The Los Angeles Conservancy has announced the films for its 2015 Last Remaining Seats series. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about this year’s LSR, because the conservancy does terrific work, but the programming is about as adventuresome as TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar or the old Classic Film section at Blockbuster:
“Psycho.”
“City Lights.”
“How to Marry a Millionaire.”
“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
“Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
Meh. I used to be a big fan of Last Remaining Seats, but the selections haven’t been that interesting in recent years.
One film does sound worthwhile and that’s the Argentine picture “Dios se lo pague” (“God Bless You”), the traditional Spanish-language feature of the series. There’s a funky copy on YouTube in case you are curious about it.
ladailymirror.com 
We can get jaded as we get into yrs of being a classic film fan — important to remember that many ‘newbies’ to the classic film genera have never seen some of these on a large screen. I was born in the late 20s and have a really hard time thinking of many films as classics worthy of some of the screenings they get (esp ones from the 70s and 80s).
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Dear “Meh”… what you fail to realize is that most “classic” films played by LRS are most likely available on various other sources i.e. internet, you tube, netflix etc. And many of us have seen these films before.
But the beauty of seeing these films projected on “the large screen” in Historic downtown Los Angeles movie Palaces with bonus live entertainment, original trailers, cartoons, news reals, live organ music to silent movies… that is what is so amazing about LRS!!
Also at many screening their are actors, producers, family members, directors, historians, film buffs etc. are commenting on these wonderful classic films.
Sometimes these majestic theaters are the STAR Attraction!
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My dear friend. What you fail to realize is that I was a regular at Last Remaining Seats for many years but I finally got so fed up with the tired, over-familiar selections that I gave up. Was I impressed with the panel discussion before “Zoot Suit?” You bet. I even wrote a series of posts about it. Did I hear Daniel Taradash before “From Here to Eternity?” And Tony Curtis before “Some Like It Hot” and Mel Brooks before “Young Frankenstein?” I certainly did. Did I post a recording of organist Bob Mitchell from LRS for a tribute to him after he died? Yes. And it is always entertaining to see Hugh Hefner’s posse of young women.
I have put up with lousy air conditioning and cramped seats in these old theaters for many of these movies. But I won’t sit through any film at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, which is a concert hall and totally unsuited for movies. And I am more than fed up with no-talents like Maxwell De Mille and the obnoxious and insufferable man-boy Charles Phoenix.
And for the record, I have seen every one of the LRS movies for 2015 in a theater except “How to Marry a Millionaire” and I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” in theaters on a big screen … when they came out. The L.A Conservancy will have to do better than this if they expect to see me anytime soon.
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