Comedies, Sing-a-Longs, Drama and Scary Thrills at the Strand Theatre

The Earl Smith Strand Theatre brings classic comedies, musical extravaganza, dramatic classics, and a big scary shark to the screen this summer.

This season’s adult-oriented movie line-up features a mix of the best of the old and new.

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) (R). Friday, May 24, 8pm. Clark Griswold takes family bonding to a new and strange place in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983). The first of the National Lampoon's Vacation series, Vacation follows the Griswold family's eventful cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park in California. Before your summer vacation begins, take a night away from the kids and bathe in the comedic glory of Chevy Chase.

Mamma Mia (2011) (PG-13). Thursday, July 11, 8pm. Set on the colorful Greek island of Kalokairi, the plot of Mamma Mia serves as a lively background for a wealth of ABBA songs. A young woman soon to be married discovers that any one of three men (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård, Colin Firth) could be her father. She invites all three to the wedding without telling her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep). Come at 6:30 p.m. to warm up with the Bottomless Wine Party and Silent Auction to benefit the Strand’s Arts Education Programs. 

Bridesmaids (2011) (R). Friday, August 2, 8pm. Put together Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph of SNL, Chris O’Dowd from the IT Crowd, and a host of world class comediennes and you get Bridesmaids, a snort-your-drink-out-your-nose funny comedy about how competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid over who is the bride's best friend threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.

Jaws (1975) (R). Saturday, August 3, 8pm. Get ready for the yearly tradition of scaring yourself away from open water for the summer by coming to watch the classic ocean terror movie Jaws. Responsible for decades of thalassophobia, Jaws burst into America’s collective consciousness in 1975.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) (NR). Friday, August 9, 8pm. In a story as relevant now as it was when it was written in 1960 and filmed 1962, To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless story of injustice, family, and steadfast integrity in the face of overwhelming adversity. Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man again an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.

Tickets for movies are $8 for seniors, students and military; and $9 for adults. There will be an organ preshow and sing along on the Mighty Allen Theatre Organ 30 minutes before each movie showing.