And the Winner is...

Diablo salutes the best pictures and actors—with an East Bay twist.

Shutterstock.com

(page 1 of 4)

Long before (and ever since) Mrs. Doubtfire dined in Danville, our backyard has shined brightly on the silver screen. This month, we’re getting a head start on the Oscars by looking at a near century of movie history with an East Bay angle—from Charlie Chaplin’s Tri-Valley masterpieces to Pixar’s box office blockbusters. We also caught up with Walnut Creek–raised screen icon Katharine Ross and got Berkeley legend Rita Moreno’s tips for a good Oscar speech.

But the fun isn't limited to just these pages. We're thrilled to be working with the California Independent Film Festival on a Classic Movie Series at the gorgeous Orinda Theatre. We kicked off in January with a screening of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Oscar-winning actress Louise Fletcher, who played the infamous Nurse Ratched, delighted audiences with a Q&A following the screening.

On February 13, we will screen To Kill a Mockingbird, and actress Mary Badham (Oscar-nominated for her performance as "Scout") will attend for a Q&A. March 13 brings the Best Picture-winning West Side Story, and Oscar-winner Rita Moreno will be on hand for a Q&A before the film. From April 22–25, the California Independent Film Festival will bring many great films from Hollywood legends and up-and-coming filmmakers to the Orinda. Then on May 22, Cindy Williams will visit for a screening of George Lucas' breakthrough smash,  American Graffiti. Join Diablo's A-list for bonus interviews and behind-the-scenes scoop, and to win free tickets to these wonderful movie nights.

And now, the featured attraction: our picks for the best movies and biggest stars with a connection to Diabloland. The envelope—and Red Vines—please….

 (CLICK HERE to vote for your favorites for this year's Oscars)

If you could take the combined star wattage of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and multiply it by the behind-the-lens talent of, say, Steven Spielberg, you’d have the cinematic equivalent of Charlie Chaplin. Unquestionably the superstar of the silent era, Chaplin’s break as a filmmaker came in 1915, when he signed a one-year contract to make movies for the Essanay Film Company in Niles.

“Essanay hired Chaplin for a salary of $1,250 a week and a $10,000 signing bonus,” says David Kiehn, historian at Fremont’s Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. “This was the most money the studio had ever paid a filmmaker.”

The gamble paid off in a big way. The five films Chaplin shot while at the Tri-Valley studio were phenomenal box office hits. Combining madcap comedy and melodramatic romance, Chaplin could make emotional connections with audiences like no other filmmaker, and quickly became the biggest movie star in the world.

The last film Chaplin made in the East Bay, The Tramp, featured the filmmaker’s signature screen persona: a kind, gentle hobo. “In the final shot, Chaplin is walking down the road away from the camera,” says Kiehn. “At first, he’s dejected but then perks up, and begins to skip along the road in Niles Canyon. This became his signature walk, which he used in many films.”

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the great movies from the 1970s and was the toast of the 1976 Oscars. The film established the East Bay’s most acclaimed film studio, Fantasy Films (now the Saul Zaentz Company) in Berkeley.

Based on the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey, Cuckoo’s Nest had first been a hit Broadway play starring Kirk Douglas. Douglas’ son Michael secured the rights to the project and teamed up with legendary Berkeley music producer Saul Zaentz to make the movie. Up-and-coming star Jack Nicholson was cast as the lead in the $4.4 million production.

“I think the partners at Fantasy Films put every dime that they had into it,” recalls Alamo resident Paul Zaentz (Saul’s nephew), producer of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain. “It opened in four theaters, and then word of mouth just took off. It went on to be the sixth highest grossing film of all time.”

Cuckoo’s Nest was just the second film to sweep the Academy Awards’ Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Adapted Screenplay categories. The Saul Zaentz Company went on to produce a string of acclaimed films, including two more Best Picture winners: Amadeus (1984) and The English Patient (1996).