Behind the Movie Credits

If you love Saul Bass and '60s credits, your weekend has arrived.

For a few years now, in this space, we've wondered, very much aloud, if Los Angeles couldn't support a theater that solely screened short films.

We think that's a possibility, but today we'd like to go one step further: We think there could be a theater that shows only film credits. We're talking titles and endings both. Okay, perhaps a full venue couldn't do that, but why couldn't one screen just devote a day a week to that? Anyone?

And let's start off, on opening night, with Saul Bass. The undispuated doyen of the graphic-gorgeous, '60s eye-popping credit sequence influenced just about every credit maker who followed in his steps. But Mr. Bass, who passed away in 1996, was an artist and designer who worked well beyond those four minutes that open a film.

Cinefamily will be celebrating some of the legend's deeper cuts on Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24 at the Silent Movie Theatre. On the screen? Some "rare commercials," bits from industrial films, and more. Plus, on Saturday, Mr. Bass's assistant editor and a lauded contemporary will chat about his artistry. This is big stuff for the Bass fans out there (and there are many).

Tickets each night are $12.

Oh, if you really do love your credits from that era, be sure to check out the LACMA exhibit celebrating James Bond openings. It's on now.

So, who is in for a full-time, or at least one-day-a-week, credits theater around town? The best of the best? We're seeing credits mash-ups, live orchestration, special speakers...

(Credits: From the book, SAUL BASS: A LIFE IN FILM & DESIGN, by Jennifer Bass and Pat Kirkham. Courtesy of Laurence King Publishing.)

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