Porgy and Bess Film to Be Screened at NYC’s Ziegfeld

The 1959 film version of the George Gershwin-Ira Gershwin-DuBose Heyward-Dorothy Heyward opera Porgy and Bess will be screened at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Theatre (141 West 54th Street) at 8pm on September 26 and 27. The screenings will be followed by a discussion with author Foster Hirsch, who has written a soon-to-be published biography of the film’s director, Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King.

Porgy and Bess stars Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in the title roles. The supporting cast includes Sammy Davis, Jr. as Sportin’ Life, Pearl Bailey as Maria, Brock Peters as Crown, and Diahann Carroll as Clara. The film received four Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar for Best Scoring of a Motion Picture; it also won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) with Poitier and Dandridge also receiving nominations for their work.

Tickets can be bought at the theater’s box office or by visiting www.clearviewcinemas.com.