Media Contact: 
Charmaine Nelson (626) 344-4325
Email: Charmainen@pasadenaseniorcenter.org  

‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ IN HOLLYWOOD IS THE THEME FOR THE FALL MASTERS SERIES AT PASADENA SENIOR CENTER

Emmy-nominated documentarian and author Steven C. Smith will present a lively look at some of Hollywood’s greatest behind-the-scenes stories in this fall’s three-part Masters Series, ‘Behind the Scenes: The Films and Filmmakers that Changed Hollywood,’ beginning on Tuesday, September 23 and running consecutive Tuesdays through October 7 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. via Zoom at the Pasadena Senior Center.

To attend all three lectures, tuition is only $45 for members and $54 for non-members. The lectures are presented via Zoom link, and recordings will be available to all who register. Register at pasadenaseniorcenter.org, then go to Lectures & Classes, then Masters Series, or call (626) 795-4332. Interested in coming to the Pasadena Senior Center to watch a livestream of the Zoom presentation? Contact PSC for more information.

The three-part Master Series presentation with Steven C. Smith includes:

Tuesday. September 23: Hollywood on Hollywood

Hollywood loves to show itself onscreen. We’ll see how filmmakers have dramatized moviemaking, in ways both affectionate (‘Singin’ in the Rain’) and searing (‘Sunset Boulevard.’). We’ll also discover how real-life scandals, and changing times, influenced the ways Hollywood held a mirror to itself.

Tuesday, September 30: When Movies Go Wrong

Occasionally, Hollywood’s smooth factory system goes off the rails. We’ll celebrate two notorious examples. First: 1967’s ‘Valley of the Dolls,’ a camp classic intended to be Judy Garland’s comeback. Then, 1963’s ‘Cleopatra,’ infamous for the affair of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (even the Vatican condemned it!), and

an out-of-control production cost.

Tuesday, October 7: The Ultimate Theatre: When Movies’ Greatest Directors Went to War.

Discover how WWII changed the lives of five of Hollywood’s top directors: John Ford (‘The Grapes of Wrath’), William Wyler (‘Wuthering Heights’), John Huston (‘The Maltese Falcon’), George Stevens (‘Shane’), and Frank Capra. We’ll see how WWII inspired them to make post-war classics like ‘The Best Years of Our Live’s and ‘It’s a  Wonderful Life.’

Steven C. Smith is an award-winning author and four-time Emmy-nominated producer. Steven’s over-200 documentaries on film history include collaborations with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Stephen Sondheim, Julie Andrews, Cicely Tyson, Harrison Ford, and Sidney Poitier. He has lectured at the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and other venues. The author of biographies of composers Bernard Herrmann and Max Steiner, his latest book is Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores That Changed Cinema.

For 65 years, Pasadena Senior Center’s mission has been to improve the lives of older adults through caring service with opportunities for social interaction, fitness programs, basic support and needs services, education, volunteerism and community activism. With 10,000 Americans per day becoming older adults, the center is a leader in addressing issues of aging and provides innovative, cutting-edge, nationally recognized programs for this population group.

As a donor-supported nonprofit, the center operates without any local, state or federal funding and provides more services to older adults than any other organization in the San Gabriel Valley. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. To learn more visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org or call 626-795-4331.