On Sunday, September 21, Newtown Cultural Arts Commission will present two films for the next installation of its Sunday Cinema Series.

Mr Smith Goes to Washington, starring James Stewart, will be screened at 1 and 7 pm, and Dark Victory, starring Bette Davis, will be shown at 4 pm.

Screenings are in the theater of Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. Tickets for all shows are $2 each.

This month’s screenings are Newtown Arts Festival events.

Though Mr Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for a total of eleven 1939 Academy Awards, it only won the Oscar for Best Writing (Original Story). James Stewart’s wide-ranging emotional portrayal of Senator Jefferson Smith, a young, idealistic and incorruptible politician, won him the New York Film Critic’s Award for Best Actor that year.

“This was one of the first films openly critical of the political process,” says Sunday Cinema Series Coordinator Jennifer Rogers, “by depicting how bending the rules of ethics leads to corruption. In the movie, ‘Love thy neighbor’ is Jefferson Smith’s personal creed, and I think our community has discovered how much can be accomplished with that in mind.”

In her third Oscar-nominated role in five years, Bette Davis plays a dynamic, young socialite facing a life-threatening illness in Dark Victory. Her emotional journey ultimately leads to a choice between giving in to fear or embracing each day. George Brent and Humphrey Bogart co-star, and Ronald Reagan also appears in this film.

The remaining Sunday Cinema Series dates — which continues the celebration of films released in 1939, considered by many to be “The Greatest Year in Film” — will continue as follows:

*October 19, Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Charles Laughton, at 1 and 4 pm; and a 7 pm double feature with Return of Doctor X (Humphrey Bogart) and Son of Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi);

*November 30, Best Picture winner Gone with the Wind (Vivian Lee and Clark Gable); and

*December 28, Babes in Arms (Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney) and At the Circus (the Marx Brothers).

Ms Rogers encourages movie lovers of all ages to attend the screenings, which are being presented in a theater that .recently had renovations and upgrades done

“Experience these Hollywood Classics the way they were meant to be seen, in the theater,” she said.

Visit Facebook.com/NewtownSundayCinemaSeries for additinal information.www.NewtownArtsCommission.org or