Murphy’s Town Hall Athenry 59 22nd November 1959 – Moby Dick, a 1956 film adaptation of Herman Melville’s 1851 novel, starring Gregory Peck, Orson Welles and Richard Basehart (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 21st November 1959, page 15). 25th & 26th November 1959 – “In Response to Public Demand” Athenry Players again performed John B Keane’s Sive in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 21st November 1959, page 15).106 27th November 1959 – Macbeth, a 1948 Orson Welles film production of Shakespeare’s famous Scottish play, starring Welles himself in the title role, was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 21st November 1959, page 15). 30th & 31st December 1959 – Carve Her Name with Pride, a 1958 WWII movie starring Virginia McKenna and Paul Scofield was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 19th December 1959, page 15). 17th January 1960 – High Society, a 1956 movie starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 16th January 1960, page 13). 22nd January 1960 – The Searchers a 1956 Western, starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood, was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 16th January 1960, page 13). 18th February 1960 – Athenry Agricultural Show Dance with Music from Pete Browne’s Leading Orchestra (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 13th February 1960, page 14). 9th & 10th March 1960 – A Night To Remember, a 1958 movie telling the story of White Star Line’s ill fated RMS Titanic, starring Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith and Tucker Maguire, was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 5th March 1960, page 13). 107 31st March 1960 – Sirocco, a 1951 Film Noir, starring Humphrey Bogart, Lee J Cobb and Zero Mostel, was screened in the Hall (source: Connacht Tribune 26th March 1960, page 15). 5th April 1960 – Connacht Tribune 16th April 1960 carried the following on page 16, under the heading Film: “Through the courtesy of C.I.E. and the co-operation of Mr. Richard Murphy, Town Hall, Athenry, the pupils of Athenry Boys' National School were treated to two excellent films on Tuesday, of last week, Ireland — Land of Welcome, a colour story of a coach tour and Introduction of Diesel Train Travel in Ireland, showing the production of locomotives and the operation of train services in Ireland.” 19th & 20th April 1960 – Jailhouse Rock, a 1957 Elvis Presley movie, was screened in the Hall on this date (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 16th April 1960, page 15). 22nd May 1960 – The Prince and the Showgirl, a 1957 movie in Technicolor, starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 21st May 1960, page 15). 26th May 1960 – Loving You, a 1957 Elvis movie in Technicolor, was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 21st May 1960, page 15). 6th June 1960 – Rock Around the Clock, a 1956 musical film featuring Bill Haley and The Comets and others, was screened in the Hall (source: Hall Journal, Connacht Tribune 4th June 1960, page 15). 29th July 1960 – The Hired Gun, a 1957 Western starring starring Rory Calhoun and Anne Francis, was screened in the Hall (Hall Journal, also MGM Letter to the Hall dated 17th June 1959 in relation to the booking of this film). The support feature was a 1944 Laurel and Hardy comedy feature film called Nothing But Trouble. 106 John Huston, the legendary Film Director, would later see & praise an Athenry Players performance of this play in 1960. See images at the back. 107 “One of the technical advisors on A Night To Remember was Titanic’s Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall...” p.177, TITANIC, True Stories by Nicola Pierce 2018, The O’Brien Press Ltd
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