Bikel wrote the following about her husband: “Nothing gave Theodore Bikel more pleasure than telling stories and singing songs that connected deeply to his own roots. “I sing the songs of all nations,” he would say, “and all of humanity are my brothers and sisters, we are like flowers in a garden. So,” he would add, “I sing my songs not because they are better, but because they are mine. And if I don’t tend to them, they will wither, and die.”

“On July 21 Theo Bikel passed away, leaving us with an enormous vacuum. Theo was a giant and there will be no one who can walk in his shoes. Actor, singer, author, activist for peace and human rights, he did everything with a deep joy and a commitment to making our world a better place.
“Theo considered this film his crowning achievement, and spent this past year appearing in person at the many film festivals that screened it. The audiences, cheering and clapping, loved it. Theo, who made the film at 88, improved with the years, his voice and performance deepening and softening; his humor and humanity shining bright.
“This will be the first public screening and Theo would have wanted to appear in person. Please come with your friends and family and share with us in the legacy of the one and only and forever Theodore Bikel.”

Mr. Maltin wrote the following, which he titled “Celebrating Theodore Bikel.”

“The challenge in discussing Theodore Bikel is where to start? He led so many lives—as an actor, folksinger, Civil Rights activist, union leader, and more. He is the only person I could think of who could say he worked with Humphrey Bogart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Frank Zappa! (He played a band manager in 200 Motels, but gently refused Zappa’s request to dress as a nun for one scene.) He was the original Baron von Trapp in The Sound of Music on Broadway, a best-selling recording artist, and a busy character actor who earned an Oscar nomination playing a Southern sheriff in The Defiant Ones. Those are just a handful of his many credits.

“His lifelong connection to the celebrated author Sholom Aleichem predates his casting as Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof. (He logged more than 2,000 performances, and acknowledged that the play’s universal appeal is based in part on its ability to make the author’s work palatable to a non-Jewish audience. He described it as “Sholom Aleichem lite.”)

“As for his facility with languages, Theo explained that his father spoke only Yiddish at home and prided himself on his library of Sholom Aleichem books, which they were forced to leave behind when his family fled from Vienna to Palestine in 1938. The postscript is quite amazing: his grandmother, who stayed behind, hounded the Nazis who guarded confiscated property—so much so that they eventually let her reclaim the books, which turned up on the Bikels’ doorstep in Palestine, to the utter amazement of Theo and his parents.

“His mother spoke German at home, his father spoke Yiddish, he was given Hebrew lessons as a child, and learned French while visiting a family retreat during the summer. English was his fifth language—the fifth of many. (When he played linguist Zoltan Karpathy in My Fair Lady and George Cukor asked him to draw on his skill with dialects, Bikel reminded Cukor that of the two of them, he was not the one with Hungarian roots.)

“My wife remembers attending protest rallies at Washington Square Park in the 1960s when Theo’s folk songs roused the young people. When Alice and I moved to Los Angeles and went to our first Rosh Hashanah service, we found ourselves sitting in front of Theo and had the thrill of hearing his sonorous voice in prayer all night long.

“He continued performing, and making a difference, to the very end of his life. In 2013 he was invited to appear before the Austrian Parliament to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Krystallnacht—the dreadful night that synagogues were burned to the ground throughout Germany and Austria. He recognized that today’s Austria is not run by, or populated by, the same people who were responsible for those atrocities, and while he could never forget, he was willing to move on.

“Many of his achievements are covered in the documentary Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem.  No one film could include every facet of Theo’s remarkable life…but this one provides a welcome overview. And, like Theo himself, it is consistently entertaining.”

https://vimeo.com/114923514

 

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Filed Under: Ahrya Fine Arts, Claremont 5, Featured Films, Featured Post, Films, News, Playhouse 7, Town Center 5

Throwback Thursday: THIS IS SPINAL TAP at 7:30pm on 10/8 in NoHo. Early bird tickets are only $5, then they go up to 11!

October 6, 2015 by Lamb L.

This Roctober 8th, join us for a Throwback Thursday screening of THIS IS SPINAL TAP! Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Rob Reiner, and Harry Shearer star in one of the funniest films ever made about the music business.

*Purchase tickets before Thursday and pay only $5! On Thursday they go up to 11!

The Yalla Truck will arrive before showtime with their unique twist on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean street food. And yes, you’ll be allowed to bring your Phillyfornia meal into the auditorium!

THIS IS SPINAL TAP screens at 7:30PM on 10/8 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 and is part of our THROWBACK THURSDAY series in partnership with Eat|See|Hear. For upcoming screenings, visit: www.laemmle.com/tbt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N63XSUpe-0o

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Filed Under: News, NoHo 7, Throwback Thursdays

The New Urbanism Film Festival October 8th to 11th

September 30, 2015 by Lamb L.

Once upon a time, it was a truism to say that every part of Los Angeles was within about twenty minutes of every other part. Nowadays, that’s only true at three in the morning, and sometimes not even then. But as our population has increased along with travel times, an interesting thing is happening, not just here but in cities all over the country: people, especially young people, are seeking out local lifestyles for which they do not always need a car to reach work or play. They want to walk or, if their destination is a little further afield, take public transit or ride a bicycle. Based on its recent vote on Mobility Plan 2035, a large majority of our City Council sees the long term wisdom and sustainability of this way of thinking. This is a significant moment that could accelerate the changes we have been making to our city since the Metro Red Line opened in 1993.

With all this in mind, Laemmle Theatres is proud to co-sponsor the New Urbanism Film Festival, which begins next week. A major component of our company’s philosophy is our goal to be “neighborhood” theaters, which aligns with New Urbanism concepts about bringing people closer to the amenities that they want in their communities. Together with improved mass transit and improvements that make life better and safer for walkers and bicyclists, these ideas are changing the landscape of Los Angeles.

From the festival website: “Founded in 2013, by a musician and a stand up comedian, the New Urbanism Film Festival celebrates urban planning from the pedestrian perspective. The annual four day event in Los Angeles showcases short and feature length films submitted from around the world. The festival also hosts interactive events around the city that get audiences exploring, experiencing, and examining the built environment in fun new ways. The festival returns to Los Angeles for its third year, October 8-11th at the ACME Theatre on La Brea.

“We formed this festival because we are passionate about New Urbanism and want to encourage people to think about how the built environment affects every aspect of our lives.

“We first formed a group Noodles and New Urbanism which was a monthly meetup to discuss local issues and current events relevant to urban planning. That led to a blog where members could share the articles, books and videos they’ve been tracking on the issue.

“We decided to start the New Urbanism Film Festival so that we could convene in a group to share knowledge and successes regarding urban planning.

“We hope to broaden our discussion about local issues of urban development by seeing films from worldwide.”

 

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Filed Under: Around Town, News

ROGER WATERS THE WALL to Screen Thursday, October 15th in Claremont, Pasadena, NoHo, and Beverly Hills

September 30, 2015 by Lamb L.

ROGER WATERS THE WALL is not just an immersive concert experience of the classic Pink Floyd album. It’s also a road movie of Waters’ reckoning with the past and a stirring anti-war event. Moviegoers will also have a unique opportunity to see The Simple Facts, a twenty-minute conversation with Roger Waters and his Pink Floyd bandmate Nick Mason where they answer questions submitted by fans from around the world.

ROGER WATERS THE WALL screens at 8PM on Thursday, October 15th at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills, the Claremont 5, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and the NoHo 7 in North Hollywood. Purchase your tickets now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZgJqX8Dxzg

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Filed Under: Ahrya Fine Arts, Claremont 5, Films, News, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7

A Special Message to Laemmle Moviegoers from Michael York

September 24, 2015 by Lamb L.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz-nl5uXO7Y

Michael York and Richard Chamberlain will participate in a Q&A moderated by LA Film Critics Association President Stephen Farber following the 40th anniversary screening of THE FOUR MUSKETEERS on Tuesday, 9/29 at the Laemmle Royal in West LA.

Purchase your tickets in advance here. For more information about our Anniversary Classics series, visit http://www.laemmle.com/ac.

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Filed Under: Anniversary Classics, Filmmaker in Person, News, Royal, Special Events

Culture Vulture Mondays, Laemmle Theatres’ Panoply of High Art in Cinema: Venue Changes + Fourth Quarter Lineup

September 17, 2015 by Lamb L.

We’re celebrating the first anniversary of CULTURE VULTURE with a slew of stellar offerings that will take us into the new year.

For the uninitiated, CULTURE VULTURE is our weekly series of opera, stage and ballet/dance performances plus art exhibitions and documentaries.

These are often live performances that have been recorded – and they are typically breathtaking! If you are a lover of the high arts and have yet to experience Culture Vulture, you owe it to yourself to attend one of our upcoming programs.

Screenings take place Monday nights with repeat performances Tuesday afternoons.

Please note that we’ve shuffled the deck a bit with regard to venues. Culture Vulture will be continuing at the Playhouse, Claremont, and Town Center. In addition, it will be offered at the newly re-opened FINE ARTS in Beverly Hills. It will no longer run at the Royal, Music Hall, or NoHo.

There’s more! We’ve developed a new scheduling model that will make it easier for you to plan in advance. Each month will be calendared as follows:

1st Monday – Opera
2nd Monday – Ballet/Dance
3rd Monday – Stage
4th Monday – Art Exhibits/Documentaries
The 5th Monday (when it occurs) will be a surprise!

September 21 and 22: PAUL TAYLOR: CREATIVE DOMAIN (dance documentary)

September 28 and 29: THE IMPRESSIONISTS (exhibition)

October 5 and 6: AIDA (opera from Teatro alla Scalla)

October 12 and 13: L’HISTOIRE DE MANON (ballet from the Opera Nacional de Paris)

October 19 and 20: THEODORE BIKEL: IN THE SHOES OF SHOLOM ALEICHEM (stage production via the National Center for Jewish Film)

October 26 and 27: VINCENT VAN GOGH: A NEW WAY OF SEEING (exhibition)

November 2 and 3: RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY (opera from the Royal Opera House)

November 9 and 10: MOVIMENTOS: LA DANZA DE LA PUNTA AL TACON (dance from the Teatro Real, Madrid)

November 16 and 15: MAN AND SUPERMAN (stage production from the National Theatre, London)

November 23 and 24: PALIO

November 30 and December 1: THE THREE TENORS CHRISTMAS CONCERT (Wiener Konzerthaus)

December 7 and 8: THE MAGIC FLUTE (opera from Bregenzer Festspiele)

December 14 and 15: THE NUTCRACKER (ballet from the Bolshoi)

December 21 and 22: HAMLET (stage from the National Theatre)

Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet.

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Filed Under: Ahrya Fine Arts, Claremont 5, Culture Vulture, Featured Post, Music Hall 3, News, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7, Royal, Town Center 5

Town Center 5 in Encino Closed Until October 2

September 10, 2015 by Lamb L.

UPDATE: Our schedule is limited 10/26 through 10/29 as our largest auditoriums are closed for the installation of new seats and carpets. Check www.laemmle.com for showtimes.

The NEW lobby at the Town Center in Encino!
The NEW lobby at the Town Center in Encino!

Dear Town Center 5 moviegoers, please note we will be closing down the theater after the last shows on Sunday, September 13th to begin refurbishing the theater, beginning with the lobby and concessions area.

We plan to re-open on Friday, October 2nd with several terrific new films, including Francois Ozon’s The New Girlfriend, Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home and the moving new British drama A Brilliant Young Mind.

Auditorium improvements including seats, carpet, and curtains will begin in phases soon after we re-open.

Here’s a rendering below. Thanks for your patience and patronage!

tcrendering

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Filed Under: News, Town Center 5

Announcing the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre by Laemmle, Opening September 18th!

September 9, 2015 by Lamb L.

fineartsinterior
Laemmle Theatres is proud to announce we have taken over the management and operation of the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. The theatre has been closed for five years. At the time of its closure it was used exclusively as a private screening venue. Laemmle will book the theatre with first run films screening daily for the general public. Laemmle will also use the Ahrya Fine Arts to host regular series like our Culture Vulture program, festivals and special event screenings.

fineartsAccording to CinemaTreasures.org, the Fine Arts first opened in April 1937 as the Wilshire Regina, with seating for 800. It has been well maintained over the years and is – and under Laemmle’s stewardship will remain – a single-screen theater, though now with slightly more than 400 seats. (Movie patrons’ expectations of things like leg room have understandably risen over the decades.) We last operated the venue from 1985 to 1993, mostly screening foreign films.

fineartsdraculaThe Ahrya Fine Arts Theater is owned by Shawn Far. He runs Vertigo USA, a successful clothing company based in Downtown Los Angeles, and is a Beverly Hills resident. The Fine Arts will share its name with Mr. Far’s eldest son, Ahrya. Appropriately, our first film beginning September 18th will be JEREMY SCOTT: THE PEOPLE’S DESIGNER, a documentary about a rising star of the fashion industry.

We have promoted Guy Valdez, long-time manager at our Playhouse 7 venue in Pasadena, to lead the Fine Arts as its general manager.

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Filed Under: Ahrya Fine Arts, Featured Post, News

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Featured Posts

DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN 40th Anniversary Screening July 30 at the Royal.

Join us July 24 for the sixth annual Art House Theater Day at the Monicas, Glendale, NoHo and Claremont.

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Laemmle Theatres is pleased to celebrate the sixth Laemmle Theatres is pleased to celebrate the sixth annual Art House Theater Day this July 24 by screening four fabulous films curated by this year’s ambassadors, filmmakers Sean Baker and Samantha Quan.

⭐ Sean Baker’s "Tangerine (2015)" at the @laemmlenoHo
⭐ Lily Tomlin’s "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1991)" at the @laemmlemonicafilmcenter
⭐ Céline Sciamma’s "Tomboy (2011)" at the @laemmleglendale
⭐ Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart (2006) at the @laemmleclaremont

Taken together, the four beautifully represent the breadth, depth, humor, profundity and diversity that art house moviegoers seek out and embrace.

📣 The Tangerine screening will include exclusive content with ambassadors Sean Baker and Samantha Quan. The Search for Signs screening will feature a special audience salute from star Lily Tomlin.
part of the #WorldwideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ l part of the #WorldwideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ laem.ly/3RplztZ
#ThePolishWomen
Escaping famine in Poland, Rebeca (Valentina Herszage), together with her son Joseph, arrives in Brazil to meet her husband, who immigrated first hoping for a better life for the three of them. However, she finds a completely different reality in Rio de Janeiro.
Part of the #WorldwideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ l Part of the #WorldwideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ laem.ly/3RpbZY5
#TheSurvivalOfKindness
Battling privilege and pestilence while not knowing if she's alive or dead, Black Woman finds skeletons and has her boots stolen. "First-time actress Mwajemi Hussein is riveting as an escapee trekking across a plague-ravaged wilderness in a magnificently parched, wordless parable." ~ Variety
⭐ Don't miss your chance to experience the mocku ⭐ Don't miss your chance to experience the mockumentary masterpiece THIS IS SPINAL TAP on the Laemmle big screen! Remixed, remastered, and re-releasing! it's going to be 11/10!

📅 THIS WEEKEND ONLY!
🍿Elevated food and drink options that go beyond the screen!
🎟️TICKETS: laem.ly/4khU16n

@spinaltap #spinaltap @bleeckerstfilms @FathomEntertainment #ThisIsSpinalTap
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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/israel-palestine-swedish-tv-1958-1989 | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 by archival film maestro Göran Hugo Olsson (The Black Power Mixtape) is assembled from a vast stockpile of striking footage catalogued in the vaults of Sweden’s national television service, SVT, where accounts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are witnessed and represented by Swedish journalists. Stories of the beginning of the Israeli state are interwoven with the Palestinian struggle for independence.

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/israel-palestine-swedish-tv-1958-1989

RELEASE DATE: 10/17/2025
Director: Göran Hugo Olsson

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
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Tickets:  | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | Featuring The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (Monica Film Center), Tangerine (NoHo), Tomboy (Glendale) and Whispers of the Heart (Claremont

Tickets: 

RELEASE DATE: 

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
Visit Laemmle.com: http://laemmle.com
Like LAEMMLE on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/3Qspq7Z
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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/kerouacs-road-beat-nation | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | KEROUAC’S ROAD: THE BEAT OF A NATION explores how the legacy of Jack Kerouac’s iconic novel On the Road reflects in today’s America. The film interweaves stories of modern-day “on-the-roaders” who share connections to Kerouac’s life, alongside those influenced by him or knew and loved him.

Featured participants include Josh Brolin, W. Kamau Bell, Natalie Merchant, Matt Dillon, David Amram and Joyce Johnson. On the Road remains as relevant today as it was in the 1950s, but both the book and Kerouac himself have never been explored in this way before.

The film reveals a rarely seen

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/kerouacs-road-beat-nation

RELEASE DATE: 8/1/2025
Director: Ebs Burnough
Cast: Michael Imperioli (voice), David Amran (voice), W. Kamau Bell (voice), Josh Brolin (voice)

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
Visit Laemmle.com: http://laemmle.com
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Recent Posts

  • DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN 40th Anniversary Screening July 30 at the Royal.
  • “LITTLE, BIG, AND FAR was sparked by the gift of a meteorite.” Jem Cohen’s new film opens Friday at the Laemmle Monica Film Center and Glendale.
  • Greg Laemmle on DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT.
  • Join us July 24 for the sixth annual Art House Theater Day at the Monicas, Glendale, NoHo and Claremont.
  • Laemmle Sunset 5 general manager Roger Christensen on the latest Inside the Arthouse.
  • THE LIFE OF CHUCK is an art house summer sleeper. Don’t skip this one.

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