I've received a few questions about the Celebration of Life for Mike Schlesinger on April 6 — the one I announced here. Here are the answers and you can figure out the questions from them. It's kind of like Jeopardy!
- No, we will not be able to stream it live but we're talking to various folks about bringing in video equipment and recording the Celebration and putting it online. This would include the speeches and the clips we show but — obviously — not the feature film.
- I will be the emcee. The other folks organizing the Celebration are Saratoga Ballantine, Jerry Beck, Joe Dante, Catherine Dickerson, Howard Green and Steve Stoliar.
- We have loads of people who wish to speak but — as I've learned you have to do with events like this — we're selecting a small number and giving them limited amounts of time. (I was the host for a June Foray Memorial in 2017. If we'd let everyone who wanted to speak have a turn at the microphone, we'd still be there.)
- The version of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World we're showing is the general release version with the intermission. It is not the version with the footage that was cut a few weeks after the movie's initial release in 1963. I'm pretty sure there is no 70mm print in existence that includes those scenes.
- You don't have to have been a close friend of Mike's to attend. You will not be interrogated at the door about your relationship. But if you respected his accomplishments (which were many) and wish to pay some of those respects forward, you are welcome.
- We're receiving a steady stream of reservations but I can't tell you how long you might have to decide if you're coming. There's a good chance we'll "sell out." The event takes place in 38 days but don't take all that time to decide.
- If you wanna be there, here's the e-mail address. Tell us how many seats you want and if you're staying for the movie. You will receive an e-mail in a few days confirming things and telling you a bit more about the event.
- And just in case my remark about about a possible "sell out" confuses you, there is no charge to attend. Thank you.