First Sunday Film Club

The First Sunday Film Series showcases our extensive collection of films. We present award-winning movies from a wide range of genres, including drama, action, comedy, science fiction and documentaries. All films are shown on the big screen in our movie theater.

So get out of the house and join us the first Sunday of each month for an afternoon of film the way it was intended to be experienced – on a big screen, with fellow movie buffs.

New to the 2013 series will be Michael H. Price, lead author of the longest-running film-critic franchise in commercial publishing, who has signed on as host and contributing programmer. His “Forgotten Horrors” series of movie encyclopedias has been continuously in print since 1979. Price is also at work on “The Movie Beat,” first in a series of anthologies of his syndicated newspaper columns, and has begun a survey of B-Movie Westerns from the 1930s and 1940s.

All films begin at 2 p.m.

Schedule

July 7: Phantom Empire

Billed as the first "Musical Western," this film was singer Gene Autry's first starring role. Autry and his sidekicks stumble upon the futuristic underground world of Murania, complete with robots, elevator tubes, death rays and the icy, evil Queen Tika. It’s both a great piece of cinematic history and a fun, campy howler. No Rating, 129 mins., 1935

Aug. 4: The Great Debaters

Based on a true story, this film examines the social and racial climate of the American South during the 1930s. Teacher Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) inspires his students to form Wiley College’s first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in a national championship. PG-13, 124 mins., 2007

Sep. 1: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

This classic musical comedy is the story of Hank Martin (Bing Crosby), a mechanic, who bumps his head and wakes up in Arthurian Britain. Watch as Crosby “courts” Rhonda Fleming while thwarting the nefarious plans of Merlin and Morgan le Fay, and instructing the court musicians on how to jazz up medieval music. No Rating, 108 mins., 1949

Oct. 6: The Lodger

Set in late-Victorian London, Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the city, killing and maiming young women in the Whitechapel District. The Burton family, facing financial hardship, takes in a seemingly nice young lodger who possesses a few peculiar habits. Scotland Yard is on the case in this thriller! No Rating, 108 mins., 1944

Nov. 3: Laura

Otto Preminger’s American film-noir favorite is a tightly wound thriller exploring the murder of beautiful and successful advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). While piecing together the events leading to the murder, NYC police detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) finds himself growing obsessed with the victim. But maybe things aren’t quite what they seem? No Rating, 87 mins., 1944

Dec. 1: Oliver Twist

An adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel, the film follows orphan Oliver Twist as he encounters hardship, poverty and injustice in 1830s London. Dickens’ well-developed characters, such as the Artful Dodger, and gift for symbolic social commentary are thought provoking, entertaining and timeless. No Rating, 80 mins., 1933

Location & Times

All performances are at the David L. Tandy Lecture Hall in the Central Library.

The First Sunday Film Club is made possible in part by the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation through a generous grant from the David L. Tandy Foundation.

Parking is available in the 3rd Street Garage. Parking is free on weekends.

To make arrangements for sign language interpretation, please call 817-392-READ or TDD 817-871-8926 at least 48 hours in advance.

If you would like to suggest a film or subscribe to our First Sunday Film Club email newsletter, send us an email.  Be sure to include "First Sunday" in the subject line.