Many movie stars of earlier eras are scheduled to show up on local theater screens during March, highlighted by a Hitchcock-ish comedy-thriller with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant; a genuine Hitchcock suspense yarn starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly; and others featuring Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Danny Kaye and Laurel & Hardy.
“Charade” (1963). Can Cary Grant be trusted by Audrey Hepburn after her estranged husband is killed and she’s threatened by a trio of thugs? You’ll think so, then you won’t, then you’ll wonder. It’s all part of the labyrinth set in Paris and worked up by director Stanley Donen as he wittily apes Alfred Hitchcock for this alternately hilarious and thrilling adventure. Also here are future stars Walter Matthau, James Coburn and George Kennedy. (Sunday, March 1, 2 p.m., and Wednesday, March 4, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Cinemark Theatres, cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)
“People Will Talk” (1951, b/w). Unusual Cary Grant vehicle is a very well-conceived comedy-drama with metaphorical political undertones that parallel the McCarthy communist witch hunt of the 1950s. Grant is a doctor teaching at a medical school when his humane, holistic methods come under scrutiny. He also begins a relationship with a single, pregnant patient (Jeanne Crain). Co-stars include Finlay Currie, Hume Cronyn, Walter Slezak and Margaret Hamilton. (Tuesday, March 3, 10 a.m., SCERA Center, Orem, scera.org)
“Sunset Blvd.” (1950, b/w). Billy Wilder’s classic melodrama begins with William Holden dead in a swimming pool, then he tells the story of his downfall (yes, you read that right). Seems he was a young Hollywood screenwriter involved with an aging, faded, delusional former star of silent movies (played to perfection by former silent star Gloria Swanson). And she was ready for her close-up. Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson and Jack Webb co-star, with cameos by Cecil B. DeMille and Buster Keaton, among others. (Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m., and Wednesday, March 11, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Cinemark Theatres, cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)
“The High and the Mighty” (1954). John Wayne stars in this granddaddy of air disaster movies (nearly two decades before the “Airport” franchise) as first officer of an airliner with 17 passengers flying from Honolulu to San Francisco. After passing the point of no return, the plane develops engine trouble, and among the passengers is an unstable man with a gun. Co-stars include Robert Stack, Claire Trevor, Phil Harris, Robert Newton and Utahn Laraine Day. (Tuesday, March 10, 10 a.m., SCERA Center, Orem, scera.org)
“Because You’re Mine” (1952). This one’s for Mario Lanza fans as the opera singer plays … an opera singer … who is drafted in the Army and manipulates the system to keep his career going. This light comedy benefits from James Whitmore as Lanza’s sergeant, whose sister (Doretta Morrow) sings, as well as Jeff Donnell and Spring Byington. Take note of Lanza’s girth, as he was rather heavy when filming began and lost considerable weight by the end of the shoot, causing him to be heavy and lighter from scene to scene. (Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m., free, Salt Lake City Library, slcpl.lib.ut.us)
“The Quiet Man” (1952). John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara are an impeccable team in this lush romantic comedy-drama set in the 1920s. Wayne is an Irish-American boxer who returns to his homeland to reclaim family property. There, he meets, romances and marries the difficult, fiery sister of a bullying landowner (Victor McLaglen). Filmed on location in Ireland, the film earned Oscars for both director John Ford and cinematographer Winton C. Hoch, one of the creative hands that developed Technicolor. (His assistant Archie Stout also won, the only second-unit cinematographer to earn an Oscar.) (Friday, March 13, 7 p.m., free, BYU, Provo, lib.byu.edu)
“The Seven Year Itch” (1955). This dated comedy (cleaned-up version of a Broadway play) has hapless Tom Ewell (repeating his stage role), whose wife and son are out of town, fantasizing about romancing the TV-commercial actress (Marilyn Monroe) who moves into the upstairs apartment. Although not Monroe’s best-remembered film, this male-chauvinist fantasy has a place in film history for the iconic moment when Monroe’s white pleated skirt is blown upward as she stands over a subway grate. (Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m., and Wednesday, March 18, 2 and 7 p.m., Cinemark Theatres, cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)
“The Court Jester” (1956). Considered by fans and critics to be Danny Kaye’s finest film (though it was a box-office failure in 1956), this musical spoof of Robin Hood has Kaye taking the place of a jester (John Carradine) to gain entrance into the king’s court, where he encounters villainous Basil Rathbone, love-starved Angela Lansbury and a witch (Mildred Natwick) who tells him to stay away from the pellet with the poison and go for the brew that is true. Glynis Johns co-stars. (Tuesday, March 17, 10 a.m., SCERA Center, Orem, scera.org)
“Rear Window” (1954). One of Alfred Hitchcock’s best thrillers is this tale of a photographer (James Stewart) confined to his apartment with a broken leg, musing about the other tenants across the courtyard until he thinks he may be witnessing the aftermath of a murder. It had the potential to be static, but Hitchcock’s roving camera and alternately humorous and intense setups make it an excellent piece of entertainment that holds up very well. Grace Kelly as Stewart’s high-society girlfriend and Thelma Ritter as his plain-talking nurse are great in support. (Sunday, March 22, 2 p.m., and Wednesday, March 25, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Cinemark Theatres, cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)
“The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957). During World War II, a single-minded British colonel (Alec Guinness) in a Japanese POW camp uses the construction of a railway bridge as an excuse to build his men’s morale. Meanwhile, a British officer (Jack Hawkins) and an American con artist (William Holden) plot to parachute in and blow up the bridge before it’s finished. Winner of seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (David Lean), Best Actor (Guinness) and Best Screenplay. (Tuesday, March 24, 10 a.m., SCERA Center, Orem, scera.org)
“City Slickers” (1991). One of Billy Crystal’s biggest hits is this Western spoof about a trio of city-bred guys (Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby) who are reaching 40 and suffering mid-life crises. So they go off without their wives for a couple of weeks to a New Mexico dude ranch retreat that culminates in a cattle drive, meeting plenty of other city slickers, along with a grizzled trail boss (Jack Palance, in an all-too-brief role, stealing the show and earning an Oscar). Too sentimental and too long (a full two hours) — but when it’s funny, it’s very funny. (Wednesday, March 25, 2 p.m., free, Salt Lake City Library, slcpl.lib.ut.us)
“Sons of the Desert” (1933, b/w). This domestic comedy has Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy lying to their wives so they can attend a fraternal lodge convention in Chicago. But, naturally, their plans are upended by fate. Hilarious bits of business throughout the film make this one of the funniest pictures of the 1930s, with help from Charley Chase as an inebriated lodge brother and Mae Busch as Hardy’s wife. Considered by fans to be tied as one of the top two Laurel & Hardy feature films (the other being “Way Out West” — though it’s hard to go wrong with these guys). Also showing is the Laurel & Hardy 1934 short “The Live Ghost.” (Friday, March 27, 7 p.m., free, BYU, Provo, lib.byu.edu)
“Gigi” (1958). Vincente Minnelli conjured up this delightful musical, a sanitized adaptation of Colette’s story of a young woman being groomed as a courtesan, laced with memorable Lerner & Loewe songs and bolstered by support from Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold and Eva Gabor. Filmed on location in Paris, still a rarity in those days, which helps. (Sunday, March 29, 2 p.m., and Wednesday, April 1, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Cinemark Theatres, www.cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)
“High Noon” (1952, b/w). Gary Cooper won the Best Actor Oscar as a veteran marshal in the New Mexico Territory who marries a Quaker (Grace Kelly), turns in his badge and plans to be a shopkeeper. But when he learns that a killer and his gang are gunning for him, he takes back the badge and tries to get others in town to back him up. But there are no takers. Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Thomas Mitchell, Lon Chaney Jr., Harry Morgan, Lee Van Cleef and Jack Elam are also on hand. (Tuesday, March 31, 10 a.m., SCERA Center, Orem, scera.org)
Chris Hicks is the author of "Has Hollywood Lost Its Mind? A Parent’s Guide to Movie Ratings." He also writes at www.hicksflicks.com and can be contacted at hicks@deseretnews.com.