Another sure fire sign that the Christmas season is upon is the kick off of the Holiday Film Series at Birmingham’s historic Alabama Theater.
The “Showplace of the South” opened the day after Christmas in 1927 and pays homage to it’s roots this time every year.
The series begins tonight with Holiday Inn featuring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire at 7 pm. and continues with the Christmas classics- old and new- through December 22.
The late Cecil Whitmire, who led the campaign to renovate the grand theater through the non-proft Birmingham Landmarks, said several years ago that White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Miracle on 34th Street were normally the first sellouts followed closely by A Christmas Story.
While most, if not all, of the features will be in heavy rotation on television throughout the holidays, there is nothing quite like the big screen and the opulence of the Alabama to enjoy these favorites.
Tickets can be purchased online here.
- Holiday Inn – Dec. 10 at 7 pm. At an inn which is only open on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer. Starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire
- Elf– Dec 11 & 20 at 7 pm. After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity. Starring Will Ferrell
- The Santa Clause– Dec 12 at 7 pm. When a man inadvertently kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place. Starring Tim Allen
- Home Alone– Dec 13 at 7 pm. An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars. Starring Macaulay Culkin
- Christmas Vacation– Dec 14 & 17 at 7 pm. The Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster
. Starring Chevy Chase - It’s a Wonderful Life – Dec 15 & 19 at 7 pm. An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed. Starring James Stewart and Donna Reed
- White Christmas– Dec 16 & 22 at 7 pm. A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general. Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney
- Miracle on 34th Street- Dec 18 at 7 pm. When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing. Starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood
- A Christmas Story– Dec 21 at 7 pm. Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940?s. Starring Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin