The Triplex is pleased to announce that we have been anonymously gifted several original posters from the private collection of preeminent film critic Pauline Kael. The posters by artist Jess Collins (known simply as Jess) were designed for the art house movie theater “Cinema-Guild and Studio,” where Kael worked back in the 1950s.
Cinema-Guild and Studio was in Berkeley, Calif. and was the country’s first ever “twin cinema.” They had two films in two theaters every week, and the films changed each week. It is considered to be the first repertory movie theater in America, according to the East Bay Express. It was also here that the “program guide,” which included film reviews and essays on film, was introduced and became popular with the audience.
Kael, who managed the theater, did everything from booking the films, putting together the stills, changing the lettering on the marquee, to writing the program notes. It was because of these incisive notes that Kael became legendary in the Berkeley area and was invited to join the staff of The New Yorker. The rest is film history! The posters will be prominently displayed in the Triplex for all to enjoy.
On another note, we received disappointing news this week that we will be unable to open with “Maestro” on November 22 as planned. Netflix is now opening the film “Maestro” only in New York City and Los Angeles in November and will not be expanding it into other theaters until December. We now plan to have “Maestro” in mid-December, along with the “Bernstein on Film” series. On the positive side, we will now be able to open on November 17, five days earlier than planned. Unfortunately, I am unable to share which film we will be opening with as the studios won’t confirm it until we get closer to the date; if it is what I believe it will be, it will be a great opening film.
I would like to give a shout out to volunteer Dorene Beller of Monterey for her amazing work in putting together and sending out 32 Local Cultural Council grants that were due this week. On the Friday before the grants were due, Dorene’s car caught fire, and, fortunately, she escaped uninjured. Not one to let this catastrophe get in the way of her volunteer commitment to the Triplex, Dorene was back at the computer that night and spent the following two days sending the grants out to all the towns in Berkshire County. Dedication like this is hard to come by, and we are all extremely grateful to Dorene for her unceasing effort to help the Triplex.
In closing, I want to thank Honey Sharp-Lippmann and David Lippmann for hosting another tag sale this Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22 (rain or shine), from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at their home at 296 Division Street in Great Barrington. All proceeds will again go to the Triplex. We are deeply appreciative to the Lippmann’s for this generous offer and to Amal Hussein, the volunteer, who helped coordinate this event. If you would like to donate anything to the tag sale, you can set up your own table or drop it off between 8 and 9 a.m. on the days of the sale. If you want to help with the selling of the merchandise, just come by. We could use all the help we can get! If you want more info, please write to info@thetriplex.org, or if you would like to make a donation, go to savethetriplex.org.
