The Los Angeles Conservancy, a longtime Hollywood Foreign Press Association grantee, just launched its annual mini film festival, The Last Remaining Seats: A Celebration of Classic Movies shown in historic movie palaces that are still functioning in Los Angeles. The opening night featured the 1997 neo-noir drama L.A. Confidential and it was shown to a sold out house at the Orpheum Theater, the French renaissance 1926 movie palace on L.A.’s movie theater row, Broadway Street.The ornate marquee displayed the HFPA’s name, and the Conservancy’s president and CEO Linda Dishman thanked the HFPA in her opening remarks for the Association’s continuing support, and acknowledged the HFPA members present.

This year’s opening night’s feature has a strong HFPA and Golden Globes connection: L.A. Confidential received five Golden Globes nominations: Best  Motion Picture-Drama; Curtis Hanson was nominated for both directing and co-writing the script; eight-time Globe nominee Jerry Goldsmith was recognized for his score; and Kim Basinger was nominated as Best Supporting Actress-Drama and took home the Globe.The stellar cast included Kevin Spacey (eight Globe nominations and one win), Russell Crowe (five nominations and one win), Danny DeVito (six nominations and one win) and Guy Pearce (one nomination).

Some of the movies on the program were released before the HFPA was founded (Wings, 1927, Laura, 1944), but many others have strong Golden Globes credentials: On The Waterfront (1954) won four Globes: Best Motion Picture- Drama, Best Actor for lead Marlon Brando (who had a lifetime score of ten Globe nominations and five wins), director Elia Kazan (a total career of four wins),a nd Best Cinematography- Black and White ([a discontinued category). The cast included Karl Malden (three Golden Globe nominations], Lee J. Cobb (two nominations), Eva Marie Saint (one nomination) and Rod Steiger (two nominations, one win) The venue will be… on the waterfront, at the exquisite 1931 Art Deco Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, south L.A.

Two Steven Spielberg classics will close the series, again at the Orpheum: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Jaws (1975).  E.T.  won two Globes out of five nominations: Best Motion Picture- Drama and score, by composer John Williams (24 GG nominations and four wins…so far). Director Steven Spielberg, a frequent guest at the HFPA activities, was nominated 11 times, with two wins and a Cecil B. deMille award. Other nominations for E.T. include screenwriter Melissa Mathison, and actor Henry Thomas – his co-star Drew Barrymore was overlooked, but later she would gather three Golden Globe nominatons and one win.

The Spielberg- Williams team also was nominated for Jaws,  the closing film of the 2017 Last remaining Seats. Jaws received four nominations, one win for Williams, and the cast featured other Golden Globes nominees: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss.
The popular series is again sold out, a testament to the public’s renewed interest in classic movies and in the ornate movie palaces that show them and that the HFPA supports.