The June Lake Loop Historical Society will present a free night at the movies, Friday, Nov. 23, 6:30 p.m., at the June Lake Community Building. The screening is open to all.
The featured film will be Hell's Heroes, a 1929 black and white classic, in which many of the exteriors were filmed in Bodie, as well as inside the church.
It was one of the first talkies filmed by Universal Pictures. The film's director was the yet unknown William Wyler, who went on to win three academy awards and was called the craftsman of American cinema, second only to director John Ford.
The 68-minute film will be presented by amateur film historian Ken Harrison, a regular visitor to June Lake. He will discuss the actors and locations used in the film, as well as the story's development which led to a 1948 John Wayne picture entitled Three Godfathers, and the planning of a 2013 re-make. “What makes this film so historical is that it was shot in pre-fire Bodie. We'll see all the buildings as they existed three years before the devastating fire which destroyed 90% of the town,” says Ken.
As an opening “cartoon” Ken will also screen the first two minutes of the 2009 film, Alvin and The Chipmunks. The opening sequence was filmed on Oh! Ridge. “The reason most town folks don't know about the Chipmunk movie being shot here, is that Alvin, Simon, and Theodore weren't actually in town,” Ken joked.
Historical Society members will also serve pop corn and soft drinks on a donation basis.
For more information, please contact Ken Harrison at (760)754-1170 or Patti Heinrich at (661) 400-0922.