On Thanksgiving Day 1976, The Band hosted their farewell concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom. Attendees were kept in the dark as to how the evening would unfold, but everyone knew it would be unforgettable.

With Director Martin Scorsese's cameras set up throughout the venue, guests were treated to turkey dinners and ballroom dancing at 5 pm.1

The music started at 9 pm, and The Band was joined on stage over the next six hours by the rock, folk, and blues elite, including Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, and Van Morrison, among others.

Scorsese's documentary of the legendary evening, The Last Waltz, released in 1978, is one of the most important films about music ever made. Live at ETH, an ongoing series of live music at Newtown's historic theater, is proud to sponsor this film in honor of the concert's 40th anniversary, which is hosted by Newtown Cultural Arts Commission.

The Band, a Canadian American group led by guitarist Robbie Robertson, with drummer Levon Helm, keyboardists Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel, and bassist Rick Danko, first played together as one by one they joined the backup band for Ronnie Hawkins. Eventually, they were hired to tour with Bob Dylan as his band for two years.

Following that, they recorded The Basement Tapes in 1967 while living with Dylan for a while in Saugerties, N.Y. Going out on their own, they decided to be known as The Band, since that was their moniker while they backed up various frontmen.

The Band's prolific career spawned ten albums, including such hits as "I Shall Be Released," "Up On Cripple Creek," and their biggest hit, "The Weight." The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Jen Rogers of Newtown Cultural Arts Commission admits this film is a little different from the ones that have been featured in the Sunday Cinema Series in recent years.

"This documentary is a departure from the films we've been offering," she said, but I'm thrilled to expand into this genre. This film captures a specific moment in our music timeline, and I'm sure it will not only draw those who relished the Woodstock era, but also those who were raised by them.

"I imagine people will be breaking out their LP collection to play for their kids just knowing this film is going to be screened," she added.

Newtown Cultural Arts Commission will present The Last Waltz at Edmond Town Hall Theater, 45 Main Street, on Thursday, November 17. Screenings will be at 1 and 7 pm, and the matinee will be subtitled for the benefit of the hearing impaired.

All tickets are $2.

The final Sunday Cinema Series offering will be Irving Berlin's White Christmas (1954) on Sunday, December 18, at 4 and 7 pm.

Visit the Sunday Cinema Series page on Facebook and NewtownArtsCommission.org/Sunday-Cinema-Series for details and upcoming announcements about the 2017 season.

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