Popular Film Series Re-Launched at Hart Hall

Friday Night Flickers, a fun movie night hosted by the SCV Historical Society featuring classic films and free popcorn, has returned with a new focus. All of the films showcased in the series will highlight local landmarks use by the filmmakers – some still here, some long gone – in the films.
The second Friday of every month, the SCVHS will present a film or compilation of TV episodes with running commentary from host Phil Scorza, a seasoned videographer who produced the “Points of Interest” history show for SCVTV, who will share anecdotes and backstories about the shows, actors, or production teams. Screenings will be held at Hart Hall in Hart Park. A donation of $10 per adult (age 13 and up) and $5 per youth (12 and under) is requested and includes popcorn and water. Sodas and candy will also be for sale. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., film at 7, with tickets available at the door.
Friday Night Flickers is set to begin May 8 with the 1954 black and white movie “Suddenly,” starring Frank Sinatra and Sterling Hayden. The tranquility of the small California town of Suddenly is shattered when the train carrying the President of the United States is scheduled to make a stop there, and a hired assassin and his henchmen take over a home that provides a perfect vantage point from which to assassinate the president. Sinatra stars as the cold-blooded assassin and the Saugus Train Station (in its original location), and other Newhall locations, are featured prominently in the movie.
Future films planned include “Duel,” “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” and “The Flintstones,” as well as compilations of Westerns such as “Gunsmoke,” “Have Gun, Will Travel,” and “Paladin” and good guys in patrol cars from “Highway Patrol” and “CHiPs.” A special showing of “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” written, directed, and produced by Ed Wood and called “the epitome of ‘so bad, it’s good’ cinema” is planned for October.
Scorza admits to a lifelong love affair with movies, especially Westerns, and the local connection makes it even better.
“Movies are an art form meant to be experienced as a group, unlike streaming at home,” he said. “It amplifies the experience when you’re in a group. I love movies, I always have. I was raised in the ‘50s and would run home from grammar school to watch movies with Buster Keaton, and Laurel and Hardy.”
He became a writer for ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation,’ penning the story ‘Disaster’ for which he still gets residuals due to worldwide syndication. He put his theater degree to use working as a stage manager in Chicago, San Francisco, and Hollywood. Most recently, he was a video production teacher for the Hart District, where he worked for 24 years before retiring.
For the latest information on Friday Night Flickers and other events at the Santa Clarita History Center, visit www.scvhs.org.

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