SM PIER This year’s film series at the Santa Monica Pier — which kicks off tonight with a free screening of “Who Killed the Electric Car?” — will feature a little twist; a lemon twist that is.
Celebrity Chef Claud Mann of TBS’s long-running series “Dinner and a Movie” will be on hand for the screening of “Moonstruck” on Sept. 27, that last night of the series, when he will be teaching moviegoers how to make a pizza on their barbecues.
“With this heat recently it seems like summer is never ending and everyone still has their barbecues out so I thought it would be fun way to show people that they don’t need to heat up their kitchen to create a masterpiece. Just heat up that grill in the back and put the dough right on it,” said Mann, whose inspiration for the dish was simple.
“The moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie,” Mann said.
For those unfamiliar with the Santa Monica Drive-In at the Pier, the series is in its fifth year. It features documentaries, musicals and well-loved classics. All movies take place on Thursday evenings this year in the pier’s west parking deck.
Admission is free but tickets are required and are available at the Santa Monica Visitors Center at 1920 Main St., the kiosk at 1400 Ocean Ave. and the cart on the Third Street Promenade. Tickets are also available at Vidiots at the corner of Pico Boulevard and Fourth Street.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Special wine tastings by presenting sponsor Castello di Gabbiano winery will start at 6:30 p.m. in the wine pavilion on Sept. 20 and 27.
Aside from Mann, another highlight of this year’s event will be a live theatrical performance by Vox Lumiere, which reinvents silent films with new music and dance, creating a completely new entertainment experience. The classic film “Metropolis” and it’s political and modernist themes will “explode off the screen and into the rock arena” on Sept. 13, organizers of the event said.
On Sept. 20, fans of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck will get a chance to see them both in a screening of “Roman Holiday,” a film about an Italian princess who escapes her royal confinements and falls in love with an American newsman. The free wine tasting will take place before the screening. Mann recommends making “Gregory Pecorino Pansotti” with this film.
“Moonstruck” rounds out the lineup. Mann’s demonstration will take place at 7 p.m. For recipes, go to www.gabbiano.com. Proceeds from lawn chair rentals, raffle tickets, food, sponsorship and donations will go to support the Cancer Relief Fund of Arts Fighting Cancer.
“It’s a fun and easy way to fight cancer,” Mann said. “Just come out to the event or go online and check out some recipes and make a donation. This money helps people buy plane tickets to help a family member in need or helps someone purchase air conditioning to escape the summer heat.”
Arts Fighting Cancer is a non-profit organization striving to support film-making and the arts while raising funds to improve the quality of life for individuals fighting cancer. Last year’s Drive-In assisted 25 families affected by cancer.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 6, 2007. Read the original PDF.