The Beatles, Gene Kelly, “Stone Soup” cartoonist Jan Eliot, Groucho Marx and Eugene opera artistic director Robert Ashens finally have something in common.
They are all performing, in a manner of speaking, on Sunday afternoons in Eugene.
Impact! Theatre, and its directors, Randy Lord and Katina Paxino, have developed an ongoing series of afternoon shows entitled the Family Fun Film Festival. The shows are a combination of live performances, guest speakers, old-time comedy shorts, cartoons and classic feature films presented at the recently renovated McDonald Theatre.
According to Lord, who is also the founder of the Lord Leebrick Theatre, the idea is a return to a fuller, more satisfying experience for moviegoers.
“This is a lot more than a movie. At our first show, we started out with a live performance by vaudeville performer Whistling Mitch Hider, Mayor (Jim) Torrey spoke, we showed a Buster Keaton short, which many people have never seen, a cartoon and then the feature,” Lord said.
Lord and Paxino are also happy that their project has added to the revitalization of the downtown area.
“That corner has come alive since the McDonald reopened,” Paxino said. “Kit Kesey, when he decided to take over the McDonald, had the vision of having families in there. Now there is.”
Kesey is the nephew of Eugene author Ken Kesey, who died in
November.
“What’s neat is kids are singing along, and people that don’t know each other are talking and having fun,” Paxino said.
Lord added that the renovations to the McDonald have included improvements to both the projection system and the sound system.
“These films are all classics. People may have seen them on TV or on VHS, but it’s a whole new experience seeing them on a big screen,” Lord said.
Shannon Murphy, a mother of two, agreed.
“This is a fun and inexpensive way to take the whole family to the movies, and the movie looked great on the big screen,” she said. “I think this is a great idea, and the live music really adds to the overall experience.”
To further foster this sense of community, Impact! also donates a block of tickets for each performance to different social service agencies and is happy to see others contributing as well.
“LTD is also offering a day pass to those families that receive free tickets so they can get to and from the show,” Paxino said.
This Sunday’s film will be “Singin’ in the Rain.” The special guest will be Marc Siegel, artistic director of the Dance Theatre of Oregon, and the Musical Feet Tap Dance Company will provide live entertainment.
General admission is $6; admission for children 3 and under is free. The show starts at 1:30 p.m.
Mark Brennan is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.