From hosting major sneak previews to world premieres attended by top movie stars, the Granada Theatre played a key role in Hollywood’s Golden Age, and the arts and entertainment scene in Santa Barbara.
To celebrate the theater’s heritage as a grand movie palace and to recognize the homegrown talent that has gone on to produce well-known films, The Granada will present a centennial film series: Santa Barbara Home Movies: Films by artists and performers who call Santa Barbara home.
The series will spotlight Santa Barbara directors, producers, actors and writers, running Saturday, July 20 until the end of the year.
During the early days of cinema, Santa Barbara emerged as a filmmaking center for directors, writers, and movie stars due to its picturesque backdrop.
Later, when films with sound (“talkies”) were first introduced in the late 1920s, major studios sought theaters to showcase their new movies.
In the 1930s, Warner Brothers acquired The Granada Theatre and transformed it into a movie palace. Under this new direction, The Granada hosted sneak previews and world premieres of cinematic classics such as “Gone With the Wind,” “Guys and Dolls,” “The Long, Long Trailer,” and “3 Ring Circus.”
Even as Hollywood became the focus of filmmaking, the people who write, produce and star in now well-known films continued to make Santa Barbara their home.
On July 20, Home Movies series will open with a fully restored 4K screening of the 1995 comedy/drama film, “Steal Big, Steal Little,” which was created by renowned filmmaker and longtime Santa Barbara resident, Andy Davis.
The film stars Andy Garcia and Alan Arkin, and was set in Santa Barbara. After the screening, viewers can stay for a conversation with director Davis and Garcia.
Another Davis film, the Academy Award-nominated hit “The Fugitive” will be shown at The Granada on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Santa Barbara Home Movies continues with Zemeckis Family Films in August.
Starting Saturday, Aug. 10, and for four consecutive Saturdays, The Granada Theatre will screen four groundbreaking films created by Academy-Award-winning filmmaker and Santa Barbara local Robert Zemeckis.
Zemeckis is best known for his films that use innovative special effects. Throughout his career, he’s worked with top actors including Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Christopher Lloyd, and Michael J. Fox.
The Zemeckis films at the Granada will include: “Romancing the Stone,” Aug. 10, followed by a post-screening conversation with Zemeckis; “Back to the Future,” Aug. 17; “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” Aug. 24; and “Forrest Gump,” Aug. 31.
On Dec. 3 The Granada will show Zemeckis’ family classic “The Polar Express.”
Prices for all screenings are a 2024 Granada Centennial special: two tickets for $20.24. For tickets and more information, visit https://ticketing.granadasb.org/events?kid=220.
For more information about The Granada, visit www.granadasb.org.