JANUARY 2017 FREE townandgown.com Kings of the Big Ten Inside: A New Year, A New You special section Strawberry Fields celebrates 45 years
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Capturing Classic Moments of Film By David Pencek For a second year, residents from The Village at Penn State raised money for The Village s Benevolent Care Fund by dressing up and pretending they were Bogart, Stewart, Hepburn, and other Hollywood stars. By recreating memorable scenes from the silver screen, they created a memorable calendar for 2017 2017 January T&G - 69
Mrs. Robinson, you re trying to seduce me. Aren t you? The scene featuring a young Dustin Hoffman looking at the leg of Anne Bancroft in The Graduate is one of the most iconic in movie history. Now picture this instead of Hoffman and Bancroft, it s 66-year-old Tim McMullen staring at the leg of 82-year-old Carolyn Tothero. The two residents of The Village at Penn State took part in The Village s 2017 calendar, More Golden Moments of the Silver Screen. It s the second calendar residents of the State College retirement community have done where the participants dress in costumes and pose as if they are reenacting scenes from famous movies. The Village sells the calendar and proceeds go to The Village at Penn State s Benevolent Care Fund, which helps support residents who outlive their resources, through no fault of their own, and can no longer afford the cost of care. It was a little like putting on a Halloween costume or playing dress-up when you were kids. - Helen Manfull It s A Wonderful Life, featuring (from left) Bob Casnoff, Hariette Casnoff, Beth McMullen, Don Ace, Alice Gilrain, and Ruth Kistler. (From left) Lisa Hood, Winnie Deppen, and Marion Deppen pose for a scene from Rear Window. 70 - T&G January 2017
These Marx Brothers are really (from left) Roger Dietz, Heather Fleck, and Dick Kustin. The Maltese Falcon with (from left) Kees Brandsee, Susan Brandsee, and Robert Murray. The first calendar was done in 2015, and the idea came from Karen Bergey, who was director of communications at Liberty Lutheran and has since retired. She had heard of a similar calendar that was being done in Germany and talked with resident Helen Manfull about it. I am a lover of films, Manfull says, and I immediately wanted to share the idea with my friend, Richard St. Clair. St. Clair is head of costume design in Penn State s School of Theatre. He took to the idea right away. After he and Manfull came up with the list of movies, St. Clair pulled costumes from the School of Theatre s collection. Then, 27 Village residents auditioned to be in the calendar. It was a little like putting on a Halloween costume or playing dress-up when you were kids, Manfull says. We tried to fit the film choices to the people who auditioned. We weren t doing We really worked well together as a team on this batting ideas back and forth. Two classic movie geeks trying to come up with the perfect titles for our cast! - Richard St. Clair 2017 January T&G - 71
Wife and husband Gloria and Riggs Griffith share a moment in a scene from Now Voyager. parody. We were shooting a single moment, like in Casablanca, Here s looking at you, kid. David Jackson, a photographer from Philadelphia, photographed the residents in their costumes, while Heather Challenger, a graphic design specialist for Liberty Lutheran, designed the scenes around Jackson s photos using Photoshop. Manfull and others decided to do another calendar for 2017. She and St. Clair met in the the spring to go over what movies to show. We wanted famous movies or iconic movies. We wanted romance and drama, Manfull says. Early on, I thought we d do a moment from Bonnie and Clyde, but I simply didn t want a scene with guns. We chose two iconic film noir flicks The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity. I can t always say why we chose something, but we have a resident, Marge Stoner, who looks a lot like Barbara Stanwick. Stoner, 73, appears with her husband, Max, in the Double Indemnity scene. Someone said to me, What about Citizen Kane, possibly one of the finest American films ever shot, Manfull continues. I looked and looked at the film and couldn t find a perfect moment, so we invented one Kane standing alone in his vast mansion wondering what he had done with his life, while his girlfriend sits at a table working a jigsaw puzzle. You just get the feeling that life has passed them by. Riches, yes, but happiness, no. So it was a process of finding the great films, all older ones, and fitting them to the right people. St. Clair says auditions were held in July, and, as he and Manfull met people, they started thinking about who might be right for each character they had chosen. It seems to me we were laughing all the time, and then being really quiet when the moment was shot. Then we would all rush to look at the computer. - Helen Manfull 72 - T&G January 2017
There were a number of couples that came to audition this time, so we tried to cast some of them in scenes together, he says. Sometimes Helen would say, I want to show you this person. I think he would be the perfect Citizen Kane. And sometimes I would meet someone and say, He would be the perfect Chico Marx, don t you think? We really worked together as a team on this batting ideas back and forth. Two classic movie geeks trying to come up with the perfect titles for our cast! Some of the other classic movies that are part of this year s calendar include Rear Window, Now Voyager, Singing in the Rain, and The African Queen. Of course, the shoots provided some fun and funny moments. Riggs and Gloria Griffith got to do a love scene from Now Voyager what s not to be fun!? Manfull says. We were having a hard time shooting Singing in the Rain. We had three different umbrellas, and we couldn t make them fit in the space, so Heather Challenger suggested we film each one separately with the same umbrella. I laugh every time I see this picture because Jim Keiser and Edith Kimmel are both beaming, but Jim Scott looks dead serious, like, I don t like this rain one bit! He makes me laugh. It seems to me we were laughing all the time, and then being really quiet when the moment was shot. Then we would all rush to look at the computer. Until David Jackson Husband and wife Max and Marge Stoner in the film noir classic Double Indemnity. Taste of the Month Each month, Town&Gown highlights a local place to eat and offers a glimpse into the great dining experiences in our community. If it s happening in Happy Valley, it s in Town&Gown! 2017 January T&G - 73
got the right shot, we howled with delight at the rejects! When asked if the calendar could become something the residents do every year, Manfull didn t think that could happen. Right now, it doesn t seem possible, she says, but gosh, it might be fun to do one for 2020! Time will tell. T&G Husband and wife Robert and Polly-Anne Fleischer slog through The African Queen. To purchase The Village at Penn State s calendar, visit libertylutherandonatenow.org/calendar. David Pencek is editorial director of Town&Gown. Stonebridge Senior Apartments Call today to set up your appointment! Affordable Housing for those 62 years and older Income Limits Apply (Section 8 Vouchers Welcome) 2 Bedroom Apartments Available All Utilities included except Cable, phone & internet Please call 814-237-1004 for more information 1680 Bristol Avenue State College, PA 16801 Office Hours: M-W-F 9am-4pm, T-TH by appointment only Don t Miss Our Great Prices! Free Heat Free Cooking Gas Free Parking Free Basic Cable High Speed Internet Furnished or Unfurnished Apts. On CATA Bus Routes R, RC and RP Grocery Shopping Across the Street 24-hour Maintenance On-Site Laundry & Management Office Tennis and Basketball 238-2600 424 Waupelani Drive Open Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Sat. 10-3 www.lionsgateapts.com lionsgateapts@lionsgateapts.com 74 - T&G January 2017