This Film Is Rated C--for Classic

When Jeanette MacDonald is calling you-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo, it means that ever popular 1936 MGM classic “Rose Marie” is once again flickering on the silver screen--in this case the one at the Canyon Theater of San Dimas.

The film also stars Nelson Eddy as a stalwart Canadian Mountie and, of course, features the much-maligned “Indian Love Call,” sung by MacDonald and almost everyone else in the cast.

The screening is part of the theater’s Wednesday morning Classic Movie Series, which has more to it than old films.

The doors open at 9 a.m. to live music by Jerry and Betty Rilly, on banjo and piano. There are free doughnuts and coffee, and door prizes donated by local businesses. According to theater assistant manager Michelle Harvey, 15 to 20 prizes a week are up for grabs--mostly pies and baked goods from supermarkets, free lunches at area restaurants and, last week, a certificate for five free car washes.

Because of the early hour, the series has been mostly patronized by senior citizens, but quite a few college students have been dropping by, Harvey said.

“It has become a very wide variety crowd,” she said.

MGM distributes “most of the films we’re playing,” Harvey said. “They’re local and they’re cheaper.”

Plans are in the works to get “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and other films from a distributor in Chicago.

“We try to play what they (the audience) ask for,” Harvey said.

The theater is in the Canyon Shopping Center at Bonita Avenue and San Dimas Canyon Road. Admission is $2.