The Day the Earth Stood Still + Gort Robot Live-On-Stage + Restored George Pal Puppetoons
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 1700 - 2200
The Frida Cinema is proud to present a special 75th Anniversary screening of The Day the Earth Stood Still, one of the most important science fiction films ever made whose message has only grown more urgent with time! Plus, get there early and see the iconic 8-Foot-Tall Gort Robot Live-on-Stage!
Director: Robert Wise Run Time: 240 min. Release Year: 1951
Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Hugh Marlowe
Starring Michael Rennie in his unforgettable performance as Klaatu, this 20th Century Fox landmark follows an alien emissary who arrives on Earth with a message that could save humanity...or doom it! At his side the towering Gort Robot whose silent presence became a legend of science fiction design. Directed by Academy Award winner Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, The Andromeda Strain, The Haunting, Star Trek: The Motion Feature) The Day the Earth Stood Still rejected spectacle in favor of moral urgency during a time of high-anxiety, making it evergreen filmmaking at its finest.
Bernard Herrmann’s revolutionary score, featuring eerie theremins and groundbreaking electronic instrumentation, forever changed the sound of Science Fiction cinema. Lauded worldwide and praised by critics for its intelligence and restraint, the film was selected by the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance.
Arnold Leibovit, a personal friend of Robert Wise, will host the evening and present two more of George Pal’s Academy Award-winning Puppetoons he’s restored: “A Hatful of Dreams” featuring a DC Comics use of Superman and “The Gay Knighties” with a mischievous Ogre.
Also: please join us for Bonus pre-screening of The Puppetoon Movie - A Legacy Revisited, at 5:00PM, a behind-the-scenes look into the making of The Puppetoon Movie with Joe Dante (Gremlins), Floyd Norman (Walt Disney animator - Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book), Peter Lord (Aardman Animations - Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit), Dennis Muren (Star Wars, Jurassic Park), Phil Tippett (Starship Troopers), Mick Garris (Critters 2), Bob Kurtz (Animation Director), Marc Caballero and Seamus Walsh (Screen Novelties Directors), Art Clokey (Gumby Creator), Dallas McKennon (Actor), Jerry Beck (animation historian) and others. Produced and Directed by Arnold Leibovit with archival narration by Paul Frees. This showing will coincide with the new restoration Blu-ray release of The Puppetoon Movie.
4:00PM Doors Open
5:00PM A Puppetoon Movie: A Legacy Revisited documentary (introduction by Arnold Leibovit)
7:00PM Two Puppetoon shorts + The Day The Earth Stood Still (introduction by Arnold Leibovit)
Tickets are $20 to this event. Frida Cinema comp passes and member discounts do not apply.
Exhibitor: https://go.evvnt.com/3466334-2?pid=2874
Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Film / Cinema
Artists: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, Billy Grey, Hugh Marlowe, Robert Wise
Director: Robert Wise Run Time: 240 min. Release Year: 1951
Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Hugh Marlowe
Starring Michael Rennie in his unforgettable performance as Klaatu, this 20th Century Fox landmark follows an alien emissary who arrives on Earth with a message that could save humanity...or doom it! At his side the towering Gort Robot whose silent presence became a legend of science fiction design. Directed by Academy Award winner Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, The Andromeda Strain, The Haunting, Star Trek: The Motion Feature) The Day the Earth Stood Still rejected spectacle in favor of moral urgency during a time of high-anxiety, making it evergreen filmmaking at its finest.
Bernard Herrmann’s revolutionary score, featuring eerie theremins and groundbreaking electronic instrumentation, forever changed the sound of Science Fiction cinema. Lauded worldwide and praised by critics for its intelligence and restraint, the film was selected by the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance.
Arnold Leibovit, a personal friend of Robert Wise, will host the evening and present two more of George Pal’s Academy Award-winning Puppetoons he’s restored: “A Hatful of Dreams” featuring a DC Comics use of Superman and “The Gay Knighties” with a mischievous Ogre.
Also: please join us for Bonus pre-screening of The Puppetoon Movie - A Legacy Revisited, at 5:00PM, a behind-the-scenes look into the making of The Puppetoon Movie with Joe Dante (Gremlins), Floyd Norman (Walt Disney animator - Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book), Peter Lord (Aardman Animations - Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit), Dennis Muren (Star Wars, Jurassic Park), Phil Tippett (Starship Troopers), Mick Garris (Critters 2), Bob Kurtz (Animation Director), Marc Caballero and Seamus Walsh (Screen Novelties Directors), Art Clokey (Gumby Creator), Dallas McKennon (Actor), Jerry Beck (animation historian) and others. Produced and Directed by Arnold Leibovit with archival narration by Paul Frees. This showing will coincide with the new restoration Blu-ray release of The Puppetoon Movie.
4:00PM Doors Open
5:00PM A Puppetoon Movie: A Legacy Revisited documentary (introduction by Arnold Leibovit)
7:00PM Two Puppetoon shorts + The Day The Earth Stood Still (introduction by Arnold Leibovit)
Tickets are $20 to this event. Frida Cinema comp passes and member discounts do not apply.
Exhibitor: https://go.evvnt.com/3466334-2?pid=2874
Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Film / Cinema
Artists: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, Billy Grey, Hugh Marlowe, Robert Wise
Starting Price Per Person
$ 20.00 USD
Other Information
Where
The Frida Cinema
305 East 4th Street
Santa Ana California 92701
United States
( Theatre - Cinema Hall )
305 East 4th Street
Santa Ana California 92701
United States
( Theatre - Cinema Hall )
Event Organizer Contact:
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Event ID: 265106
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