Foster Hirsch on AFI’s Fabulous ’50s series
AFI Silver’s Director, Todd Hitchcock, spoke to the noted author and film historian about his latest book, Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties, which inspired AFI’s Fabulous ’50s series, that ran from February 2 through May 2. The complete interview is available here.
“One of my principal goals in taking on the ’50s was to ‘protect’ the decade from its stereotyped image as an age of dull conformity, consumerism and apathy. It was, in fact, a time of high anxiety, deep political schisms — as sharply polarized as the politics of the moment — and cultural ferment…. I am convinced that not only were the movies of the period, on the whole, better than the movies of today, but going to the movies was an incomparably richer, more inviting and memorable experience.”
—Foster Hirsch
EVENTS / APPEARANCES
MAY 20: Presenting THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) at 7.00 pm at Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY
JUNE 5: Presenting REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) and book signing at the Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville, NY
JUNE 10: Bryant Park, New York book stalk and signing
JUNE 14-17: Presenting NOIR CITY: Boston at The Brattle, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA
JUNE 17: Presenting THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950) at 7.00 pm at Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY
JUNE 21: Presenting REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (1950) at Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY
JUNE 23: Presenting SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) and book signing at the glorious Tampa Theatre, Tampa, FL
JULY 10: Book talk and signing – Greenwich Wise Men
JULY 27: Celebrating the centennial of Eva Marie Saint: introducing NORTH BY NORTHWEST and ON THE WATERFRONT, Old Town Music Hall, El Segundo, California
AUGUST 3: Presenting SERGEANT RUTLEDGE followed by conversation with Constance Towers and Christopher Hunter, at the Bruggemeyer Memorial Library, Monterey Park, CA, at 1 pm
AUGUST 10: Appearing at the Hamptons Book Festival
AUGUST 12: Presenting THE WRONG MAN, at Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY
Highlights from recent events
APRIL 4: Arts Club of Washington – author discussion and signing at 5:30 – 7 pm, Arts Club of Washington 2017 I (Eye) St, NW Washington DC
APRIL 5: Fabulous Fifties continues at AFI Silver Theatre, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and BEN-HUR (1959), intros and book signing, Silver Spring, MD
APRIL 6: Fabulous Fifties, AFI Silver Theatre, SILVER LODE (1954), BORN YESTERDAY (1950), and THE SEARCHERS (1956) intros and book signing, Silver Spring, MD
APRIL 8: Presenting REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) at 7.00 pm at Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY
APRIL 13: Old Town Music Hall – presenting THE THING (1951) at 2:30 pm and THEM! (1954) at 7 pm, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo, CA
APRIL 20: Presenting THE PHENIX CITY STORY (1955) at the TCM Classic Film Festival, Hollywood, CA
APRIL 26: RiverRun Film Festival, Winston-Salem, NC – SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (1960) intro and interview the star of the film, Constance Towers
APRIL 27: RiverRun Film Festival, Winston-Salem, NC – presenting JULIE (1956)
MARCH 14: They Don’t Make ‘Em Like This Anymore – presentation and book signing from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Canoe Place Inn, 239 East Montauk Highway. Hampton Bays, NY 11946
MARCH 15: Sag Harbor Cinema, introducing DIAL M FOR MURDER in 3D (1954), book signing, 90 Main St, Sag Harbor, NY
MARCH 21: Savannah Center, introductions at an all-day 50s noir festival including THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950), PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (1953), KISS ME DEADLY (1955), and VERTIGO (1958), at 1545 North Buena Vista Blvd, The Villages, FL
MARCH 22: Book signing at Barnes & Noble – The Villages, 1055 Old Camp Road, The Villages, FL at noon
FEBRUARY 2: Fabulous Fifties series at AFI Silver Theatre, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) and THEM! (1954), intros and book signing
FEBRUARY 3: Fabulous Fifties series at AFI Silver Theatre, MY SON JOHN (1952) and A SUMMER PLACE (1959), and BONJOUR TRISTESSE (1958), intros and book signing
FEBRUARY 4: Fabulous Fifties series at AFI Silver Theatre, IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) and CARMEN JONES (1954), and DIAL M FOR MURDER in 3D (1954), intros and book signing
FEBRUARY 8: Gold Coast Arts at Port Washington Library at 7 pm, interview and book signing, 1 Library Drive, Port Washington, NY
FEBRUARY 14: Westport Public Library with Melissa Newman at 7 pm, 20 Jesup Road Westport, CN
FEBRUARY 24: Movie Madness University at the Hollywood Theater in Portland, OR, introducing IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) and THE STEEL TRAP (1952)
FEBRUARY 25: Introducing NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955), Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR, book signing
FEBRUARY 29: Cosmopolitan Club, New York, interview and book signing
JANUARY 8: Presenting BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956) at 7.30 pm, Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave, Huntington, NY
JANUARY 17: Introducing TRAPPED (1949) at Kennington Noir, The Cinema Museum, 2 Dugard Way, Renfrew Rd, London SE11 4TH
JANUARY 24: Presenting THE BIGAMIST (1953) at the British Film Institute at 6:10 PM, followed at 8:00 PM with a talk about HOLLYWOOD AND THE MOVIES OF THE FIFTIES, book sales and signing, American edition at the Rueben Library.
DECEMBER 1: Author appearance and book signing at Barbara’s Bookstore downtown store at noon, 111 N. State Street, Chicago, IL
DECEMBER 9: The Friends of Oakridge at 11 am — book signing and discussion, and presenting JEOPARDY (1953), Oakridge Estate, 18650 Devonshire St., Northridge, CA
DECEMBER 9: Foster & Friends at Larry Edmunds Bookstore at 4 pm — book signing and discussion with special guests Diane Baker, Millie Perkins, and France Nuyen, 6644 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
DECEMBER 10: The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater, book signing and presenting IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) at 3:00 pm, followed by interview with Susan Kohner, 6712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
DECEMBER 12: Presenting double bill of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) and INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN at the Roadium Drive-in, 7 pm, free admission, book sales and signing
DECEMBER 19: Presenting CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) in 3D, 7.30 pm at Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY
NOVEMBER 27: Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY: presenting ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) at 7.30, in a continuing series of films from the 50s
NOVEMBER 28: Interview, the National Arts Club, in conversation with Victoria Wilson, editor of the book, 15 Gramercy Park, NYC
NOVEMBER 30: Music Box Theatre, presenting THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) and BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955), 3733 N. Southport Ave, Chicago
