HOLLYWOOD HOME MOVIES: TREASURES FROM THE ACADEMY FILM ARCHIVE

Greetings fans and memorabilia and photography collectors of Harry Langdon Sr., and Harry Langdon Jr.,

At 5:00pm, on Saturday, April 8th, 2017,  a special screening was held in the Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel the “Hollywood Home Movies: Treasures from the Academy Film Archive”. This program is a special highlight during the TCM Classic Film Festival 2017.

The screening featured roughly 5 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, that has not been seen by the public before today, from the 1939 film classic, ZENOBIA. The most memorable part of this footage was that of Harry Langdon Sr., and a rare glimpse of Harry Langdon, Jr., age 5 and on set with his father, for the first time in his life.

A Special composite memento Harry Langdon Jr., created for attendees. The complete cast featured: Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon Sr., Alice Brady, James Ellison, Jean Parker, June Lang, Stepin Fetchit and Hattie McDaniel. The film was directed by Gordon Douglas and Produced by Hal Roach.

This footage was found on a home movie that was given to the Archive by the family of Billie Burke, the American actress, who was famous on Broadway and in early silent film and best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the movie musical The Wizard of Oz.

The entire program was approximately an hour long and included other home movies from people who worked in Hollywood during the golden era of Silent Film. It was narrated live and presented by, Special Collections curator, Lynne Kirste of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Film Archive.

Harry Langdon, Jr. with Lynne Kirste of
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Prior to the screening of the ZENOBIA footage, Harry Jr., shared with the audience, personal stories from his childhood and a recollection of what it was like to be on that set at age 5. During the narration, there was live musical accompaniment by pianist, Michael Mortilla. 

The program was attended by a small group of Festival Pass holders at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, on Saturday, April 8th, from 5-6pm, in the famed Blossom Room (which is the same ballroom the first Academy Awards Ceremony was held, on May 16th, 1929.)

Needless to say, it was an exceptional occasion. Thank you to Lynne Kirste and Randy Haberkamp from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Susan Biesack and Sy Jones of TCM Turner Classic Movies, for including Harry in this once in a lifetime moment. For more information on the TCM Classic Film Festival, please visit: FilmFestival.TCM.com, for more information on AMPAS, please visit: Oscars.org.

“Harry Langdon: King of Silent Comedy”
co-authored by Gabriella Oldham and Mabel Langdon
Foreword by Harry Langdon, Jr.,
Published date: April 12, 2017

University Press of Kentucky.

For more information about Harry Langdon, Jr., please visit: HarryLangdon.com, or at Getty Images. Click the link to be taken to the recently published biography on his father, titled “Harry Langdon: King of Silent Comedy” co-authored by Gabriella Oldham and Mabel Langdon (Harry’s beloved mother) & published by University Press of Kentucky, or the photographic memoir published in 2016, titled “Nothing On A Stage Is Permanent” The Harry Langdon Scrapbook, published by Walker & Anthony Publications. For media only, please contact: Shawni Groves at: (213) 255-0059. Thank you!

The Famous Roosevelt Hotel

7000 Hollywood Blvd,

Hollywood, CA

90028

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