Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 54min | NR | Noir/Crime | USA 

PRESENTED WITH MOTOR CITY CINEMA SOCIETY ON 16MM FILM

“Made it, Ma! Top of the World!”  

With these iconic lines James Cagney—his voice aching with crazed intensity—cemented his comeback as Hollywood’s most explosive movie star.  In 1949, as moviegoers sat transfixed by the screen, the movie stars’ manic desperation left little doubt: Cagney and White Heat had reached the peak of the gangster film. And today, 75 years later, few, if any, have come close to attaining such heights. 

Using real-life gangsters like Ma Barker and her four criminal sons as a jumping off point, this firecracker of a story travels across the beauty of the High Sierra mountains, deep into the horrors of the penitentiary, and into the mind of a man suffering from “homicidal psychosis.”  

On the edge of the gangster and film noir genres, it features a bold heist, a femme fatale, and moody black and white photography, all directed by gangster flick veteran Raoul Walsh (The Roaring Twenties, High Sierra).

But what really sets it apart is Cagney. Bursting with vulnerability and rage, he embodies Arthur “Cody” Jarrett, a violently volatile, (and highly quotable) criminal madman beset with mommy issues, a debilitating psychosomatic ailment, and a beautiful woman he can’t help but trust.  

Come see why White Heat, decades later, is still on top of the gangster heap, WITH THE REAL FLICKER OF 16MM FILM ON SCREEN!

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Sat. Jan. 20 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 32min | Not Rated |Noir/Thriller | USA 

Love and hate. Darkness and light. A terrifying evil that only righteousness can overcome.  

The stuff of fables, of scripture, of the deep and eternal struggle in our souls. An old story, but rarely has this tale been told with such indelible and nightmarish beauty as in the noir/thriller classic, The Night of the Hunter! 

Robert Mitchum stars as Robert Powell, a murderous “preacher” in Great Depression era West Virginia. After being released from the state penitentiary he quickly closes in on the stash of stolen money he knows to be hidden somewhere in the home of his now executed cellmate. With charisma and sex appeal he insinuates himself into the life of the widow Willa Harper, (Shelley Winters) presenting himself as a man of God as he preys upon her unfulfilled desire and the innocence of her children. 

The first and last film directed by acclaimed British actor Charles Laughton, The Night of the Hunter was initially ignored by audiences and harshly reviewed by critics. This, despite its daring visual style, a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize winner James Agee, and a movie star lead. Over the decades, however, the film developed a cult following thanks to television and revival art house theaters. Audiences were drawn to its strange synthesis of film noir mood, horror aesthetics, elemental themes, and abstract set design. As a result, its cult burgeoned while simultaneously undergoing a critical reassessment that now places it among the best of all time. 

Don’t miss this masterpiece on our big screen! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue