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| Jack Garner |
Jack Garner wrote his first movie review in 1977, a decade after he got started in the newspaper business. It was of “Star Wars,” and, he’s proud to point out now that he suggested it would benefit from a sequel.
In the 30 years that followed, the Gannett News Service film critic got to interview some of Hollywood’s biggest names, from Jimmy Stewart and Lillian Gish to Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. He spent a day watching Woody Allen direct a film, and interviewed Tom Hanks at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for his film Apollo 13.
Garner will share some of his most memorable experiences and some of his top film picks – old and new – when he gives a talk at Finger Lakes Community College on Sunday, Oct. 16. He’s the second speaker in the sixth annual George M. Ewing Canandaigua Forum.
The event’s title, “From His Seat on the Aisle,” is a nod to Garner’s 2013 book, “From My Seat on the Aisle: Movies and Memories.” It begins at 4 p.m. in FLCC’s Student Center Auditorium, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. Starting at 3:30 p.m., Garner will be available to autograph copies of his book, which will be for sale just outside the auditorium.
Garner will be joined on stage by moderator Deborah Sutherland, a New York City native who began her education at her parents’ movie theatres, the most well-known of which was the Thalia Theatre that director Martin Scorsese said was “better than film school.” Sutherland teaches film and English at Canandaigua Academy and is the recipient of Ithaca College’s 2013 Media Mentor Award that’s bestowed on only five high school teachers across the nation each year.
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| Deborah Sutherland |
Garner completed grad school, got married and came to Rochester in 1970. He started at the Times-Union, mostly covering rock concerts at first, and found himself part of a team that won a Pulitzer for its coverage of the Attica prison rebellion. After he was transferred to the Democrat and Chronicle, he found his niche: For 30 years he got paid to watch movies, always from an aisle seat, as the title of his book and talk suggests, because of his 6-foot-9 stature.
In 2007 – the year he retired from Gannett – the George Eastman House presented Garner with its prestigious Eastman Medal of Honor for his contribution to motion pictures and the community, and renamed his favorite seats at the Dryden Theatre after him and his wife, Bonnie. Garner was only the second to receive the award, which honors people who advance the principles embodied by Eastman Kodak Co. founder George Eastman.
Garner continues to write freelance columns, including a recent piece listing his top picks for politically-themed films – just in time for Election Day. Among them are the classics, All the President’s Men, Wag the Dog, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
The Ewing forum series is planned by community volunteers and named for the late George M. Ewing Sr., the longtime editor and publisher of the Daily Messenger, later to become Messenger Post Media.
Launched in 2011, the Ewing forum is funded in part with an endowment from the Ewing family as well as support from Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, Wegmans, Canandaigua Rotary Club, and FLCC.
Former White House press secretary and political commentator Bill Moyers opened the 2016-2017 season with a sell-out talk on Oct. 2 exploring the state of American politics. Stewart Baker is the final guest in the Ewing forum with his Jan. 29, 2017 talk on homeland security, technology and recent events. Baker was the first assistant secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under George W. Bush.
Tickets are $25 each or free with a current student ID. They can be ordered by phone at (585) 393-0281 or email at ewingforum@gmail.com, or purchased online at gmeforum.org. For the latest, follow the Ewing forum on Facebook.
Forum organizers always welcome sponsors. Donors receive tickets, admission to the receptions and other benefits. For more information, contact Caroline Delavan at (585) 394-0896.
