2007 Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow Tour

The Lineup:

Fandango
Wednesday, July 18th
San Elizario, TX

The 80’s cult classic about five University of Texas buddies who skip out on their own graduation party (well done, longhorns) to embark on a “last chance” odyssey: their final road trip celebrating the privilege of youth! Their ultimate goal is to dig up Dom, a friend they buried when their group of “groovers” was first formed, but along the way, under a West Texas sun, each of them faces the impending post-college “now what?” moment in his own way, reacting to his fears and the failings of his friends in the draft years of the Vietnam War.

The Alamo, of course, has pulled out all the stops and will be hosting their very own “pilgrimage” scavenger hunt, beginning the day before the screening at the Alamo South Lamar and ending on the square in San Elizario, TX. The winning team will have to pinpoint and exhume a bottle of Dom Perignon, send a team member skydiving and recreate many other wacky adventures from the film. And just like the movie, there will even be a wedding!

Friday
Friday, July 20th
South Central L.A.

It’s Friday, you ain’t got no job, you ain’t got shit ta do! The Alamo’s gonna get you high. Well, maybe not high, but you can almost get a contact buzz from Chris Tucker’s stoned-out-break-out performance in this modern day cult-classic. It always makes us think of the time that our dad came into the kitchen to find us with our head in the fridge, eatin' up all the food: all the chitlins, the pig's feet, the collard greens, the hog maws. Okay, so we weren’t really going to eat the hog maws.

This very special screening is being hosted by NewLine Cinema in celebration of their 40th Anniversary and will include special guests (yet to be announced!), and vintage trailers from other cult classic African American films. Holla!


Lost Boys
Wednesday, July 25th
Santa Cruz, CA

We are suckers for vampire flicks. They don’t even have to be good vampire flicks. As long as it involves fangs and blood and wooden stakes, we are happy as hogs in slop. But to throw in the one-two punch of the late-80’s era Corey Haim/Corey Feldman dreamboat, well, can we just say that you had us at the first bite. And apparently, the production of the sequel Lost Boys 2: The Tribe should begin sometime this year, just a mere 20 years after the original was released. Apparently vampires really do live forever.

For this portion of the Roadshow the Alamo has partnered with the world famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to help celebrate it's 100th anniversary. There will be rides, food, fun and games for all to enjoy before the screening begins. And the word on the street is that Corey² may even be in attendance! Swoon!


Stand By Me
Saturday, July 28th
Brownsville, Oregon

In the alternatingly hilarious and heartbreaking adaptation of Stephen King’s novella “The Body” we find ourselves entranced by the deep bond of childhood friendship as it develops in an overnight journey to find the corpse of a missing townie. Sweet Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and the late River Phoenix embark on a series of hair-raising adventures, including jumping from a train trestle, out witting a junkyard dog and being submerged in a swamp of blood sucking leeches (jeez, has anyone ever gotten over Wil Wheaton’s face from that scene? Yech.) Stand By Me captures that time in your life where it seemed like nothing would ever change, that you would always have the same friends - friends who would be part of every trial and tribulation in life, friends who would always stand by your side. But as is the case so many times, friends do come in and out of our lives like bus boys at a restaurant, but the memories remain.

The Alamo in conjunction with the City of Brownsville Chamber of Commerce has put together a veritable smorgasbord of events for this screening, including, but not limited to: an International Federation of Competitive Eating sanctioned blueberry pie eating contest, a “find the body” scavenger hunt, a self-guided tour of movie locations, a cruise-in featuring vintage vehicles and a 1950’s themed sock-hop. This is one for the ages. Bring your hanky.


North by Northwest
Tuesday, July 31st
Mount Rushmore, SD

A true gem in the hitchcockian crown, North by Northwest is one of the most nail-biting thrillmance (Romcomiller? Thrilledy? Oh, whatever) films ever made. Much lighter than Vertigo and certainly less horrific than Psycho, it is no less a triumph in its own quirky way. Cary Grant is both bombastic and bumbling in this tale of mistaken identity, and the film masterfully walks the line between serious and silly.

Directly following the 30 minute monument lighting ceremony, viewers will be treated to a reel of vintage Hitchcock trailers and subsequently the spectacle of watching Grant precariously scale the face of one of our national treasures (with good ole’ George, Tom, Teddy and Abe looming in the background) and be able to say earnestly, “I don't like the way Teddy Roosevelt is looking at me.”


Goldfinger
Friday, August 3rd
Fort Knox Military Base

Sean Connery as Bond, James Bond. Is there really anything else to say? The man is more lethal with a martini and a bowtie than any well equipped army could ever hope to be, which makes the location of this screening that much more provocative. Apparently national security can take a vacation, if only for 112 minutes, while the soldiers, families and employees stationed at Fort Knox are treated to this once-in-a-lifetime event. The public is invited as well, but should expect something just short of a full body cavity search to gain admittance; we’re just hoping that it will include a close shave from Pussy Galore.


A Christmas Story
Sunday, August 5th
Cleveland, Ohio

In our family, Christmas time was not filled with miracles on some street in NYC or scrawny trees; instead we had Little Orphan Annie and Red Ryder, Chinese turkey and the soft glow of electric sex, gleaming in the front-room window. Ralphie and crew were our constant companions, so much so that we literally wore out the VHS tape of A Christmas Story. Thankfully, DVDs were invented and we no longer have to worry about going an entire December without the thrill of finally receiving our decoder pin and unlocking the secrets of the universe.

This very special screening will take place at the house on Rowley Street where this classic was filmed, recently renovated and open for tours. The evening will be complete with snow, Ovaltine and a B-B gun challenge. Hopefully the line to get into this screening will not stretch all the way to Terre Haute.


John Waters Marathon
Friday, August 10th
Baltimore, MD

The brilliantly disgusting John Waters has created a body of work that demands a visceral reaction. This sunrise-to-sunset event will include the cheeky Hairspray, the shocking Polyester, the mind scrambling Desperate Living and the exquisite “exercise in poor taste” Pink Flamingos. Bring your shower caddy, because you will certainly need a good scrubbing after the day is complete. The first 250 viewers will receive a limited edition ODORAMA card to aid in the stomach-flipping fun of Polyester and all participants will receive a barf bag, just in case Mr. Waters achieves his ultimate goal of making you want to puke. We say good show, sir, good show.


Deliverance
Sunday, August 12th
Chattooga River, GA

In John Boorman’s backwoods nightmare, four men journey into the wilderness of rural Georgia, for a canoe trip that they expect will test their strength and virility, but eventually tests the mettle of their souls. Deliverance was the first ever Rolling Roadshow event, presented on the comparatively tame Colorado River. This outing promises to be much more engaging and fulfilling than the first, as the Chattooga is a congressionally recognized “Wild and Scenic” river, requiring a participants skill and strength to navigate it’s sinuous path. You can, of course, attend the screening alone, but we encourage you to take the plunge and get the full experience of an Appalachian adventure. We don’t know about you, but we will be packing an extra pair of underpants in the off chance that we hear the faint strain of a lonesome banjo, wailing in the distance.


Burt-athon
Tuesday, August 14th
Atlanta, GA

Boys, start your beard-farming now, because there is no way that you are going to get any action from your lady friend once she catches a glimpse of Burt Reynolds' mustachioed mug on a 30-foot screen, unless you too have a ‘stache to be reckoned with. Dubbed the “manliest being in human history” by the Alamo, Burt will be gracing the screen of the Starlight Six Drive-In in not one, not two, but THREE panty-dropping performances, including Smokey and the Bandit, Sharkey’s Machine, and White Lightning. We could talk about the plots and themes of the three chosen films (Burt’s always eluding the coppers), but we would rather focus on the man and his grooming practices. A great deal of machismo has been lost with the present day propensity to man-scape, so we are delighted that these films live on in all their hairy glory. Mr. Reynolds, we raise a frosty brew to you, oh cultivator of the chest rug. This being the only non-free screening of the tour, we were pleased to learn that Pontiac Firebird drivers get a special rate of $6 per car as opposed to $6 per head. Start your engines.


Smokey and the Bandit
Wednesday, August 15th
Texarkana, AK

Eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’, we’re gonna do what they say can’t be done. We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there. I’m eastbound, just watch ole’ Bandit run!

While the Rolling Roadshow may be heading west towards home, Bo and Cledus are headed the opposite direction, haulin’ a truckload of Coors from Texas to Georgia, in hopes of hitting paydirt before Buford T. Justice or the clock catches up with them. As kids our favorite character was Fred, Cledus’ basset hound, but “Bandit” was a very close second.
This very special and final leg of the tour will include a cross-country “Smokey” themed scavenger hunt, originating in Atlanta at the Burt-athon event and ending in Texarkana with a semi-full of Coors and plenty of gratuitous mustache shots.


Wow, we are exhausted just thinking about the work that went into planning this gargantuan undertaking. Karrie, Tim, et al., we tip our hats to you for what you have brought to Austin and for making films exciting again. Now, we were wondering if we could hitch a ride with you, we are running a little low on cash…..

For more details visit the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Blog.

All photos courtesy of the Alamo Drafthouse Website. All videos courtesy of YouTube.