In Preston Sturges’s glorious screwball comedy, ‘sex always has something to do with it,’ which means that Claudette Colbert can step on Rudy Vallee’s face (twice), and rather than give out to her, he buys her a new wardrobe. Claudette plays a mug’s game, by convincing herself that she can divorce her swoon merchant husband Joel McCrea, who happens to be broke, just to grab the first millionaire she meets. In a classic woman’s picture, economic pragmatism flies out the window when Eros shoots an arrow in your can.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Screens Thursday, May 15 at 7.00
Lana Turner takes as much pride in her Twin Oaks uniform as the soldiers who stormed Normandy Beach. She’s a hard worker, keen on amounting to something. But what’s a gal to do when a drifter (John Garfield) gives you a look that promises to give you the business? Her husband (Cecil Kellaway) plans to cart her off to another country to be a caretaker for his sister. It will take an attorney more twisted than a corkscrew (Hume Cronyn) to pull her heels out of the fire. Lana should have gotten her flowers for playing a woman caught in a jam between duty and desire.
Who killed George Sanders? Was it Bridget Kelly, the wharf hustler who became his executive secretary, played by Yvonne DeCarlo? Was it Mrs Ryan, the widow he swindled, played by real life ex-wife Zsa Zsa Gabor? Could it be Mrs. Van Renasslear (Coleen Gray), the married woman he seduced and tossed aside? Or was it Stephanie North (Nancy Gates), the budding ingenue he promised Broadway glory? Directed by Charles Martin, with cinematography by James Wong Howe, and a score by Max Steiner, the picture offers a glamorous postmortem of a savage financier who had it coming.
Beloved Infidel (1959)
Screens Wednesday March 19 at 7.00
Sheilah Graham was part of the mighty ‘unholy trio’ of gossip columnists that ruled Hollywood, along with Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper. Sheilah distinguished herself by printing acid barbs about stars who were used to flattering publicity. In multiple books she covered a bigger story about her own affair with F. Scott Fitzgerald. The literary lion was a studio screenwriter on the skids when she threw him a lifeline. Deborah Kerr captures the unique torment of loving a man haunted by his own demons. Although critics believed Gregory Peck was miscast as Fitzgerald, the actor taps into the enduring appeal the Jazz Age novelist had for Graham.
Broadway showgirls use a repertoire of gags to get cash from men. But once a gangster squeezes the girls for protection money, they must find a way to give him the brush.
SATIN RACKETS was written and directed by Megan McGurk.
Meet the stars:
Clara Higgins plays Kitty Adare.
Clara is an Irish artist and writer perhaps better known as her pseudonym Mot Collins. Under this moniker, she creates illustrations, zines, and tattoos. Mot is interested in subversive expressions of femininity, sexuality, occultism, and comedy. She is highly influenced by pulp and punk culture. She can be found on Twitter as @heavydutywoman and @motcollinsart on Instagram.
Art design for SATIN RACKETS by Mot Collins.
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M Shawn plays Iris.
M. is a former television news producer, a writer, a researcher, an accidental homemaker, and a full-time Jean Harlow fan. After a year in quarantine, her blood type is banana bread, and if people were allowed to be fictional characters in a past life, she’d be Blondie Johnson.
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Olympia Kiriakou plays Dinah and Mrs Healy.
Olympia Kiriakou is a film historian specializing in stardom and genre in classical Hollywood. She is the host of “The Screwball Story” podcast, and the author of BECOMING CAROLE LOMBARD: STARDOM, COMEDY, AND LEGACY (Bloomsbury, 2020). She is currently writing VIRGINIA GREY: GOOD LUCK CHARM for the University Press of Kentucky. Visit her website The Screwball Girl and find her on Twitter: @thescrewballgrl and @screwballstory.
Patrick McGurk plays Buzz Moody and Talbot.
Pat is a resident of Key West, Florida. He has been active in community theatre since high school as an actor, director and producer. Pat’s stage credits include such diverse roles as the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show, Bud Frump in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Richard III, and various other parts in Shakespeare. He has also directed over 15 shows from Shakespeare to most recently Private Lives by Noel Coward. When not working on a show, or working, you can find Pat on the water with dive gear or a fishing rod.
Shane McCormack plays Joe Ryan and Corsairs.
Shane McCormack is a freelance illustrator specializing in movie and pop culture subjects.Recent licensed work includes Halloween and Ghostbusters. When not drawing he collects physical media especially 1930/40s movies and any Barbara Stanwyck film. He also enjoys photography and has a BA in Visual Art. He’s on Twitter as @mrharrylime. Shane is the cinematographer and editor for the short film Sex Pirates of 1931. You can see his work at www.mrharrylime.com
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Savannah Monroe plays Pansy.
Savannah Monroe is a film writer and historian based in Colorado. Her focus is in the films and women of the classical Hollywood period. She has been researching and writing about Anne Bancroft, her life and legacy, since 2018. Her work can be found through her website Garbo Talks and on Twitter as @garbo_talks.
Beatrix Herriott O’Gorman plays Laurel.
Beatrix is a filmmaker and writer based in Dublin. She has worked for AMC, Disney, and Metropolitan Films. She was a Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann Fellow at the Stowe Story Labs 2024 Connemara Writers’ Retreat, the recipient of the 2022 Arts Grant from Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, and the Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland. Her film FORTY FOOT is currently in development. She loves 35mm film photography and being by the sea.
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Jack Warren plays Mad Dog Healy.
Jack Warren is an actor and filmmaker based in Dublin and New York. Their award-winning short films have screened all over the world, including at the Woodstock Film Festival, the GAZE International LGBTQ Film Festival, the American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival, and the Irish Film Institute. They have a deep fondness for Barbara Stanwyck pictures and anything directed by Frank Borage. Check out all of their work at hellojackwarren.com and come say hi @hellojackwarren on Instagram.
Sound editing and special effects for SATIN RACKETS by Thomas O’Mahony.
Thomas O’Mahony is a London based Irish Podcast Producer who specialises in storytelling and audio design. He hosts a tattoo history show called Beneath the Skin, and is passionate about how we can use audio to tell new and innovative stories. You can find Thomas on all social media @gotitatguineys or contact him for business related inquiries at thomasomahony.media
Megan McGurk is a writer and director who carries a torch for studio era woman’s pictures. Megan wrote, directed, and produced the short film Sex Pirates of 1931. She has hosted Sass Mouth Dames film club in Dublin since 2017 and the podcast from 2018. She has written and directed eleven original radio plays set in the 1930s. She wrote an essay for Criterion on Love Affair. She is on Twitter @MeganMcGurk @SassMouthDames, Instagram @sassmouthdames, and Blue Sky @meganmcgurk.bsky.social
Rona Jaffe’s bestselling novel follows Hope Lange, Suzy Parker, and Diane Baker, three roommates who work as secretaries in a New York City publishing house. Their career path is littered with the usual perils: The louche boss who chases them around desks (Brian Aherne), a detached and judgy know it all (Stephen Boyd), a heartless Broadway lothario (Louis Jordan), a rich fuck boy (Robert Evans), and a boss who fears they are after her job (the exquisite Joan Crawford). This picture has the best of everything.
All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Screens 16 January at 7.00
Douglas Sirk’s portrait of suburban America highlights the poisonous underbelly that lurks behind the large homes and manicured lawns. Jane Wyman plays a widow who falls for the hunky gardener, played by Rock Hudson, a man who’s built like one of the trees he cultivates. Unfortunately, their passion is uniformly disapproved of by the local gossips and her snotty kids. Like so many heroines before her, Wyman’s character ignores what she desires just to please everyone else. Melodrama, thy name is Sirk.
Complimentary wine and snacks (or you can bring your own).
I’ll Be Seeing You (1944)
Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotten meet on a train just before Christmas. They are equally lonesome and guarded, because they both struggle with the shame of a terrible secret. Will they succeed in hiding the past from each other? Or does the Christmas season give them a fresh start? Ginger Rogers is famed for dancing backwards in high heels, but don’t forget that she was a triple threat: She could sing and dance, but she was also an inventive comedian, and she was an accomplished dramatic performer. Joseph Cotton brings sensitivity and nuance to the role of a war-weary soldier. Shirley Temple and Spring Byington join an outstanding ensemble cast.
Refunds available until 24 hours before the screening.
The Dot Theatre is located across from Dax Restaurant in a laneway and to the left.
