When watching Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor tap dance to “Moses Supposes,” in “Singin’ in the Rain,” Kay Thompson playing a character based off of Diana Vreeland in “Funny Face,” Audrey Hepburn solving a caper with Cary Grant in “Charade,” or Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin sing as sailors touring New York City for the first time, the city of Columbia might not be the first thing to come to mind. But what all of these seemingly different films have in common is director Stanley Donen, who just happens to have grown up in the Hollywood Rose neighborhood of Columbia.
Donen turned 90 this past April, and to celebrate his 90th birthday and as one of the greatest living directors of the Hollywood golden age, The Nickelodeon has launched a full festival and celebration of the director. The plan for a celebration of Donen and his films has been in the works for a while; ever since executive director Andy Smith was hired at The Nick; Donen and himself grew up on streets located near each other in the Hollywood Rose neighborhood. Many of Donen’s family still resides in Columbia as well, including sister Carla Davis, who has been instrumental in the planning of this event.
The event kicked off this past Saturday, July 26, with a tour of the area that Donen grew up in, along with other historical locations in the area. Afterwards, guests were invited to bring their own picnics to Hollywood Park, where a DJ played live music and guests could enjoy the surroundings for a little bit before the kick-off free screening of “Singin’ in the Rain,” in the park.
The celebrations continued on Sunday, where Stephen Silverman, Donen’s biographer, came to The Nickelodeon for a reception at the theater followed by a lecture given by Silverman on Donen’s life. Silverman is not only Donen’s biographer, but is a celebrated writer, having contributed to several publications, among them The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, The Washington Post and World Report. The lobby of The Nickelodeon also displayed fashions from the 1950s, provided by collector Kathryn Luchok. Since Donen does not do much traveling these days, it was a treat for Silverman to be able to attend and speak about Donen’s life. Monday began the five-week long screenings of Donen films that will be happening at The Nickelodeon, starting with “On The Town,” which stars Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin. The classic films will be screened every Monday at 5:30 p.m., and every Tuesday at 3 p.m. After “On The Town,” the lineup continues as follows: “Charade,” on Aug. 4 and 5, “Royal Wedding,” on Aug. 11 and 12, “Funny Face” on Aug. 18 and 19, and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” on Aug. 25 and 26.
Kristin Morris, Marketing Manager at The Nickelodeon, talks about why celebrating Donen’s life is so crucial for both The Nickelodeon and Columbia. “Our hope as a film center and art center and as a community leader is to really educate people in Columbia about the rich film history that people probably don’t know exists here,” Morris said. Donen’s family owned a store on Main Street and Donen spent most of his youth watching films on Main Street, which is where The Nickelodeon now houses their building. Though Donen was only in Columbia for a short period of time before he moved to New York, Columbia is instrumental in his life story. Most of his family still resides here, and as one of the oldest living golden age of Hollywood directors, it is only appropriate that his life and work be celebrated.
It is recommended that anyone who has never had the privilege of seeing a Donen film do so while the festival continues throughout the month. As Morris said, “We want to share [Donen’s] story with people,” and what better way to do that than through one of his many celebrated films.
