Jacob Burns Film Center to show classic holiday films

Friday November 30, 2012 11:15 AM By Janine Bowen

Photo credit: Handout | It's a Wonderful Life (8 p.m. Dec. 1 and 24, NBC): Jimmy Stewart et al return to tug at those heartstrings.

If you're looking for cozy, indoor family fun, why not spend an afternoon watching a classic holiday film at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville?

“You get the experience of seeing … classics with quality sound. It’s a whole different experience than watching them on your TV or computer,” said Lori Zokalik, the Jacob Burns marketing director. “It’s like going back in time and watching them when they first came out.”

Throughout December, Jacob Burns will show a selection of family movies at noon on weekends and school holidays. The program kicks off with the 1983 holiday classic, "A Christmas Story," from Dec. 1 through 9. The film, which follows Ralphie in his quest to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, has become a staple of the holiday season, often running Christmas Eve for 24 hours straight on cable TV. If you want a chance to see "A Christmas Story" on the big screen without paying a dime, all tickets for noon show on Sunday, Dec. 2, will be free in honor of Free Arts Day.

Next on the docket is the 1946 Jimmy Stewart classic, "It’s a Wonderful Life," which will run on Saturdays and Sundays from Dec. 15 through 23. The heartwarming tale about George Bailey as he imagines what life would be like without him will also have a showing at noon on Christmas Eve.

Beginning Christmas Day and running thorugh Dec. 28, bring the kids to see "The Muppet Movie." The first in a series of films starring Jim Henson’s Muppets, the 1979 flick follows Kermit and the rest of the gang as they head to Hollywood.

The final selection in the program is not technically a movie, but rather a collection of Three Stooges shorts. See Larry, Moe, and Curly in all their glory with classics like "Three Little Pigskins" in this 90-minute presentation. This blast from the past will keep children and parents laughing from Dec. 29 through Jan. 1.

All films in the Jacob Burns "Movies for Kids (and their Families)" program will be shown at noon and tickets will be priced at $11 for adult nonmembers, $6 for members and $6.50 for kids.

Info: Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville; 914-773-7663; burnsfilmcenter.org

Photo: A still from "It's a Wonderful Life"

Tags: Pleasantville , Westchester , kids , things to do , holidays , events