A Preview of Cinecon 2026
August 24, 2026
Labor Day weekend is fast approaching, which means it’s time for the Cinecon Classic Film Festival! I’ve been attending this event (when I’m in town) for the past several years. This time around, I’m pleased to announce that I’ll also be introducing a pre-Code and signing copies of Pre-Code Essentials throughout the day on Sunday, September 6!
As usual, I don’t recognize most of the titles, and I’m excited to make so many new discoveries. Below is a brief overview of what I’m hoping to catch at this year’s fest. (For more info and tickets, check out Cinecon's site HERE.)
THURSDAY, 9/3
7:30pm: My Favorite Year (1982)
I’ve heard of this Peter O’Toole classic about a young TV comedy writer who meets his idol when he’s booked for the show he works on—and has to keep him in line for the broadcast—but never seen it. To be able to watch it on the big screen and hear from Cinecon 62 Legacy Award Honoree Lainie Kazan afterwards, along with co-stars Anne De Salvo and Teresa Ganzel, seems like a perfect way to start the fest!
FRIDAY, 9/4
5pm: The Main Attraction (1962)
I’m working Friday, which means I’m racing to the Nuart after I clock out at 4pm for The Main Attraction, which centers around a man on the run (Pat Boone) who joins a circus, where he meets another Cinecon Legacy Award Honoree: Nancy Kwan! I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Kwan speak before, and I’m looking forward to seeing this movie for the first time and having the opportunity to be in Kwan’s presence once again.
8pm: An Unbeliever Convinced (1917)
If I have the year right here, all I’ve found online about this silent short is that it was filmed on 28mm and it's about fire safety. If this is all accurate, I’m curious to see how those standards have changed in the last century...
8:20pm: 3 Bad Men (1926)
This John Ford Western, about outlaws who help a young girl after her father is murdered, has been called one of the director’s “greatest silent epics.” While Westerns aren’t usually my favorite, it’s always a treat to watch silent films with live musical accompaniment, which you get to do often at Cinecon.
SATURDAY, 9/5
10am: Paris in the Spring (1935)
This Lewis Milestone musical comedy about two suicidal people who meet atop the Eiffel Tower and decide to make their respective lovers jealous sounds… interesting. I was surprised to see Milestone’s name attached to this, especially since I don’t recognize the stars—Tullio Carminati and Mary Ellis (who was born in the 1800s and lived to 2003!)—but who knows, maybe it will become a new favorite of mine!
10:30am: Puppetoon Presentation
I don’t know much about Puppetoons other than the name George Pal, so I’m looking forward to learning more!
11:55am: April Fool (1926)
The tagline “The laugh picture of the year” + Baby Peggy = I’m sold. This looks like an enjoyable comedy with lots of mishaps, misunderstandings, and mischief.
2pm: The Lucky Texan (1934)
New-to-me pre-Code under an hour long? Sign me up! Westerns don’t tend to have many pre-Code elements, but I’m still curious to see this early John Wayne B-picture, in which he strikes gold and gets mixed up with some crooked folks along the way.
3:10pm: Kinecon at Cinecon
Kinescopes, recordings of live TV broadcasts, are sometimes the only way certain early television clips and shows survive. That’s why I always take the opportunity to see these rarities when I can!
4:40pm: Manhattan Heartbeat (1940)
This B-romantic drama about a struggling couple who welcome a new baby is one I’ve never heard of, and besides Robert Sterling as the lead, I’m really not familiar with the cast, either. What really piqued my interest, though, is that it’s another adaptation of Viña Delmar’s Bad Girl. I’m very intrigued to see how different this is from the 1931 pre-Code version…
5:55pm: The Hollywood Kid (1924)
I’m always up for a Mack Sennett comedy, especially one about Hollywood that features Sennett himself looking to discover a new star. Simply from the stills, it seems this slapstick short is jam-packed with mayhem.
7:15pm All Hands on Deck (1961)
Funny story: I saw a Barbara Eden and Pat Boone movie (1964’s The Yellow Canary) earlier this year at Noir City. That noir sounds wildly different from this wacky musical comedy, their first pairing, set aboard a Naval ship. (It co-stars Buddy Hackett and features a plotline about a turkey, apparently!) Did I think I would see these two legends in person twice in the same year? No. Suffice it to say I’m very excited for this screening and Q&A with both icons!
SUNDAY, 9/6
Sunday is the day that I’ll be signing copies of Pre-Code Essentials at Cinecon and introducing a movie! Since the film starts at 9:40pm, I’ll likely skip out on the first film of the day, Under Two Flags (1938), with its star-studded cast of Ronald Colman, Claudette Colbert, Rosalind Russell, and Victor McLaglen.
11:55am: A One Man Game (1927)
Per IMDb, A Man One Game is “a surprise romance of the West! The thrilling courtship of a society heiress and a cowboy disguised as an English Duke!” I mean, I'm sold on that second sentence alone—plus a 50-minute runtime. Glorious.
2pm: Jazzed: Jack Cole Presentation
I’m not familiar with Jack Cole's work in the jazz world, but I am familiar with Debra Levine, the dance critic/writer who penned a new biography on Cole. I’ve enjoyed previous presentations of hers, and I’m looking forward to learning about Cole from her.
3pm: The New Klondike (1926)
Ben Hecht’s writing debut (uncredited), one of Lewis Milestone’s early features—those two things have some weight behind it, already. This comedy about a baseball pitcher who gets cut from the team, makes a fortune in real estate and then attempts to get back in with his team through that avenue sounds like a hoot.
4:30pm: The Rebel
There are a few sound pictures with this title, so I’m honestly not exactly sure what this film is about or what year it’s from. I guess it will be a surprise, until I see this year’s program, that is!
7pm: The Stars Are Singing (1953)
Cinecon Legacy Award Honoree Anna Maria Alberghetti stars in musical comedy about a teenage Polish refugee (the character the Italian-born Alberghetti plays) who is taken in by a group of New York performers as immigration officials search for her. I’m not familiar with Alberghetti’s work, so this screening and Q&A sound like a great opportunity to get acquainted with her talent.
9:40pm: Divorce Among Friends (1930)
I guess this is technically the only film I’ve seen that's screening at the fest—and I did so because I was asked to introduce it! I adore discovering new-to-me pre-Codes, and while this comedy about a bickering couple who threaten divorce a record number of times in 60 minutes is not a lost classic, it’s got some humorous pre-Code moments. I’m especially interested to see how the audience will react to it!
MONDAY, 9/7
So, I was actually slated to work Labor Day, but I may just take the day off instead—there’s too many intriguing films screening!
10:10am: My Lady’s Lips (1925)
This was the main reason I wanted to attend the fest on Monday. William Powell + Clara Bow?! Say no more. Bow plays a newspaper publisher’s rowdy daughter who starts hanging out with a group of gamblers apparently led by a woman (Alyce Mills). Meanwhile, undercover reporter Powell inserts himself into the band and romance ensues, naturally. I’d say this is my most anticipated film of the fest due to the cast and that wild sounding story.
11:35am: Reunion in Reno (1951)
I’m excited to see Gigi Perreau in a lead role here. I’ve also encountered slightly different wording for this plot, which can make a big difference: Perreau plays a character who, upon learning her parents are going to have another baby, tries to either get a divorce for her parents or from her parents. We’ll see which it is on Labor Day! (Either way, it sounds like a wacky premise that I am here for.)
3:35pm: Chasing Danger (1939)
I'm definitely familiar with Ricardo Cortez the actor but not the director. This is his second directing credit and it sounds a little out there. From IMDb: “When an American newsreel cameraman stationed in Paris is sent to cover an Arab rebellion, he finds a financier - presumed dead - who is in fact fomenting desert warfare.” All that in 60 minutes, and starring Preston Foster and Lynn Bari. I am certainly intrigued!
5:50pm: Woman of the North Country (1952)
I’ve long been a fan of Ruth Hussey, but I’ve really only seen her in supporting parts. So when I read she not only starred in this movie but portrays a mine owner who basically seduces and plays her rival (Rod Cameron), I was all in immediately—definitely not a role I’m used to seeing her in!
And that will wrap up my Cinecon 2026 experience. If you’ll be attending the fest, let me know what you’re most excited to see!
thanks for stopping by!
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