INDIANAPOLIS — Fort Wayne native Carole Lombard stars in the first three “Vintage Movie Nights” selections at Garfield Park Arts Center. On Jan. 16 at 7 p.m., film historian Eric Grayson hosts the first Lombard film, Bolero (1934), that also features George Raft, a frequent co-star of Lombard, and William Frawley (better known as Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy”).
A young dancer (Raft) at the turn of the last century decides that he has the talent to become world famous. Using his brother (Frawley) to bankroll him, he burns through partners until he settles on Lombard. But World War I intervenes. Can the wounded veteran resume his career after so many years? According to Grayson, “Watch for a cameo by famed stripper Sally Rand . . . although her dance here is quite clean! This film is almost never shown anywhere, so this is a rare chance to see it.”
Bolero and the other 11 films to be screened by Grayson in 2016 are all from his extensive private collection of films and shorts. The other Lombard films are Rumba (1935) on Feb. 20, again with Raft as her co-star (their last film together), and To Be or Not to Be, with Jack Benny, on March 26. Both films begin at 7 p.m.
Lombard (1908-42) was not just famous for her screwball comedies. She played in a great variety of films, including musicals, especially with her co-star, George Raft. He was usually typecast as a gangster, but had extensive dance experience. Lombard was making personal appearances for the war effort when her plane left Indianapolis during a storm. The plane crashed and she and her mother were killed. (To Be or Not to Be was her last film.) It is said that Lombard’s husband, Clark Gable, never really recovered from it.
Also featured at the monthly film series in 2016 will be two Westerns (The Wildcat Trooper and Flaming Lead) with Hoosier brothers Kermit and Ken Maynard from Vevay; German silent films (Gypsy Blood, The Golem, and Destiny); Hoosier Elmo Lincoln (from Rochester) in the 1918 Tarzan of the Apes (the first screen Tarzan); The Bride of Frankenstein; Follow the Boys with George Raft, created in 1944 to entertain the troops; and a Christmas favorite, The Great Rupert, with Jimmy Durante.
Admission for 2016 remains at $5; concessions $1. Tickets may be purchased at the door. For more information, call 317.327.7135 or visit www.gpacarts.org.
