Rock Hudson films to be featured in Strand’s Conversation Series
Doris Day and Rock Hudson in a scene from Pillow Talk. (Photo courtesy Strand Theatre)
Rock Hudson and Dorothy Malone in a scene from Written On The Wind. (Photo courtesy Strand Theatre)
Doris Day and Rock Hudson in a scene from Pillow Talk. (Photo courtesy Strand Theatre)
Rock Hudson and Dorothy Malone in a scene from Written On The Wind. (Photo courtesy Strand Theatre)
In celebration of Hollywood legend Rock Hudson’s 100th birthday, the Strand Theatre will screen two of his acclaimed Oscar-winning classics.
The sparkling romantic comedy Pillow Talk (1959) will show on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m., and the melodrama Written on the Wind (1956) will be screened Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m.
As part of the Strand’s Conversation Series, each film will be introduced by Hudson biographer and Lewiston native Mark Griffin. Turner Classic Movies host Alicia Malone will moderate an audience Q&A following each screening.
Pillow Talk was a blockbuster hit that features Doris Day as an interior decorator who shares a telephone party line with playboy bachelor Hudson. Over the phone, they can’t stand each other but when they accidentally meet in person, sparks fly.
Written on the Wind, directed by Douglas Sirk, depicts the trials of a wealthy and powerful Texas oil family torn apart by corruption, scandal and murder. It co-stars Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and Oscar-winner Dorothy Malone.
“It’s a great honor to have an opportunity to pay tribute to the ultimate movie star with this pair of special screenings,” said Griffin, whose book All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson was published by HarperCollins in 2019. “These two films – one a comedy, the other a drama – really showcase Hudson’s versatility as an actor. Most people have never seen these films on the big screen – the way they were meant to be presented. I think the Strand is the perfect venue to host this centennial event and I’m delighted that TCM’s own Alicia Malone is on board to help us celebrate.”
Griffin’s biography of Rock Hudson served as the source material for the recent HBO documentary Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed. Hudson was a major movie star in the 1950s and '60s, who, as a gay man in classic Hollywood, had to keep his private life firmly in the closet. His death in 1985 from AIDS-related complications shocked the world and led to meaningful conversations about the disease.
Tickets are $10/Adults, $8/Seniors and Students, $7/Strand Members. To buy tickets, or for more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070.
The Strand Theatre is located at 345 Main St., Rockland.
