Free Screening Of A Night At The Opera Is Saturday

This year marks the 95th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Culver City. To celebrate, Made in Culver City, a free film program presented by the Culver City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, will screen A Night at the Opera, starring The Marx Brothers, on December 29 at 3 pm in Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Veterans Memorial Building.

Audiences are encouraged to also visit the Culver City Historical Society’s Archive Resource Center that day from 1 pm to 3. The ARC is located at the back of Veterans Memorial Building and admission is free.

Free parking is adjacent to the building.

A Night at the Opera was the first film that The Marx Brothers made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The 1935 classic comedy stars Groucho Marx as the charming scoundrel Otis B. Driftwood, along with brothers Chico and Harpo Marx. The film follows their antics and scams and deftly satirizes high society, the opera world, and ocean cruises. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Special permission for the screening has been provided by Warner Bros. Classics.

The Culver City Historical Society’s Archive Resource Center will be open to the public on December 29 from 1 pm to 3. Admission to the ARC is free.

The Culver City Historical Society, founded in 1980, is a charitable nonprofit organization. Its primary purpose is collecting, preserving and exhibiting the history of Culver City and its cultural and civic accomplishments. The ARC exhibits historical photos and memorabilia; raises awareness of local history through educational programs; is a free resource, which caters to researchers at universities, in the film industry, and the public; and stewards the City of Culver City's significant historical collections.

The current display is a special case on the Ivy Substation, a dress from the MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis along with some of the donated photos from Oscar-winning actress Margaret O’Brien, the original ads from Harry Culver’s book of ads, and the page out of his travels across the country in 1929-30 as head of the National Real Estate Association.

Made in Culver City celebrates the golden classics that were produced in “The Heart of Screenland”. The City of Culver City has a unique film legacy and has been the home to Thomas H. Ince Studios, Hal Roach Studios, DeMille Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Selznick International Studios, RKO Pictures, Pathe, Desilu and, currently, The Culver Studios and Sony Pictures Studios. Made in Culver City is sponsored by Sony Pictures Entertainment with participation by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Culver City Historical Society, and Steeldeck, Inc.

No reservations are required for this event. For more information, please visit www.culvercity.org or call the Culver City Cultural Affairs Hotline at (310) 253-5716.