Halifax in Hollywood

On the cusp of the 100th Anniversary of the first feature film made in Canada—Evangeline, shot in Halifax in 1913—the Dalhousie Art Gallery and the Atlantic Film Festival present a seven-film retrospective of Nova Scotians and a Nova Scotian story populating Hollywood’s Golden Age in the 1930s. Two stars—David Manners and Ruby Keeler—were once Tinseltown’s biggest stars. And the cinematic retelling of the Moose River Mine Disaster dramatized the first worldwide radio broadcast in history.

DAILY SCREENINGS AT 5 PM. FREE ADMISSION

Thursday 13 September - Dracula

Todd Browning, USA, 1931, 75 minutes. Dapper Haligonian David Manners first rose to notice—and on to enduring fame—through this Universal Studio classic, also marking the emergence of the immortal Bela Lugosi, in Bram Stoker’s classic tale.

Friday 14 September - The Black Cat

Edgar G. Ulmer, USA, 1934, 65 minutes. Karloff. Legosi. And David Manners! All directed by maverick low-budget master Ulmer in his only major studio flick, an off-kilter Poe adaptation full of shadows, madness and incredible art direction.

Saturday 15 September - The Moonstone

Reginald Barker, USA, 1934, 62 minutes. Wilkie Collins’ famous novel gets unexpectedly lush treatment from Poverty Row’s Monogram Pictures, with a cast headed up by none other than David Manners.

Sunday 16 September - 42nd Street

Clarence Brown/Busby Berkeley, USA, 1933, 80 minutes. Chorus girl Ruby Keeler must replace the lead of the musical at the very last minute....‘you’ve got to go out there a youngster and come back a star!’....in this blockbuster musical film that went on to spawn a Broadway show.

Monday 17 September - Gold Diggers of 1933

Mervyn LeRoy/Busby Berkeley, USA, 1933, 98 minutes. Three love stories and the songs “Pettin’ In The Park” and “The Forgotten Man”—and Ruby Keeler, of course—highlight this Warner’s Depression-era musical extravaganza.

Tuesday 18 September – Dames

Ray Enright/Busby Berkeley, USA, 1934, 90 minutes. Another backstage musical story, this time sporting songs like “I Only Have Eyes For You” along with Ruby Keeler’s gutsy dancing and Busby Berkeley’s extraordinary staging.

Wednesday 19 September - Draegerman Courage

Louis King, USA, 1937, 58 minutes. The story of the Moose River Mine Disaster is brought to the screen by famed director Henry King’s B-movie brother Louis.