UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 17, Page 4
January 18, 1996
Talk in film series rescheduled; lectures continue this month

     A rescheduled talk by Thomas Schatz, author of several books on
American film including Hollywood Genre and The Genius of the System:
Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era, is set for 8 p.m., Monday,
Jan. 22, in the Ewing Room of the Perkins Student Center, as part of
the celebration of the centenary of American film this month.
     The free public talk was originally scheduled Jan. 9 but had to
be rescheduled because of the snow storm.
     Schatz, a professor in the radio-television-film department at
the University of Texas at Austin, is currently working on a revised
and expanded version of Hollywood Genres, as well as a book on the New
Hollywood.
     Also speaking in the series at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 23, in the
Ewing Room of the Perkins Student Center will be Tom Gunning,
associate professor of film history at Northwestern University.
Gunning is the author of D.W. Griffith and the Origins of American
Narrative Film. He has published and lectured around the world on the
topic of early cinema.
     Robert Townsend, actor, producer, writer, director and comedian,
is scheduled to conclude the series at 8 p.m., Monday, Jan. 29, in the
Perkins Student Center.
     Townsend is currently starring in The Parent Hood, one of the
debut comedy series for the Warner Brothers Network. Known for his
innate sense of comedy and storytelling, he also has directed
Hollywood Shuffle, Meteor Man and The Five Heartbeats.
     He began his directing career with Eddie Murphy's Raw concert
film. He next wrote, directed and starred in Hollywood Shuffle, which
was financed largely by credit cards. This semi-autobiographical
lampoon of the struggles of African Americans in the industry received
critical and audience acclaim, firmly establishing him as a ground-
breaking filmmaker.
     For more information on the series, contact the Student Center
Programs Office at 831-1296.