Cinecon Classic Film Festival Opens in Hollywood August 30th

The Cinecon Classic Film Festival opens in Hollywood on Thursday, August 30th.

Cinecon 54 will take place at the Egyptian Theatre, running through Labor Day on Monday, September 3rd.

Cinecon was founded in 1965 and "is dedicated to showcasing unusual films that are rarely given public screenings." The vast majority of the films are from the silent era through the 1940s, though a couple of later films are on this year's schedule as well.

Eva Marie Saint will be an honored guest at the festival. Appearances are also expected from "Baby Peggy" Montgomery, Cora Sue Collins, and Marsha Hunt; potential attendees should note that given these wonderful ladies' ages, there is always the potential for plans to change. (Hunt will turn 101 and Montgomery will turn 100 the month after the festival, while Saint is 94 and Collins 91.)

I attended a day and a half of the festival last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the chance to see Patricia Morison at a nitrate screening of UNTAMED (1940). Morison passed away in May at the age of 103 so I feel especially fortunate I was in attendance that night to hear her share some memories.

I have tickets to attend the festival's opening night, and I currently expect to also attend on Sunday and Monday. Some of the titles which interest me:

*HELEN'S BABIES (1924), a silent film on opening night with Clara Bow and Baby Peggy, accompanied by the Famous Players Orchestra

*SWEET AND LOW-DOWN (1944) with Benny Goodman, Linda Darnell, Jack Oakie, Lynn Bari, and Allyn Joslyn, also on opening night

*SCOTLAND YARD (1941), the final opening night film, with Nancy Kelly and John Loder

*THE GOLDEN HORDE (1951) with Ann Blyth

*INSURE YOUR WIFE! (1935), a Fox Spanish-language film with Conchita Montenegro, Antonio Moreno, and Mona Maris

*LEGION OF TERROR (1936) with Bruce Cabot and Marguerite Churchill

*THE VIRGINIA JUDGE (1935) with Marsha Hunt and Robert Cummings

*MISS TATLOCK'S MILLIONS (1948) with John Lund and Wanda Hendrix

*ON THE AVENUE (1937) with Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, and Alice Faye

Among the many other titles being shown are INFERNAL MACHINE (1933), a Chester Morris film I saw at the 2017 UCLA Festival of Preservation, and the Buck Jones Western THE AVENGER (1931), which unfortunately doesn't fit my schedule!

This year's "Saturday Nitrate Fever" program will include HE LEARNED ABOUT WOMEN (1933) with Stu Erwin.

Cinecon is a delight for any classic film fan who enjoys sampling lesser-known curios. I saw some wonderful titles last year in addition to UNTAMED, including Marsha Hunt in THE ACCUSING FINGER (1936), Hoot Gibson in THE TEXAS STREAK (1926), and a silent version of CAPTAIN BLOOD (1924). I'm looking forward to more discoveries this year!

For more on Cinecon 54, please visit Kim's post at I See a Dark Theater which highlights several additional movies not mentioned here.

Updates: Tonight's Movies: Helen's Babies (1924), Sweet and Low-Down (1944), and Scotland Yard (1941) at Cinecon; Tonight's Movies: The Golden Horde (1951) and Outside the Law (1920) at Cinecon; Tonight's Movies: Seven Sinners (1925), Insure Your Wife! (1935), and Goldie (1931) at Cinecon; Tonight's Movies: The Shakedown (1929), The Virginia Judge (1935), and Miss Tatlock's Millions (1948) at Cinecon.